Sunday, July 16, 2023

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost? - CNET

An 8-kilowatt solar panel system can cost around $24,000 before tax credits and incentives. Here's how much you might pay.

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Saturday, July 15, 2023

Best Cellphone Plans of 2023: Our Top Picks for July - CNET

A one-stop shop for figuring out which phone plan is the best option for you.

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Best VPN Service 2023: VPNs Tested by Our Experts - CNET

The best VPNs for private streaming, gaming and torrenting, rated by our expert staff.

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Latest Tech News

It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #538 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #538) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #538) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 6.

Quordle today (game #538) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #538) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 11.

Quordle today (game #538) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #538) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 3.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #538) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• S

• S

• T

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #538) - the answers

Quordle answers for game 538 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #538, are…

  • STEAM
  • SALTY
  • SLOOP
  • TRUSS

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Daily Sequence today (game #538) - the answers

Quordle Daily Sequence answers for game 538 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #538, are…

  • SHAKE
  • WRIST
  • GLASS
  • VOTER

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #537, Saturday 15 July: CYCLE, FALSE, FRILL, HEAVY
  • Quordle #536, Friday 14 July: LIBEL, CABLE, WREAK, SCOPE
  • Quordle #535, Thursday 13 July: BASTE, QUERY, SNAIL, PEARL
  • Quordle #534, Wednesday 12 July: VOICE, MANGA, FROTH, BLOAT
  • Quordle #533, Tuesday 11 July: MODEL, AISLE, LIMBO, TULLE
  • Quordle #532, Monday 10 July: FILET, DULLY, IRATE, NOSEY
  • Quordle #531, Sunday 9 July: AXION, OFFER, DREAD, SADLY
  • Quordle #530, Saturday 8 July: BAGEL, SPITE, MAYBE, RADIO
  • Quordle #529, Friday 7 July: CLOUT, SMEAR, GAILY, ANGRY
  • Quordle #528, Thursday 6 July: HUNCH, LEFTY, ABBEY, RECUR
  • Quordle #527, Wednesday 5 July: HILLY, ALERT, SHEET, VODKA
  • Quordle #526, Tuesday 4 July: GUMMY, SQUAT, SUSHI, GAUDY
  • Quordle #525, Monday 3 July: DRUID, ENACT, APART, HEFTY
  • Quordle #524, Sunday 2 July: AMISS, SHOWY, LURCH, SAUCY
  • Quordle #523, Saturday 1 July: KNEAD, DALLY, AMAZE, IDEAL
  • Quordle #522, Friday 30 June: WOMAN, BAGEL, SUPER, ARISE
  • Quordle #521, Thursday 29 June: ISSUE, MOUNT, OVOID, SANER
  • Quordle #520, Wednesday 28 June: CEDAR, RUMBA, WIDOW, TITHE
  • Quordle #519, Tuesday 27 June: STRAW, APPLY, MAGMA, CLUED
  • Quordle #518, Monday 26 June: SCARE, RIGHT, IRATE, ORBIT

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.



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The Best Horror Movies on Max - CNET

Watch Evil Dead Rise and stream more horrors on Max.

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Latest Tech News

Payday 3 will require an always-on internet connection.

Regardless of whether you're playing alone or with a squad, Starbreeze's global brand director Almir Listo has now confirmed that because the game "is made in the Unreal Engine" and uses "cross-progression and cross-play", all players will have to be connected online in order to play the highly-anticipated shooter.

"You will be able to play it by yourself, but I do believe you will have to have a connection in order to play because it's made in the Unreal Engine, it's using cross-progression, [and] cross-play. I do believe we need you to be online," Listo said when asked if Payday 3 would have "an offline mode" in a recent live stream (jump to 9m17s in the video above to hear Listo's response directly).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the game's Steam and subreddit discussion forums have since filled up with messages from unhappy players who, for many reasons – including poor internet service and a love of modding – are disappointed with the decision. 

"Hard pass for me, I was even willing to accept your microtransactions and FOMO bs greed to play this game," said one player. "I played enough Hitman to accept always online is complete garbage and no reason for it unless you're making a MMO. I feel bad for people getting home from work just for the servers to be down or under maintenance bEcAUSe OnLiNe OnLy."

Me after hearing Payday 3 is going to always be online (I have shitty internet) from r/paydaytheheist

With Listo carefully adding "I do believe" to his statements, the always-on requirement has not been formally confirmed by Starbreeze, and, at the time of writing, there's been no formal clarification about it, either. We'll keep you posted if and when that changes, of course. 

Payday 3 is set to release on September 21, 2023, and will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. 

"In essence, there are two games hidden within Payday 3," Jake wrote in his Payday 3 preview.

"A tense multiplayer stealth experience that channels films like Mission Impossible as you skulk around choking out guards while juggling keycards and high-tech equipment to get out without a sound. Then, either by choice or failure, there's the all-out shooter experience and approach, where the violence of action and a relentless pace should help you get the cash to the getaway vehicle and escape."

“We really just wanted to capture the Payday feeling and modernize it a little bit,” producer Andreas Häll-Penninger recently told us in an interview that claims Payday 3 will be the studio's "redemption story".

“It’s been ten years since the last game, but it’s going to play like Payday with the pacing and the movement and the gunplay, while also feeling like a modern FPS game should.” 



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Latest Tech News

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has lost its final appeal protesting Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, enabling the takeover to proceed as planned. 

Microsoft's intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard has come under a great deal of scrutiny from governments the world over, but even though Microsoft won its battle with the FTC when a federal judge ruled in favor of the acquisition, the FTC filed a full notice of appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in an attempt to reverse the decision.  

Now, however, the Ninth Circuit has "denied" the "motion of injunctive relief", which means Microsoft is free to complete the $69bn acquisition.

"We appreciate the Ninth Circuit's swift response denying the FTC's motion to further delay the deal," Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, told The Verge

"This brings us another step closer to the finish line in this marathon of global regulatory reviews."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Microsoft still needs to contend with the ruling by the UK government's Competition and Market Authority (CMA), which blocked the merger on the grounds that it would allow Microsoft to cultivate a gaming monopoly. Microsoft's own appeal against the CMA is ongoing within the UK court system.

Microsoft's acquisition plans have found a warmer reception in other parts of the world. The Chinese government fully approved the deal, while the EU chose to approve the acquisition, albeit with some significant caveats. 

In other news, Larry Hryb, better known by his Xbox Live gamertag Major Nelson, has announced that he's leaving Microsoft after 22 years with the company



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Friday, July 14, 2023

Wimbledon 2023 Men's Final: How to Watch a Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic Free Tennis Livestream - CNET

Its the Centre Court showdown that everyone wanted as the Serbian favorite takes on the Spanish top seed.

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Latest Tech News

Larry Hryb, better known by his Xbox live gamertag Major Nelson, has today (14 July) announced that he's leaving Microsoft after 22 years with the company. 

Hryb originally joined Microsoft in early 2001, intiially as the editor-in-chief for MSN Music, but two years later he moved across to the company's Xbox division and quickly found himself becoming one of the public faces of the growing console brand, becoming inseparable from the brand in the early 00s and 10s, where his image and Xbox's were largely inseparable. 

His official role was as a product manager for Xbox, and claims that he was a key part of Xbox's achievement system and the console's party chat system, both of which are now industry standard. 

See more

While Hyrb was best known during the Xbox 360 era, but he's still one of the most prominent company figureheads in the games industry. Several prominent figures in the industry shared well wishings in the wake of the news. Geoff Keighley, now himself best known as the face of Summer Games Fest and Opening Night Live, tweeted: "Thanks for all you have done over all these decades for our industry - still fondly remember hosting many Xbox launches with you." 

In January, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella said that changes to the company would reduce the company's headcount by 10,000 employees. A report on Monday by Geekwire drew attention to a notification from Microsoft of 276 workers, across the company's customer service, sales and support teams. It's unknown whether Hyrb was impacted by these redundancies. 

Hryb hasn't revealed what's next, but has said that he's intending to take some time off to spend it with his family and enjoy summer in Seattle. 

In other news, roleplaying game Stray Gods has moved its release date so it doesn't clash with the incoming Baldur's Gate 3, which changed its release date so it wouldn't clash with the incoming Starfield



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Countdown Until Student Loan Payments Resume: White House Continues to Explore Options - CNET

President Biden's new SAVE plan will help some borrowers, but not all. Repayments start up soon, and here's how to prepare.

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Latest Tech News

Meta has officially confirmed it is blocking European Union citizens from using a VPN in order to join Threads.

Recently, EU users began to notice they were suddenly unable to post on the new social media platform. Industry analyst Matt Navarra reached out to Meta to figure out what’s going on. In a statement given to Navarra, the tech giant admitted to taking extended “measures to prevent people [in EU] countries [from] accessing Threads," which apparently includes blocking the use of VPNs that people often use to bypass online access restrictions.

Currently, the platform remains unavailable to most European nations. There are, of course, exceptions for non-members like the United Kingdom. Meta concludes its statement by saying it hopes to one day “bring Threads to more countries in the future” as Europe is an important market for the company. 

Security issue

As frustrating as this may be for people looking to try out the platform, it’s really not that surprising. 

The European Union and Meta have been at odds with each other for years now over security concerns. Back in late May, privacy regulators smacked the company with a record-breaking €1.2 billion fine (about $1.3 billion) “over the transfer of EU user data to the US.” There’s even a chance it might get hit with another fine “over breaches of the General Data Regulation (GDPR) [law] in WhatsApp.” Add on top of new regulation from last year attempting to rein in tech corporations and you can see why Meta may not want to play ball with the EU.

Despite the pushback, it doesn’t appear Meta plans on changing its data-collecting ways anytime soon. Threads can, if you opt in, collect a ton of user information to the point where it’s almost comical. If you look at the official product listing on either the Google Play Store or App Store, you’ll see that the app is ready to collect data on your health, your search history, browsing history, financial information, purchases, location, and so on. 

See more

Even if Meta wanted to release Threads in Europe at the same time as it did everywhere else, we highly doubt the Union would’ve allowed the launch because of how much info the app potentially collects. 

Pending launch

It’s hard to say what Meta’s plan is moving forward. Threads has taken off like a rocket since its launch. Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced “100 million people [have] signed up for” the service in less than a week. Momentum is strong right now, however, it’s important to mention Threads has fallen off a little. Market research firm Sensor Firm told CNBC daily active users have dropped 20 percent on the platform since it came out. Time spent on the website also fell by 50 percent.

So, the question is will Meta continue playing hardball with EU users or will it walk back this decision? We asked the company if it would like to make a statement about the situation. This story will be updated at a later time.

Hopefully, Meta does come to an agreement with European regulators. We need more Twitter alternatives and it would be a shame to see the company kneecap Threads' momentum because of this situation. 

In the meantime, check out TechRadar's list of the best three Twitter alternatives if you're looking for a new place to roost.



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Best Target Circle Week Deals: Get Discounts on Electronics, Home Essentials and More - CNET

Amazon had its moment. Now it's time to shift your attention to Target for more savings.

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Thursday, July 13, 2023

ChatGPT Maker OpenAI Faces FTC Probe Over Risks to Consumers, Report Says - CNET

The agency is reportedly seeking information on "false, misleading, or disparaging" statements the AI chatbot has made about people.

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Latest Tech News

Google Bard is saying its first words thanks to a recent update that gives the AI the ability to read out generated responses in over 40 different languages. The newfound language support includes Arabic, Chinese, German, and Spanish.

According to Google, being able to hear text out loud can be helpful in learning the correct pronunciation of words. Activating Bard’s speech tool is pretty simple. All you have to do after entering a prompt is select the sound icon in the upper right-hand corner of a response. In addition to the voice, Google is expanding Bard’s availability to more global regions, most notably Brazil and Europe. It's important to point out the European Union initially forced the tech giant to postpone the chatbot’s launch “over privacy concerns”. But it looks like everything has been squared away with the EU.

Also, users can now adjust the “tone and style of Bard’s responses [across] five different options: simple, long, short, professional, or casual.” Google says this can be helpful in creating marketplace listings for businesses that want to maintain a certain voice. It’s reminiscent of the tone parameters on Microsoft’s SwiftKey app. However, unlike SwiftKey, it doesn’t appear Bard will make any cringe dad jokes if you ask it (shame). 

Productivity boost

There is more to the update than just the language features. Google is also introducing some productivity tools. First, users can now finally pin Bard conversations in case they ever want to revisit them at a later time. If the AI gives you some helpful information, you can share the response with friends via shareable links. The chatbot creates a hyperlink that you can send over a messaging app or you can directly post the URL to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.

Google is aware that people use “Bard for coding tasks.” To help these programmers, the company is adding a direct to “export Python code to [the] Replit” platform. Lastly, the chatbot is gaining the “capabilities of Google Lens” meaning you’ll be able to “upload images with prompts” to the AI. Bard will then analyze the photograph before providing the information you seek. This last feature can be found behind the Plus symbol next to the Prompt bar.

The addition of Google Lens to Bard is pretty exciting as the chatbot can now serve as a reverse image search engine of sorts.

Availability

Most of the update is currently online in the 40 different languages mentioned earlier but with a couple of exceptions. The five tones and Google Lens support can only be found in the English version of Bard. There are plans, however, to “expand to new languages soon.”

Although Google Bard managed to finally debut in the European Union, Canada remains absent from the list of countries supporting the chatbot. VPNs fortunately allow Canadians to bypass the block. If this affects you, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best VPN service for Canada in 2023.



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Sony has been committed to its mirrorless camera system for so long now that it’s launching second-generation lenses, and the latest is the camera giant’s 50th full-frame lens, the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II. 

This is no mere refresh of the (almost) 10-year-old Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS stalwart, but a complete redesign and comprehensive update. Stand-out improvements include its physically smaller body, next-level macro focusing, and what Sony claims is quicker autofocus and sharper image quality. It could be one of the best Sony lenses ever, so let’s take a look at how this second-gen model has evolved.

Incredible close focusing

Professional mid-telephoto zoom lenses are usually associated with events and sports, and not macro, but the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G II breaks new ground. Its close focusing is much improved for what Sony claims is a world-first; a constant 0.5x magnification capability at any focal length. 

Our macro lens explainer unpacks the terminology in greater depth, but 0.5x magnification renders subjects at half-life size on, in this case, Sony’s full-frame image sensor measuring 36x24mm. Here it’s achieved with a minimum focus distance of 0.26m / 0.86 ft at 70mm, and 0.42m / 1.38ft at 200mm. 

The 70-200mm F4 II lens is also compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, and if you pair it with the latter that max magnification is doubled to 1.0x, which is life-size. The first-gen model is no way near as versatile for close-up photography, nor in fact, is any other lens in this category. 

Close up of two damselflies on a flower taken with the Sony Alpha 7R V and FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS II lens

(Image credit: Sony | Peter Sabol)

A redesigned compact body

The exterior of the lens is unmistakably pro-level Sony, and fairly complex, packing no fewer than five switches covering functions such as a focus range limiter (including a new macro setting), full-time direct manual focus, and SteadyShot optical stabilization. 

But this is also a lens that is 15% smaller and lighter than the original version. It weighs 794g / 28.1 oz, and measures 149mm / 5.8in long, making it an ever better fit with Sony’s typically compact mirrorless Alpha cameras. And when you compare its size against Sony’s more heavy duty FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II, the two are in different leagues – you have to really want that extra stop of light that the f/2.8 version brings.  

Sadly, the lens barrel extends as you adjust the zoom rather than focusing internally, but Sony says that this type of design was necessary in order to create such a compact lens – clearly there’s a travel-friendly ethos here. The saving grace is a zoom-lock switch that prevents the lens barrel from extending while you’re on the move.  

Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS II lens on a white background

(Image credit: Sony)

Faster operator

Another factor that has kept the size of the lens down and also in turn improved focusing speed, is the use of Sony’s new linear XD focusing technology. It comprises four ‘high-thrust’ focus motors to increase autofocus tracking precision, even while zooming, and ultimately achieves what Sony claims is 20% faster focusing than in the 2014 version. 

The lens’ optical construction is decorated with an array of advanced aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements that suppress lens distortion and reveal sharpness, while a 9-blade aperture mechanism produces what Sony describes as ‘exquisite full-frame bokeh’. 

It all makes for very impressive reading, and the new compact and versatile zoom lens makes a lot of sense in Sony’s full-frame mirrorless camera ecosystem, even if it is pretty steep at $1,699 / £1,750. We’ve currently got our hands on the lens, so do look out for our full review coming soon. 



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Some TV shows are like comfort food, and for me, there’s no show more comforting than Peep Show. The British sitcom from the early 2000s h...