Software & Productivity

Microsoft Office 2024 Home Lifetime License Deal

A lifetime license for Microsoft Office 2024 Home for Mac or PC is currently on sale for £102.89 (originally £118.74) until February 23rd. This one-time purchase links directly to your Microsoft account and provides access to updated versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Word now offers real-time co-authoring and AI-powered suggestions. Excel has enhanced dynamic data handling with new formulas, and PowerPoint enables recording presentations with voice, video, and closed captions. The updated OneNote aims for smoother collaboration, allowing efficient note sharing and teamwork.

Government & Policy

OPM Email Creates Confusion

An email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requesting federal employees to summarize their weekly accomplishments caused widespread confusion and resentment. Elon Musk's post stating non-compliance "will be taken as a resignation" exacerbated the situation.

Government & Politics

OPM's Directive to Federal Employees

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), allegedly staffed with Musk loyalists, mandated employees to submit a list of five accomplishment bullet points to their managers, threatening resignation for non-compliance. This directive echoes a similar one previously implemented by Musk at Twitter, and follows President Trump's urging for Musk to be more assertive. Agencies handling classified information, such as the FBI, IRS, NIH, and FAA, received comparable notices with a Monday deadline. Critics have denounced the move as an attack on democracy aimed at traumatizing federal workers. Recent layoffs have impacted employees in nuclear security, veterans affairs, and the Department of Agriculture. The legality of OPM's threat remains questionable amidst the dismantling of watchdog agencies.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Benchmark Debate

A controversy has arisen concerning AI benchmarks, with an OpenAI employee accusing Elon Musk's xAI of publishing misleading benchmark results for its Grok3 model. The dispute revolves around xAI's graph displaying Grok3's performance on the AIME 2025 math question set, where it seemingly surpassed OpenAI's o3-mini-high model. However, it was noted that xAI's graph omitted o3-mini-high's score at "cons@64," a method that significantly enhances benchmark scores. While xAI defends its methods, citing OpenAI's past presentation of misleading charts, critics have offered more comprehensive graphs. Despite the debate, xAI is marketing Grok3 as the "world's smartest AI."

Smart Home & Mobile Technology

Apple's iOS 18.4 Beta and Smart Home Integration

Apple's iOS 18.4 developer beta now supports robot vacuums in the Apple Home app via Matter, as confirmed by SmartHomeCentre using a Switchbot S10. The Home widget offers controls for start/stop, vacuuming modes, and a "Send to Dock" option. Robot vacuums can be integrated into automations and scenes. Several robot vacuum manufacturers, including Ecovacs, Switchbot, Dreame, Roborock, and Roomba, are expected to support Matter. Additional features in the iOS 18.4 beta include an ambient music Control Center option, a new "sketch" style in Image Playground, AI-powered Priority Notifications, and the ability to set a default translation app.

AI Tools

1minAI Advanced Business Plan

The 1minAI Advanced Business Plan offers a suite of AI tools designed to boost productivity and creativity. It assists with tasks like writing, image creation, and audio/video processing, utilizing AI models such as GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini. Users can access AI assistants for problem-solving, generate blog posts, edit images, summarize PDFs, and process media files. The platform consolidates various tools into one, eliminating the need for multiple subscriptions. A lifetime subscription is available for A$156, reduced from A$847, providing ongoing access to the improving AI tool suite.

Entertainment

Marvel and DC Comics Crossover

Marvel and DC Comics are reuniting for a new crossover event after years of their movies competing. Announced at this week's Comics Pro retailer expo, the event will consist of two one-shots, Marvel/DC and DC/Marvel, set to release this year. This collaboration follows a history of crossovers between the two companies, including various one-shots in the 1970s and 80s and the DC Versus Marvel and Amalgam Age comics in the late 90s. The upcoming crossover aims to continue the tradition of bringing together the heroes of both universes.

Neon Genesis Evangelion XR Game Trilogy

South Korean game development studio Pixelity is developing a series of XR games based on Neon Genesis Evangelion, with the first one slated for release next year. The trilogy will allow players to experience the narrative through an original character's eyes, exploring the world, undertaking quests, and engaging in battles. The game will offer interactive and cooperative gameplay with familiar characters on unrevealed platforms. Pixelity has previously created games for Meta Quest, Pico, and Apple Vision Pro.

Cybersecurity

Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Deal

Private Internet Access (PIA) is offering an 83% discount on its 2-year plan, including 4 free months, effectively providing 28 months of VPN service for the price of 24. PIA VPN boasts over 30,000 servers in 91 countries and supports unlimited simultaneous connections. It facilitates access to restricted websites, ensures online security, and offers excellent speeds via WireGuard for seamless browsing, streaming, torrenting, and gaming. The VPN upholds user privacy with a no-logging policy and features like MultiHop and 256-bit encryption.

Government & Policy

NIST Layoffs and Impact on AI Safety

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is planning significant layoffs, potentially affecting the AI Safety Institute (AISI) and Chips for America. Up to 500 staffers, primarily probationary employees, could be impacted. Concerns are rising about the future of AISI, especially after its director's departure in February and the possibility of the current administration repealing the executive order that established it. Experts suggest these cuts could severely undermine the government's ability to address critical AI safety concerns.

Entertainment

Daredevil: Born Again Cast Updates

Tony Dalton, known for playing Jack Duquesne in Hawkeye, will appear in two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again. Dalton joins Mohan Kapur’s Yusuf Khan as MCU characters appearing in the series. Daredevil: Born Again is set to premiere on March 4.

Hawkeye's Future Seasons

Marvel is considering second seasons for limited series like Hawkeye, but only if the "right idea" emerges. Brad Winterbaum indicated future developments will be designed for multiple seasons with annual releases.

Technology

Podcast Recording Setup

Jody Avirgan, co-host of “Summer Album/Winter Album,” uses an Electro-Voice RE27N/D studio mic connected through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface for his podcast. He also utilizes Hindenburg for local backup files and saves them to Dropbox. When traveling, he opts for an AT2020-USB+ mic. His basement recording studio is soundproofed with curtains and dampening panels.

Aerospace

X-37B Spaceplane Mission

The US Space Force shared a picture from the X-37B spaceplane showing Earth. Launched on its seventh mission in late 2023, the X-37B successfully executed aerobraking maneuvers to change its orbit using minimal fuel. The current mission marks the first time the Boeing-made X-37B has attempted aerobraking. The mission's duration is currently unknown.

E-commerce & Consumer Trends

The Hunt for Discontinued Products

The New York Times delves into the phenomenon of discontinued products and the online communities that have sprung up around the search for them. Factors such as low sales, shifting consumer habits, and production costs contribute to the discontinuation of items, which in turn fuels the growth of online platforms where shoppers seek out their favorite unavailable products. Platforms like Discontinued Beauty offer items, such as a Redkin protein restructurizer, at inflated prices. While concerns exist regarding the storage and safety of these products, some shoppers prioritize acquiring discontinued items, like a NARS lip pencil, even if it means overlooking optimal conditions.

Legal & Crime

Luigi Mangione Case Update

A large crowd attended the pre-trial status update hearing for Luigi Mangione, 26, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December. The hearing, though minor, is important due to repeated court date postponements. Mangione, in federal custody in Brooklyn, hasn't appeared publicly since before Christmas. He is accused of fatally shooting Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel and has pleaded not guilty. Frustration over delays has been expressed on TikTok.

AI and Machine Learning

New AI Assistant: OCEAN

O.XYZ has launched OCEAN, a decentralized AI assistant powered by the Cerebras CS-3 wafer-scale chips, claiming it's faster than ChatGPT. Key features include speed and real-time response, facilitated by the Cerebras CS-3 chip with 900,000 AI-optimized cores and four trillion transistors. OCEAN provides a voice interaction system and caters to both individual consumers and enterprises.

Google DeepMind's Mixture-of-Depths (MoD) Transformers

Google DeepMind researchers are enhancing transformer architecture through Mixture-of-Depths (MoD) transformers.

• Efficiency: MoD transformers improve upon isoFLOP-optimal baseline performance using fewer FLOPs per forward pass. They reduce the computational load by allowing the model to skip less relevant parts of the input sequence.
• Routing Mechanism: Learned routing mechanisms decide which tokens participate in computations, sometimes using non-causal methods to optimize routing decisions.
• Performance: Optimal MoD transformers achieve lower loss with more parameters and can be significantly faster during training, even when using similar parameter sizes. Capacity reduction down to 12.5% of the total sequence yields gradual performance improvements.
• Implementation: Involves setting a static compute budget, using per-block routers to weigh token participation, and selecting top-𝑘 scalar weights to determine participation in block computations. MoD models allow tokens to skip middle layers but still be updated with tokens that completed all layers.

Tech Industry Updates

HP Acquires Humane and iPhone SE Refresh Rumors

HP has acquired Humane for $116 million, leading to the discontinuation of the AI Pin and job losses. Rumors suggest Apple will release a refreshed iPhone SE, the iPhone 16e, ditching Touch ID and the Lightning port.

Spotify's HiFi Feature

Spotify's long-delayed HiFi feature, announced in February 2021, is reportedly arriving in the coming months as part of a Music Pro package.

Budget Smartphones

Practical smartphones under $500 should include robust software support, a good screen (OLED, 1080p), sufficient storage (128GB or 64GB with microSD), and a good rear camera.

Entertainment

Avatar: The Last Airbender 20th Anniversary

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a new 2D series titled Seven Havens has been announced, focusing on a young Earthbender inheriting a stained mantle after an event involving Avatar Korra.

New Game Announcement: Shotgun Cop Man

DeadToast Entertainment announced Shotgun Cop Man, a "punchy, crunchy, son-of-a-gun precision platformer" where the protagonist must "Go to Hell, arrest Satan," using shotgun blasts for movement and combat. The game will be available for PC and Nintendo Switch, with a demo on Steam.

Miscellaneous

The Power of Questions

The quality of questions influences one's life, acting as mental software that can unlock new capabilities. Examples include Elon Musk's questioning of rocket costs and Steve Jobs' vision for intuitive computers.

Duolingo's Marketing Stunt and HackerNoon Newsletter

Duolingo launched a marketing stunt where it "killed" its owl mascot with a Cybertruck. The HackerNoon newsletter for February 22, 2025, featured stories on data engineers, the power of questions, and Google's AI tech.

Government & Infrastructure

GSA to Shut Down EV Charger Network

The General Services Administration (GSA) is reportedly planning to shut down its entire network of electric vehicle chargers, which includes hundreds of EV chargers with a total of 8,000 plugs. An internal email obtained by Colorado Public Radio stated that charging stations at the Denver Federal Center would be shut down as they are “not mission critical.”

Telecommunications

AT&T Introduces Split Pay

AT&T has launched Split Pay, a new payment option that enables users sharing a phone plan to split their bill line-by-line. This program is available for select postpaid wireless plans, and users can still benefit from multi-line discounts. However, the accountholder remains responsible for the entire bill, and late payments may incur extra fees or service suspension. To set up Split Pay, users can visit AT&T’s Split Pay page, select the accountholder, and assign individual lines and devices to each payer.

Music

What We're Listening To

Engadget editors are highlighting new music, including: Bad Bunny – De BÍTi R A RMáS FOToS, which blends modern pop, rap, and R&B with traditional sounds; The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow, supposedly the pop star’s final record under his current pseudonym and the completion of a trilogy; and FKA twigs, who is described as being in a league of her own.

Gaming

Virtual Reality Games

Explore the best virtual reality games for solo or group play, ranging from shooters to woodsy adventures, on the Meta Quest 2.

Entertainment

DC Universe Clayface Movie

Warner Bros. is developing a movie focused on the Batman villain, Clayface. James Watkins is set to direct, with Mike Flanagan writing the script. The film, budgeted at $40 million, is expected to begin shooting later this year. The movie is scheduled for release on September 11, 2026.

Technology

ASUS Aromatic Mouse

ASUS has introduced a new mouse featuring a built-in fragrance compartment for aromatic essential oils. The mouse offers adjustable DPI levels (1200, 1600, and 2400), 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity, and is powered by an AA battery. Its switches are rated for up to 10 million clicks. Price and availability details are yet to be announced.

Wireless Earbuds

The wireless earbud market offers impressive noise cancellation and sound quality. Comfort and fit are crucial, with various ear tip sizes available (silicone and foam). Active noise cancellation is now a standard feature.