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Across the country, Americans have seen their electricity bills spike this year. Energy prices have been rising faster than inflation, and are expected to just keep rising. In two states in particular, this issue became a core tenant of the Democratic candidates’ governors races. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia both ran in part on a promise to keep electricity costs down—and both won big on election night. “Voters in New Jersey and Virginia chose leaders ready to take on soaring energy costs and the powerful interests driving them higher,” Evergreen Action executive director Lena Moffitt said in a statement. “Governors-elect Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger earned voters’ trust with common-sense plans to lower costs by fixing [electricity grid operator] PJM’s broken system and expanding cheap, homegrown, faster-to-build clean energy,” she added. “In elections defined by the skyrocketing cost of living, voters made clear they want leaders who will actually do something about it.” How New Jersey’s new governor will tackle electricity prices Rising electricity rates have hit New Jersey particularly hard. Residents there saw prices spike about 21% over this past year. Sherrill, who won New Jersey with just over 56% of votes, pledged to declare a “state of emergency on utility costs” on her first day in office. She has also promised to freeze residents’ utility rates, build more “cheaper and cleaner power,” and push utility companies to be more transparent. Sherrill’s state of emergency could be seen as a counter to the states of emergency that President The President declared at the beginning of his second term. The President’s move to declare a national energy emergency cited a need to boost oil and gas production, even though increased drilling doesn’t necessarily translate to lower gas prices for consumers, and renewable power is the cheapest form of new energy to build. The President also promised to slash electricity bills for Americans during his run for the presidency, but so far into his term, energy price are up, and expected to keep climbing. Experts have blamed his actions like inhibiting renewables, canceling federal energy assistance, and enacting tariffs on energy imports. For New Jersey, the governor declaring a state of emergency is a signal of her priorities. “It’s put everyone on notice that I am no longer going to allow the can to be kicked down the road,” she said on WNYC Thursday morning. “It gives everyone a sense of urgency that this has got to be tackled, and it’s got to be tackled now.” That pledge has already resulted in utility companies saying they’ll come to the table to negotiate, and spurred discussions among workers about programs that could help the electricity grid, she added. Sherrill also campaigned on developing plans for new nuclear capacity in New Jersey. How Virginia’s new governor will tackle electricity prices Virginia is home to the biggest data center market in the world, with more than 600 clustered around Washington, D.C., and Richmond. And though the state’s electricity prices haven’t risen as steeply as New Jersey’s, they’ve still risen about 6.7% over the last year. As even more data centers are proposed and built, experts say energy prices are likely to increase to meet growing energy demands. Dominion Energy, the biggest electric utility in the state, is also looking to build more natural gas units to support those data centers. That raises environmental concerns, and also price concerns. Natural gas is getting more expensive because the U.S. is exporting more and more of it to other countries. Spanberger, who won Virginia with just over 57% of the votes, made an “Affordable Virginia Plan” a core part of her campaign. Along with housing and healthcare, the plan specifically calls out energy bills as an area she’ll focus on. To do so, she says she’ll expand and support Virginia’s local electricity generation—including its “nation-leading offshore wind development.” She plans to incentivize more solar energy projects on rooftops, parking lots, former industrial sites, abandoned mines, schools, and public buildings, supported by battery storage. She’ll also encourage the development of nuclear, geothermal, fusion, and hydrogen. Spanberger has called out data centers specifically as well, saying she’ll make sure they pay “their own way and their fair share” of their new electricity and transmission needs. It’s not yet clear how exactly she’ll do that, and Dominion contests the idea that data centers are being subsidized by consumers; instead, the utility has blamed inflation for rising costs. But Dominion is also currently seeking to raise rates even more to increase its profit margins. Depending on how that case pans out, Spanberger said during a debate that “it may require action within the General Assembly to ensure that large utility users like data centers are paying their fair share for the energy that they consume.” View the full article

I’ve been writing professionally since 2002, and in that time, I’ve experimented with lots of different strategies to keep myself on track. (I’ve been a columnist at Fortune and Fast Company, and am now a contributing writer for The New York Times Opinion Section, in addition to cohosting Slate’s Money podcast, and I’ve been an editor, reporter, and opinion writer for a number of other places.) I also have, shall we say, a fragmented attention span, and my therapist likes to routinely bring up how many women my age have undiagnosed ADHD, which I now take as a not-so-subtle hint. So I need systems and routines maybe a bit more than the average person, and it has taken me a while to find the right ones. But I stumbled upon my biggest problem with developing a consistent writing practice by accident when I added a couple of components that focused not on the writing itself, but on idea generation and development. Like most professional writers, I take notes and carry a notebook everywhere, and my journalistic background has primed me to capture details and thoughts even when I’m not on the clock. That said, there was not much consistency to it for a long time, and I didn’t have a process for taking those notes and thoughts and fashioning them into something that might qualify as a good work product, or if I was being really ambitious, art. The problem was that I was not giving myself enough raw creative material to work with, and would come up short when I needed to get something onto the page. The system I use now is a combination of physical note-taking, collation, and then review and organization once a month. I am fascinated by and have tried the Zettlekasten method, but it’s way too complicated for me. A lightweight solution My version is much more lightweight. My physical note-taking is the same, and I added morning pages right when I get up, which more than anything just allows me to clear my head of to-do list items and anxieties so I can think clearly about other things. The nature of my job(s) also means that I can’t stay out of the news cycle or off social, though consuming less of both would certainly enhance my concentration, so I try to cordon it off in time blocks and get much of my writing done before I get sucked into whatever new chaos is brewing in the outside world. Once a week, I add notes and references that I think I want to keep to a master file similar to Steven Johnson’s “Spark file” and once a month, I set aside an hour or two on a Sunday to review it and break useful pieces into notes for discrete columns or fiction or wherever I think they belong. As a result, I never really have to sit down to a blank page. There’s always something in progress to work on and new ideas in the pipeline. I don’t have to stare at a screen in an increasing state of despair and desperation until something finally emerges from my addled brain. This specific system may not work for everybody, but what I think is generalizable is that it’s hard to keep up a writing practice if you let the well of creativity run dry. It’s important to keep it full, even when you’re not working on anything in particular. I’m teaching a Zoom workshop in December on how to make this process work for you and how to set up a creative practice in general, if you’re interested in learning more about how to do this. (Registration and info are here.) I’m also interested in what other people do to make their creative practice sustainable, so suggestions and tips are welcome! View the full article

Last night, Zohran Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo to become the next mayor of New York City. Cue the online crashouts. Leading the pack is Will & Grace star Debra Messing, who is now facing intense backlash for sharing dozens of posts smearing the Democratic candidate on Instagram in the run up to polls closing. Messing took part in early voting last week, sharing in a post that she cast her ballot for Cuomo, who ran as an independent. Before the race was called, Messing took to her Instagram Stories to share an onslaught of anti-Mamdani graphics and videos, many including blatant Islamophobia. She reposted a video of one influencer calling Mamdani “Osama bin Mamdani.” Another featured a ballot on which the options were “A Democrat” and “An Actual Communist Jihadist… A literal Karl Marx-quoting, America-hating jihadist.” Mamdani is not a communist but a democratic socialist. Messing, who is Jewish and an advocate for Israel, also shared one meme saying Jews do not fly planes into buildings, as well as a Truth Social post from President Donald The President saying that any Jewish person who votes for Mamdani is “a stupid person.” Other posts that appeared on Messing’s Story came from conservative outlets such as CPAC, Breitbart, and Newsmax. Her 100 plus Instagram Story crashout did not go unnoticed. “The way my thread ended abruptly because this woman reached her 100 instagram stories a day limit by 1pm eastern,” one X user wrote, citing Instagram’s 100 Storiers per day limit. “She said 431st of all,” another quipped. “I think Zohran has actually broken her brain,” one wrote. “Fascinating albeit kinda scary to watch though.” As Mamdani swept to victory Tuesday night, receiving 50.4% of the vote to become New York City’s new mayor, Messing’s meltdown is unlikely to be soon forgotten. “I will personally make sure that Debra Messing’s Islamophobic crashout on Instagram is written into the history books,” one wrote. Fast Company has reached out to Messing for comment. Messing is not alone in publicly voicing her displeasure with last night’s result, much to the amusement of Mandani voters. “Where the meltdowns at, i need the best rightwing meltdowns to laugh at,” one X user posted. Messing’s crashout is high up in the replies. Actor and comedian Michael Rapapaport also features on the list, with one calling his online reaction “the greatest crash out in history.” Mamdani’s election makes him the first Muslim and Indian American mayor for the city and, at 34, youngest mayor in generations. He will take office on January 1, 2026. “I feel compelled to report that Debra Messing has not posted a single instagram story since the results were announced,” one X user noted. . View the full article

Google isn't new to adding AI to its products, and that includes Google Maps. The company already has AI tools that let you ask Gemini for directions to your destination, or get more info about it, and today, it's rolling out new features to help turn the chatbot into a (to borrow a term from Microsoft) copilot. With Gemini in Google Maps, you'll be able to ask open-ended questions and even have the AI take action for you, based on its responses. The idea is to make the app easier to work with while driving, which, yes, means you can also wake the bot with a simple "Hey Google." Let's say you get peckish while driving. You'll be able to wake the bot with your voice, ask it for restaurants along your drive, and then have it alter your route to direct you to one of them. Or, if you have a passenger with you, they could also summon the bot with a Gemini icon in the top-right corner of the Google Maps screen. This is a major update compared to prior AI integration in Maps, which was mostly restricted to asking questions about certain routes or destinations before you started driving. Gemini will purportedly make Google Maps routes easier to followBut even if you're not actively talking to the AI to help you navigate, it'll still supposedly make Maps better for you. Rather than relying on generic instructions like "turn right in 500 feet," Google says Maps will now also sometimes direct users by pointing out easy-to-spot landmarks along their route instead. That means you might get an instruction saying "turn right after the Thai Siam Restaurant," with the restaurant itself being highlighted on your Maps app as you approach. To do this, the bot will cross-reference Google Street View photos with your route. I'll admit I'm a little skeptical that it might pick an easy-to-miss landmark—I don't trust myself to be able to spot the right restaurant while driving—but if it works, it could be more intuitive than trying to figure out how many feet are between me and my turn. Gemini will work with other apps from within MapsThere's also integration to help you better interact with Google's other apps while in Maps, like Calendar. The company says that, while talking to the bot about your route, you could also ping it to add an event to Calendar; assuming you've already given it permission to do so, it'll automatically follow through on your request. The company's also added a Google Lens button to Maps, so once you arrive at wherever you're going, you'll be able to point your phone at landmarks or your destination and ask Gemini for more details about them without having to leave Maps. Smarter commutesOutside of connecting with other apps, Maps is also getting some of the same features as Waze, but with a twist. Google is adding a feature called Proactive Traffic Alerts to Maps, which sets Gemini to monitor disruptions to your most commonly traveled routes in the background. The idea is that you likely don't open Maps or Waze for your daily commute, which means you're not getting traffic alerts while you drive. Now, the AI will work for you while the app is closed, too, and will notify you on its own if it detects a crash or road closure while you're on one of your routine drives. The catch to all of this? There are plenty of ways it could go wrong, and there's no way to test it yet. Imagine the AI hallucinates a landmark that isn't there or has closed, and you miss a needed turn. In a roundtable with journalists (h/t The Verge), Google Maps product director Amanda Moore insisted that all training is "using the actual place information in the real world" and said "there should be no hallucinations on places to stop at or things like that," but this is definitely something I'd want to try out first in a low stakes environment, rather than diving into it immediately on a cross-country road trip. (Even if a landmark is real, that doesn't automatically mean pointing it out will be useful.) When you can try Gemini in Google MapsUnfortunately, it'll take a little while before you can try out any of these new features. Gemini-based navigation starts rolling out "in the coming weeks" and Lens in Maps is set for "later this month." Proactive traffic alerts and landmark-based navigation start their rollouts today, but it might still be a bit until they hit your iOS and Android device. View the full article

Private-sector payrolls increased by 42,000 after a revised 29,000 decline a month earlier, according to ADP Research data released Wednesday. View the full article

French authorities have warned they may block access to Shein after it emerged that the online fast fashion giant had been selling sex dolls with a childlike appearance. France’s consumer watchdog, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, said last week it had discovered the dolls on Shein’s website, noting that their descriptions and categorization left little doubt as to their child-pornographic nature. The agency has referred the case to public prosecutors, and Economy Minister Roland Lescure said on Monday he would seek to ban Shein from the French market if such incidents were to occur again. “This is provided for by law,” he said. “In cases involving terrorism, drug trafficking, or child pornographic materials, the government has the right to request that access to the French market be prohibited,” Lescure told BFM TV. The law authorizes French authorities to order online platforms to remove clearly illegal content such as child pornography within 24 hours. If they fail to comply, authorities can require internet service providers and search engines to block access and delist the site. The watchdog said it has issued a formal notice urging the platform to take urgent corrective measures. Shein said in a statement that it has banned all sex-doll products, and temporarily removed its adult products category for review. It added that it has launched an investigation to determine how these listings bypassed its screening measures. “The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein,” said Executive Chairman Donald Tang said in the statement. “These were marketplace listings from third-party sellers, but I take this personally. Trust is our foundation, and we will not allow anything that violates it.” He noted that every related product has been removed and that “We are tracing the source and will take swift, decisive action against those responsible.” Meanwhile, a parliamentary fact-finding mission on the inspection of products imported into France announced it will summon Shein officials for questioning. “No economic actor can consider themselves above the law. A retailer who sold such an item would have had their store immediately closed by a prefectoral order. Shein must provide an explanation,” said the mission rapporteur, Antoine Vermorel-Marques. Under French law, the distribution via electronic communication networks of child-pornographic materials is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a 100,000 euro ($115,000) fine. The watchdog also noted that Shein sells other pornographic products including adultlike sex dolls without effective age-filtering measures to prevent “minors or sensitive audiences from accessing such pornographic content.” Shein was founded in China in 2012, and the low-cost online retailer is now based in Singapore. Reaching customers mainly through its app, it has enjoyed a meteoric rise to become a global leader in fast fashion, shipping to 150 countries. The company has faced criticism over its labor practices and environmental record. Lescure’s comments came just days before Shein is due to open its first permanent physical store in Paris, located inside the BHV Marais department store in the heart of the French capital city. The opening has sparked controversy, with an online petition protesting Shein’s arrival gathering more than 100,000 signatures. Frederic Merlin, president of Societe des Grands Magasins, which owns BHV, called the sale of the dolls on Shein’s platform “indecent” and “unacceptable,” adding that “no product from Shein’s international marketplace” will be sold at the department store. Meanwhile, the child-protection NGO Mouv’Enfants staged a protest at BHV. “As long as these dolls are available somewhere in the world, the company will remain an accomplice to a system that enables sex crimes against children,” co-founder Arnaud Gallais said. —Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press View the full article

Treasuries fell after the US government signaled that larger auction sizes are on the horizon, while signs of economic resilience hurt the odds a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut in December. View the full article

I’ve been enjoying Shuffalo, a quick daily word game from the New Yorker that I can’t help but compare to the New York Times’s Wordle, which is so popular we publish hints for it every day. But it really feels like an improvement on a different New York Times game, Spelling Bee—quicker and with more useful hints. What is Shuffalo? Shuffalo lives on the New Yorker games page, with a different puzzle each day. For each day’s puzzle, you get a collection of letters that you have to form into a word. First you get four letters, and you need to use them all to make a four-letter word. Once you do that, a fifth letter is added, then a sixth, and so on up to eight. Get that far, and you’ve won—but there’s also a bonus round with nine letters if you’re up for the challenge. How to play (and win) ShuffaloThe letters you have to work with appear in a circle. It looks a lot like Spelling Bee, if you’re familiar with that, but in Shuffalo you can only use each letter once per word. Once you select a letter, it turns gray and unusable. If you’re stumped, there are three ways to get your brain un-stuck: Hit the recycle button in the center of the wheel to shuffle the letters. Select a few letters that might go together (for example, E and R if you’re wondering about an -ER ending) and it will be easier to see patterns in the remaining yellow letters. Click the Hint button at the bottom of the screen. It will reveal one letter in the answer. You do not get to choose which letter it is. I found that the first two tricks helped me get most words, but the hints were nice to have if I ever felt that a level was taking too long. There is no limit to how many hints you can use, although if you use a lot you’ll get “Baby Shuffalo” as your rank. A perfect game earned me a “Super Shuffalo.” Note that you can enter letters into any part of the answer, not just type from the beginning like in Wordle. This is a great feature to use with the hints—maybe you get a C mid-word, so then you can try putting an H right after it and see what letters that leaves. At the end of the game, you get a graphic that shows which letters you guessed correctly, and you can also get an emoji result to share with friends. Left and top: a game where I used many hints. Bottom right: a perfect game. Credit: Beth Skwarecki/New Yorker How Shuffalo compares to other daily word gamesShuffalo is a pure word game. You don't need to know what the words mean or be able to group them according to trivia or wordplay, making it more focused than something like word-grouping game Connections or word search game Strands. You just have to put letters together to make recognizable words. In that sense, it's a lot like Wordle. I like this game a lot, because it reminds me of my favorite way to play Spelling Bee—as a one-word quickie. Spelling Bee is a New York Times game where you’re supposed to find as many words as possible in a jumble of seven letters, reusing letters as needed. But every day there is at least one “pangram” that uses all seven. Sometimes I open the app, and stare at it until I find the pangram. Shuffalo gives me that same experience, but with five increasingly difficult levels, and a helpful hint structure. I’m really enjoying it. View the full article

High Court finds Robert Bonnier lied ‘repeatedly’ to secure investment from tycoonView the full article

Built launched Draw Agent Tuesday, which can process thousands of construction loan draws monthly. View the full article

Three lower courts have ruled illegal President Donald The President’s use of emergency powers to impose worldwide tariffs. Now the Supreme Court, with three justices The President appointed and generally favorable to muscular presidential power, will have the final word. In roughly two dozen emergency appeals, the justices have largely gone along with The President in temporarily allowing parts of his aggressive second-term agenda to take effect while lawsuits play out. But the case being argued Wednesday is the first in which the court will render a final decision on a The President policy. The stakes are enormous, both politically and financially. The Republican president has made tariffs a central piece of his economic and foreign policy and has said it would be a “disaster” if the Supreme Court rules against him. Here are some things to know about the tariffs arguments at the Supreme Court: Tariffs are taxes on imports They are paid by companies that import finished products or parts, and the added cost can be passed on to consumers. Through September, the government has reported collecting $195 billion in revenue generated from the tariffs. The Constitution gives Congress the power to impose tariffs, but The President has claimed extraordinary power to act without congressional approval by declaring national emergencies under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In February, he invoked the law to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, saying that the illegal flow of immigrants and drugs across the U.S. border amounted to a national emergency and that the three countries needed to do more to stop it. In April, he imposed worldwide tariffs after declaring the United States’ longstanding trade deficits “a national emergency.” Libertarian-backed businesses and states challenged the tariffs in federal court Challengers to The President’s actions won rulings from a specialized trade court, a district judge in Washington and a business-focused appeals court, also in the nation’s capital. Those courts found that The President could not justify tariffs under the emergency powers law, which doesn’t mention them. But they left the tariffs in place in the meantime. The appeals court relied on major questions, a legal doctrine devised by the Supreme Court that requires Congress to speak clearly on issues of “vast economic and political significance.” The major questions doctrine doomed several Biden policies Conservative majorities struck down three of then-President Joe Biden’s initiatives related to the coronavirus pandemic. The court ended the Democrat’s pause on evictions, blocked a vaccine mandate for large businesses and prevented student loan forgiveness that would have totaled $500 billion over 10 years. In comparison, the stakes in the tariff case are much higher. The taxes are estimated to generate $3 trillion over 10 years. The challengers in the tariffs case have cited writings by the three The President appointees, Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, in calling on the court to apply similar limitations on a signal The President policy. Barrett described a babysitter taking children on roller coasters and spending a night in a hotel based on a parent’s encouragement to “make sure the kids have fun.” “In the normal course, permission to spend money on fun authorizes a babysitter to take children to the local ice cream parlor or movie theater, not on a multiday excursion to an out-of-town amusement park,” Barrett wrote in the student loans case. “If a parent were willing to greenlight a trip that big, we would expect much more clarity than a general instruction to ‘make sure the kids have fun.’” Kavanaugh, though, has suggested the court should not apply the same limiting standard to foreign policy and national security issues. A dissenting appellate judge also wrote that Congress purposely gave presidents more latitude to act through the emergency powers law. Some of the businesses that sued also are raising a separate legal argument in an appeal to conservative justices, saying that Congress could not constitutionally delegate its taxing power to the president. The nondelegation principle has not been used in 90 years, since the Supreme Court struck down some New Deal legislation. But Gorsuch authored a dissent in June that would have found the Federal Communications Commission’s universal service fee an unconstitutional delegation. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas joined the dissent. “What happens when Congress, weary of the hard business of legislating and facing strong incentives to pass the buck, cedes its lawmaking power, clearly and unmistakably, to an executive that craves it?” Gorsuch wrote. The justices could act more quickly than usual in issuing a decision The court only agreed to hear the case in September, scheduling arguments less than two months later. The quick turnaround, at least by Supreme Court standards, suggests that the court will try to act fast. High-profile cases can take half a year or more to resolve, often because the majority and dissenting opinions go through rounds of revision. But the court can act quickly when deadline pressure dictates. Most recently, the court ruled a week after hearing arguments in the TikTok case, unanimously upholding a law requiring the popular social media app to be banned unless it was sold by its Chinese parent company. The President has intervened several times to keep the law from taking effect while negotiations continue with China. —Mark Sherman, Associated Press View the full article

Porte Neue is the typeface of effortless sophistication, and that’s why the ‘Fast Company’ design team chose it for the latest issue View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you've ever tried to tackle a DIY project with just the hammer and screwdriver you bought at a convenience store, you’ve already learned the most important lesson: The right tools make all the difference. The difference in effort it takes to complete a job when you have exactly the tool you need for it is startling. There are plenty of fancy power tools that you probably didn't know about, but the humble hand tool can be transformative, too. If you’re planning some work around the homestead, consider picking up some of these simple but powerful specialty tools that will make your project easier. Cabinet jackI’m a solo DIY kind of person; I hate asking for help or relying on other people’s schedules, so I usually plow ahead and try to do everything myself. The first time I attempted to install cabinets in my kitchen alone was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life—if you’ve ever tried to position a wall cabinet and hold it in place so you can drive a set screw, you know my pain. Enter cabinet jacks: simple, adjustable platforms that raise a cabinet box to the correct height so you can have both hands free to drive the screws into place. They instantly transform a nightmarish job into a pretty straightforward project. And they can be used to lift just about anything into position, so you can get a lot more use out of these than you think. Magnetic pickupYou don’t have to be especially clumsy (note: I totally am especially clumsy) to experience the horror of dropping a bunch of small screws or washers when you’re working. Picking up tiny things with your hands is slow and frustrating, and some of these tiny bits of metal will absolutely slide into every nook and cranny available. Extra points if you just dropped the unique screw that came with a product that you’ll never figure out how to replace. A magnetic pickup tool like this one is the answer. Flexible, extendable, and with a guide light, this tool will make finding and retrieving lost fasteners extremely fast and easy, so you don’t waste any more time on your hands and knees muttering as you blindly search for a lost screw. Air wedgeSometimes you just need to wedge something under whatever you’re working on, either to get it level or to open up some space underneath. You can monkey around with a bunch of shims or pieces of spare wood to engineer a wobbly solution, or you can use one of these air wedges—inflatable shims that slide under whatever you’re trying to lift and inflate to the perfect dimension. These are especially useful when you’re trying to level something, because you can slide one underneath, slap a level on top, and inflate until you get it perfect. Augur bitI like to re-use old lumber for framing projects—no one’s going to see the ugly wood, and it seems like a waste to toss it. But that means I’ve had to work around a lot of embedded screws and nails, and it can really be a pain in the butt. If you’ve ever started drilling into a wall and hit a screw in one of the studs, you also know how it can present a real problem if your choices of where to drill are limited. Enter the augur bit. This thing will chew through those screws and nails with ease, allowing you to create fresh holes even in old studs or other lumber that are riddled with the fasteners of projects past. Reversible wrenchWhen you’re working with a combination of squared-off bolts and round things (like pipes), you find yourself swapping out the wrench you’re using constantly. That means carrying an extra tool, and constantly searching for the other one. Unless you have a reversible, adjustable wrench. The reversible jaw means you can switch between bolts and rounded stock with ease, using just one tool. Screw removal pliersStripped screws will strip you of your sanity. When the head gets so chewed up no bit in the universe will grab it, your whole project can be derailed as you spend hours trying to convince it to give up and come back out. Unless you have a pair of extractor pliers in your toolbox. These pliers are designed specifically to grab onto stripped and broken screws and twist them out with relative ease. Cartridge pullerIf you have a leaky faucet or shower handle, the cartridge in the faucet has likely failed. If you’ve ever tried to remove that cartridge for a little money-saving DIY plumbing, you likely walked away with a new appreciation for plumbers, because they can be a real pain to pull. Unless you have a cartridge puller, a nifty device designed to latch onto faucet cartridges and give you the necessary leverage to yank them out. Different faucets need different pullers, so you’ll first need to identify the brand you’re dealing with (for example, this cartridge puller works with a few specific Moen models), but it’s worth it if you value your time. Hook and pickYou may not think you have a use case for a hook and pick set, but once you have one, you’ll never stop using it. I’ve used these dental-looking tools to scrape, to remove small, delicate parts, to grab onto things in tight spaces, and to bend and manipulate clasps on jewelry and other items. They’re also lifesavers if you have tangled necklaces or other chains, as they make grabbing onto the tiny links really easy. Trust me, you’ll use these more than you think. Hand maskerIf you’re going to be painting several rooms in your house or putting down protection on your floors ahead of a project, you’re going to be applying a lot of masking tape to protect surfaces. A hand masker makes that part of the job a lot easier. Just load up your roll of tape, and the masker lets you apply long strips without having to deal with twisted tape or crooked applications that have to be lifted off and re-applied. (You can whip up a DIY version of this using a paint roller—it’s not quite as easy to use as the real deal, but it’ll still make it a bit easier to tape up your work area.) MagnetizerFor a long time, I was always surprised when I picked up a certain screwdriver in my tool chest and discovered it was magnetized—it saved me from losing screws plenty of times, and made setting the screw in place a lot easier. Guess what? You can magnetize—and de-magnetize—most screws and bits using a magnetizing/demagnatizing tool. It can also magnetize blades or other thin implements to be used as a quick parts retrieval tool. Angle clampHave you ever tried to drill or screw two pieces of wood together at a 90° angle? Fun it is not. But if you have an angle clamp like the Can-Do clamp, it’s a lot easier. This clever clamp lets you hold a variety of angles together so you can easily drill starter holes and then secure everything without losing your mind as things slip and spin out of place. View the full article

TD Bank is getting ready to implement a number of branch closures across more than a dozen states on the East Coast. Those closures come at a time when the bank is increasingly shifting its focus to online banking. Here’s what you need to know about TD Bank’s branch closures, including a list of closing locations. Why is TD Bank closing some of its branches? TD Bank is closing some of its branches as part of a broader plan to reduce or relocate 10% of its retail footprint. “At Investor Day last month, TD shared plans to deliver a stronger, more scalable U.S. retail presence through significant store enhancements, tech-forward digital banking capabilities, and personalized, advice-led services,” a spokesperson told Fast Company when reached for comment. “We also regularly evaluate our network to ensure we’re serving our communities where they need us, which at times results in store closures or relocations to nearby neighborhoods.” The bank added that it expects to open new locations in the impacted communities, but it did not offer specifics and said such openings would be subject to approval by regulators. “In the meantime, we’re committed to making these transitions as smooth as possible for clients and customers, serving them at more than 1,000 TD Bank locations or via whatever channel they choose.” How many locations will close? TD Bank is set to close 51 branches and one remote drive-through location by the end of January 2026. The branch closures will affect locations in 13 states and Washington, D.C. The news of the upcoming planned closures comes after the company already closed dozens of branches across 10 states and Washington, D.C., earlier this year, as Fast Company previously reported. At TD Bank’s investor conference in September, CEO Leo Salom said the bank was “reimagining” its retail distribution model. “[Increasingly] clients expect greater personalization, and an elevated, more seamless omni-channel experience,” Salom said. “And to that end, we are accelerating investments in digital and mobile capabilities across sales, onboarding and servicing.” Salom continued that TD Bank’s goal was to “increase digital acquisition to 50% of total sales, enhance digital adoption to 70%, and drive digital self-serve above 90%.” Greater digital banking usage means fewer stores are required. TD Bank is part of Toronto’s TD Bank Group. The company has 2,151 retail locations in North America, according to its Q3 2025 earnings report, including 1,100 branches in the United States. It’s unclear how many jobs will be impacted by the closures. TD Bank says its U.S. retail operations employ almost 29,000 people. Shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD) are up more than 51% year to date. Which TD Bank branches are closing? In this latest round of closures, TD Bank is expected to close 51 branches across 12 states and Washington, D.C. A number of local media outlets, including the Philadelphia Business Journal, had reported earlier on the closures, including listing some individual locations. The full list of planned TD Bank branch closures appears below. The bank confirmed the locations with Fast Company. Connecticut 123 East Main Street, Plainville, CT, 06062 826 Wolcott Road, Wolcott, CT, 06716 60 Redding Road, Redding, CT, 06829 Washington, D.C. 2000 K Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20006 Florida 2000 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20006 255 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables, FL, 33134 1500 NE Miami Gardens Drive, North Miami Beach, FL, 33179 2208 66th Street, St Petersburg, FL, 33710 3125 W New Haven Avenue, Melbourne, FL, 32904 1000 S.E. Highway, Crystal River, FL, 34429 1 US 27 North, 621 East, Lake Placid, FL, 33852 Massachusetts 175 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA, 01915 153 Meadow Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013 1708 Falmouth Road, Centerville, MA, 02632 45 Central Street, Lowell, MA, 01852 99 West Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201 79 Lynnfield Street, Peabody, MA, 01960 242 Main Street, Wareham, MA 02571 (remote drive thru) Maryland 8661 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD, 20910 Maine 32 Goding Avenue, Lincoln Plaza, Lincoln, ME, 04457 835 Main Street, P.O. Box 266, Westbrook, ME, 04092 217 High Street, Ellsworth, ME, 04605 North Carolina 201 Wren Drive, Hendersonville, NC, 28792 New Hampshire 184 Route 101, Bedford, NH, 03110 2561 Main Street, North Conway, NH, 03860 New Jersey 385 White Horse Pike, Atco, NJ, 08004 177 Columbia Turnpike, Florham Park, NJ, 07932 571 East Bay Avenue, Manahawkin, NJ, 08050 232 Richmond Avenue, Point Pleasant, NJ, 08742 418 Belmont Avenue, Haledon, NJ, 07508 230 Forsgate Drive, Jamesburg, NJ, 08831 1100 Lake Street, Ramsey, NJ, 07446 4057 Asbury Avenue, Tinton Falls, NJ, 07753 New York 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10010 391 Jericho Turnpike, Jericho, NY, 11853 1144 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY, 11747 620 Route 25A, Mount Sinai, NY, 11766 576 Second Avenue, New York, NY, 10016 14 Main Street, Hudson Falls, NY, 12839 482-484 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11217 Pennsylvania 399 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106 200 Lancaster Avenue, Devon, PA, 19333 9996 Haldeman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19115 1064 Second St. Pike, Richboro, PA, 18954 131 East McDade Boulevard, Folsom, PA, 19033 South Carolina 260 Columbia Avenue, Chapin, SC, 29036 2003 N. Oak Street, Myrtle Beach, SC, 29577 5041 Calhoun Memorial Hwy., Easley, SC, 29640 307 North Main Street, Marion, SC, 29571 Virginia 6566 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria, VA, 22003 6260 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, VA, 22101 Vermont 27 East Allen Street, Winooski, VT, 05404 21 Elm Street, Woodstock, VT, 05091 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. It's a good day for Apple shoppers looking for the latest Apple Watches. The Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple's latest and most premium smartwatch, dropped to its lowest price, and now, the Apple Watch SE 3, their most affordable smartwatch (and truly, the best one for most people), also dropped to its lowest price yet, according to price-tracking tools. Despite being released just this past September, you can get the GPS 40mm Apple Watch SE 3 for $199.99 (originally $249). The bigger 44mm case is $229.99 (originally $279), also with a $50 discount. Apple Watch SE 3 40mm GPS Smartwatch (Starlight Aluminum Case, Starlight Sports Band) $199.99 at Amazon $249.00 Save $49.01 Get Deal Get Deal $199.99 at Amazon $249.00 Save $49.01 Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 44mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - M/L. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant $229.99 at Amazon $279.00 Save $49.01 Get Deal Get Deal $229.99 at Amazon $279.00 Save $49.01 SEE -1 MORE The SE 3 is the most affordable option compared to the Series 11 and the Ultra 3, all of which are the latest models to be released by Apple. But never before has the budget model been so close in value to the middle-of-the-pack Apple Watch. That's why it's the best option for most people who would rather save money instead of getting all of the fancy specs and features, according to PCMag's "excellent" review. The SE3 has the same Apple S10 processor as the Series 11 and better battery life, averaging about 46 hours. It has the always-on display, supports 5G, has gesture controls, on-device Siri processing, ovulation estimates, sleep apnea detection, and wrist temperature sensing. And, of course, you get all of the benefits of the upcoming iOS 26.2. Since this is the cellular version, you don't need to bring your iPhone along to be able to take calls or text. The improved 5G connectivity means your calls will be less likely to drop, and your downloads and streams will be faster. If I were a betting man, I'd say you won't find this watch any cheaper on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, given its recent release and Apple's history with sales. This price is likely as good as it's going to get for a while. Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds — $119.00 (List Price $129.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Shark AI Ultra Matrix Clean Mapping Voice Control Robot Vacuum with XL Self-Empty Base — $299.99 (List Price $599.00) Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones — $199.00 (List Price $349.00) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Google Pixel 10 Pro 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian) — $749.00 (List Price $999.00) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Introducing Amazon Fire TV 55" Omni Mini-LED Series, QLED 4K UHD smart TV, Dolby Vision IQ, 144hz gaming mode, Ambient Experience, hands-free with Alexa, 2024 release — $699.99 (List Price $819.99) Google Nest Cam Indoor (Wired, 3rd Gen) - Security Camera with 2K Video and Gemini, Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Works with Google Home - 2025 Model - Snow — $74.99 (List Price $99.99) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $328.00 (List Price $399.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. Zillow economists use an economic model they call the Zillow Market Heat Index to gauge the competitiveness of housing markets across the country. This model looks at key indicators—including home price changes, inventory levels, and days on market—to generate a score showing whether a market favors sellers or buyers. Higher scores point to hotter, seller-friendly metro housing markets. Lower scores signal cooler markets where buyers hold more negotiating power. According to Zillow: Score of 70 or higher = strong seller’s market Score from 55 to 69 = seller’s market Score from 44 to 55 = neutral market Score from 28 to 44 = buyer’s market Score of 27 or below = strong buyer’s market Within the ResiClub Terminal—our data and analytics platform designed for housing sector executives, professionals, and investors—ResiClub PRO members can access this index output along with roughly 70+ other metrics. For today’s issue, we’ve included a screenshot showing a metro-level view of the Zillow Market Heat Index for every September reading since 2019. (The ability to change dates is one of the features in the ResiClub Terminal that helps housing stakeholders better analyze the housing market.) What the index looked like in September 2019: What the index looked like in September 2020: What the index looked like in September 2021: What the index looked like in September 2022: What the index looked like in September 2023: What the index looked like in September 2024: What the index looked like in September 2025: Do I agree with Zillow’s assessment? Directionally, I believe Zillow has correctly identified many regional housing markets where buyers have gained the most power—particularly around the Gulf—as well as markets where sellers have maintained (relatively speaking) somewhat of a grip, including large portions of the Northeast and Midwest. Based on my personal housing analysis, I consider Southwest Florida the weakest/softest chunk of the U.S. housing market this year. Not too far behind are pockets of Texas and Colorado—which have also seen a bigger build-up in resale inventory and unsold new-build spec inventory over the past three years. In my view, many West Coast markets were softer this year than Zillow’s analysis suggests—in particular the areas that have recently seen big jumps in active inventory for sale—while some areas in the Midwest are a little tighter than Zillow suggests. One more thought: The Zillow Market Heat Index should not be the only metric housing stakeholders look at when assessing market temperature. At a minimum, I’d also recommend looking at the speed of active inventory change, active inventory now versus the same month in 2019, year-over-year home price change, and seasonally adjusted month-over-month home price change. All of those metrics can be found in the ResiClub Terminal down to the ZIP Code level. 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. If you just need a tablet for streaming, browsing, and the occasional recipe lookup, the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) is tough to ignore at its current price. It’s down to $79.99 (from $179.99), and according to price trackers, this is the lowest it's ever been. The 32GB version costs $10 less, but spending that extra ten bucks is worth it if you plan to download movies or books for offline use. Whichever version you pick, you can expand the storage by up to 1TB with a microSD card (sold separately), so space won’t be an issue. Also, the battery life of this tablet is around 10 hours, which means you can get through a full day of use without reaching for the charger. Amazon Fire HD 10 64GB Tablet (2023 Release, Black) $79.99 at Amazon $179.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $79.99 at Amazon $179.99 Save $100.00 Performance-wise, the Fire HD 10 isn’t a powerhouse, but it handles everyday use smoothly. The octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM are enough for light multitasking—switching between Chrome, Kindle, and Netflix doesn’t cause much lag. As for its display, the 10.1-inch screen delivers a 1920 x 1200 resolution, which looks crisp when you’re watching movies or reading, though colors tend to wash out a bit if you’re not facing it head-on, notes this PCMag review. And while the stereo speakers are decent for dialogue-heavy content, music lovers will want headphones, either via Bluetooth or the 3.5mm jack. Where the Fire HD 10 shows its limits is in the software. It runs on Amazon’s Fire OS, which means you’ll be using the Amazon Appstore instead of Google Play. That’s fine for most streaming apps, but not great for anyone who depends on Google’s productivity tools like Gmail, Docs, or Drive. On the upside, it integrates beautifully with Alexa, and with Echo Show mode, it can double as a smart display for checking the weather or playing music hands-free. For the price, this is a no-fuss, everyday tablet that’s built for entertainment, light productivity, and anyone who just wants a screen that gets the job done. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds — $119.00 (List Price $129.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Shark AI Ultra Matrix Clean Mapping Voice Control Robot Vacuum with XL Self-Empty Base — $299.99 (List Price $599.00) Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones — $199.00 (List Price $349.00) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Google Pixel 10 Pro 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian) — $749.00 (List Price $999.00) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Introducing Amazon Fire TV 55" Omni Mini-LED Series, QLED 4K UHD smart TV, Dolby Vision IQ, 144hz gaming mode, Ambient Experience, hands-free with Alexa, 2024 release — $699.99 (List Price $819.99) Google Nest Cam Indoor (Wired, 3rd Gen) - Security Camera with 2K Video and Gemini, Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Works with Google Home - 2025 Model - Snow — $74.99 (List Price $99.99) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $328.00 (List Price $399.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Government says it will suspend retailer’s online operations as company opens its first permanent store in ParisView the full article

There’s a new AI companion in town. Just don’t call it that. Launching today, Stream Ring is a wearable device that lets you capture your thoughts, brainstorm ideas, prepare for an interview, or—if you’re the company CTO’s 7-year-old child—simply learn about dinosaurs. The ring, which comes in silver ($249) and gold ($299), with a black resin contour on the inside, is available to preorder now, with shipping to begin in summer 2026. It only listens when you press and hold on its miniature touchpad, a bit like a walkie-talkie. You wear it on your index finger, raise it to your lips when you want to save that brilliant idea you just had, or find a quick recipe for Japanese eggplants, and press to record. The ring confirms it’s listening with a gentle haptic vibration, then transcribes your thoughts onto an accompanying app. Unlike the much-reviled Friend AI pendant, which types answers to your query on its app, Stream Ring talks back into your earbuds, while also saving its answer into the app. The ultimate goal? To help you bridge the gap between your thoughts and your words. A more intimate information-ecosystem? Stream Ring was designed by Sandbar, a New York-based startup that calls itself an “interface company”—an intentionally vague description that is intended not box in its founders’ ambitions. It was cofounded by Mina Fahmi (CEO) and Kirak Hong (CTO), who first met at CTRL-Labs, the neural band startup that was later acquired by Meta. Kirak HongMina Fahmi Fahmi defines an interface as the “point where two disparate things become one.” “When we say ‘interface company,’ we mean that we will do whatever it takes to bridge gaps,” he says. In the case of Stream Ring, that gap in question is the one preventing people from fully expressing themselves. The challenge could stem from UX friction: it takes a lot of work to dig up your phone in the middle of a dog walk, and pull up your voice memos app to record your fleeting thought. It could also stem from social norms: would you really pull out a phone in the middle of a buzzing coffee shop to record a deeply private matter? The way Sandbar has packaged the experience into a ring could solve for both of these pain points. During a recent demo at Sandbar offices, in Manhattan, I was seduced by the immediacy of the interaction: bringing a hand to our mouth is a natural gesture that many of us do without even realizing it. And the act of covering your mouth with your hand promises built-in intimacy. The bigger question right now, as it pertains to AI, is: who will this benefit? The AI hardware crisis AI hardware is having a bit of an existential moment. After years of promises about tech that would quietly live in the background of our lives, most of the products that tried to make AI feel ever-present have either stumbled or disappeared. The Humane AI Pin was hypped as a screenless smartphone replacement before it flopped under the weight of its own ambition and a $699 price tag. The Friend pendant, which billed itself as a minimalist companion for capturing spontaneous thoughts, has been criticized for being more gimmick than breakthrough. The question hanging over all of this is whether AI wearables can justify their existence beyond novelty, or whether these AI gadgets are still searching for the problem they’re meant to solve. Whether Stream Ring ends up sitting inside this shaky ecosystem or at the edge of it will largely depend on how it’s perceived by the general public. That the founders are shying away from calling it an AI companion suggests they know how fraught the term can be. Instead of foisting yet another AI-powered device onto a tech-hungry audience, they are marketing themselves to the curious, introspective, creative types who like to live an examined life. As someone who keeps obsessive notes about story ideas and various characters I meet on the subway, I can see the appeal of a device that eliminates the friction that comes with most note-taking apps. I also appreciate the ring’s ability to meet me where I am, which is usually somewhere, listening to music. If a thought bubbles up mid-song, pressing on the ring’s touchpad will pause the music, and capture my voice, before resuming the music. I can also hit pause, skip a track, and control the volume all with a few very intuitive gestures on the touchpad. If Stream’s AI goes off track, or says something I need clarified immediately, I can also interrupt it mid-sentence. “We find that really changes the dynamic from one of a companion or an assistant to something that is an extension of you that’s fully in your control,” says Fahmi. Stream ring as an extension of yourself A large part of the ring’s promise comes from the AI’s voice itself. Unlike Siri or Alexa, which let you select from a predetermined number of voices, Stream Ring models its voice on your own voice by creating a voice doppelgänger of sorts. After reading a linguistics passage that covers a wide range of sounds and sound combinations found in English, I was startled to hear an oddly familiar voice talk back at me. The experience felt like talking to my alter-ego—a version of me that felt, as Stream Ring put it to me when I asked what it thought of being my voice twin, “like being my echo.” “We found that it’s best for the voice to be either identical, or 80% similar, and we shoot for 80% similar,” Fahmi told me. (Most people who have tested the ring so far choose to keep the inner voice.) The effect, though disconcerting at first, is meant to emulate self-talk, which should facilitate self-discovery. “I think when you’re building a computer, it’s easy to say, let’s just connect humans to computers better,” says Hong. “That’s one way to think about it and that’s part of our mission, but the bigger part of our journey, I believe, is when you start to talk with yourself. I hope we get to know ourselves better.” While scrolling through previous notes he took on the Stream app, for example, Hong was surprised to learn how much he talks about gardening. “I get to know what I really care about,” he says. The future of Stream Fahmi and Hong launched Sandbar in 2023. Two years in the making, the ring first began as a prototype roughly the size of matchbox. It had a mic, a button, and a “very poorly wired computer inside,” says Fahmi with a laugh. The next iteration looked like an adjustable ring that you could press to tighten around your finger, but it was still too bulky. The current version is much more elegant, though it remains quite visibly a “smart ring” that you probably couldn’t disguise as jewelry. For now, the device works best online, though offline features are in the pipeline. The version that I tested has general knowledge pulled from the internet, but no deep knowledge or internet lookup abilities that would allow anyone to go into a rabbit hole about, say, black holes. On the flip side, it is 100% accurate and it does not hallucinate. The Stream Ring’s “personality” was designed to be curious, compassionate, and concise. Unlike most current LLMs, which are prone to flattery, Stream was designed to sound like you are bouncing off a thought you just had in your head versus talking to a person you just met. Naturally, then, every Stream Ring might behave a little differently, based on the information it gleans from its user. Fahmi says his ring sometimes pushes back on what he says, but it mostly sounds like him, “because it’s sharing my experience.” By contrast, when he was listening to the way an investor’s ring responded back to him, he found the ring was “way sharper with him.” It’s still too early to tell if people will embrace interacting with AI with the fervor investors expect. (Sandbar has raised $13 million in venture capital so far.) If I were writing a dystopia, I would envision a world in which, comforted by the shield of an AI entity that doesn’t judge or ghost you, humans retreat into tech bubbles and forget to talk to one another. A utopia, meanwhile, might find people, recently endowed with the self-knowledge of an expanded mind, taking life by the horns. The hope, of course, is that more people resonate with the latter category than the former, though more likely than not, reality will oscillate between the two. When asked if the device might encourage isolation and an over-reliance on technology, Hong says that, as a father of two, he wants to make an AI product that is safe, useful, but also meaningful to his kids. “My son loves talking [to his ring] about dinosaurs, but that doesn’t mean he never comes back to me and talks about the dinosaurs he’s just learned,” he says. “He still loves the eye contact.” View the full article

One of the main reasons I've always insisted on having a keyboard with a full number pad—apart from being able to bash out numbers quickly—is that it lets me type out the Windows shortcut codes for an em dash (ALT+0151) and en dash (ALT+0150). They're punctuation marks I use a lot, and apparently AI bots do too. What you'll notice about those shortcut codes, if you've spent time with both Microsoft and Apple operating systems, is that they're longer and more awkward to type than the equivalents on macOS. On a Mac, you can type an em dash by holding down Shift+Option and pressing the hyphen ("-") button. For en dashes, it's even easier: Hold down Option, then press hyphen. You don't have to enter a succession of numbers like you do on Windows, which makes it look like you're busy filling a spreadsheet with figures rather than getting a simple symbol up on screen. Well, there's some good news for Windows users: As highlighted by Windows engineer Jen Gentlemen (via Windows Central), the em dash and en dash shortcuts are now as simple to do on Windows as they are on macOS. I can finally buy that TenKeyLess keyboard I've had my eye on for a long time. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Now in Windows, you just need to hold down the Windows key, then press hyphen for an en dash. If you need an em dash, hold down Windows+Shift before pressing hyphen. It neatly mirrors the shortcuts that Mac users have been able to rely upon for years. The tweak should have appeared with the late September 2025 update for Windows 11, and it's definitely working on the Windows PC I'm using. If it's not functioning for you, check you've got the latest Windows updates installed, and that there aren't any other programs interfering with keyboard shortcuts. It also means there's no need to fall back on the other popular workaround, which is to copy and paste en dashes and em dashes from the web. Come on, this is 2025—we shouldn't be relying on hacks like that. And now, we don't need to. One final tip: If you want to do away with shortcuts completely, get your word processor of choice to automatically replace two hyphens (or any character combination you like) with an em dash or en dash. It means you can keep on typing without having to hunt around on the keyboard for special function buttons. In Google Docs, head to Tools > Preferences > Substitutions to get this set up, for example. In Word for Windows, pick File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoCorrect. It's something that is in most word processors, if you dig into the settings. View the full article

Like every company in the world, Pantone thinks you really need AI help to do your job. Unlike most companies, however, the people who created the esperanto of color matching might have actually developed something useful. Today, Pantone is announcing a generative AI model that can automatically create a color palette. It was trained in-house on six decades of proprietary color research papers and articles, which is now available in Pantone Connect’s extension for Adobe apps. I don’t know if designers will be into the idea of chatting with an AI to find their new product’s color palette, but according to Pantone, many are eagerly waiting for such a helper. “We observed that palettes are critical to designers and that creating palettes is a pain point for many designers in that it is, you know, time-consuming,” says Ora Solomon, Pantone’s VP of Product and Engineering. “There isn’t like a one-stop shop for inspiration.” The system works like any other chat-based AI: Write a prompt with whatever you have in mind and you will get a color palette ready to go, along with a rationale that explains the palette and links to support the AI suggestion. Once you have this document, which looks like an executive summary with a line of color swatches on the top, you can refine it with further prompts just like you do with most chat-based AIs. The genesis of the new Pantone Palette Generator was a practical alignment of corporate strategy and customer needs, Solomon tells me. “Pantone is owned by a parent company called Veralto. Veralto has a technology strategic partnership with Microsoft,” Solomon explains, setting the stage for the collaboration. A first step Solomon says that they developed the tool around a chat experience because it seemed like the easiest, most popular way to interact with AI. “Chat-based assistants are becoming increasingly Be it in regular workflows, be it in just overall everyday life,” she says. The most significant aspect of the tool is not the interface, which looks exactly like any other LLM chat system, but the information that powers that LLM. “One thing I want to call out about these palettes is that these are essentially Pantone curated palettes,” Solomon says. “They are based on extensive, many years worth of research, of trend forecasting, of articles on data that our Pantone Color Institute has developed really since our inception.” While Pantone trained the model using Microsoft’s tech stack, they only used their own data. “We have not gone to third-party sources for this,” Solomon says. “It was really important to us that the palettes that we generate are truly informed and based on our own data.” Solomon says that the Pantone model will be updated regularly as new research and articles come out. The next update, in fact, will happen when the famous Pantone’s Color of the Year comes out next month. This closed-data approach has already prompted a specific reaction from designers who experienced the tool at last week’s Adobe MAX, she says. “What particularly resonated was the fact that it is based on Pantone data and Pantone research,” she says. “And one particular user called it, ‘oh, so it’s ethical AI,’ which I thought was a very interesting reaction.” As a beta, Solomon says this is just the beginning for the Palette Generator. “We will continue iterating on it based on how we see usage and what feedback we get from our users,” she says. So go try it and see. The generator is now available to all Pantone Connect users, including those on the free tier. View the full article

In its so-called quarterly refunding statement Wednesday, the Treasury department said it anticipated keeping auction sizes unchanged for nominal notes, bonds and floating-rate notes, "for at least the next several quarters." View the full article

Threads, the popular social media platform, is rolling out an innovative feature called ghost posts, designed to empower users—including small business owners—to share thoughts that don’t weigh heavily on the permanence of online content. This new capability allows posts to vanish after 24 hours, fostering a space for more spontaneous and unfiltered communication. Ghost posts encourage users to share fresh ideas or engage in dialogue without the anxiety of long-term visibility. As Threads introduces this feature, small businesses stand to benefit from a platform that prioritizes connection and creativity over curation. “Here today and gone tomorrow, you can feel confident trying new things and posting spontaneous thoughts,” a Threads spokesperson noted. This sentiment may resonate particularly with entrepreneurs, as small business owners often juggle multiple roles and may seek versatility in their engagement strategies. The mechanics are straightforward: by toggling on the ghost icon when creating a post, entrepreneurs can dive into social interactions that can be spontaneous and reflective of real-time thinking. Replies to these ghost posts are routed to a private messaging inbox, ensuring that user interactions remain semi-private, allowing business owners a unique avenue for feedback from their audience without exposing everything to the digital world forever. This feature aligns with a growing trend in social media where temporary content reigns supreme. The rise of disappearing posts, popularized by platforms like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, caters to an audience that increasingly values authenticity over agricultural content. Small business owners can harness this feature to experiment with promotional messages, solicit real-time feedback on products, or simply engage their audience on a more personal level. Additionally, Threads has recently expanded its toolkit for users, which includes text attachments allowing up to 10,000 characters for longer messages and the option to conceal spoilers in posts. These enhancements reflect a shift towards more nuanced communications on social media, enabling businesses to articulate their value propositions more clearly and interactively. However, while the benefits are promising, small business owners must also consider potential challenges. The transient nature of ghost posts could create a less structured environment for marketing strategies. Content that disappears may not contribute to long-term brand storytelling, making it essential for business owners to find a balance between ephemeral and enduring communication. With that in mind, entrepreneurs should strategize on how best to incorporate ghost posts into their overall branding framework. Moreover, the semi-private response mechanism might limit public engagement metrics. Unlike traditional posts that encourage public likes and shares, ghost posts focus more on private replies. This could make performance tracking more challenging, necessitating new methods of measuring audience engagement and sentiment. As Threads continues to evolve, small business owners should keep an eye on how these features can drive innovation in their marketing initiatives. “We’ll keep updating Threads to make it easier and more fun to share your thoughts and connect with others,” the spokesperson affirmed. As platforms adapt, entrepreneurs can leverage new tools to revitalize their communication styles and foster community engagement. In a rapidly changing digital landscape, features like ghost posts represent an opportunity for small businesses to embrace a culture of experimentation. These time-sensitive messages can help spark meaningful dialogues, allowing entrepreneurs to stay ahead of industry trends and foster connections that add value both online and offline. As small businesses explore the potential of Threads, they should be proactive about finding the ideal blend of transient and enduring content. This approach will help in cultivating an engaged community while navigating the evolving social media landscape. For more details about ghost posts and other new features, visit the official announcement at Meta. This article, "Threads Unveils Ghost Posts: Share Freely Without the Pressure of Permanence" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Threads, the popular social media platform, is rolling out an innovative feature called ghost posts, designed to empower users—including small business owners—to share thoughts that don’t weigh heavily on the permanence of online content. This new capability allows posts to vanish after 24 hours, fostering a space for more spontaneous and unfiltered communication. Ghost posts encourage users to share fresh ideas or engage in dialogue without the anxiety of long-term visibility. As Threads introduces this feature, small businesses stand to benefit from a platform that prioritizes connection and creativity over curation. “Here today and gone tomorrow, you can feel confident trying new things and posting spontaneous thoughts,” a Threads spokesperson noted. This sentiment may resonate particularly with entrepreneurs, as small business owners often juggle multiple roles and may seek versatility in their engagement strategies. The mechanics are straightforward: by toggling on the ghost icon when creating a post, entrepreneurs can dive into social interactions that can be spontaneous and reflective of real-time thinking. Replies to these ghost posts are routed to a private messaging inbox, ensuring that user interactions remain semi-private, allowing business owners a unique avenue for feedback from their audience without exposing everything to the digital world forever. This feature aligns with a growing trend in social media where temporary content reigns supreme. The rise of disappearing posts, popularized by platforms like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, caters to an audience that increasingly values authenticity over agricultural content. Small business owners can harness this feature to experiment with promotional messages, solicit real-time feedback on products, or simply engage their audience on a more personal level. Additionally, Threads has recently expanded its toolkit for users, which includes text attachments allowing up to 10,000 characters for longer messages and the option to conceal spoilers in posts. These enhancements reflect a shift towards more nuanced communications on social media, enabling businesses to articulate their value propositions more clearly and interactively. However, while the benefits are promising, small business owners must also consider potential challenges. The transient nature of ghost posts could create a less structured environment for marketing strategies. Content that disappears may not contribute to long-term brand storytelling, making it essential for business owners to find a balance between ephemeral and enduring communication. With that in mind, entrepreneurs should strategize on how best to incorporate ghost posts into their overall branding framework. Moreover, the semi-private response mechanism might limit public engagement metrics. Unlike traditional posts that encourage public likes and shares, ghost posts focus more on private replies. This could make performance tracking more challenging, necessitating new methods of measuring audience engagement and sentiment. As Threads continues to evolve, small business owners should keep an eye on how these features can drive innovation in their marketing initiatives. “We’ll keep updating Threads to make it easier and more fun to share your thoughts and connect with others,” the spokesperson affirmed. As platforms adapt, entrepreneurs can leverage new tools to revitalize their communication styles and foster community engagement. In a rapidly changing digital landscape, features like ghost posts represent an opportunity for small businesses to embrace a culture of experimentation. These time-sensitive messages can help spark meaningful dialogues, allowing entrepreneurs to stay ahead of industry trends and foster connections that add value both online and offline. As small businesses explore the potential of Threads, they should be proactive about finding the ideal blend of transient and enduring content. This approach will help in cultivating an engaged community while navigating the evolving social media landscape. For more details about ghost posts and other new features, visit the official announcement at Meta. This article, "Threads Unveils Ghost Posts: Share Freely Without the Pressure of Permanence" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Pinterest, a platform Futurism described as “being strangled by AI slop,” is not having a great day. The image-based social media company yesterday released its third-quarter earnings and, despite a 17% increase in revenue year-over-year (YOY), its shares took a tremendous tumble. Pinterest stock (NYSE: PINS) dropped about 20% through after-hours trading and into premarket on Wednesday, sitting at 18.6% down at the time of publishing. We’ll get into the “AI slop” factor, but first it’s worth noting that Pinterest’s revenue might have improved YOY, but it only just met Wall Street’s expectations of $1.05 billion, according to consensus estimates cited by CNBC. Pinterest also missed earnings per share estimates of 42 cents, reaching an adjusted 38 cents instead. Meanwhile, the company predicted its fourth-quarter revenue to reach between $1.31 billion and $1.34 billion, not exactly comforting to investors when Wall Street had projected the highest end of that range. Pinterest also missed estimated figures for third-quarter sales in the U.S. and Canada ($786 million versus $799 million) and global average revenue per user ($1.78 versus $1.79), according to separate consensus estimates cited by CNBC. How does AI factor into Pinterest’s report? Pinterest released its third-quarter earnings only a couple weeks after rolling out new generative AI controls. Following a sea of user complaints, the new tools allow users to dial down or—if they really want—up the level of AI-generated content on their feeds. Users had openly criticized the “AI slop,” with one person stating on X, “I hate how Pinterest is just AI and ads now. It’s just unusable.” The post received 21,000 likes. Despite the pushback, Pinterest CEO Bill Ready doubled down on AI in an earnings call, referring to it as “the heart of the Pinterest experience.” He even went so far as to call Pinterest an “AI-powered shopping assistant,” further centering AI at the company. The good news for Pinterest Pinterest saw a 12% increase YOY in global monthly active users, reaching 600 million. In July, the company shared that men were joining the platform at record rates, making up over one-third of users. As for the advertisements they see, Ready states that Pinterest has “built a performance ads platform that is harnessing our users’ commercial intent and AI-driven automation to improve performance and simplify campaign creation for advertisers.” He goes on to claim that advertiser “outbound clicks” have improved by 40% YOY. In response to a question from an analyst about Pinterest’s new AI controls, Ready further addressed the complex issue of identifying AI-generated content, claiming that no platform could “catch 100%” of uses. “That’s why we say ‘see less,’ not ‘see none of,’ because the ability to precisely spot that is not perfect for any platform,” he said on the call. He then made the case that AI will eventually follow in the footsteps of Photoshop and play at least a small part in editing most, if not all, content. View the full article