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Hungarian prime minister tells EU Council president Costa that he will oppose any bloc-wide agreement View the full article

Frontline fighters, citizens and politicians fear Kyiv faces most perilous phase of war since early weeks of Moscow’s full-scale invasionView the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. Since the pandemic housing boom fizzled out, the number of unsold completed U.S. new single-family homes has been rising. Here’s a look at the recent historical numbers for January: January 2018: 63,000 January 2019: 76,000 January 2020: 76,000 January 2021: 40,000 January 2022: 32,000 January 2023: 68,000 January 2024: 83,000 January 2025: 115,000 The January figure (115,000 unsold completed new homes) that recently published is the highest level since July 2009 (126,000). Let’s take a closer look at the data to better understand what this could mean. To put the number of unsold completed new single-family homes into historic context, ResiClub created a new index: ResiClub’s Finished Homes Supply Index. The index is one simple calculation: The number of unsold completed U.S. new single-family homes divided by the annualized rate of U.S. single-family housing starts. A higher index score indicates a softer national new construction market with greater supply slack, while a lower index score signifies a tighter new construction market with less supply slack. Big picture: The index shows that there’s more new construction slack in the 2025 housing market as compared to the 2023 and 2024 markets; however, it’s still far less slack than the 2008 housing bust. In housing markets and builder communities where unsold completed inventory gets too high, local homebuilders could (and some already have) turn to get bigger affordability adjustments (i.e., bigger incentives or even outright price cuts). That raises the question: Where is this unsold new home inventory located? Where can buyers find deals? While the U.S. Census Bureau doesn’t specify the locations of unsold completed single-family new construction, it’s safe to assume that most of it is in the South, based on where total active housing inventory for sale is increasing and where homebuilders are completing the most homes (see chart below). As ResiClub has documented, both active resale and new homes for sale remain the most limited across huge swaths of the Midwest, Northeast, and Southern California. That’s likely where you’ll find the least unsold completed new construction—and where builders have greater pricing power. In contrast, active housing inventory for sale has grown the most in the Gulf region, including housing markets like Tampa, Punta Gorda, and San Antonio. These areas saw major price surges during the pandemic housing boom, with home price growth outpacing local income levels. As pandemic-driven migration slowed and mortgage rates rose, markets like Tampa and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices. This softening trend is further compounded by an abundance of new home supply in the Sun Belt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives to maintain sales, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market. Some buyers, who would have previously considered existing homes, are now opting for new homes with more favorable deals. “The number of builders’ unsold inventory homes remains above the seasonal norm,” wrote Dillan Krieg, a research analyst at John Burns Research and Consulting on LinkedIn. “We’ve been tracking this trend for a while as builders rely on speculative starts to capture buyers. However, some builders are facing pricing pressure—especially in key Florida and Texas markets, where resale supply is also well above pre-COVID norms.” View the full article

When Leonard Foglia was invited to direct an opera based on Herman Melville’s masterpiece about a white whale, his first reaction was: “Moby-Dick. That’s great!” “Then I ran to a used bookstore and got the book,” he recalled, “and I thought: Oh my God, what am I in for here? It’s so daunting. I didn’t panic, but I thought, How do we do this?” How he and his collaborators did it will be on display at the Metropolitan Opera beginning March 3. The opera is composed by Jake Heggie to a libretto crafted by Gene Scheer. To begin with, Scheer had to whittle a novel of more than 600 pages down to a 64-page libretto. He kept as much of Melville’s language as possible, and estimates that 40% to 50% of his libretto can be found in the original text, though he often tweaked the phrasing to make it more singable. Heggie and his initial partner, Terrence McNally (who withdrew for health reasons), had already decided to lop off the opening chapters, which take place on land. They set the entire opera aboard the whale-hunting ship Pequod. Another crucial change was renaming the narrator, calling him Greenhorn to reflect his status as a novice aboard the ship. Now the book’s famous opening line, “Call me Ishmael,” is transposed to the very end of the opera when the character has matured. “In the novel, Ishmael is telling a story that happened many years ago,” Scheer said. “But in the theater, you want to see it happen in real time. . . . We’re watching him take in all the experiences so that when he says ‘Call me Ishmael,’ he’s ready to write the book. In essence, this opera is the education of Ishmael.” Tenor Stephen Costello, who is performing the role for the fifth time and is the lone cast holdover from the Dallas premiere in 2010, sees his character as “the only one who really has an arc.” “He goes on the Pequod because there was nothing for him on land,” Costello said. “So he’s either going to die at sea or figure out who he is.” In addition to Costello, the Met cast includes tenor Brandon Jovanovich as the vengeance-obsessed Captain Ahab. Pip, his cabin boy, is written as a “trousers role” (a male character portrayed by a woman) and will be sung by soprano Janai Brugger. Starbuck, the first mate, will be baritone Peter Mattei, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green will sing the part of Queequeg. Karen Kamensek conducts the eight performances through March 29. The opera, commissioned to celebrate the opening of a new opera house in Dallas, has been a success from the beginning, drawing praise from audiences and critics—and even scholars. Bob Wallace, a professor at Northern Kentucky University and past president of the Melville Society, admired the opera so much that he wrote a book about its creation. “Scheer and Heggie did a brilliant job of shrinking the novel to make it fit the stage and yet preserve so much of the essence of it,” he said in an interview. As much as critics admired Scheer’s adaptation and Heggie’s tuneful, atmospheric, and at times gripping score, they lavished special praise on the physical production, with sets by Robert Brill and projections by Elaine J. McCarthy. The action, Steve Smith wrote in The New York Times, “played out against a multimedia-enriched staging that ranged from striking to near-miraculous.” Perhaps the most stunning effect is the way animated projections superimposed on a climbing wall that is curved a bit like a skateboard ramp create the illusion of the crew leaving the Pequod to board three whaling boats. “A lot of the excitement and thrill of watching this is due to the work of the production team,” Scheer said. “Lenny kept saying to me, ’You imagine it the way you want it, and let me figure out how to do it.’” That often involved imposing unusual physical demands on the singers. For instance, when Pip gets lost at sea, his character sings the equivalent of an operatic mad scene dangling high above the stage, with projections making it appear he’s treading water. “I said to Janai when we first rehearsed it,” Foglia recalled, “‘Okay, you can just get mad at me now, because you have to sing your hardest aria hanging from not even a full harness, just a single wire.’” In addition, Queequeg and Greenhorn climb up and down ladders to sing at the top of the mastheads. Ahab, who has lost a leg in a prior encounter with Moby-Dick, has to hobble on a wooden prosthesis. And Greenhorn—finally named Ishmael—ends the opera grabbing onto a whale hook from a passing ship that lifts him to safety. “I joke with them that everything opera singers count on in life—having both feet planted on the ground—I’ve taken away from them,” Foglia said. —By Mike Silverman, Associated Press This story was first published February 26, 2025. It was updated on February 28, 2025, to correct the name of Northern Kentucky University. View the full article

Americans across all political stripes were understandably concerned when news broke that Elon Musk, the unelected head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had gained access to the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment systems. These payment systems are responsible for trillions of dollars in federal payments, including things like Social Security benefits and tax refunds. DOGE has felt fishy from the start, a blatant branding stunt that blurs the line between private investment and public interest by advertising Musk’s investment in Dogecoin. Knowing that Musk and his crew of DOGEbags are pursuing deep access to the Treasury Department and its troves of data has led to a number of questions (some, perhaps, a tad paranoid): What exactly do they plan to do with my private information? What personal data is stored in these systems and is any of it from my incognito browsing? Couldn’t the world’s richest man find better things to do with his time? Musk’s ability to access personally identifiable information (PII) from the Treasury Department and other federal agencies is in flux, with the courts weighing in on the legality of that access. That doesn’t mean your personal and financial information is necessarily safe—either from this current threat or from any data breaches in the future. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and your finances from the prying eyes of DOGE. Know what information is vulnerable The U.S. Treasury’s payment system handles the outlay of federal funds, including federal grants, Social Security and Medicare payments, tax information, and payments to federal contractors. Anyone who has received any of these types of federal dollars (which is pretty much everyone) has their personal information stored on the database. Specifically, the database holds Social Security numbers, tax information, and bank account numbers (for direct deposit of tax refunds, Social Security payments, and other payments). To be clear, the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment system is not the only place where this kind of personal information is stored—so it’s prudent to protect yourself even if “no classified material was accessed without proper security clearances,” as the DOGE claimed on February 2, 2025. How to DOGE-proof your data There are several actions that will help keep you safe, even if any of your personal information falls into the wrong hands. Open a my Social Security account Most policy and financial experts are not worried about the possibility of a Social Security payment breach. If you are currently receiving Social Security benefits, there is no reason to believe your payments are in jeopardy due to DOGE access to the U.S. Treasury. However, a stolen Social Security number could allow an identity thief to open a my Social Security web account in your name and potentially steal your benefits. The my Social Security web portal allows you to check your earnings history, estimate future benefits, and manage current benefits (which includes setting up direct deposit). It’s not exactly easy for hackers to access your Social Security benefits, even if they have your Social Security number. The my Social Security web portal takes data safety seriously and uses various tools to verify your identity, including information from your credit reports. So an identity thief would need to have that information, in addition to your SSN, to open an account in your name. But it is still prudent (and helpful) to establish your account now, as it will ensure that no one else opens an account in your name. One important note: If you have already frozen your credit (more on that below), you will need to temporarily unfreeze it to establish your account. Set up an IRS.gov account Scammers with your personal information may also attempt to file a fraudulent tax return in your name to claim a refund. The IRS has identified this as a growing problem over the past few years, with over one million tax returns flagged as potentially fraudulent during the 2023 tax season. Setting up an online individual account with IRS.gov can help ensure that you are the only person filing taxes in your name. This kind of account can also allow you to access your tax records, manage payments, and get virtual assistance. For further security, you can also request an identity protection PIN (IP PIN) from the IRS. This is a six-digit number assigned to you at the beginning of the tax season that you may use to file your taxes instead of your Social Security number. The IP PIN is only shared with you, and you will need to provide it when filing your tax return to verify your identity. The IP PIN is also only valid for one calendar year, so you must request a new one each tax season. If you have your IRS.gov online individual account set up, there is a link to request an IP PIN through that portal. Freeze your credit Freezing your credit means that no one, not even you, can open new credit in your name. (The fact that you’re included in the freeze comes in handy when you’re tempted by impulse credit. You’ll actually be relieved when the cashier denies your Kohl’s credit card application, 20% discount be damned. Ask me how I know this.) With frozen credit, even if identity thieves have your personal information, they can’t open an account in your name. Credit freezes last indefinitely, which means you don’t have to worry about renewing the chill. However, you do need to unfreeze your credit anytime you want to open a new line of credit. The credit bureaus allow you to “thaw” your credit for a specific time frame, after which point the freeze goes back into effect. These time frames can be as short as a day. To freeze your credit, go to each of the three nationwide credit bureau websites and follow their prompts: Equifax Experian Transunion Practice good password hygiene If you’ve been using Bandit1993 as your password for everything, it’s time to change it—whether or not the U.S. Treasury Department has access to your bank account. Passwords that use pet names, important dates, your mother’s maiden name, or the name of your favorite Toad the Wet Sprocket album (Dulcinea, of course!) are just too easy to guess. And though reusing passwords may feel like a timesaver, it leaves all your accounts vulnerable to any sketchy characters lurking among real TtWS enthusiasts. Good password hygiene requires a unique, strong password for every account. Passwords made up of a random string of 16 or more characters are the most secure, but it would be literally impossible to remember such passwords for every account. Cybersecurity experts suggest creating passphrases—a memorable phrase made up of several unrelated words—to use as passwords. These can be especially secure if you replace some letters with numbers or symbols. For example, you might choose the words watch, mirror, eclair, and limb, and create the following passphrase: W@tchMirr0rEcl@irL!mb. If you want to hit the easy button on password security, you can ensure unique and strong passwords with a password manager. Just don’t use Bandit1993 as your master password for the manager. Death, taxes, and security breaches The particular security threat posed by DOGE may be novel, but it’s a good idea to remember that our information is always vulnerable in one way or another. Some proactive strategies can protect your Social Security number, tax information, and bank account from a variety of threats. Specifically, opening accounts with my Social Security and IRS.gov can prevent fraudsters from accessing benefits and tax refunds in your name, while requesting an identity protection PIN (IP PIN) from the IRS every tax season offers further protection from identity thieves. Freezing your credit prevents anyone—including you—from opening new credit in your name. The credit bureaus make it easy to freeze and unfreeze your credit on their websites. And using strong, unique passwords on all your accounts is the best way to keep your information secure. Since remembering random strings of characters is impossible, use a password manager to handle the recall for you. The fact that, via DOGE, an unelected billionaire has access to our sensitive data is rage-inducing, but we do have the power to protect ourselves. View the full article

For many people, pets provide unconditional love, companionship, and a sense of security. But not all human-pet relationships are beneficial, and some may contribute to stress and anxiety rather than relief. Psychologists have been studying attachment theory for decades. This framework explains how people form emotional bonds, seek closeness, and manage separation. People with secure attachment tend to feel safe in relationships, while those with attachment anxiety may crave closeness but frequently worry about rejection or loss. Just like with human relationships, people form attachment bonds with pets. Some form secure attachments, finding comfort in their pet and viewing them as a reliable source of companionship. Others experience anxious attachment, feeling excessive worry, distress, and a heightened need for reassurance when separated from their pet. In our recently published research, my research team and I found that attachment anxiety is strongly linked to depression symptoms among owners. This suggests that well-being isn’t just about having a pet, but about the quality of your bond. Strong bonds aren’t always healthy bonds My team and I set out to explore whether the way people bond with their pets has a measurable effect on their mental well-being. We surveyed more than 1,000 pet owners in the U.S. about their closeness to their pets; how often they engaged in activities like playing, cuddling, or spending time together; and whether they felt secure or anxious in the relationship. We also measured symptoms of depression to examine how different characteristics of pet bonds might influence mental well-being. Our results revealed a clear pattern: Higher pet attachment anxiety was the strongest predictor of depression symptoms. In other words, people who felt overly dependent on their pets, constantly worrying about being apart from them, or whether their pet “loved” them back, were more likely to experience depression symptoms. Surprisingly, simply feeling emotionally close to a pet was not enough to predict better mental health. While some may assume that a stronger bond with a pet automatically leads to greater well-being, our findings suggest that the quality of the attachment matters more than its intensity. People with secure pet relationships reported better well-being, while those with higher attachment anxiety experienced greater distress. We also found that while frequent pet interactions were linked to stronger and more secure human-pet bonds, interaction frequency did not significantly predict mental health outcomes. This reinforces the idea that emotional security in the relationship, rather than just the frequency of interaction, is what truly matters for mental health. Interestingly, people who owned both a cat and a dog reported more depression symptoms than those with only one type of pet. While our study did not determine the cause, one possibility is that managing multiple pets can add stress or increase the burden of caregiving. How pet relationships shape your mental health Our findings highlight that pet ownership is not a one-size-fits-all solution for mental health. The way people bond with their pets—whether they feel emotionally secure or experience anxiety in the relationship—may be just as important as pet ownership itself in shaping well-being. This research also raises important questions about the role of emotional support animals and animal-assisted interventions. If pet ownership is going to be integrated into mental health care, it may not be enough to simply encourage pet companionship. Instead, the quality of the human-animal bond could be a key factor in whether pets provide comfort or contribute to emotional distress. This study does not suggest that people should stop seeking emotional support from pets. Instead, it highlights how the way people bond with their pets can influence well-being in ways they may not always realize. For those who rely on their pets for emotional support, recognizing these patterns may help foster a bond that feels reassuring rather than stressful. Pets can provide deep comfort, but caregiving comes with challenges, too. Reflecting on both the joys and responsibilities of pet ownership can help strengthen the human-animal bond, supporting the well-being of both pets and owners. Brian N. Chin is an assistant professor of psychology at Trinity College. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

Most of us are used to using internet chatbots like ChatGPT and DeepSeek in one of two ways: via a web browser or via their dedicated smartphone apps. There are two drawbacks to this. First, their use requires an internet connection. Second, everything you type into the chatbot is sent to the companies’ servers, where it is analyzed and retained. In other words: the more you use the chatbot the more the company knows about you. This is a particular worry surrounding DeepSeek that American lawmakers have expressed. But thanks to a few innovative and easy-to-use desktop apps, LM Studio and GPT4All, you can bypass both these drawbacks. With the apps, you can run various LLM models on your computer directly. I’ve spent the last week playing around with these apps and thanks to each, I can now use DeepSeek without the privacy concerns. Here’s how you can, too. Run DeepSeek locally on your computer without an internet connection To get started, simply download LM Studio or GPT4All on your Mac, Windows PC, or Linux machine. Once the app is installed, you’ll download the LLM of your choice into it from an in-app menu. I chose to run DeepSeek’s R1 model, but the apps support myriad open-source LLMs. LM Studio can run DeepSeek’s reasoning model privately on your computer. Once you’ve done the above you’ve essentially turned your personal computer into an AI server capable of running numerous open-source LLMs, including ones from DeepSeek and Meta. Next, simply open a new chat window and type away just as you would when using an AI chatbot on the web. The best thing about both these apps is that they are free for general consumer use, you can run several open-source LLMs in them (you get to choose which and can swap between LLMs at will), and, if you already know how to use an AI chatbot in a web browser, you’ll know how to use the chatbot in these apps. But there are additional benefits to running LLM’s locally on your computer, too. The benefits of using an LLM locally I’ve been running DeepSeek’s reasoning model on my MacBook for the past week without so much as a hiccup in both LM Studio or GPT4All. One of the coolest things about interacting with DeepSeek in this way is that no internet is required. Since the LLM is hosted directly on your computer, you don’t need any kind of data connection to the outside world to use it. Running LLMs like DeepSeek in apps like GPT4All can help keep your data secure. Or as GPT4All’s lead developer, Adam Treat, puts it, “You can use it on an airplane or at the top of Mount Everest.” This is a major boon to business travelers stuck on long flights and those working in remote, rural areas. But if Treat had to sum up the biggest benefit of running DeepSeek locally on your computer, he would do it in one word: “Privacy.” “Every online LLM is hosted by a company that has access to whatever you input into the LLM. For personal, legal, and regulatory reasons this can be less than optimal or simply not possible,” Treat explains. While for individuals, this can present privacy risks, those who upload business or legal documents into an LLM to summarize could be putting their company and its data in jeopardy. “Uploading that [kind of data] to an online server risks your data in a way that using it with an offline LLM will not,” Treat notes. The reason an offline LLM running locally on your own computer doesn’t put your data at risk is because “Your data simply never leaves your machine,” says Treat. This means, for example, if you want to use DeepSeek to help you summarize that report you wrote, you can upload it into the DeepSeek model stored locally on your computer via GPT4All or LM Studio and rest assured the information in that report isn’t being sent to the LLM maker’s servers. The drawbacks of using an LLM locally However, there are drawbacks to running an LLM locally. The first is that you’re limited to using only the open-source models that are available, which may be less recent than the model that is available through the chatbot’s official website. And because only open-source models can be installed, that means you can’t use apps like GPT4All or LM Studio to run OpenAI’s ChatGPT locally on your computer. Another disadvantage is speed. “Because you are using your own hardware (your laptop or desktop) to power the AI, the speed of responses will be generally slower than an online server,” Treat says. And since AI models rely heavily on RAM to perform their computations, the amount of RAM you have in your computer can limit which models you can install in apps like GPT4All and LM Studio. “As online servers are usually powered by very high-end hardware they are generally going to be faster and have more memory allowing for very fast responses by very large models,” explains Treat. Still, in my testing of both LM Studio and GPT4All over the past week, I don’t think the reduced speediness of DeepSeek’s replies is a dealbreaker. When using DeepSeek’s R1 reasoning model on the web, the DeepSeek hosted on servers in China took 32 seconds to return an answer to the prompt “Can you teach me how to make a birthday cake?” When asking the local DeepSeek R1 model stored in LM Studio and GPT4All, the response time was 84 seconds and 82 seconds, respectively. I’ve found that the benefits of running DeepSeek locally on my device using LM Studio and GPT4All far outweigh the extra waiting time required to get a response. Without a doubt, being able to access a powerful AI model like DeepSeek’s R1 locally on my computer anywhere at any time without an internet connection—and knowing the data I enter into it remains private—is a trade-off worth making. View the full article

Forward price/earnings ratio for small caps at 24 per cent below 10-year averageView the full article

Graham Allcott has written six books, including the global bestseller How to Be a Productivity Ninja. He is the founder of Think Productive and has privately coached prominent international business leaders. What’s the big idea? Kindness, empathy, and psychological safety at work are not just fluffy, hippie ideas. They are key drivers of outstanding performance. Kindness is a practice that requires strength, skill, and intentionality. With it, every team can create an environment of abundant wellbeing, innovation, and growth. Below, Graham shares five key insights from his new book, KIND: The Quiet Power of Kindness at Work. Listen to the audio version—read by Graham himself—in the Next Big Idea App. 1. Kindness and empathy build trust and psychological safety. High-performing teams are built on trust and psychological safety. Kindness is one of the fastest ways to build this high-performing environment. Trust allows people to take risks, admit mistakes, and remove micromanagement and other forms of due diligence. In a team, psychological safety—feeling able to take interpersonal risks—leads to high performance. When a team is psychologically safe, people raise the alarm if they spot a problem and share the risky idea that might drive innovation. They tell hard truths but are also more open to feedback for improvement. They feel seen, heard, and part of a bigger picture. All the research points to psychologically safe, people-driven business as being more successful. Psychological safety leads to greater productivity, engagement, retention, well-being, creativity, innovation, and happiness. Kindness and empathy aren’t just moral nice-to-haves. They’re strategic advantages for building a culture of psychological safety where the work matters because the people doing it matter. 2. Nice and kind are not the same. Kindness often gets bad press, or people might even say there’s no place for kindness at work. Kindness is often considered weak or a quality of pushovers. But this is because people confuse being kind with being nice. Nice often is a bit weak—nice cultures often focus on keeping the peace but shirk the responsibility to tell the truth or call out bad behavior. On the other hand, kind cultures focus on truth and grace. Nice is about telling people what they want to hear. Kind is about telling people what they need to hear. Imagine you’ve been in a meeting, and a colleague delivered a presentation to the group. It didn’t go well. At the end of the meeting, your colleague asks you for feedback. At this moment, we face a choice. The nice option is that we tell a white lie to keep the peace: it was good; you did well. We are shirking the truth to keep the peace. “Kind is about telling people what they need to hear.” The kind route would be to invest 20 minutes the following day to go through some quick feedback. We can offer difficult and uncomfortable truth, but from a place of love. The result is that they can learn and improve. It takes real strength to choose kind over nice in that moment. It’s inconvenient (it takes time), it’s brave (because you have to put your relationship with that person at risk to help them improve), and it’s skillful (because delivering the truth with grace takes a skilled communicator). But when everybody operates like that, no one fears feedback, people grow, and the team’s performance and work output continuously improves. Being too nice can be a weakness, but being kind is pretty badass. 3. Challenging the Business Baddie narrative. Kindness drives performance. It also lowers stress levels and improves physical well-being. And it’s free. So, why isn’t there more kindness? What’s holding us back? If you look at portrayals of business and work in theatre, fiction, and media, what you’ll find everywhere is the business bastard archetype. Back to Shylock and Ebeneezer Scrooge, right through to Shark Tank and The Wolf of Wall Street, we’re taught that those who treat people badly are the ones who succeed. Upon reading the biography of Steve Jobs, I witnessed many founders thinking that if they shouted at staff during their all-hands meeting, they’d build the next Apple. In the book, I debunk the idea of dog-eat-dog success. The majority of successful leaders, statistically, are likable. But reasonable people doing a great job, being kind, and inspiring loyalty along the way produce less interesting stories than an evil genius. From Warren Buffett to Jacinda Ardern to Brian Chesky at Airbnb to the kind managers and leaders that you know, there are remarkable leaders whose warmth and kindness set the tone for success. The business bastard narrative keeps us locked into a scarcity mindset, whereas kindness rewires our brains toward abundance. We need to move away from the self-talk that says there isn’t enough time, or there isn’t enough, or that we are not enough. We need to replace that self-talk with talk of abundance: I am enough. There is enough. When we see the world through this lens, then kindness is much easier. 4. Kindness is a verb. A lot of what we see online regarding kindness—the #be kind hashtag, social media memes, virtue signalling—is people adopting kindness as part of their identity. There’s no such thing as a kind person or an unkind person. There are just kind or unkind actions. All of us have the capacity to be kind or unkind. Kindness isn’t something you are, it’s something you do. You are as kind as your last kind act or as unkind as your last unkind act. When we see kindness as a verb, not a noun, we recognize the importance of seeing kindness as a practice. “There are no prizes for just having the thought.” Kindness happens in the gap between having the idea to make someone’s day and actually making someone’s day. There are no prizes for just having the thought. It’s the action that counts. The more we see kindness as a practice, the more we spot the gap when it happens. It’s that tiny moment when you spot an opportunity to be kind. You’re on a train, and someone needs your seat more than you do, or you’re in a meeting, and there’s a tiny window of time to say something kind about a colleague. Act in that moment, and you make their day. Ponder for a couple of seconds too long, and the agenda moves on, and the moment is gone. Learning to leap into that gap rather than be held back by our own resistance is kindness. To notice more opportunities, it helps to slow down. The biggest source of accidental unkindness is busyness. When we reduce busyness and increase presence, it increases empathy, and we build stronger relationships with those around us. 5. Kindness starts with you but doesn’t end with you. I created 8 Principles of Kindfulness at Work. The first of these is that kindness starts with you. When we think about kindness, often our first thought is external: who needs our help? How can we be kind to a stranger? But the uncomfortable truth is that we have to start with self-kindness. Most of us are wired to treat others better than we treat ourselves. We think of self-care as somehow self-indulgent. But practicing self-kindness signals to others that self-kindness matters, and they can follow your example. It also helps us move our self-talk away from scarcity and toward abundant thinking. For the kindness it inspires in others, being kind to yourself is a radical act of generosity. Kindness starts with you. The people who are kinder to themselves find it easier to be kind to others. But of course, kindness doesn’t end with you. In the coffee shops of Naples, they have a tradition called caffé sospeso. It basically means “suspended coffee” and it’s a pay-it-forward model. There’s a jar on the counter of the coffee shop and when I order my coffee, I tell the barista that I also want to order a caffé sospeso. When I do that, the barista gives me a suspended coffee ticket and I put it in the jar. Then, the next time someone comes in and doesn’t have their wallet or money, they take out the ticket and claim a free coffee. It’s a wonderful example of the power of a single, kind act to create a ripple effect. I feel good and get that helpers high, the barista feels good about where they work, the customers who witness it are inspired to do something kind, and then someone claims it, and everyone gets to witness the act of kindness all over again. There’s a lot of research that talks about how many ripple effects can come from a single act of kindness. All the coffee shop owner really did was find a jar and write caffé sospeso on it! They literally created a vessel for kindness and, in doing so, made it easy to be kind. That’s kindfulness. The idea that we can create vessels for other people to be kind. We can, in our work, make it easy for other people to be kind. Whether it’s instigating a thank you card for someone, or taking a few moments in a team meeting to ask everyone to say something they value about the person to their left, we can all create the vessels for kindness. Think about your own work: what’s the equivalent of that jar at the coffee shop? How can you be a vessel for kindness, and make it easy for everyone around you to be kind? This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission. View the full article

Operation HOPE, a national nonprofit dedicated to entrepreneurship and financial literacy, has announced a partnership with SCORE, the largest network of volunteer business mentors in the U.S. The collaboration aims to expand mentorship and resources for small businesses and underrepresented entrepreneurs across the country. SCORE, a volunteer organization with more than 10,000 mentors, has provided free business guidance for six decades. Through this partnership, SCORE will extend its mentorship services to small businesses participating in Operation HOPE’s 1 Million Black Business Initiative (1MBB) and clients recovering from natural disasters. The 1MBB program, launched in 2020, has supported nearly 400,000 Black-owned businesses, offering mentorship, training, and access to capital. By integrating SCORE’s mentorship framework, the initiative aims to further its impact in fostering Black entrepreneurship. “This partnership with SCORE reflects our constant evolution in ensuring we are making local, regional, and national connections to empower, support, and grow small businesses nationwide,” said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE. “By working with an organization like SCORE, which understands the commitment to service in reaching our goals through initiatives like 1MBB and disaster relief programs, we can provide necessary resources and drive economic success for entrepreneurs nationwide.” Comprehensive Support for Small Businesses The partnership will focus on several key areas: Mentorship and Business Guidance – SCORE volunteers will provide one-on-one coaching and business development support. Loan and Grant Assistance – Operation HOPE small business clients will receive guidance on preparing documentation for financial aid. Educational Programs – Both organizations will collaborate on workshops, training sessions, and business resources to enhance small business success. By combining Operation HOPE’s network and programs with SCORE’s business development expertise, the collaboration seeks to create a stronger ecosystem for small businesses. The initiative underscores a shared commitment to economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, and sustainable business growth in communities nationwide. This article, "Operation HOPE and SCORE Partner to Strengthen Small Business Support Nationwide" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Operation HOPE, a national nonprofit dedicated to entrepreneurship and financial literacy, has announced a partnership with SCORE, the largest network of volunteer business mentors in the U.S. The collaboration aims to expand mentorship and resources for small businesses and underrepresented entrepreneurs across the country. SCORE, a volunteer organization with more than 10,000 mentors, has provided free business guidance for six decades. Through this partnership, SCORE will extend its mentorship services to small businesses participating in Operation HOPE’s 1 Million Black Business Initiative (1MBB) and clients recovering from natural disasters. The 1MBB program, launched in 2020, has supported nearly 400,000 Black-owned businesses, offering mentorship, training, and access to capital. By integrating SCORE’s mentorship framework, the initiative aims to further its impact in fostering Black entrepreneurship. “This partnership with SCORE reflects our constant evolution in ensuring we are making local, regional, and national connections to empower, support, and grow small businesses nationwide,” said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE. “By working with an organization like SCORE, which understands the commitment to service in reaching our goals through initiatives like 1MBB and disaster relief programs, we can provide necessary resources and drive economic success for entrepreneurs nationwide.” Comprehensive Support for Small Businesses The partnership will focus on several key areas: Mentorship and Business Guidance – SCORE volunteers will provide one-on-one coaching and business development support. Loan and Grant Assistance – Operation HOPE small business clients will receive guidance on preparing documentation for financial aid. Educational Programs – Both organizations will collaborate on workshops, training sessions, and business resources to enhance small business success. By combining Operation HOPE’s network and programs with SCORE’s business development expertise, the collaboration seeks to create a stronger ecosystem for small businesses. The initiative underscores a shared commitment to economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, and sustainable business growth in communities nationwide. This article, "Operation HOPE and SCORE Partner to Strengthen Small Business Support Nationwide" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a reminder to farmers and fishers who opted out of making estimated tax payments in January that they must file their 2024 federal income tax return and pay any taxes due by March 3, 2025. The usual March 1 deadline has been extended to the next business day since it falls on a Saturday this year. Avoiding Estimated Tax Penalties Farmers and fishers who meet the two-thirds gross income requirement from farming or fishing during 2023 or 2024 are eligible for the March 3 deadline, provided they did not make an estimated tax payment by January 15, 2025. Those who did make a payment by January 15 can wait until the regular April 15, 2025, filing deadline without incurring estimated tax penalties. The IRS recommends taxpayers use electronic payment options such as IRS Online Account and IRS Direct Pay, which are available exclusively on IRS.gov. Disaster-Area Tax Extensions Taxpayers affected by federally declared disasters automatically receive extended deadlines for filing and payments. No special paperwork or IRS contact is required to qualify. Currently, taxpayers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, along with portions of Alaska, New Mexico, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, have until May 1, 2025, to file and pay their taxes. For California wildfire victims, the deadline is extended further to October 15, 2025, while taxpayers throughout Kentucky have until November 3, 2025. No additional extensions beyond these dates are available. Taxpayers needing more time beyond these extended deadlines can request an extension to October 15, 2025, but any taxes owed must still be paid by the original extended deadline to avoid penalties. Extension requests must be electronically filed by April 15, 2025. Between April 15 and May 1, requests must be submitted via paper filing. More details are available at IRS.gov/extensions. Electronic Payment Options for Faster Processing The IRS encourages taxpayers to use IRS Online Account for same-day payments, checking account balances, and reviewing payment history. Another option, IRS Direct Pay, allows taxpayers to make or schedule a tax payment directly from their bank account without needing to log in or register. Businesses can also use the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) for secure payments. For more information on payment methods, visit IRS.gov/payments. Required Tax Forms for Farmers and Fishers Farmers: Schedule F (Form 1040): Reports profit or loss from farming. Schedule SE (Form 1040): Calculates self-employment tax if net earnings exceed $400. Additional guidance: Publication 225, Farmer’s Tax Guide and Topic No. 554, Self-Employment Tax. Fishers: Schedule C (Form 1040): Reports profit or loss from fishing businesses. Schedule SE (Form 1040): Calculates self-employment tax if net earnings exceed $400. Additional guidance: Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business. Taxpayers operating as partnerships or corporations should refer to Publication 541 (Partnerships) or Publication 542 (Corporations) for specific filing guidelines. For information on estimated taxes, refer to Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax, and Topic No. 416, Farming and Fishing Income. Image: Envato This article, "IRS Reminds Farmers and Fishers of March 3 Tax Deadline; Extensions Available for Disaster Areas" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a reminder to farmers and fishers who opted out of making estimated tax payments in January that they must file their 2024 federal income tax return and pay any taxes due by March 3, 2025. The usual March 1 deadline has been extended to the next business day since it falls on a Saturday this year. Avoiding Estimated Tax Penalties Farmers and fishers who meet the two-thirds gross income requirement from farming or fishing during 2023 or 2024 are eligible for the March 3 deadline, provided they did not make an estimated tax payment by January 15, 2025. Those who did make a payment by January 15 can wait until the regular April 15, 2025, filing deadline without incurring estimated tax penalties. The IRS recommends taxpayers use electronic payment options such as IRS Online Account and IRS Direct Pay, which are available exclusively on IRS.gov. Disaster-Area Tax Extensions Taxpayers affected by federally declared disasters automatically receive extended deadlines for filing and payments. No special paperwork or IRS contact is required to qualify. Currently, taxpayers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, along with portions of Alaska, New Mexico, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, have until May 1, 2025, to file and pay their taxes. For California wildfire victims, the deadline is extended further to October 15, 2025, while taxpayers throughout Kentucky have until November 3, 2025. No additional extensions beyond these dates are available. Taxpayers needing more time beyond these extended deadlines can request an extension to October 15, 2025, but any taxes owed must still be paid by the original extended deadline to avoid penalties. Extension requests must be electronically filed by April 15, 2025. Between April 15 and May 1, requests must be submitted via paper filing. More details are available at IRS.gov/extensions. Electronic Payment Options for Faster Processing The IRS encourages taxpayers to use IRS Online Account for same-day payments, checking account balances, and reviewing payment history. Another option, IRS Direct Pay, allows taxpayers to make or schedule a tax payment directly from their bank account without needing to log in or register. Businesses can also use the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) for secure payments. For more information on payment methods, visit IRS.gov/payments. Required Tax Forms for Farmers and Fishers Farmers: Schedule F (Form 1040): Reports profit or loss from farming. Schedule SE (Form 1040): Calculates self-employment tax if net earnings exceed $400. Additional guidance: Publication 225, Farmer’s Tax Guide and Topic No. 554, Self-Employment Tax. Fishers: Schedule C (Form 1040): Reports profit or loss from fishing businesses. Schedule SE (Form 1040): Calculates self-employment tax if net earnings exceed $400. Additional guidance: Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business. Taxpayers operating as partnerships or corporations should refer to Publication 541 (Partnerships) or Publication 542 (Corporations) for specific filing guidelines. For information on estimated taxes, refer to Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax, and Topic No. 416, Farming and Fishing Income. Image: Envato This article, "IRS Reminds Farmers and Fishers of March 3 Tax Deadline; Extensions Available for Disaster Areas" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. While it's true that hand-writing helps you retain more of what you're studying, it's also true that the convenience of a phone or computer just can't be beaten. Taking your study materials with you wherever you are and having digital access to them can be a major benefit, whether you're preparing for a test in school or memorizing points before a big work presentation. Here are my favorite study apps to help do exactly that. For flashcards: Anki Credit: Anki Anki, which can be downloaded and accessed across all kinds of devices from MacBooks to Android phones, is my top pick for for a flashcard app—it actually hews close to the Leitner system, the best way to use real-life flashcards. Unlike other apps, this one doesn't always show you every card in your deck. Rather, it shows you the ones you get wrong more often, so you go over those more and deal with the material you're more familiar with less. You can put audio, video, and picture files on your cards, too, so you can use them for a wide variety of tasks, like learning a language or memorizing people's names. You answer a few questions about yourself—like whether you're a student, parent, or trivia enthusiast and what times of day you prefer to study, as well as how long you plan to study each day—and the app creates a plan for you. To use features like customized cards and the Leitner system, as well as flip unlimited cards per day, you'll pay $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year after a free three-day trial. You can add your own cards, of course, but there are plenty of pre-made decks to choose from. For mind maps: Xmind Credit: Xmind Oh, you like studying with mind maps more than flashcards? No problem. Download Xmind, which is free on the iOS App Store, but will cost you $99 per year after your two-week trial. You can make a blank mind map to organize your notes—it also comes with a ton of templates for mind maps that focus on problem-solving, business plan creation, project management, or whatever else. They're color-coded, easy to create and edit, and can be accessed by multiple accounts, so you can work on them in tandem with others on your team. (Perfect for group projects!) To minimize distractions: Flora Credit: Flora Flora, available on iOS and Android or via Chrome extension, isn't actually a study app so much as a focus app—but when you're studying, that matters a lot. It's similar to some other apps on the market in that you grow "trees" in a virtual forest, but they only grow as long as you don't interrupt them by using your phone. What I like about this one, though, is that it's free to download and use. You have the option to donate if you want to plant real-life trees based on your own forest and the option to bet actual money on the fact that you won't kill your tree, which will only happen if you abandon your focus during the preset time you scheduled the app for focusing. For instance, I grew a tree successfully by telling the app I wanted to work for 10 minutes straight, then take a five-minute break. You can pick the kinds of trees you grow, how long you spend working, how long your breaks are, and whether your app keeps data on your focus times and/or resets after a week or a month. It's easy to use and very relaxing. To stay organized: MyStudyLife Credit: MyStudyLife I like MyStudyLife as a planner because it's specially designed for school, while apps like iCal and Google Calendar aren't (although you can import your iCal data on here, too). Available on iOS and Android, this tool is free but extremely customizable: You can enter in assignments, tests, and course details right down to the room the class is in and the name of the professor who teaches it. The app will remind you whenever you have something coming up and keeps it all organized in a very simple calendar. It's got a bare-bones interface that is super easy to use and navigate and, for $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year (after a free one-week trial), you can access additional features like grade tracking, widgets, and dark mode. It works absolutely fine on the free version, though, which is why it's the best planner on the market right now. For note-taking: Evernote Credit: Evernote Evernote basically always wins in a battle of note-taking apps, but that's because it really is excellent. You get a planner, docs that you can access from anywhere, and a load of note-taking tools so you can jot down everything important, which the app will then help you organize. With excellence, however, comes a price: The "Best of Evernote" package is $4.99 per week or $169.99 per year while the "Essentials" package is $3.99 per week or $129.99 per year. The free version, though, still lets you create 50 notes, upload up to 250 MB of media and attachments per month, search images and documents, and use features like Tasks, Calendar, and Web Clipper, which lets you save online content to your account. A feature I love is the ability to take a photo of text and have the app transcribe it so it's editable. It's easy to use and fits into way more elements of daily life than just studying and note-taking, so it's ideal to have around. Go to class, take notes, and head to the grocery store with a to-buy list, then make it home in time for your scheduled phone call at 7 p.m., all without leaving the app. (You can leave, though; Evernote will send you push notifications about what's coming up.) View the full article

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Microsoft has announced it will retire Skype in May 2025, shifting its focus to Microsoft Teams (free) as its primary communication platform. The move is aimed at streamlining Microsoft’s consumer communication offerings and consolidating users onto a single collaboration hub. Transitioning to Microsoft Teams Microsoft stated that Skype users will have the option to migrate to Teams for free, with their existing contacts and chats seamlessly transferring when they log in using their Skype credentials. During the transition period, Teams users will be able to call and chat with Skype users and vice versa, ensuring continued connectivity between both platforms. “For years, Skype has been a trusted platform for communication, but as technology evolves, we’re committed to providing a more modern and integrated experience through Teams,” said Jeff Teper, President, Collaborative Apps and Platforms, Microsoft. Teams offers many of the same core functionalities as Skype, including one-on-one and group calls, messaging, and file sharing, while also integrating advanced collaboration tools like meeting hosting, calendar management, and community-building features. Options for Skype Users Microsoft has outlined two primary choices for current Skype users before the platform’s retirement: Move to Microsoft Teams for free – Over the coming days, Skype users will gain the ability to sign into Teams with their Skype credentials. Once logged in, all existing chats and contacts will be automatically available, making the transition seamless. Export Skype data – Users who do not wish to migrate can export their chat history, contacts, and call records before the May 5, 2025 shutdown date. Changes to Skype Paid Services With Skype’s impending discontinuation, Microsoft will no longer offer paid Skype features to new customers. This includes Skype Credit and subscription-based international and domestic calling services. Existing paid users can continue utilizing these features until their current renewal period ends. After May 5, 2025, Skype’s Dial Pad will only be accessible via the Skype web portal and within Microsoft Teams. Growing Adoption of Teams Microsoft reported significant growth in Teams usage, citing a fourfold increase in meeting minutes among consumer users over the past two years. The platform has become an essential tool for work, school, and personal communication, aligning with Microsoft’s strategy to consolidate its communication services under one ecosystem. Getting Started with Teams To facilitate the transition, Microsoft has provided a step-by-step guide for Skype users moving to Teams. The process includes: Downloading Teams from Microsoft’s official website. Logging in with Skype credentials to automatically access chats and contacts. Exploring Teams’ expanded features for enhanced collaboration and communication. Final Phase for Skype Skype will remain functional until May 5, 2025, allowing users ample time to explore Teams and determine their preferred course of action. Microsoft encourages users to begin the transition early to ensure continued access to communication tools. Image: Microsoft This article, "Microsoft to Retire Skype in May" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Microsoft has announced it will retire Skype in May 2025, shifting its focus to Microsoft Teams (free) as its primary communication platform. The move is aimed at streamlining Microsoft’s consumer communication offerings and consolidating users onto a single collaboration hub. Transitioning to Microsoft Teams Microsoft stated that Skype users will have the option to migrate to Teams for free, with their existing contacts and chats seamlessly transferring when they log in using their Skype credentials. During the transition period, Teams users will be able to call and chat with Skype users and vice versa, ensuring continued connectivity between both platforms. “For years, Skype has been a trusted platform for communication, but as technology evolves, we’re committed to providing a more modern and integrated experience through Teams,” said Jeff Teper, President, Collaborative Apps and Platforms, Microsoft. Teams offers many of the same core functionalities as Skype, including one-on-one and group calls, messaging, and file sharing, while also integrating advanced collaboration tools like meeting hosting, calendar management, and community-building features. Options for Skype Users Microsoft has outlined two primary choices for current Skype users before the platform’s retirement: Move to Microsoft Teams for free – Over the coming days, Skype users will gain the ability to sign into Teams with their Skype credentials. Once logged in, all existing chats and contacts will be automatically available, making the transition seamless. Export Skype data – Users who do not wish to migrate can export their chat history, contacts, and call records before the May 5, 2025 shutdown date. Changes to Skype Paid Services With Skype’s impending discontinuation, Microsoft will no longer offer paid Skype features to new customers. This includes Skype Credit and subscription-based international and domestic calling services. Existing paid users can continue utilizing these features until their current renewal period ends. After May 5, 2025, Skype’s Dial Pad will only be accessible via the Skype web portal and within Microsoft Teams. Growing Adoption of Teams Microsoft reported significant growth in Teams usage, citing a fourfold increase in meeting minutes among consumer users over the past two years. The platform has become an essential tool for work, school, and personal communication, aligning with Microsoft’s strategy to consolidate its communication services under one ecosystem. Getting Started with Teams To facilitate the transition, Microsoft has provided a step-by-step guide for Skype users moving to Teams. The process includes: Downloading Teams from Microsoft’s official website. Logging in with Skype credentials to automatically access chats and contacts. Exploring Teams’ expanded features for enhanced collaboration and communication. Final Phase for Skype Skype will remain functional until May 5, 2025, allowing users ample time to explore Teams and determine their preferred course of action. Microsoft encourages users to begin the transition early to ensure continued access to communication tools. Image: Microsoft This article, "Microsoft to Retire Skype in May" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Microsoft is officially shutting down Skype (RIP). Even if you haven't used the app in years, it's possible Skype was your introduction into modern video chats. The app made it easy to call friends and family via video no matter where in the world you all were. As long as you had a stable internet connection, you could Skype. Once Microsoft pulls the plug on Skype for good, legacy users will need a new platform to turn to. Microsoft will encourage you to switch to Teams, and you can. But there are better alternatives out there. The goal (and challenge) of choosing a video calling platform is to convince other people to join you. The last thing you want is to pick an app that no one uses, then force everyone in your circle to adopt that choice. The less friction, the better. That's why platforms that work with people's existing accounts and platforms are best here: There are some great options out there, from Viber to Signal, that offer good video calling features, but you'll have a lot more luck calling your friends if you meet them where they are. I've focused this list with that in mind. Google Meet Credit: Lifehacker If your goal is to find the easiest video call solution for the average person in your contacts list, my go-to would be Google Meet. In 2025, chances are high the person you're trying to reach has a Google Account—even if it isn't their platform of choice. Because many of us have Google Accounts already, it doesn't really matter what devices or platforms you're working from. Whether one of you has a Mac, another a PC, or you're on competing ends of the iOS versus Android debate, Google Meet works on just about any device. It free, of course, but you do get some perks if you pay—including higher quality video. My main issue with Google Meet, though, is it's not all that intuitive. The service seems designed more for business and professional use than casual conversation, so it isn't necessarily as ideal as Skype was in its heyday. (Just the fact that Google calls the default option "meetings" on the web app makes me feel like I'm working, instead of calling a friend or family member.) Plus, there's a 60 minute limit on calls at a time for free users: That's fine for shorter calls, but if you tend to sit on video chats for hours, you'll be picking up the phone a number of times. If your friend has their Google Account properly set up, though, calling them is as easy as it was on Skype—or about as easy as opening the traditional phone app. However, if their Google Account isn't setup for calls, you need to share the call link with them instead, which is fine, but adds some friction to what should be a simple experience. Again, though, you're not going to find a perfect video call solution if the other person isn't already using that platform. If you're on your computer, you can use the Google Meet web app for most purposes. If you prefer video chatting on mobile, there are apps for both iOS and Android—though Meet may already be installed on your Android device. Google Meet supports video calls with up to 100 participants, as many as Skype did. WhatsApp Credit: Lifehacker Like Google, WhatsApp is insanely popular around the world. If you're not using WhatsApp, someone you know is, which makes it a close second on this list (if not tied for first). WhatsApp's standardization gives it the same advantage as Google Meet: There is a very good chance the person you want to video call has an account. I don't use WhatsApp, but I have a WhatsApp account. Better yet, the app doesn't have a time limit for calls, so you can talk as long as you want. Like Google Meet, WhatsApp is available just about everywhere you access the internet. You can use it on an iPhone or Android device, or access it via the web app. WhatsApp even has a desktop app, unlike Google Meet, which potentially makes it the better Skype replacement. I personally used Skype on my Mac back in the day, and the experience of calling someone on WhatsApp using the app is a bit more reminiscent of that experience than Google Meet's web app is. WhatsApp doesn't support as many participants as Skype did: The app will let you hold calls with up to 32 other people, which, while far less than 100, is still a lot of people for video calls. Facebook Messenger Credit: Lifehacker If not one Meta app, why not another? Messenger has been the go-to option for Facebook users for years, simply because it's built right into Meta's flagship social network. But in recent years, the company's efforts to spin the app into a dedicated messaging service have been successful. I don't use many Facebook account these days, but I do check my Messenger app more often than not. Again, you have the built-in user base here. Facebook might be the largest network of the three mentioned so far. You might have to add your friend before giving them a ring, but seeing as the social media platform contains more than 35% of the world's population, you shouldn't be shocked if the person you want to call is a member. I quite like Messenger's video calling experience, especially on desktop. The Mac app definitely offers a video chat interface that veteran Skype users will enjoy. However, it's a little frustrating you can't start a video call without already having a chat thread going first. If the person or group you want to call already has a conversation going, great: just hit the video call icon to start a chat. However, if not, you'll need to send a message to your friend or friends first, then call them. I suppose it's nice to give them a heads up, but, again, friction! Facebook Messenger used to support video calls of up to 50 people through a feature called "Rooms," but Meta has since discontinued that option. There are no time limits on Messenger calls. FaceTime Credit: frank333/Shutterstock If you have an Apple account and the person you're trying to chat with also has an Apple account, just FaceTime them. The service is easy to use, end-to-end encrypted, and comes with a number of features you might expect from a more business-facing platform than FaceTime—like screen sharing and remote screen controlling. There's hardly anything easier than hitting the FaceTime button on an iMessage thread, or tapping your friend's name in the FaceTime app: seconds later, you'll be chatting. Things get trickier though when you consider the friends who don't have iPhones—especially those who live outside your country. It's suddenly not so easy when you try to call a friend who doesn't have their international number tied to their Apple Account. Still, that doesn't mean you should count out FaceTime entirely. Apple lets you create a FaceTime link that anyone can use to join a call—even those on Android or PC. It's adds an extra hurdle than if you were calling another Apple user, but it still works, which makes this method perhaps the easiest for those of us with iPhones or Macs: Forget about the other apps, just make a FaceTime link, send it to your friends, and wait for them to join your call. FaceTime supports the same number of callers as WhatsApp, 32, with no time limits. Perhaps its biggest drawback is the lack of a native text chat feature: Google Meet supports a native chat, like Skype, while WhatsApp and Messenger are built out of chat apps, so you can send messages there as well. FaceTime, however, is its own entity: If you're all on Apple devices, you can continue the conversation on iMessage, but it isn't quite the same. Teams So work focused. Credit: Lifehacker Microsoft, unsurprisingly, wants you to switch from Skype to Teams. In some ways, that makes sense: The company owns both platforms, so moving from Skype to Teams should be the simple answer. However, Teams is so obviously built with work conferencing in mind (hence the name), that if you're looking for a standard app for casual video calling, this one could be a bit overkill. (It's not like I'd recommend to switch to Slack for casual video calls, either.) If your callers are all Windows users with corresponding Microsoft Accounts, Teams might work. The app does support up to 100 people, and you can chat for 60 minutes at a time. (One-on-one chats are available for 30 hours at a time.) You can also access Teams on a number of different devices—not just Windows machines. If your device has a camera, you can probably use Teams for video calls. The addition of a built-in chat function is helpful, as well. Still, personally, I'd suggest trying one of the other options over Teams. Zoom (not recommended) Many of us in the working world (as well as those of us who jumped on video chats during the pandemic) are quite acquainted with Zoom. The app is perhaps one of the first you think of when you consider video calls, though it's not necessarily one you pick up for casual use. Zoom does offer large video calls—up to 100 participants—for free, but that comes with some limits. While many free video calling platforms end after 60 minutes, Zoom's free calls end at 40 minutes. Unless you're already paying for the service, it really isn't a convenient option for those times you want to catch up with friends or family on video. View the full article

TikTok and Instagram are flooded with reels of food influencers hyping already viral restaurants or bringing hundreds of thousands of eyes to hidden gems. With sauce-stained lips, exaggerated chewing, and that signature hooked finger over their mouth, they urge viewers to “run, don’t walk” to these must-try spots. But how trustworthy are these glowing reviews? Platforms like Yelp and Google Reviews long ago opened the door for anyone with an internet connection to play food critic. But the rise of short-form video has democratized the food-reviewing game to a whole new level. OnTikTok and Instagram, driving engagement is the name of the game, and posting hyperbolized reviews is one way to gain views and grow an audience. It’s a formula that works, but it’s also drawn backlash. This month, the U.K.’s Guild of Food Writers called out these influencers, urging them to offer more “honest” reviews. Vice president of the Guild of Food Writers, Chetna Makan—a London-based food creator herself—told BBC News NI that she “doesn’t trust” the majority of online food videos, largely because it’s become increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine reviews and gushing “collab posts.” But judging by the size of some of their followings, plenty of others do seem to trust these influencers. Right now, perhaps the U.S.’s most famous restaurant critic is a Las Vegas resident named Keith Lee, who has 17 million TikTok followers but no official food or cooking credentials. In the days when legacy media controlled the flow of news and opinions, editors acted as gatekeepers, ensuring content met certain standards. But as Pete Wells, recently retired restaurant critic for the New York Times, told the Washington Post, “The everyman critic is more trusted than somebody who knows what they’re talking about.” Makan said that much of today’s influencer-driven food content is “over the top,” lacking the depth, context, and culinary knowledge traditional food critics bring to the table. More to the point, restaurants frequently invite influencers for free meals in exchange for Instagram posts and TikTok videos. Beyond free meals, creators also can land lucrative brand deals, in which companies pay them directly to feature and promote products. According to Makan, some influencers are “supporting every brand under the sun.” While the future of TikTok in the U.S. may still be in limbo, there’s no doubt that influencers and the platforms they populate will continue to play a huge role in food media. And as Makan bemoaned, “There are fewer food critics in print media because there is not much print media left.” View the full article

Intel‘s promised $28 billion chip fabrication plants in Ohio are facing further delays, with the first factory in New Albany expected to not be completed until 2030, local media outlet The Columbus Dispatch reported on Friday. The first factory will begin operations sometime shortly thereafter in either 2030 or 2031, the report said, citing the chipmaker. Shares of the company, which originally scheduled to begin chipmaking in Ohio factories in 2025, were up more than 5%. Intel has been cutting capital expenses after its expensive bid to become a contract chip manufacturer for other companies, in a move to restore its lost glory, strained its balance sheet. The changes were made so Intel can align its factory operation with market demand and better “manage capital responsibly”, the report cited Naga Chandrasekaran, general manager of Intel Foundry Manufacturing, as saying in a message to workers. The company’s second Ohio factory will not be completed until at least 2031 and will begin running in 2032, according to the report. Intel did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Last year, the company laid off 15% of its workforce, suspended dividend and initiated an extensive cost-savings plan involving massive cuts to its capital expenditure in the coming years. Its finance chief David Zinsner told Reuters last month that the company’s goal was to ensure operating expenses were at roughly $17.5 billion for 2025. —Arsheeya Bajwa, Reuters View the full article