Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 7 #644





If you’ve got an RTL-SDR compatible receiver, you’ve probably used it for picking up signals from all kinds of weird things. Now, [Jaron McDaniel] has built a tool to integrate many such devices into the world of Home Assistant.
It’s called RTL-HAOS, and it’s intended to act as a bridge. Whatever you can pick up using the RTL_433 tool, you can set up with Home Assistant using RTL-HAOS. If you’re unfamiliar with RTL_433, it’s a multitalented data receiver for picking up all sorts of stuff on a range of bands using RTL-SDR receivers, as well as a range of other hardware. While it’s most closely associated with products that communicate in the 433 MHz band, it can also work with products that talk in 868 MHz, 315 MHz, 345 MHz, and 915 MHz, assuming your hardware supports it. Out of the box, it’s capable of working with everything from keyless entry systems to thermostats, weather stations, and energy monitors. You can even use it to listen to the tire pressure monitors in your Fiat Abarth 124 Spider, if you’re so inclined.
[Jaron’s] tool integrates these devices nicely into Home Assistant, where they’ll appear automatically thanks to MQTT discovery. It also offers nice signal metrics like RSSI and SNR, so you can determine whether a given link is stable. You can even use multiple RTL-SDR dongles if you’re so inclined. If you’re eager to pull some existing environmental sensors into your smart home, this may prove a very easy way to do it.
The cool thing about Home Assistant is that hackers are always working to integrate more gear into the ecosystem. Oftentimes, they’re far faster and more efficient at doing this than big-name corporations. Meanwhile, if you’re working on your own hacks for this popular smart home platform, we’d probably like to know about it. Be sure to hit up the tips line in due time.
Apple’s first foldable iPhone has reportedly entered final testing, with a crease-free display and a planned 2025 launch, signaling a major shift in the foldable smartphone market.
The post A foldable iPhone is coming, and it may change how you see foldables forever appeared first on Digital Trends.

Chromebooks have a good reputation for being low-maintenance computers with solid security and privacy. By and large, this is true. It's why we trust them for use by children and college students, or why some companies like to issue them to employees who only need a basic computer.

Ethereum is gaining momentum, and several technical signals suggest that a significant move could be on the way. With key support levels holding and bullish patterns forming, the market may be setting up for a notable upside.
In a recent update on X, analyst Luca referenced his recent market commentary, noting that Ethereum price action unfolded exactly as he had anticipated, with the price tapping into the lost high-timeframe support range. This range aligned with the golden pocket between the 0.5 and 0.618 Fibonacci retracement levels, and the price rejected there, confirming the high-risk scenario he had highlighted in advance.
Since that rejection, the price has broken below the key 0.618 Fibonacci Point of Interest (POI). However, the asset is still managing to hold above the crucial 1-Day Bull Market Support Band. Luca stressed that this band has historically served as a strong reversal spot over the last couple of months. Thus, he believes the current low-timeframe market structure is not yet fully invalidated.
Despite this technical hold, the analyst reiterated his cautious approach, stating that until he sees clear signs of strength on the low-timeframes, signs that can durably confirm the bottom is in and that key support levels are properly reclaimed, he won’t scale out of his edges.
Luca concluded that until that concrete bullish confirmation materializes, the most likely outcome for the immediate future remains further consolidation. The market needs time to absorb the recent volatility and build a new base before a more durable reversal to the upside can take hold.
Crypto analyst Paramatik outlined that a major structural event has occurred on the ETH/BTC charts: a falling trend breakout. This is a highly significant development, although Paramatik suggests that a retest of this broken trendline may occur before the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting.
The analyst provided clarity on what this breakout means for the broader market. First and foremost, this situation is interpreted as a strengthening signal for Ethereum. When ETH begins to gain value relative to Bitcoin, it typically indicates that the market’s overall risk appetite is returning, as investors shift capital from BTC to ETH.
Secondly, the gained strength in Ethereum is often the key trigger for the start of the much-anticipated altcoin season. This is because investors first shift funds from BTC to ETH, and then move capital into the riskier, smaller altcoins in hopes of achieving higher returns.
Paramatik summarized his findings by stating that this breakout in the ETH/BTC pair is not merely a technical line break; it is a harbinger of a market direction change. The analyst concluded with an analogy that the market has reached a state where every external event, even humorously irrelevant ones, could affect crypto prices.

According to remarks made at the Founders Summit, Fidelity’s chief executive Abigail Johnson offered a rare look at how the firm moved from curiosity to a full crypto business and why she keeps a personal stake in Bitcoin. The account ties early, small bets to later services now offered to advisors and clients.
Around 2013, a small group inside Fidelity began meeting to learn what Bitcoin might mean for the firm. They mapped out 52 possible uses. Most ideas did not survive testing. One early result — accepting Bitcoin donations for charity — gave the team credibility outside the company and opened doors for deeper work.
That early credibility made it easier for the firm to test bigger ideas without waiting for orders from the top.
Johnson pushed for a $200,000 purchase of Antminer hardware at a time many inside opposed the move. Reports say that mining effort became “probably the single highest IRR business” Fidelity has had.
The decision put staff into Bitcoin’s technical layers, giving them real experience with wallets, security, and the plumbing of the network long before many rivals caught up.
Company Moves Into CustodyBased on reports, demand from financial advisors drove Fidelity toward custody services. Advisors wanted secure ways to help clients hold and pass on Bitcoin, and Fidelity responded by building custody, custody-adjacent products, and support across asset management and research.
Johnson told the audience she owns Bitcoin personally and described it as a core digital asset that could play a role in people’s savings plans. She calls it crypto’s “gold standard.”
Exchange Supply Drops As Accumulation ContinuesMarket data referenced in the session showed Bitcoin trading above $89,000 while balances on centralized exchanges fell to roughly 1.8 million BTC — a level not seen since 2017, according to aggregated CryptoQuant and Glassnode figures cited by BRN Research.
Realized-cap growth stayed positive on a monthly basis, which analysts interpret as fresh capital entering the market even when price moves stay contained.
Shark Wallets And Network Growth For EthereumReports also pointed to Ethereum strength. ETH climbed past $3,200 as so-called shark wallets holding between 1,000 and 10,000 ETH resumed accumulation.
Daily new addresses briefly neared 190,000 following the Fusaka upgrade, a spike that analysts say often lines up with stronger demand for ETH.
Market Signals And What’s MissingAnalysts quoted in the briefing noted that supply leaving exchanges and steady accumulation point to longer-term holders taking control. What the market lacks, they said, is a decisive push into the roughly $96K to $106K band that would signal a broader breakout. For now, accumulation continues while prices trade in a tighter range.
Based on reports from the conference, Fidelity’s crypto path reads like a slow build: small internal experiments grew into real operations, and a handful of early bets — including a $200,000 mining play — gave the firm practical know-how.
Combined with current on-chain signs of accumulation, the picture suggests established players and patient holders are shaping market supply even as price momentum waits for a clearer trigger.
Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView



The largest corporate Ether holder continues to buy the dip, as the industry’s most profitable traders continue to bet millions on ETH’s short-term decline.


A federal judge has expanded on the remedies decided for the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google, ruling in favor of putting a one-year limit on the contracts that make Google's search and AI services the default on devices, Bloomberg reports. Judge Amit Mehta's ruling on Friday means Google will have to renegotiate these contacts every year, which would create a fairer playing field for its competitors. The new details come after Mehta ruled in September that Google would not have to sell off Chrome, as the DOJ proposed at the end of 2024.
This all follows the ruling last fall that Google illegally maintained an internet search monopoly through actions including paying companies such as Apple to make its search engine the default on their devices and making exclusive deals around the distribution of services such as Search, Chrome and Gemini. Mehta's September ruling put an end to these exclusive agreements and stipulates that Google will have to share some of its search data with rivals to "narrow the scale gap" its actions have created.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/judge-puts-a-one-year-limit-on-googles-contracts-for-default-search-placement-215549614.html?src=rss©
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Arrowhead plants are tough, and they’re some of the hardest houseplants to kill. But that sturdiness doesn’t come at the expense of beauty - they are available in an array of colors and leaf patterns. Plus, they’re versatile and can be used in dish gardens, terrariums, and hanging pots. Read more now.
The post How to Grow and Care for Arrowhead Vine appeared first on Gardener's Path.
Matthias Bastian / The Decoder:
ChatGPT head says screenshots of ChatGPT ads are “either not real or not ads”; OpenAI's research chief says “anything that feels like an ad” is now turned off — Paid ChatGPT users recently reported seeing a prompt labeled “Shop for home and groceries.
SemiAnalysis:
A technical deep dive into Amazon's Trainium3 accelerator, including its server SKUs' specifications, silicon design, power budget, and bill of materials — Step-Function Software & System Improvements, “Amazon Basics” GB200 NVL36x2, NL72x2/NL32x2 Scale Up Rack Architecture, Optimized Perf per TCO, Trainium4