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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The 2020 MacBook Air with the M1 chip still holds up as one of the best lightweight laptops Apple has ever made, and right now, you can get a Grade A refurbished model for $514.99 on StackSocial. That means you’re getting a machine that looks nearly new, with little to no visible wear. It’s the Space Gray model with a 13.3-inch Retina display, which delivers crisp text and vibrant colors, whether you're working, streaming, or scrolling through Reddit. With 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, it’s built for everyday tasks like web browsing, video calls, and document editing, but if you need a ton of storage for big files or pro-level video editing, 128GB might feel cramped pretty fast. What makes this MacBook Air stand out is Apple’s M1 chip, which still competes with newer laptops in speed and efficiency. This chip means silent, fan-less performance, so you won’t hear it struggling under pressure even when juggling multiple apps. Battery life is also a win—even in real-world use, it easily lasts a full workday (29 hours per charge, according to this PCMag review). The keyboard is also a huge improvement over older models, with a more comfortable typing experience. Plus, Touch ID lets you log in instantly and makes online shopping way too easy. The relative downside is that it has only two USB-C ports, so you’ll probably need a dongle for accessories like an external drive or SD card. This model was PCMag’s Best Apple Laptop of 2020 and won their Editor’s Choice award for good reason—it’s a fast, sleek, and reliable machine for casual users, students, and remote workers. And, at over $500 off the original price, this StackSocial deal makes it more accessible. Keep in mind that it ships only within the contiguous U.S., and since it’s a refurbished unit, stock might not last long. View the full article

Google is trying to add Gemini AI to all its products. We've even seen the Gemini button in Gmail (which you can disable if you wish). Now, the company is starting to get more specific with that email integration, using AI to automatically add events to your Google calendar if an email provides enough details for it. The feature is already rolling out, so Gemini Advanced subscribers and Google Workspace for Business users can expect to start seeing the new Add to Calendar button, powered by Gemini, when relevant. It'll be right next to the "Summarize this email" button, above the email's body. As an example, let's say you have an email discussing an upcoming meeting with your boss. Press the "Add to Calendar" button, and Google will automatically scan and parse the relevant details and create a Google Calendar event for you. Thankfully, Google isn't making this a completely autonomous process—the event will show up in a sidebar once generated, so you'll be able to check it for mistakes before you add it to your calendar (given how LLMs sometimes tend to hallucinate, this is a good idea). You can use the Edit button to make any changes to the proposed event, or to add more information. One thing Gemini can't do yet is invite others to the meeting, so for that, you'll need a trip to the Calendar app. The feature is also only available in English for now. According to Google, the Add to Calendar button might take up to two weeks to complete global rollout. The feature is only available in English language, and it only works on the web for now. And while it's limited to paying subscribers, it's available for all Business plan users, including the cheaper Business Starter plan. If you're not sure whether paying for Gemini Advanced each month makes sense for you, check out our explainer. View the full article

The good news in the Consumer Price Index report has not carried over to the 10-year Treasury yield and thus mortgage rates, Freddie Mac found. View the full article

Increasing number of Labour MPs are calling for tweaks to Rachel Reeves’ financial constraints View the full article

Picture a packed stadium of fans in extreme weather, all clad in their favorite jerseys, cheering and cursing at their favorite American football team or European soccer club. Or a crush of screaming fans, singing and dancing in unison at a Taylor Swift or K-pop concert. Or a sea of costumed Star Wars fans, lightsabers aloft, filling up movie theaters on opening night of a new movie. Plenty of people like to watch sports, attend concerts, and go to the movies. But what about those fans—the diehard ones, if you will—whose dedication goes even further? The fans whose daily lives are deeply intertwined with their interests? Diehard fans tend to have a detailed, intricate knowledge. They collect, display, and cherish memorabilia. They flock to iconic “pilgrimage” places: King’s Cross Train Station in London for Harry Potter fans, or Graceland in Memphis, for Elvis devotees. Their interests inspire them, shaping how they behave and view the world. This level of devotion seems to go well beyond entertainment. Indeed, it may seem, well, almost religious. Since 2018, I have been studying the realm of “comic-con culture”: fandoms built on comic books, superheroes, science fiction, anime and manga, gaming, and cosplay. Based on my surveys and follow-up interviews, I have found that many dedicated fans describe something sacred about their experiences, something beyond entertainment and escapism. Defining ‘sacred’ What does “sacred” mean, exactly? A popular starting point is French sociologist Emile Durkheim and his 1912 treatise, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. One of Durkheim’s most enduring legacies is how he defined religion in terms of beliefs and practices about “sacred things” that unify a community. The sacred, he explained, is something a group sets apart as powerful, transcendent, and holy, clearly distinguished from the mundane world of everyday affairs. This conception of religion includes gods or the supernatural, but it is not exclusive to them. Other beliefs and practices can be sacred, too. Durkheim’s insights have inspired many scholars, including those who study fan behavior. In my own work as a sociologist, I organize this concept of the sacred into seven specific dimensions. For example, the sacred is powerful: a potent force that garners respect, fear, and awe. The sacred is transcendent: revered and dignified beyond everyday affairs. And the sacred provides meaning: a source of essential values and purpose. Comic-con culture For several years, I’ve been distributing surveys at comic conventions on the East Coast of the U.S. and conducting follow-up interviews. The questions gather a variety of data, but also measure whether fans experience their interests as sacred, and in what ways. The results are striking. While fans certainly enjoy entertainment and escape, their responses also highlight several aspects of how I define “sacredness”—particularly its ability to instill moral values, provide creative inspiration, and reinforce communal bonds. Many fans describe comic-con culture as a source of principles—such as inclusivity, compassion, and self-development—that guide their behavior. Comics “have always focused on issues of justice, inequality, power dynamics, and the ethics around things like use of force, etc., all of which have affected my own feelings and beliefs about ethical behavior,” one respondent shared. Other fans highlighted quotes from Spider-Man—“with great power comes great responsibility”—and Harry Potter: “We must choose between what is right and what is easy.” Another respondent spoke about the Jedi: the ancient order of monklike warriors who channel forces of good to help others and maintain peace in the Star Wars universe. This universe “personifies how to go about treating the world around me and trying to do ‘the next right thing,’” the fan explained. “The Jedi, though not perfect, help me have a personal code in how I treat people. . . . If ‘Jedi’ were a real religion I’d probably be an active participant.” Comic-con culture sparks passion and enjoyment; it is a wellspring of inspiration and creativity. The Japanese genres of anime and manga are “an art form of self-expression and it creates an [outlet] for individuals to express themselves freely,” one person wrote. In particular, they mentioned cosplay, which is short for “costume play”: the faithful re-creation of a favorite character from a game, movie, or comic, both in dress and mannerisms. Cosplayers are a mainstay of comic conventions, as are cosplay contests. Another remarked, “being a fan of tabletop RPGs [role-playing games] allows me to create collaborative stories with others. I consider this storytelling powerful and important.” Comic-con culture enables people to connect with like-minded individuals and forge meaningful relationships around these interests. It can also inspire a strong sense of fellowship. Highlighting the power of these connections, one respondent said, “as an atheist, there’s not much I believe in. Being a fan has inspired me to believe in people, and that there is some purpose to my life.” Fandom groups “have given me decades-long friendships that span the globe,” another said. Finally, comic-con culture is a sanctuary; it provides space for fans to be themselves, helps them cope with personal struggles, and inspires hope. This was a prominent theme. For example, one attendee from Philadelphia divulged mental health issues but explained how his involvement in board-game tournaments and the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons offered a safe space from anxiety: “I feel like when I’m doing these things, I can really be me. So, it’s more about letting myself be my true self and not feeling, or not caring, about the others around me that are judging me.” Given these findings, I believe that social scientists need to consider popular culture more seriously as a fundamental feature of society that people can make sacred in different ways. Michael Elliott is a professor of sociology at Towson University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

If you read enough tech news on the internet, you're probably used to seeing the same advice over and over again: Update your software to the latest version as soon as possible. This advice is repeated often, because, for the most part, it's sound—updates not only give you access to the latest features, but also the most up to date stability and security patches. If you want to protect your software, hardware, and the data contained therein, update! Web browsers are no exception. It's particularly important to keep the tool you use to access the internet fully updated if you want to keep yourself safe as you surf the web. While you should update all web browsers whenever possible, it's especially pertinent for Firefox users to update right now. If you don't, your browser might stop working. A Firefox root certificate is expiringMozilla, the company that makes Firefox, issued a warning last year imploring users to update their browsers as soon as possible. Unlike most articles I write about browser updates, this particular update doesn't include a security patch designed to protect against a vulnerability or active exploit. Instead, this version of Firefox updates a "root certificate," which is necessary for the browser to continue operating as expected. A root certificate is essentially the confirmation that Mozilla approved and certified an add-on. (That's what Firefox calls browser extensions.) Whenever you install something like, say, uBlock Origin, Mozilla first has to ensure that add-on is authentic, as not doing so invites instability and security risks. This root certificate is set to expire on Friday, March 14. Without this root certificate, Mozilla cannot confirm that your add-ons are actually legit, and, as such, will disable them. But it won't just be your add-ons. The lack of a root certificate could also stop DRM-protected content from playing. That includes streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, since their content is, of course, digital locked up via DRM. In addition, Mozilla says systems that use content verification could stop working as well. Firefox itself won't completely cease to function after this root certificate expires. You can keep using the outdated version of the browser, if you insist. However, your add-ons and streaming services will likely stop working, among other functions. Perhaps even more critically, you're setting yourself up for security issues: Without this certificate, malicious add-ons and websites could bypass Mozilla's security features and wreak havoc on your machine, while Mozilla's feature that gives you a heads up when your passwords are breached may not work. There's really no reason not to update Firefox to update the root certificate. How to update Firefox Luckily, this isn't a case where you need to make any significant lifestyle changes to adapt. In fact, this really is as simple as updating your browser. As long as you're running Firefox version 128 or newer, you're set. (For context, the Firefox app on my Mac, which I rarely use, was running version 125, when the latest as of this piece is 136.) If you're on a desktop, like Mac, Windows, or Linux, click Menu > Help > About Firefox. Firefox will look for the latest version, and, if found, will invite you to restart your browser to install it. While this issue doesn't affect iOS, it does affect Android, so make sure to update your mobile browser as well. To do so, open the app's Play Store page and choose Update if one is available. View the full article

Chancellor-to-be vows greater share of investments for green transition as outgoing Bundestag reconvenes to debate billsView the full article

Ex-Barclays chief, seeking to overturn regulatory ban, was asked about encounter at apartment of disgraced financier’s brotherView the full article

Google is announcing a slew of new Gemini features today, this time aimed squarely at its free users. Features that were previously only available with the $20 per month Advanced plan will now be accessible to the public. GemsGems are Gemini's little AI helpers that you can create for any task. You can start with pre-made ones like Google's Career guide. But you can create a Gem for any purpose. You can create one for repeated tasks, or to help you research a topic with very specific prompts. Previously, the Gems feature was exclusive to Gemini Advanced users, but now Google is making them to available to all users. You'll find Gems in the sidebar, where you can easily get started with premade Gems. Deep ResearchGoogle, too, has a Deep Research feature. But unlike with Perplexity, it was previously behind a paywall. Now, Google is making its Deep Research feature available for free to all users. Deep Research is an AI feature where the AI model takes some time to think through your question using a reasoning model, and then goes out in the open web, collating sources, figuring issues out in depth, and then presenting you with a detailed report instead of the simple bullet-point answers that regular AI chatbots provide. In addition to making Deep Research free, Google is also adding its Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model to Deep Research. The new thinking model will help with the every step of research, including planning, reasoning, analyzing, and reporting. Deep Research will be available in more than 45 languages, and can be accessed using the drop-down menu in the Prompt box. In material shared with press, Google wasn't clear how many Deep Research queries free users get per day, though the company did promise expanded access for Gemini Advanced users. Updates to the Gemini 2.0 Flash modelThe Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking (Experimental) model is also getting an upgrade. You can now upload files for it to use while answering prompts, and Google says it has improved the model's performance and introduced advanced reasoning capabilities. Gemini Advanced users will also now have access to a 1 million token context window, enabling users to solve more complex problems. Your Google Search history comes to GeminiGoogle is adding a new experimental feature called Gemini with personalization, powered by the Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model. This allows Gemini to connect with your Google apps and services. The company is starting with Google Search, but will expand to Photos and YouTube in coming months. This means that Gemini will have more context about you, based on your Google Searches, but only if you choose to enable the Personalization (experimental) model from the model picker drop-down menu. Google also says that the new feature will only use your search history when Gemini's advanced models deem that it's needed. More powerful connections with Google appsWith the 2.0 Flash Thinking model, Gemini is now better able to tackle complex requests that involve multiple Google services, including Calendar, Notes, Tasks, and now Photos. According to Google, you can use a single prompt like "check my Calendar to find that gelato place Ezra and I went to back in May, save its address to my notes, and text it to Lauren and suggest we go there" instead of jumping between multiple apps, or asking three different questions to Gemini. View the full article

Struggling chipmaker Intel has hired former board member and semiconductor industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan as the latest in a succession of CEOs to attempt to turn around a once-dominant company that helped define Silicon Valley. Tan, 65, will take over the daunting job next Tuesday, more than three months after Intel’s previous CEO, Pat Gelsinger, abruptly retired amid a deepening downturn that triggered massive layoffs and raised questions about the chipmaker’s ability to survive as an independent company. This won’t be Tan’s first time running a semiconductor company, nor his first association with Intel. He spent more than a decade as CEO of Cadence Design Systems, which makes software that helps designs processors, and joined Intel’s board of directors in 2022 before stepping down last August. Tan will rejoin Intel’s board in addition to becoming CEO. “Lip-Bu is an exceptional leader whose technology industry expertise, deep relationships across the product and foundry ecosystems, and proven track record of creating shareholder value is exactly what Intel needs in its next CEO,” Intel’s interim Executive Chairman Frank Yeary said. Intel has been led by interim co-CEOs, David Zinsner and Michelle Johnston Holthaus, since Gelsinger walked away from a job that he undertook in February 2021. Although Gelsinger arrived at Intel amid high hopes, his tenure was a major letdown as Intel’s stock price plunged 60%, wiping out $160 billion in shareholder wealth. Leading up to his departure last year, Intel laid of 17,500 of its employees—about 15% of its workforce—and suspended its dividend to save money on its way to an annual loss of $19 billion. More recently, Intel delayed the opening of two new chip factories in Ohio to ensure the projects are completed in a “financially responsible manner.” The project is supposed to draw upon the $7.8 billion in funding earmarked for Intel in the CHIPS Incentives Program created during the administration of President Joe Biden. It was the latest sign of distress for Intel, a Santa Clara, California, company that helped launch Silicon Valley by developing the microprocessors that enabled the personal computer revolution under the leadership of its CEO at that time, Andy Grove. But as its leadership changed Intel missed the technological shift to mobile computing triggered by Apple’s 2007 release of the iPhone, and it’s lagged more nimble chipmakers. Intel’s troubles have been magnified since the advent of artificial intelligence—a booming field where the chips made by once-smaller rival Nvidia have become tech’s hottest commodity. Nvida now boasts a market value of $2.8 trillion compared to Intel’s $90 billion. Intel’s stock price rose more than 10% in Wednesday’s extended trading after Tan’s hiring was announced, indicating investors believe he will revive the company’s fortunes. While Tan was Cadence Design’s CEO from January 2009 to May 2021, the company’s stock price increased by 44-fold. Tan’s past accomplishments resulted him being named winner of the Semiconductor Industry Association’s 2022 Robert Noyce Award—an honor named after one of Intel’s co-founders. —Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer View the full article

There's more than one way to use Windows now. As well as sitting down in front of a locally installed copy of Windows, running on a hard drive inside your desktop or laptop, you can also fire up the Microsoft Windows app—a one-stop central hub for managing connections to remote PCs and Windows in the cloud. The Windows app is available for Windows (as you would expect), as well as macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and (in preview form for now) Android. First rolled out in September 2024, the program brings with it support for multiple monitors and local USB peripherals, so you can carry on using your own webcam (for example) with your cloud copy of Windows. It's likely that significantly more people are going to get acquainted with the Windows app over the next few months: Microsoft has announced that the Remote Desktop app on the Microsoft Store (so not the standalone MSI installer) is being pulled in May, and that users should switch to using the Windows app instead. For the time being at least, you need a work or school Microsoft account to use the Windows app—as yet, Microsoft hasn't said anything about individual consumers getting access. If you fit the eligibility criteria, here's how the Windows app works, and the various features it gives you access to. The Windows app interface The Windows app runs on computers and mobile devices. Credit: Microsoft The Windows app interface is pretty straightforward, and is basically just a minimal-looking portal to Windows machines you're connecting to remotely or streaming from the cloud. There's also a section for remotely hosted apps that your place of work or school has given you access to. If you're in an IT department of some description, you may well have many of these devices and apps to manage and connect to, and there are simple tools for sifting through the various icons and thumbnails: You can mark certain devices and apps as favorites, for example, which puts them in a separate section. Workspaces can be expanded or collapsed, shown as a list or as a grid, and filtered in various ways—so you can keep the Windows installations you last connected to near the top of the screen, for example, put them in alphabetical order, or arrange them manually in any way you see fit. Once you're connected to another Windows machine, it's very much like using a local installation (internet bandwidth permitting). The Windows app takes care of the necessary syncing with input devices, and you're able to customize the connection in a variety of ways—which screen resolution the remote Windows PC shows up at, for instance. As well as the aforementioned USB peripheral and multi-monitor support, you can also set up audio and video streaming (think speakers and microphones), redirect folders, and configure universal clipboard access to make it more straightforward to transfer files and data between your local device and the remote one. Supported remote connections Connections can be established via a couple of clicks (or taps). The Windows app is able to access other Windows PCs remotely, as long as they're running Windows Professional, Windows Enterprise, or Windows Server—if you've not gathered by now, this isn't currently aimed at casual Windows users. Some setup is required on the computer you're connecting to, in part to prevent you logging into the machines of complete strangers. This setup process gives you the details you need to connect from the other end, and it gives you a handy way of connecting to your office PC while you're at home (or vice versa). The Windows app also supports Windows 365, where you're essentially streaming a Windows PC over the web (like a less exciting version of cloud gaming). Again, this is mostly aimed at businesses and education institutions, with pricing starting at $31 per user per month, and there's no indication yet that consumers will be able to rent their own cloud-based Windows PC anytime soon. There are some other connection options of interest to IT professionals, including Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft Dev Box, so it's a comprehensive tool for getting at Windows from anywhere. The reviews of the Microsoft Store version suggest it's far from bug-free (and there are some known limitations), but a lot of the negative reviews are simply complaints about the software only being for work and school accounts. With the connection made, you're then able to access features like secondary monitor support—this even works on mobile devices, potentially giving you an easier way to run Windows from a phone or tablet. These mobile devices can run the app in both portrait and landscape mode as well, and dynamically switch between them. View the full article

TD Bank is planning to close at least 37 branches across 10 states and Washington, D.C., as part of a broader effort to streamline operations and adapt to changing customer banking habits. The decision comes amid ongoing recovery efforts for the company, which is still grappling with the fallout from a $3 billion payout after pleading guilty to money laundering and failing to prevent illegal transactions. In October 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that over a six-year period, TD Bank had neglected to monitor more than $18 trillion in payments, enabling the laundering of over $600 million. As part of the settlement, the bank was required to pay hefty fines and cap its worth at $434 million. The branch closures were listed in filings to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Some of the locations were reported earlier by local publications, including the Philadelphia Business Journal. The move will impact communities in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast, with affected branches spanning Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. We’ve reached out to TD Bank for comment and to ask about the reason for the closures. Below is a state-by-state list of the locations: Connecticut (2) North Branford Branch – 1289 Foxon Road, North Branford, New Haven County Torrington Commons – 215 High St, Torrington, Litchfield County District of Columbia (1) Georgetown – 1611 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. Florida (3) Beville Nova – 1590 South Nova Road, Daytona Beach, Volusia County Main Blvd – 160 NW Main Blvd, Lake City, Columbia County South Beach 5th Street Branch – 500 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County Maine (5) Fairfield – 112 Main St, Fairfield, Somerset County Fort Kent – 62 West Main, Fort Kent, Aroostook County Gorham Branch – 95 Main Street, Gorham, Cumberland County Houlton – 6 North St (PO Box 713), Houlton, Aroostook County Massachusetts (6) Bradford – 860 South Main St, Bradford, Essex County East Longmeadow – 465 North Main St, East Longmeadow, Hampden County Framingham Franklin Street – 420 Franklin St, Framingham, Middlesex County Holyoke – 50 Holyoke St, Holyoke, Hampden County Methuen Broadway – 547 Broadway, Methuen, Essex County Tewksbury 2345 Main Street – 2345 Main Street, Tewksbury, Middlesex County New Hampshire (4) Bristol NH – 10 North Main St, Bristol, Belknap County Contoocook/Main – 884 Main St, Contoocook, Hillsborough County Hampton – 40 High St, Hampton, Rockingham County Wilton Lyndeborough – 905 Elm St, Wilton, Hillsborough County New Jersey (5) Cedar Grove – 85-107 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, Essex County Marlton East Branch – 191 E Route 70, Marlton, Burlington County Ringwood – 145 Skyline Drive, Ringwood, Passaic County Royal Road – One Royal Rd, Raritan Township, Hunterdon County Spring Lake Heights – 555 Warren Avenue, Spring Lake Heights, Monmouth County New York (5) 42nd and Madison Branch – 125 Park Avenue, New York, New York County 45th and Lexington Store – 451 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York County Dolson Avenue – 156A-B Dolson Avenue, Middletown, Orange County Downtown Branch – 136 Margaret Street, Plattsburgh, Clinton County Greenlawn – 460 Pulaski Road, Greenlawn, Suffolk County Pennsylvania (3) Chestnut Hill Branch – 8600 Germantown Pike, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County Frazer Branch – 101 Lancaster Avenue, Frazer, Chester County Morrisville Branch – West Trenton Ave & Carlisle Ave, Morrisville, Bucks County South Carolina (2) Columbia Main Branch – 1501 Main Street, Columbia, Richland County Thornblade Branch – 6 Elmshorn Drive, Greer, Greenville County Virginia (2) Centreville Branch – Centreville Drive and Machen Road, Centreville, Fairfax County Reston – 1750 North Hampton Avenue, Reston, Fairfax County View the full article

This is no time to be making inferior scrambled eggs—each shell must be cracked with a purpose and cooked to perfection. While you’ve probably scrambled a good few eggs in your time, it’s important to know that there are multiple ways to set up your scramble, and each way delivers a different result. Find out if you’ve actually been scrambling up the perfect egg, or if you need to switch your method. Heat and added ingredientsThere are plenty of ingredients that can alter the texture of your eggs, so I wanted to keep the components consistent to zoom in on which texture results from each scrambling tool (whisk, fork, immersion blender, and jar shaking). The addition of mix-ins like chopped meat, herbs, or cheese and using water, milk, cream or nothing at all can change things (some more than others). Of course, it depends on what you’re hungry for that day, but I will say this: too much of any liquid can lead to rubbery scrambled eggs. In an effort to evaporate the excess moisture you may resort to cooking the eggs longer and the proteins will constrict until they’re tight and chewy. Always use a small amount if you use any liquid at all, about a teaspoon per two eggs. If you’re completely starting from scratch with how you like to cook scrambled eggs, then you might want to read a bit more about cooking them low and slow or hot and fast. Low and slow can lead to more custardy eggs with tiny, porridge-like curds. Hot and fast will give you larger hunks of egg. How to scramble your favorite eggsIn these tests I prepared the mixture the same way every time—two eggs with a half-teaspoon of heavy cream and a pinch of salt—and cooked them in a lightly buttered pan over low heat just bridging on medium. I was surprised to note the results. There is no wrong scrambled egg, by the way. Some folks like them dry and some like them custardy. Either way, here’s how to achieve the best one for you. Regular fork scramble Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I expected this to yield the most clumpy egg, and firm pieces. Surprisingly, a classic fork scramble for 20 to 30 seconds yields a soft, medium curd. Compared to the immersion blender and the whisk, fork scrambling is actually a pretty gentle way to handle your eggs. The eggs ended up tender and silky. Immersion blender Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann As expected, running the immersion blender for 30 seconds created a heavily aerated mixture—the egg liquid nearly doubled in volume in that short blending time. This resulted in quick-cooking, fluffy ribbons of egg. The fine bubbles cooked quickly along the sides of the pan and naturally I’d swipe along the sides to stir them into the center. This scramble was more firm and fluffy and the texture was light. Shake ‘em in a jar Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I don’t usually shake my eggs, but I might start. My eggs, salt, and cream went into a small jar (an old amarena cherry jar from Trader Joe’s. IYKYK.) and I shook the heck out of it for about 30 seconds (with the lid on, of course). Even though I shook it vigorously, this method is one of the more gentle scrambling methods. Instead of using a metal tool, which adds air to the mix, the jar contains the eggs as they break up against the walls. This scramble was soft and silky, even more so than with using a fork. It’s easier to get small curds with this mixing style. I didn't go full-porridge here, but if you do like a creamy, porridge consistency then you should start jar-shakin’ and cook them on very low heat. Whisked Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I expected whisked eggs to be similar to fork-scrambled, but things turned out differently again. Quickly whisking my eggs led to similar results to using the immersion—firm, fluffy ribbons. You can see that the ribbons are shorter (more like chips) than what the immersion blender produced. I could argue that they were less firm than the immersion, but if I had to do a blind taste test, I’d probably confuse the two. The pattern from these four tests comes down to aeration. The more you agitate your eggs and add air bubbles to them, the fluffier and firmer they will be. Obviously the immersion blender has a lot of power behind it so you’ll get plenty of foam with an appliance like this. The whisk is designed to whip air into liquids so, again, more foam. The more gentle you are with your scramble—a four-tined fork or a simple shake—keeps your egg mixture tender and silky, with fewer bubbles incorporated. I thought I’d be immersion blending my scramble from here on out, but I very well might become a jar shaker. Life is unpredictable, isn’t it? View the full article

Donatella Versace has been replaced as creative director of the fashion house founded by her late brother Gianni Versace, assuming the new role of chief brand ambassador, Versace’s U.S. owner Capri Holdings announced on Thursday. Versace will be replaced by Dario Vitale, who most recently was design director at the Miu Miu brand owned by the Prada Group. His appointment is effective on April 1. The creative shift comes amid speculation that the Prada Group is in talks to buy Versace from Capri Holdings, which paid 2 billion euros (currently $2.2 billion) for the fashion house in 2018. The U.S. group also owns Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo. Miuccia Prada acknowledged interest in the brand on the sidelines of Milan Fashion Week last month, while Versace made no comment at what was to be her last runway show. Versace, 69, took over as creative director in 1997, after her brother’s murder in Miami. Capri Holding’s statement made no mention of any plans to sell Versace, but the arrival of a designer from Miu Miu is only likely to fuel speculation of a possible deal. Versace CEO John D. Idol said in a statement that the creative shift was “part of a thoughtful succession plan for Versace.” He called Vitale “a strong leader,” and expressed confidence that “his talent and vision will be instrumental to Versace’s future growth.” As chief brand ambassador, Versace “will continue to champion the Versace brand and its values,” Idol said. Versace said she was “thrilled” as a champion of the next generation of designers that Vitale would join Versace and that she was “excited” to see the brand her brother founded in 1978 “through new eyes.” “It has been the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni’s legacy. He was the true genius, but I hope to have some of his spirit and tenacity,” she said in a statement. “In my new role as chief brand ambassador, I will remain Versace’s most passionate supporter. Versace is in my DNA and always in my heart.” Versace represented 20% of Capri Holdings 2024 revenue of 5.2 billion euros. Capri recently laid out strategic plans to rebalance the Versace portfolio to return the brand to its more daring roots, increase sales of accessories and win back entry-level consumers put off by a post-pandemic focus on higher net-worth clients. —Colleen Barry, AP Fashion Writer View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Practicing a new language can be fun, but premium language apps can be expensive. Babbel makes it easier with practical, bite-sized lessons designed for real-life use, focusing on conversations you’d actually have—ordering food, chatting with the locals, asking for directions (read PCMag's in-depth review of Babbel to learn more—and right now, its lifetime subscription is on sale for a huge discount. Normally $599, it’s currently 71% off on StackSocial, bringing the price down to $169.99, plus you can use the promo code LEARN40 to knock off another $40, dropping the final price to just $129.99. The sale ends March 23. That’s a one-time payment—no recurring fees, no monthly charges—for lifetime access to all 14 languages (including French, German, Italian, and Spanish), making it cheaper than Babbel’s regular one-year plan at $215.40 (usually discounted). Babbel’s lessons take just 10 to 15 minutes, so you can easily squeeze your practice into a commute or coffee break. And, unlike other language-learning apps that rely on repetitive vocabulary drills or random gamified exercises, Babbel follows a structured, linguist-designed curriculum that progressively increases in difficulty, so you don't plateau after the basics (earning itself a place in PCMag's "The Best Language Learning Apps for 2025" roundup). Plus, it’s not just passive learning—you get writing, speaking, and listening exercises with speech recognition technology to fine-tune your pronunciation, creating a far more immersive experience. Of course, dedication is still key, and no app will make you fluent overnight, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, this Babbel lifetime subscription gives you the tools to succeed—without the burden of ongoing costs. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Hisense 75U6H ULED TV is now down to $488 from $698, making it a solid budget pick for those who want a big-screen experience without spending over a grand (or even half a grand). Hisense 75U6H ULED TV $488.00 at Walmart $698.00 Save $210.00 Get Deal Get Deal $488.00 at Walmart $698.00 Save $210.00 This PCMag Editor’s Choice-winning 75-inch 4K TV delivers bright, vivid colors thanks to its quantum-dot technology and local dimming backlight, giving a noticeable boost to HDR content. That said, its contrast isn’t as deep as pricier models, and while colors pop, blacks can look a little washed out. It supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG, ensuring compatibility with most modern streaming content. However, it’s a 60Hz panel, meaning motion might not feel as smooth as on higher-end models—something gamers might notice. It does include VRR (variable refresh rate), but without AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync, serious gamers might want to look elsewhere. Additionally, its input lag sits at 11.1 ms, which is acceptable for casual gaming but not ideal for fast-paced competitive play, notes the PCMag review. For streaming and smart features, this TV runs on Google TV, which means a smooth interface and access to all major streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, HBO Max, and more. It supports Google Assistant hands-free, letting you control the TV or smart home devices just by saying, “Hey Google.” If you’re an Apple user, AirPlay 2 is also supported, so you can stream directly from your iPhone or Mac. The TV’s remote is pretty standard with a large circular navigation pad, volume and channel rockers, and dedicated buttons for streaming services like YouTube, Prime Video, and Netflix. There’s also a built-in mic on the remote, so you can use voice commands without shouting at the TV. The TV includes four HDMI ports (one with eARC), two USB ports, an Ethernet port, an optical audio output, and multiple 3.5mm jacks for headphones and other connections. It also features a cable tuner, though it doesn’t support ATSC 3.0. For setup, you can place it on a tabletop with its metal legs or mount it on the wall using VESA-compatible screws. View the full article

As buzz around women’s sports continues to grow, the largest dedicated female sports fund just got larger. Monarch Collective, the first and largest investment platform that exclusively invests in women’s sports, announced Thursday that it has expanded its fund size from $150 million to $250 million. The increased capital will allow the fund to capitalize on what it calls a “rapidly accelerating market”: women’s professional sports teams that have been increasingly filling seats. “Since launching our fund last year, women’s sports has experienced a cultural transcendence and the ecosystem has evolved dramatically, making the need for operational, value-added capital even more important than it once was,” said Kara Nortman, managing partner of Monarch Collective, in a statement. “Now is the time to build the right community around the table and deploy new playbooks that will win.” Big-name investors on board The fund touts high-profile investors, who contributed to the majority of the new infusion of capital. According to a press release, they include Melinda French Gates’s Pivotal Ventures; Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden; and Beth Brooke, former global vice chairman of public policy at EY. The growth of Monarch Collective aligns with an increased interest in women’s sports more broadly. Over the last few years, viewership of games has soared alongside merchandise sales and tickets sold. Last year, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) reached 2 million total attendance. Monarch’s current profile includes three NWSL teams: Angel City Football Club, BOS Nation FC, and the San Diego Wave FC. But the main driver of this women’s sports boom is basketball at both the collegiate and professional level. Last year, “Caitlin Clark mania” drove record-shattering viewership and revenue toward the Women’s March Madness tournament last year. The women’s championship game was the most-watched basketball game on ESPN since 2019—among all men’s, women’s, collegiate, and professional games. And ever since Clark joined the WNBA for the 2024 season, that league has more than tripled its number of sell-outs. ‘Meaningful change’ This year, get ready for the hype around women’s sports to continue. Women’s March Madness begins next Wednesday, and sports-centric X accounts have already begun to share their excitement about seeing stars like Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins playing on national television. “Some may say we’re at a pivotal moment in women’s sports, but to us, it’s much bigger than that,” said Jasmine Robinson, managing partner of Monarch Collective, in a statement. “Along with our investors, we believe we have the power to drive meaningful change that is representative of today’s diverse ownership groups, management teams, and fan bases.” View the full article

Mia Francis, a 22-year-old barista from Boston, filed her taxes on her own this year for the first time, using a free government tax filing program that made it easy because it did most of the work for her. Francis said it took 45 minutes to finish her taxes with the IRS Direct File program, an electronic tax return filing system that the IRS made permanent last year and that has rolled out to 25 states. Francis is expecting a $530 refund. And because she saved cash by not using a commercial tax preparation company to file her taxes, “that money will go a long way,” she said. She plans to use it for a trip to Amsterdam this year. Despite its popularity with Francis and other members of the American public, the IRS Direct File’s fate remains unclear as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency cleave their way through the federal bureaucracy. So far, the program is still available for use ahead of the April 15 tax filing deadline, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent committed during his January confirmation hearing to maintaining it, at least for this tax season. Representatives from the Internal Revenue Service and DOGE did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on their plans for Direct File. But one Republican tax expert says the IRS never got congressional authorization to create Direct File. And Republican lawmakers and commercial tax preparation firms complain the program is a waste of money because free filing programs already exist, although they are hard to use. Direct File was rolled out as a pilot program in 2024 after the IRS was tasked with looking into how to create a “direct file” system as part of the money it received from the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. Last May, the agency announced that the program would be made permanent. The IRS accepted 140,803 returns filed by taxpayers using Direct File in the 12 states where it was available last tax season. It’s been expanded to include half the country this year. It is unclear how many taxpayers have used Direct File this year. Merici Vinton, an original architect of Direct File from the U.S. Digital Service, noted the ease and accessibility of the program and called it “a great example of how people should interact with the government in the 21st century.” “We effectively launched a startup in the IRS,” she said. “It was built by an in-house product team, in an iterative manner, and we ship updates to the software to improve user experience in real time based on feedback. If we continue to invest in it, both taxpayers and the IRS can benefit.” Musk posted last month on his social media site that he had “deleted” 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS’ Direct File program. This led to some confusion about whether Direct File is still available to taxpayers. However, conversations inside the IRS indicate that no decision has been made on whether to cut the program, two people familiar with these conversations tell the AP. Former IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, who oversaw the rollout of the program, said Treasury officials considering the future of the program should take into account “the voice of the taxpayers.” “My reflection is that taxpayers are in very different situations and have very different preferences for how they want to file,” he said. “Those whose preference is to file electronically direct with the IRS for free, it’s a good option to have on the menu. But it should not replace other options.” Derrick Plummer, a spokesperson for Intuit, one of the country’s largest commercial tax preparation firms, said free tax preparation had been available for years before Direct File came along. “IRS Direct File is a solution in search of a problem, a waste of taxpayer dollars and a drain on critical IRS resources,” he said. A June 2024 Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report estimates that the annual costs of Direct File may range from $64 million to $249 million. “The IRS should focus on its core mission including data privacy and customer service while policymakers in Washington focus on simplifying the tax code,” Plummer said. However, other taxpayers, like 31 year-old Aquiel Warner in Austin, Texas, say they want to avoid using commercial tax preparation software. Warner filed her taxes with Direct File in 10 minutes using her phone and a chatbot that the IRS provides. She likes the program’s convenience, that it prepopulated her tax forms and that it allowed for free filing. Although she has some concerns about data privacy in the government — DOGE is reported to have access to some of the IRS’ internal systems — she feels more secure going through the IRS than commercial tax preparation services. “I don’t want to be a product. I don’t want my information sold when I file my taxes,” she said. “I have to file my taxes, and I don’t want to be put in a situation where, in order to file my taxes, I have to pay to get the help I need because I’m not a professional tax preparer.” Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said the IRS never got explicit permission from Congress to create the Direct File system. “It really doesn’t matter if it’s a good idea. It was done illegally,” he said, calling on Congress and the Justice Department to look into what he says is unauthorized spending that went into the creation of Direct File. Democratic lawmakers in January asked Bessent and IRS commissioner nominee Billy Long to preserve the program. They wrote in a letter that “ending Direct File would hurt everyday Americans.” Long has not yet received a nomination hearing. In the meantime, Musk and his cadre of computer programmers could decide to wield their tech skills to boost the program — or use the very same digital savvy to delete it. For his part, Werfel hopes that the agency will keep the program. “It’s a big country with a lot of taxpayers with a lot of different preferences,” he said. Francis, the Boston barista, hopes so, too. “There are a lot of young people like me who are working and figuring out how to file their taxes — this just makes it faster and easier,” she said. —Fatima Hussein, Associated Press View the full article

When temperatures start to rise, many of us naturally want to open the windows, deep clean, and get rid of clutter. Why not apply that same refreshing ritual to your finances? Just as you'd prune the plants in your yard, you can trim wasteful money habits and plant seeds for new financial goals while preparing for the April tax deadline. Get out the (figurative) feather duster and give your budget a thorough once-over. Get your filing ducks in a rowMake assembling your tax documents part of your spring cleaning ritual. Have a designated folder or binder to compile W-2s, 1099s, mortgage interest statements, donation receipts, and any other necessary forms. Securely discard what you don't need, like paid bills or returns/documents that are six or more years old after you file. Proper record-keeping makes tax season far less stressful next time. As an example, use a folder or digital system with separate sections for income, deductions, credits, and prior year documents to stay organized. Good news: I've created a downloadable tax preparation checklist you can use as your personalized roadmap through the filing process. Conduct a money check-in I also recommend taking stock of your overall financial situation. And trust me, I know what it's like when the thought of looking at your personal finances makes your stomach churn. But if you want to regain control over how much you're spending and saving, you need to understand exactly where your money is going. Gather your latest bank statements, pay stubs, bills, and debts. Use a trusty budgeting app or spreadsheet to calculate your monthly income versus expenses. This bird's eye snapshot reveals if you're living within your means or drowning in debt. If you examine your last 90 days of spending, you’ll probably find you can cut back on areas you don’t even realize you’re wasting money (overlooked subscriptions come to mind). It also helps to get on top of your unconscious spending with tricks like physically writing down the things you want to buy before you buy them. For example, say your net monthly income is $4,500 while expenses ring in at $4,100. You'd have $400 leftover each month to put towards goals like saving or paying down debt faster. Tackle lingering high-interest debt Speaking of debt, your top priority should be eliminating any you're paying high interest rates on, such as credit cards. List out all debts by interest rate from highest to lowest. Put as much as you can each month towards the highest interest debt first while paying minimums on the rest. As an example, if you owed $10,000 at 19.99% on one credit card and $5,000 at 0% on another, focus on aggressively paying that high 19.99% balance down first. Automate finances where possibleSpring is all about embracing new habits and getting organized. Now's an ideal time to arrange automatic payments and transfers so your finances run smoothly in the months ahead: Arrange to automatically pay all bills from a hub account Set recurring transfers to divert funds into separate savings buckets for different goals Sign up to automatically increase your 401(k) or IRA retirement contributions each year Clear account/credit clutter While you're going paperless, clean out mystery charges on your bank or credit card statements. Root out any zombie subscriptions or recurring fees for products/services you no longer use or need. These small money drains can easily go unnoticed but add up over months and years. Choose the right types of accounts for your needsDifferent savings vehicles offer different tax advantages. For instance, if you have kids, research setting up tax-advantaged 529 education accounts. Spring is smart timing to ensure you're maximizing those benefits. For a long-term goal, like retirement, you want to consider a retirement account like a 401(k) or IRA to earn compound interest over a long period of time—money invested over time, even small amounts, can make a big difference. For short-term goals, you’ll want your money to be easily accessible in cash and earning high interest. Something like a high-interest cash management account allows you to easily take out money when you need it. Find the budget that works for youThere's no "one size fits all" budget out there for everyone, but choosing a system of some kind is better than nothing. This list goes over some of the most common budgets to choose from, like the classic 50/30/20, or cash-stuffing, or perhaps a values-based budget. This spring, I've been trying out the "one in, one out" method for my finances so that I can increase my mindfulness about my spending—and turn a profit along the way. The bottom lineWhatever the season, taking a periodic, comprehensive look at your finances allows you to get rid of unhealthy money habits, identify problem areas, set new goals, and determine smarter ways to save, spend and invest. An annual financial clean-up provides clarity on where you truly stand financially and what needs to be prioritized. It's easy for things like mounting credit card debt, lack of retirement savings, and unhealthy spending patterns to get out of control when you aren't regularly reviewing your money situation. View the full article

Just 25 years ago, the disease of measles was declared to have been eliminated from the U.S. Cases were sometimes imported from overseas, from people who traveled from Europe, Africa, or Asia. But not until this year did we have a measles death on U.S. soil; and not until this year have we had a notorious anti-vaxxer as the head of our Department of Health and Human Services. That department head, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has sorta-kinda acknowledged that vaccines have a role in preventing measles. This opinion piece that appeared under his name at Fox News carefully weaseled around the needed vaccine messages, saying that parents “should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options” about the vaccine, and that “Good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses.” Kennedy previously led an anti-vaccine propaganda organization that spread misinformation so egregious it got kicked off of Facebook. Contrast his messaging with the World Health Organization, which is able to lay it out more plainly: “Being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people.” So far, the CDC’s website still has accurate information about measles, including yet another plain statement that RFK, Jr. couldn’t bring himself to say: “The best protection against measles is measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.” While public health authorities in Texas and elsewhere are doing their best to contain the latest outbreaks, RFK Jr. is going on Fox News talking up the "benefits" of measles infection and making the vaccine sound as bad as the disease. So, with the people in charge of the measles response sending mixed messages, I want to make sure the correct information is getting out there. So here’s what you should know about measles and the measles vaccine. The MMR or MMRV vaccines are the best protection against measlesThis is the absolute first and best thing to know: The measles vaccine protects you against measles. It is the best protection we have against measles, as both the CDC and WHO will openly tell you. The World Health Organization estimates that measles vaccination saved 60 million lives worldwide between 2000-2023. Most measles deaths were among children under 5 who were not vaccinated, or who didn’t get the two recommended doses on schedule. There are two types of measles vaccine available: the MMR vaccine that provides protection against measles, mumps, and rubella; and the MMRV vaccine that covers those three plus varicella, better known as chicken pox. The recommended schedule for MMR or MMRV vaccination is to get the first dose at an age of 12 to 15 months, and the second dose at age 4 to 6 years. Infants who are traveling or who live in a place with a measles outbreak can get a dose at age 6 months, but this protection isn’t expected to last long, so they will still need two more doses on the usual schedule. Adults and older children can also get a two-dose series (four weeks apart) if they didn't get it as kids or don't remember whether they got it. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known, and can be deadlyIs it worth vaccinating against measles? Yes, very much so. Anti-vaxxers like to point out that measles used to be a common childhood illness, which is true. But that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. Before vaccination was common, according to a 2013 report from the CDC’s vaccine advisory board, there were 500,000 cases of measles in the U.S. in a typical year. Those resulted in 500 deaths, 48,000 hospitalizations, and 1,000 cases of permanent brain damage from encephalitis. Measles is also horrendously contagious, perhaps the most contagious human disease known. For a comparison, the average person with the flu will give it to 1.3 other people. For ebola, that number is 1.8. For smallpox, before we eradicated it through vaccination, it was 3.5 to 6. Chickenpox is near the top of the list, with each sick person giving it to 10 to 12 others. But measles beats even that, spreading to 12 to 18 people, on average. I’m getting my numbers from this chart on Wikipedia. The exact number for each outbreak can depend on the specifics of the time and place it occurs, but these statistics are pretty widely agreed upon. Measles is so contagious that, after an infected person leaves a room, the air and surfaces in that room can infect people for the next two hours. This is why just avoiding sick people isn’t enough, and why authorities announce where and when a person with measles was known to be in public, like two Philadelphia children’s hospital locations on March 7 and 10. Anybody who visited those places at those times is being told to find out if they are protected from measles and to talk to their healthcare provider about getting the vaccine if appropriate. The measles disease is so, so much worse than the vaccineKennedy repeated a common and wrong anti-vaxxer talking point when he said that the measles vaccine “causes all the same illnesses” as measles. No, the vaccine does not give you measles. Even if he meant “all the same symptoms,” it’s still not true. He specifically called out encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can lead to death or brain damage. The measles vaccine causes 1-2 cases of encephalitis per one million children vaccinated. Measles, on the other hand, causes encephalitis in 1-3 out of every thousand children who get the disease, according to Encephalitis International. In other words, measles the disease has 1,000 times greater encephalitis risk compared to the vaccine. Kennedy also claimed that the measles vaccine “cause[s] deaths every year,” which isn’t true. The Infectious Disease Society of America says that “There have been no deaths shown to be related to the MMR vaccine in healthy people.” There have been a very few deaths from vaccine side effects in children who were immunocompromised, which is why the first step in getting a vaccine is talking to a healthcare professional who can determine whether it’s safe for you to get the vaccine. The vaccine can be given after you’re exposed to the measles virusThe best time to get an MMR vaccine is when you’re young, at 12-15 months and 4-6 years old. The second best time, if you’ve just been exposed to measles, is now. A dose of the vaccine can be given within 72 hours of being exposed to the virus to provide last-minute protection. If you think you need the vaccine for this reason, ask your doctor. There is another option, which is to get a dose of immunoglobulin instead. It has to be one or the other, not both; the globulin can cancel out the vaccine. Vaccine immunity can fade, but not as much as RFK Jr thinksAfter one dose of the MMR vaccine, you have a 93% chance of being protected against measles. After both recommended doses, that increases to 97%. This is exactly why two doses are recommended. It’s probably true that immunity from a measles infection lasts longer than from the vaccine, but the vaccine still gives lifelong protection to the vast majority of people who got their two doses. Kennedy said that vaccinated people lose “4.5%” of their immunity each year. I don’t know where he got that number, but I did find a study that postulated a 0.04% waning per year—that’s about 100 times less than the number he cited. For the love of god, you do not want “natural” immunityIn the 1950s and earlier, natural immunity—from getting infected—was the only measles immunity we had. Everybody still got the disease, because children without any measles immunity were constantly being born. Eventually they’d encounter the virus, and get sick. As I discussed above, this was fine for most kids and catastrophic for some. Read Roald Dahl’s letter about losing his daughter to measles, if you haven’t already. She was healthy, and then she had a routine case of measles, and then she felt “all sleepy” one day, and shortly afterward, she was dead. The only way you get natural immunity is by rolling those dice. One child in every 1,000 died of measles. The other 999 carry that immunity with them for life, but only because they were lucky. The point of a vaccine is to give you the immunity without the risk of complications and death. Which means, sorry, no measles parties. Or, as the Texas health department puts it, “No! DSHS strongly advises against intentionally exposing anyone to infectious diseases like measles.” As they correctly point out, you’d be risking severe complications and death for the attendees of the party, you can’t predict how severe the symptoms will be, and you’re creating a bunch of walking measles vectors who can then transmit the virus to the elderly, unvaccinated, and immunocompromised. Vaccination, on the other hand, provides protection for 97% of those who receive the vaccine, with far smaller risks of complications. How to know if you need a measles vaccineWhen I said that “everybody” used to get measles as a child, that’s true enough that the CDC and other health authorities rely on that fact to know who is immune. If you were born before 1957—meaning you are 69 or older in 2025—you are assumed to have already survived a bout of measles. You can also assume you are immune if you have medical records saying that you got two doses of the measles vaccine, or that you had a laboratory-confirmed case of measles, or that you have had a blood test that confirms your immunity. If you don’t remember whether you had the vaccine, you can get your immunity tested, but that’s not necessary. As the CDC states: “There's no harm in getting another dose if you may already be immune to measles, mumps, or rubella.” If you are in Texas, where the largest measles outbreak is currently occurring, this page from Texas Health and Human Services has information on staying safe, including where to get an MMR vaccine in Texas. View the full article

The top five banks had a combined wholesale volume of more than $20 billion at the end of 2024's fourth quarter. View the full article

President demands bloc removes duty on US whiskyView the full article

In January, Meta announced the end of third-party fact checkers on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The tech giant is betting on a new, community-driven system called Community Notes that draws on X’s feature of the same name and uses the X’s open algorithm as its basis. Meta is rolling out the feature today. Anyone who wants to write and rate community notes can sign up now. The rollout will be throttled and, initially, notes won’t appear publicly as Meta claims it needs time to feed the algorithm and ensure this system is working properly. The promise is enticing. A more scalable, less biased way to flag false or misleading content, driven by the wisdom of the crowd rather than the judgment of experts. But a closer look at the underlying assumptions and design choices raises questions about whether this new system can truly deliver on its promises. The concept, its UX implementation, and underlying technology surfaces challenges that, in my conversations with Meta’s designers, don’t seem to have any clear, categorical answer. It feels more like a work-in-progress and not a clear-cut answer to the shortcomings of third-party fact checking. Currently, Meta’s Community Notes are exclusively accessible on mobile devices within the Facebook, Instagram, and Threads apps. The mobile-first approach likely reflects the platform’s primary user base and usage patterns. Users who are eligible to contribute to Community Notes, after meeting specific criteria such as having a verified account and a history of platform engagement, can apply to be a contributor and add context to posts they believe contain misinformation (200,000 have already done so in the U.S., Meta tells me). Once in, they’ll find an option within the post’s menu to “Add a Community Note.” This triggers an overlay screen with a simple text editor that has a 500-character limit. The design also requires users to include a link, adding a layer of credibility to the note (although the link may not be a reliable source). [Images: Meta] Once a note is submitted, it’s evaluated by other Community Notes contributors. Meta uses an X’s open-source algorithm—which may evolve later as they learn more about how it all really works, Meta says—to determine whether the note is helpful and unbiased. The algorithm considers various factors, like the contributor’s rating history and whether individuals who typically disagree with certain types of notes approve of it or not. Allegedly, the latter is the firewall to avoid coordinated activism against certain types of posts (although the algorithm hasn’t been proved to be totally effective on X). The evaluation interface presents contributors with a clear and straightforward way to rate the note’s quality and helpfulness: a simple thumbs up/thumbs down system, which leads to another overlay menu in which they can select why they chose their option. Meta claims that if a note reaches a consensus among contributors with diverse viewpoints, it will then be publicly displayed beneath the original post, providing additional context without directly altering the post’s visibility or reach. The design aims to present the note as an informative supplement rather than a definitive judgment, allowing users to make their own informed decisions. [Images: Meta] An unsolvable problem? While the idea of crowdsourced fact-checking holds some theoretical appeal, Meta’s implementation appears to be riddled with the same vulnerabilities and unanswered questions that have affected X. On Elon Musk’s platform, Community Notes have failed to actually fact check. They also suffer from extreme latency, or the amount of time that notes take to appear. A report from Bloomberg found that on average a typical note took seven hours to show up on the platform, but it can take as much as 70 hours, meaning false posts can go viral before they get checked. Community Notes on X have also failed to reduce engagement with false information. And because just 12.5% of Community Notes are seen, it denies their intrinsic value to the community. And let’s not forget the potential to get gamed by particular interests. Meta’s own oversight board has pointed out “huge problems” with the plan. Still, the company’s rationale to favor Community News over third-party fact checkers hinges on two key arguments: scalability and reduced bias. Traditional fact-checking is a labor-intensive process that struggles to keep pace with the deluge of content on social media. That makes sense. By enlisting community members to flag and contextualize posts, Meta hopes to cover a much wider range of potentially problematic material. The social media company also argues that relying on a diverse group of contributors will mitigate the perceived bias of professional fact-checkers, who are often accused of political partisanship. The company and the designers cited a 2021 study by Allen et al published in the scientific journal Science Advances titles “Scaling up fact-checking using the wisdom of crowds” as evidence that balanced crowds can achieve accuracy comparable to experts. Cracks in the foundation A critical examination of the study reveals a significant gap between the research and Meta’s proposed implementation. The study explicitly required political balancing of raters to achieve accurate results. Meta, on the other hand, has not clearly explained how it will ensure viewpoint diversity among contributors without collecting sensitive political data. According to Meta’s designers, achieving diversity without directly collecting political data is a multifaceted challenge. They stated that they plan to use a combination of factors, such as a users’s past interactions, engagement with different types of content, and network connections, to infer a range of viewpoints. Their hope is that this approach will allow the system to identify and prioritize contributors who represent a variety of perspectives, though they admitted it was an ongoing area of development. Furthermore, the study only assessed the accuracy of headlines and ledes, not full articles. This raises serious concerns about the system’s ability to handle complex or nuanced misinformation, where the truth may lie in the details. The community note’s limit of 500 characters adds to this concern. When I asked how it would be possible to truly add deep context to a post in which the truth is not binary (and let’s face it, it almost never is), there wasn’t a clear answer but a silence followed by the explanation that they could always expand the length if users demand it. Links to external sources can be included to provide more in-depth information, though they admitted that this adds another step for the reader to take. It’s hard to imagine people clicking through in this era of content fast food. [Images: Meta] The company doesn’t have a plan for addressing one of the biggest issues with tackling misinformation—which happens both via Community Notes and third-party fact checking: the implied truth effect. Research shows that “attaching notes to a subset of fake news headlines increases perceived accuracy of headlines without warnings.” In the absence of these new notes, people might make the false assumption that a post is true. Meta’s designers say it will takes about the same time it takes on X for notes to go through the community fact-checking process, which means there will be plenty of time for fake news to go viral. Furthermore, X has shown that only a small percentage of posts get annotated, so the implied truth effect will, no doubt, be felt in Meta’s implementation of the same technology—at least in its current state. The old third-party fact checking suffered from similar latency problems. No penalty Under the previous system, posts that fact-checkers identified as false or misleading had their distribution reduced. Community Notes, in contrast, will simply provide additional context, without impacting the reach of the original content. This decision flies in the face of research suggesting that warnings alone are less effective than warnings combined with reduced distribution. Meta says it wants to prioritize providing users with context rather than suppressing content. Its belief is that users can make their own informed decisions when presented with additional information. The fear is that demoting posts could lead to accusations of censorship and further erode trust in the platform. Meta says it will be monitoring the system, evaluating the latency, coverage, and the downstream effects of viewership and sharing utilizing those metrics to guide future work, refinements, testing, and iterations. But Meta says there has been no A/B testing of Community Notes to see how it performs versus third-party fact-checking. Rather, the company is using this initial rollout phase as a public beta test, as a way to feed the algorithm with data from contributors so the system can get up and running. Fear, uncertainty, lots of doubt Twitter rolled out its proto version of Community Notes in 2020. Called Birdwatch, it continued to evolve with mixed results ever since Elon Musk took over and rebranded it with the current moniker. While Meta will use X’s open source algorithm as the basis of its rating system, feeding it with enough information to be operative could take quite a while. According to the Meta designers, the initial lack of public visibility is intended to allow them to train and thoroughly test the system and identify any potential problems before rolling it out to a wider audience. Meta isn’t saying how the notes will appear to all users, only pointing out in a press release that “the plan is to roll out Community Notes across the United States once we are comfortable from the initial beta testing that the program is working in broadly the way we believe it should.” Meta says it will gradually increase the visibility of the notes as it gains confidence in the system’s effectiveness, but did not provide a specific timeline or metrics for success. In a bid for transparency, Meta will release the algorithms that it uses. It’s yet to be seen if Meta’s Community Notes will be more effective than the previous third-party fact checking process. Nothing in the user experience suggests that it can solve the problems that X has had; logically, we can expect Meta to have many of the same issues, as well. In a historical moment where the truth is treated like malleable material, we could use a lot more certainties. Meta may have missed the chance to scientifically develop a new, non-derivative user experience that could avoid X’s problems. Instead, we are getting Musk’s broken toy with a coat of paint and the hope that, magically, it may work this time. View the full article

Tonight will be the perfect evening to stay up late in the United States, because the moon is going to put on a spectacular show. In the wee hours of the morning, night owls can witness a full blood moon, supermoon, “worm” moon, and a total lunar eclipse. In addition to Americans, parts of Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, and Africa can also get in on the action. Let’s take a deeper look at what that means and how you can see the spectacle: The March 2025 full moon is many things According to NASA, in the 1930s the Maine Farmers’ Almanac started publishing names for the full moons based on Native American traditions. This took off and became the preferred monikers for the celestial phenomenon. Each tribe had its own unique name. Northeastern and Southern tribes called the full moon in March the Worm Moon, because of the worm castings (worm waste) found during the month. Northern tribes called it the Sap or Sugar Moon, because it was time to tap maple trees. What is a total lunar eclipse? There are different types of lunar eclipses, NASA says. The Earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the Earth. When these three line up, the moon enters the Earth’s shadow, creating a lunar eclipse. When the whole moon is in the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, a total lunar eclipse occurs. What is a blood moon and why is it red? During a total lunar eclipse, the moon appears to have a red tint. This is where the term “blood moon” comes from. A blood moon gets its hue from the light in Earth’s atmosphere. During a total lunar eclipse, Earth is positioned between the sun and the moon. Even though the sun’s direct light is blocked, the Earth refracts some light, which travels to the moon. Because of red light’s longer wavelength, it has an easier time traveling to the moon, giving it the red tint. What makes this moon a supermoon? While this is marvelous to look at, there are no superheroes here. A supermoon means the moon is at its closest point to the earth during a full moon. How and when can I see the eclipse and blood moon? The moon will be in totality—or completely eclipsed—for around 65 minutes on Thursday night, although it will technically be in the early-morning hours of Friday, March 14, for most time zones. According to Space.com, this will occur: Eastern Time: 2:26 a.m.–3:31 a.m. Central Time: 1:26 a.m.–2:31 a.m. Pacific Time: 11:26 p.m.–12:31 a.m. Diehard skygazers can make the most of the experience by heading outside around 75 minutes before totality to witness the moon travel fully through Earth’s shadow. It is best seen away from the bright lights of the city. One advantage of a lunar eclipse is that viewers don’t have to worry about hurting their eyes, unlike their solar counterparts. No special equipment is needed, but binoculars and telescopes would help you see the moon in greater detail. Happy viewing! View the full article

Identifying which companies you hope to work for is one of the biggest hurdles job seekers face. I know this because I was a search consultant for over 25 years. Now, I have an executive résumé and LinkedIn profile writing practice. And my clients almost always ask questions about how to find future employers. I advise them to use AI chatbot platforms like ChatGPT, Claude AI, and Perplexity. To help the platforms work their magic, I encourage them to use NAICS codes in their prompts. Here’s how to do this: What are NAICS codes? NAICS is the acronym for the North American Industry Classification System. It assigns six-digit codes to companies as follows: The first two digits in a NAICS code identify economic sectors (e.g., 23 for Construction). NAICS has 20 sectors. The third and fourth digits divide economic sectors into subsectors. Example: 23 becomes 2382 for Building Equipment Contractors, a type of construction company. NAICS has 99 subsectors. The fifth and sixth digits divide economic subsectors into industries. Example: 2382 becomes 238220 for Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors, a type of building equipment contractor. NAICS has 1,000-plus industries. Thus, you can use NAICS codes at different levels to identify where you want to work. Once you know that, you can ask AI chatbot platforms to find companies in those NAICS codes. How AI chatbots can help find companies I asked ChatGPT how it finds companies. It searches for and analyzes public information from filings, directories, and the internet. It does in a minute or two what would take a job seeker hours, days, or weeks. I ran several searches on different platforms to show you how to use these chatbots to speed up your job search. You can see my prompts and results below. Prompts to find target companies I used these prompts to find companies by industry, location, and size: Prompt 1: Please list all the companies in NAICS code 713210 (Casinos) in Nevada. Claude AI provided a list of 55 large casinos. When I asked it to limit its results to Reno, it gave me 20 casino and gaming establishments. Prompt 2: List the 20 largest companies in the US in NAICS code 221115 (Wind Electric Power Generation). Perplexity listed 20 companies. When asked, it also shared locations, descriptions, and the 21st through 40th-largest companies. Prompt 3: List the companies in NAICS code 441110 (New Car Dealers) in Washington State’s King County. Perplexity named 17 dealerships, which was a good start but not comprehensive. ChatGPT wouldn’t answer my query. Instead, it suggested I use Data Axle Reference Solutions, which I have recommended for years. DARS has a database of almost 100 million U.S. businesses. It’s the ultimate resource if you hit a dead-end finding target employers, and it’s searchable by NAICS codes. Prompts to find recruiting, private equity, and venture capital firms Job seekers also want to find potential sources of opportunities, such as recruiting and private investment firms. To identify these targets, I used the following prompts. They included a subsector, industries, and specific investment strategies: Prompt 1: Please list search firms that recruit executives for companies in NAICS code 3254 (Pharmaceutical & Medicine Manufacturing). ChatGPT provided a list of 25 firms, although I had to re-prompt it with “Any more?” several times. Prompt 2: List venture capital firms that invest in AI start-ups (NAICS code 541745). ChatGPT provided a list of 28 firms. While I had to re-prompt it with “Any more?” several times, I stopped asking before it was done sharing firms. Prompt 3: Please list private equity firms that acquire turnaround clothing retailers (NAICS code 458110). ChatGPT provided a list of 17 firms. Again, I re-prompted it several times. Perplexity, prompted and re-prompted, gave me a list of 18 firms. You can use different platforms and variables at will. Doing so enables you to assemble lists of potential target companies in minutes. View the full article