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Yesterday β€” 16 December 2025Tech

Memory at the Speed of Light

16 December 2025 at 22:00

Look inside a science fiction computer, and you’ll probably see tubes and cubes that emit light. Of course, it’s for effect, but the truth is, people do think light computing may be the final frontier of classical computing power. Engineers at the University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are showing off a workable photonic latch β€” a memory element that uses light.

The device uses a commercial process (GlobalFoundries (GF) Fotonix Silicon Photonics platform) and, like a DRAM, regenerates periodically to prevent loss of the memory contents.

On the device, you’ll find a combination of tiny photodiodes, micro-ring resonators, and optical waveguides. Simulations show the memory element can operate at 20 GHz and might even be readable at 50 or 60 GHz.

If you want to dive deeper, the work is based on a paper from earlier in the year.

SpaceX marks 100th Space Coast launch of 2025 with stunning Falcon 9 images

16 December 2025 at 23:15

SpaceX has marked this year’s 100th launch from the Space Coast with some stunning photos of a Falcon 9 roaring to orbit. Click on the post below to see the images in full. The 100th flight took place on Monday from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The […]

The post SpaceX marks 100th Space Coast launch of 2025 with stunning Falcon 9 images appeared first on Digital Trends.

Kyrgyzstan launches gold-backed stablecoin to modernize cross-border payments

By: DT Staff
16 December 2025 at 22:50

Kyrgyzstan is making a bold play for the digital future and they’ve not gone halfway doing it. With the launch of USDKG, a $50 million gold-backed stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, the Central Asian nation is signaling that it’s ready to become a serious contender in global commerce. A hybrid approach to stability So, […]

The post Kyrgyzstan launches gold-backed stablecoin to modernize cross-border payments appeared first on Digital Trends.

Moving from iPhone to Android is about to get much easier

16 December 2025 at 22:24

iOS 26.3 introduces native iPhone-to-Android data transfers, reducing friction for users switching platforms and meeting new interoperability requirements without extra apps.

The post Moving from iPhone to Android is about to get much easier appeared first on Digital Trends.

Disclosure Day trailer offers first look at Steven Spielbergs sci-fi alien film

16 December 2025 at 22:37
Emily Blunt as a weatherwoman in 'Disclosure Day.'

The teaser trailer for Disclosure Day has been released, offering a glimpse at Steven Spielberg's upcoming sci-fi film. Ironically, Disclosure Day's teaser doesn't actually disclose all that much. What we do know is that aliens appear to be involved.

Offering more vibes than plot details, the trailer features Emily Blunt as a Kansas City weather presenter who begins making strange sounds while on air β€” sounds which are definitely not the weather forecast. Meanwhile, Colin Firth is wired up to a machine and appears distressed by whatever is on the screen in front of him, while Josh O'Connor is determined to give "full disclosure to the whole world, all at once." What is he disclosing? It isn't clear. However, the crop circles and extremely suspicious deer may have something to do with it.

Disclosure Day will arrive in theatres June 12.

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 17, 2025

16 December 2025 at 22:00
Connections game on a smartphone

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you're a devout Christian.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickierβ€”so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistakeβ€”players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

  • Yellow: Small boats

  • Green: Flat

  • Blue: Popular cars

  • Purple: Religious figures

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

  • Yellow: Human-powered watercraft

  • Green: Flush

  • Blue: Honda models

  • Purple: Biblical figures plus starting letter

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #920 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

  • Human-powered watercraft: DUGOUT, KAYAK, RAFT, SHELL

  • Flush: EVEN, FLAT, LEVEL, PLANE

  • Honda models: ACCORD, CIVIC, ODYSSEY, PILOT

  • Biblical figures plus starting letter: FLUKE, LABEL, MADAM, TRUTH

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

NYT Strands hints, answers for December 17, 2025

16 December 2025 at 22:00
A game being played on a smartphone.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you don't seek perfection.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters β€” up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Out of line

The words are related to positioning.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe things that aren't straight.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is A Little Off.

NYT Strands word list for December 17

  • Askew

  • Crooked

  • Lopsided

  • A Little Off

  • Uneven

  • Titled

  • Aslant

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 17, 2025

16 December 2025 at 22:00
Wordle game on a smartphone

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love the outdoors.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.Β 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Green plant.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter S appears twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter G.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

GRASS

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

The Pitt Season 2 trailer teases chaotic July 4 emergency room shift

16 December 2025 at 21:52
Noah Wyle in 'The Pitt' Season 2.

HBO Max has released the official trailer for The Pitt's second season, bringing back Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) for a fresh shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Unfortunately for him, it looks no less gruelling than the first one we saw.

Picking up 10 months on from the last season, The Pitt Season 2 takes place during a busy July 4 weekend in the emergency room. It'd be unsurprising to see some firework-related injuries, which tend to significantly increase around Independence Day. If that wasn't stressful enough, it looks as though a cyber attack will take the emergency room's computer systems offline during this shift, forcing the team to "go analogue." It seems like a perfect recipe for chaos in an already busy emergency department.

Alongside Dr. Robby, Season 2 sees the return of Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball), nurse Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa), Dr. Mohran (Supriya Ganesh), Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif), Dr. King (Taylor Dearden), Dr. Santos (Isa Briones), and medical students turned interns Whitaker (Gerran Howell) and Javadi (Shabana Azeez). Also joining them will be new physician Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi).

The Pitt Season 2 arrives Jan. 8 on HBO Max.

Tesla used deceptive language to market Autopilot, California judge rules

16 December 2025 at 22:58

Tesla’s sales in California should be suspended for 30 days because its marketing around Autopilot and Full Self-Driving misled consumers, a California administrative law judge has ruled. Back in 2022, the California DMV accused the automaker of using deceptive language to advertise those products and making it seem like its vehicles are capable of level 5 autonomous driving. Tesla has since added the word β€œSupervised” to the name of its Full Self-Driving assistance technology.

As Bloomberg notes, the DMV asked the administrative law judge if a suspension is warranted based on the evidence it presented. Even though the judge has agreed that it is, the agency will give Tesla 90 days to explain its side and remove any untrue or misleading language in the marketing materials for the products. Tesla’s sales and manufacturing in California will only be suspended if it doesn’t comply within that timeframe.

β€œWe’re really asking Tesla to do their job, as they’ve done in other markets, to properly brand these vehicles,” said California DMV director, Steve Gordon, in a statement.

A suspension in California could be devastating for the automaker. While new Tesla registrations in the state plummeted earlier this year, Reuters says California accounts for nearly a third of the company’s sales in the country. In addition, Tesla only manufactures its Model S and X vehicles in its Fremont plant, where it also produces Model 3 and Model Y units.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-used-deceptive-language-to-market-autopilot-california-judge-rules-035826786.html?src=rss

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Breach At South Korea's Equivalent of Amazon Exposed Data of Almost Every Adult

By: BeauHD
16 December 2025 at 22:30
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Wall Street Journal: The alleged perpetrator had improper access to virtually every South Korean adult's personal information: names, phone numbers and even the keycode to enter residential buildings. It was one of the biggest data breaches of recent years and it has sent the company it targeted -- Coupang, South Korea's equivalent of Amazon -- reeling, generating lawsuits, government investigation and calls to toughen penalties against such leaks. The leak went undetected for nearly five months, hitting Coupang's radar on Nov. 18 only after a customer flagged suspicious activity. At first, Coupang, which was founded by a Korean-American entrepreneur, said it had experienced a data "exposure" affecting roughly 4,500 customer accounts. But within days, the e-commerce firm revised the figure: The leak exposed up to roughly 34 million user accounts in South Korea -- a sum representing more than 90% of the country's working-age population. Coupang started calling the incident a "leak" after Korean regulators took issue with the company's prior word choice. "The Whole Nation Is a Victim," read one local news headline. An investigation has found that the alleged perpetrator had once worked in South Korea as a software developer for authentication systems at Coupang, which is known for its blockbuster U.S. initial public offering a few years ago. The suspected leaker is believed to be a Chinese national who has moved back to China and is now on the lam, South Korean officials say. They haven't named the person. Even after leaving the firm roughly a year ago, the suspect secretly held on to an internal authentication key that granted him unfettered access to the personal information of Coupang users, South Korean authorities and lawmakers say. The infiltration, using overseas servers, started on June 24. By using the login credentials, the suspect was able to appear as if he were still a Coupang employee when accessing the company's systems.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Fallout 2 is full of game details. Heres a handy guide.

16 December 2025 at 21:00
Aaron Moten in

Reactivate those Pip-Boys and set your Spotify listening age to 87, as Prime Video's adaptation of post-apocalyptic game franchise Fallout is back with a second season. And of course, we're in for more details from Bethesda's games that you might recognise from your travels through the Wasteland.

For Season 1, showrunners Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner recruited production designer Howard Cummings and set decorator Regina Graves to bring the retro-futurist and post-apocalyptic details of the Fallout games to the screen, from those instantly familiar "Please stand by" screens to the famous T-60 power armor. In Season 2, there's more Sugar Bombs, irradiated enemies, and Vault-Tec facilities where that came from.

Here's a handy guide to the game elements the Fallout show includes β€” one we'll be updating each week as the episodes drop.

Fallout Season 2 includes key locations from the games including Fallout: New Vegas

Ella Purnell in "Fallout."
Let's gooooo. Credit: Courtesy of Prime

The Fallout TV series covers a lot of ground within the post-apocalyptic Wasteland featured in multiple Fallout games. In Season 1, the characters came across the games' Red Rocket gas stations, Super Duper Marts, and a thrown-together town akin to the game's cities of Megaton, Rivet City, New Reno, and Diamond City. But in Season 2, it's all about New Vegas, a crumbling, post-apocalyptic version of the City of Lights which forms the core setting for the third Fallout game.

While Episode 1 doesn't reach New Vegas, it's always on the horizon, with Lucy (Ella Purnell) and Cooper Howard/The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) following her father's trail there. But in the very first scene, the pair are in quite a predicament within the The Great Khan raider hideout, a location in Fallout: New Vegas located in the Mojave Wasteland. For the Fallout show, the gang's base is actually the Dino Dee-lite Motel, another location from Fallout: New Vegas, which features that giant T-rex.

A sniper in "Fallout: New Vegas."
Lucy's sniper spot is straight out of "Fallout: New Vegas." Credit: Bethesda

Vault-wise, this season's underground locations are Vaults 31, 32, and 33, all with their own predicaments and mysteries. But there are also plenty of empty vaults to explore like the game β€” and in episode 1, Lucy and Coop find Vault 24, a vault that was actually cut from Fallout: New Vegas (meaning the TV series has a blank slate for its backstory). Right near the entrance to this vault, the pair walk through the Starlight Drive-In, an iconic location from Fallout 4. You'll see on the cinema's marquee that the very last movie to be shown here was A Man and His Dog 3, starring none other than Coop.

One of the most intriguing new locations in the series is the underground Vault-Tec tower, where Lucy's dad Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) heads to at the end of episode 1. We can't say much more.


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Fallout brings the armor, weapons, and gadgets of the games to life.

Zach Cherry in "Fallout."
Back into the vault with Woody Thomas (Zach Cherry). Credit: Lorenzo Sisti / Prime

One of the most impressive elements of the Fallout series is the impeccable production design, especially on details like armor, weapons, and gadgets β€” but not the games' signature aim-support V.A.T.S. system (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System). In Season 2, there's just as much to delight fans new and longtime.

For one, every Vault Dweller including Lucy still wears the franchise's signature Pip-Boy on their wrist, a wearable computer that's used in Season 1 for its inbuilt map and navigation, Geiger counter, torch, and more. This season, the devices take on additional uses; Lucy uses hers to open Vault 24 in episode 1. The Pip-Boys also feature the game's ubiquitous Vault Boy, Vault-Tec's thumbs-up mascot, who we learned last season is based on Cooper.

Frances Turner (Barb Howard) in "Fallout."
Frances Turner (Barb Howard) has her own Pip Boy. Credit: Lorenzo Sisti / Prime

Armor-wise, the Brotherhood of Steel's preferred T-60 power armor from Fallout 4 is back in all its lumbering glory, along with plenty of raider leathers and vault jumpsuits.

Power armor in "Fallout 4."
That iconic power armor in "Fallout 4." Credit: Bethesda

And weapon-wise, while Season 1 featured game selections from automatic turrets to miniguns and the Junk Jet from Fallout 4, Season 2 starts with a bang and Fallout: New Vegas' grenade launcher.

Fallout relies on aid just like the game.

Two characters stand in the desert in "Fallout."
You're gonna need food, drugs, and friends. Credit: Courtesy of Prime.

You can't survive the Fallout games without aid items, and neither can the characters in the series. Season 1 featured the franchise's love for Atomic Age foods made for Vault-Dwellers like YumYum Deviled Eggs, Insta-Mash, Nuka-Cola, and Sugar Bombs, the latter of which is a cereal shaped like tiny nuclear bombs β€” and it plays an important role at the end of episode 1. Notably, the flea soup Lucy drinks in episode 1 is not from the game and is entirely the messed up creation of the showrunners.

Aid goes beyond food in Fallout, however, with stimulants and anti-radiation meds the tip of the drugberg. The first season included crucial-in game items like RadAway (to clear radiation poisoning), Jet (a chemical stimulant or "chem" used regularly by Cooper), and injections called "stimpaks" that instantly heal. There's not many chems used in episode 1, but there could be ahead.

Plus, it's no fun traversing the Wasteland alone, and in the Fallout games, you can bring your friends along for company (and the perks and storylines you'll unlock). In Season 1, the series included companions like the Mister Handy robot butlers, one of whom was voiced by Matt Berry, and introduced a glorious dog named CX404, otherwise known by the terrible name of Dogmeat. The pooch is back for Season 2.

Fallout's enemies are right out of the game.

Aaron Moten in "Fallout."
Watch your back. Credit: Lorenzo Sisti / Prime

Enemies abound in the Wasteland, and the Fallout series has already featured plenty of them, from Raiders (gangs of outlaws) to Fiends (cannibals). Creature-wise, Season 1 included Radroaches (irradiated cockroaches), Yao Guai (mutant bears), Feral Ghouls (zombie versions of the mutated humans), and a giant anglerfish. In Season 2, we've only really seen one band of Raiders β€” the Great Khans of Fallout: New Vegas β€”Β  however the sinister forces within the vaults (and the past?) seem more of a threat at this point.

One famous foe missing from the Fallout TV series? The game's fierce and omnipresent Super Mutants; you can spot one for a second on a "Wanted!" poster in Season 1, episode 6. Our fingers are crossed.

Perhaps all this detail makes you want to play the games for the first time β€” or all over again?Β 

Fallout Season 2 premieres Dec. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on Prime Video, with a new episode every week.

Fallout Season 2, did you just pay homage to David Lynch?

16 December 2025 at 21:00
Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan) in

There's moment in Fallout Season 2 that isn't directly an ode to the late, great David Lynch but it absolutely, 100 percent is.

In the very first episode of the second chapter, there's a fleeting scene that Twin Peaks fans might find unexpectedly heartwarming in the middle of this forsaken Wasteland. And it involves a damn fine cup of coffee.

Late in Season 2, episode 1 of the TV adaptation of Bethesda's Fallout game franchise, we meet up with former Vault 33 overseer Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan) who has trudged across the Nevada desert in T-60 power armor all the way to a massive underground Vault-Tec tower. It's completely devoid of life, instead a silent shell of a pristine office building.

Plus, Hank's got over 400,000 unread messages to attend to β€” it's been at least 200 years since anyone's checked them. With an aim for caffeination and his golden Pip Boy strapped on, Hank makes himself a pot of coffee and takes a sip β€” and if you don't think MacLachlan's character is about to remark that it's a "damn fine cup of coffee," you need to watch more Twin Peaks.

In this scene, MacLachlan could very well be paying tribute to his longtime friend and Twin Peaks/Blue Velvet/Dune director, who died at 78 in January this year. The actor has long been synonymous with the phrase after playing Agent Dale Cooper in Lynch's iconic mystery series. The FBI special agent insists on taking a moment for his daily brew, and giving oneself a daily present while investigating horrific crimes, preferring "two cups of good, hot black coffee" for himself.

While Hank doesn't actually utter the words despite subtle "say the line, Bart," teasing, there's definitely a smile and a pause β€” enough for Lynch fans to fill in the famous line themselves.

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