Technology

TL;DR: Get eight new tools with this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license for only $34.97 now through Feb. 22.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $34.97
$219.99 Save $185.02   Get Deal

Looking to make life a little easier? There’s a reason Microsoft Office has been around for decades — it’s packed with tools to help you tackle your to-do list, both personally and professionally. Right now, you can secure a Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license for just $34.97 — less than $5 an app — now through Feb. 22.

Whether you’re a busy college student, a stay-at-home mom, or an overworked entrepreneur, there’s an app that can help you within the Microsoft Office suite of tools. This Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license gives your PC permanent access to eight essentials, with no subscription fees and no cloud connectivity required.

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This license includes some of the classic apps you know and love from Microsoft — Word for document drafting, Excel for spreadsheet creation, PowerPoint for presentation creation, and Outlook for managing your inbox.

You’ll also receive new favorites with this license, like OneNote to upgrade the way you take notes, and Teams to keep you connected to family, friends, and coworkers. Access is there to help you manage large databases, and Publisher is available for all your professional document creation needs.

All apps have been redesigned, so you don’t need to worry about the edition year. Plus, the ribbon-based interface makes it easy to access features, tools, and customizations. Just make sure your PC is running Windows 10 or 11 before you purchase.

Get this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license for only $34.97 now through Feb. 22.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

There's a new iOS update, and along with the bug fixes and security enhancements, Apple has some new features for iPhone users as well.

iPhone users can now upgrade their mobile devices to iOS 26.3, though users need an iPhone 11 or later. Just go to Settings, then General, then tap Software Update on your iPhone.

So, what's new in iOS 26.3?

First up, Apple has created separate Wallpaper options for Astronomy and Weather on your iOS device. Along with that, Apple has released three pre-designed Weather wallpaper options for your lockscreen with different fonts and widget designs.

Limit Precise Location is a new feature in iOS 26.3 that focuses on user privacy. With Limit Precise Location turned on, iPhone users can reduce how precise their coordinates are when relaying that information to cellular networks. Apple says this means your iPhone would share a general neighborhood location instead of an exact street address.

Apple notes that Limit Precise Location only affects the information shared with cellular networks. Exact location data shared with Find My, with friends, or location sharing is not affected when Limit Precise Location is turned on.

While Limit Precise Location is being introduced with iOS 26.3, the feature is only available on iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and iPad Pro M5 Wi-Fi + Cellular devices. Why? As our colleagues at PC Mag note, an iOS device with an Apple C1 or C1X modem is required for Limit Precise Location to work.

Finally, iOS 26.3 is giving users an easier time jumping from the iOS ecosystem with the new Transfer to Android feature. Located within the Settings app, Transfer to Android lets users wirelessly move photos, messages, apps, and other data to Android devices. Some information, like health data and previously connected accessories, will not transfer to Android through this feature. Still, being able to easily move your photos and conversations from an iPhone to an Android device is a welcomed new feature.

A single-cable future feels like it hasn't gotten any closer through the years. Despite technological upgrades and widespread adoption, the reality of USB-C docking stations still falls short of this utopian vision. This leaves even the most tech-savvy users struggling with unexpected limitations and confusing performance bottlenecks.

Valentine's Day weekend is here, which means it's time to prepare for a cozy movie night with a watchlist that will keep you hooked for hours. Netflix has a large library of romantic titles to pick from, so you don't have to worry about running out of options.

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to all 14 Babbel languages for just $159 (reg. $646.20) for a limited time with StackSocial’s code LEARN.

Opens in a new window Credit: Babbel Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) $159
$646.20 Save $487.20   Get Deal

Mastering a new language can open doors to stronger travel experiences, broader career opportunities, and deeper cultural connections — but sticking with a learning platform long enough to see real results can be the biggest challenge.

Babbel focuses on practical, conversation-driven lessons that help learners build real-world communication skills instead of memorizing phrases they may never use. Lifetime access to Babbel’s full language learning platform is available for $159 (reg. $646.20) when using StackSocial’s exclusive code LEARN at checkout.

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The subscription unlocks access to 14 languages and more than 10,000 hours of lessons designed by expert linguists using research-backed teaching methods. Lessons are structured around everyday situations such as ordering food, navigating transportation, and conducting business conversations.

Babbel’s bite-sized lessons typically take 10 to 15 minutes to complete, making it easier to practice consistently without needing to block out large chunks of time.

The platform works across smartphones, tablets, and desktop devices, and progress automatically syncs between them. For travelers or commuters, lessons can also be downloaded ahead of time and accessed offline.

Speech recognition technology helps users fine-tune pronunciation while an AI-powered conversation partner offers realistic dialogue practice. Babbel also includes personalized review sessions that reinforce vocabulary and grammar over time, helping lessons stick long after they’re completed.

Whether the goal is preparing for international travel, building global business skills, or simply learning something new for yourself, Babbel offers flexibility for beginners through advanced learners.

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Even though many web browsers now share the same Chromium engine, they don't always load pages and web apps in the same way, causing problems for users and developers. Google, Mozilla, Igalia, Apple, and Microsoft are once again teaming up to fix that.

I don’t know about you guys, but I blinked, and Valentine’s Day weekend was right here, all up in my face. Even though it's technically the time for indulging in lovey-dovey stuff, that doesn’t mean you have to abstain or that you have to spend it watching content that has a tendency to make you cringe or feel nauseous. I won’t be!

Right now, it's becoming incredibly expensive to buy your own PC, largely thanks to data centers buying up all the stock of important components. Of course, the companies who are buying up all this computer hardware are perfectly happy to let you use it remotely—for a fee!

Apple's augmented reality headset is only just now getting a real YouTube app.

The home for internet videos is now available in app form on the App Store for anyone who owns an M2 or M5 Apple Vision Pro device. With this app, you can watch YouTube videos in a theater-like virtual environment, with full access to playlists, Shorts, and everything else you'd find on YouTube. M5 Vision Pro owners can also watch videos in 8K if they happen to exist in that format.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy XR review: A great Vision Pro alternative, but for whom?

Really, the bigger news here is that there wasn't a YouTube app on Vision Pro already. That seems like something that should have been available at or shortly after the device launched in early 2024.

Users could watch YouTube videos via the Safari browser, but that was about it. Access to YouTube was never going to make or break the Vision Pro project in general, but it feels like too little, too late, considering recent poor sales for the device.

It never really felt like Vision Pro had much of an audience to begin with. But hey, those who bought it can at least watch 8K YouTube videos now.

TL;DR: Live stream Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey for free on CBC Gem. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Are we heading towards a showdown between USA and Canada in the international men's ice hockey? There's a lot of hockey to be played before medals come into the equation, and nothing is guaranteed at this level. Every side possesses a lot of talent, so USA will need to be at their best to overcome Latvia in their opening game.

If you want to watch Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Latvia vs. USA?

Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey takes place at 3:10 p.m. ET on Feb. 12. This fixture takes place at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

How to watch Latvia vs. USA for free

Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey is available to live stream for free on CBC Gem.

CBC Gem is geo-restricted to Canada, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Canada, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports ice hockey from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Canada

4. Visit CBC Gem

5. Watch Latvia vs. USA for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the ice hockey before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for CBC Gem?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Canada

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Latvia vs. USA in men's ice hockey for free with ExpressVPN.

Bed leveling is the bane of my existence when it comes to 3D printing, and my old 3D printers made me never want to 3D print. Upgrading my 3D printer to a newer model that had better bed leveling completely changed the game for me, and it will for you, too.

AI is once again on the witness stand.

In comments made during preliminary trial proceedings, Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff decided that documents prepared by an AI tool and then shared with an attorney are admissible in court, existing outside of attorney-client privilege, reported Law360.

SEE ALSO: We need to talk about that Mike Tyson Super Bowl ad

The decision relates to the case of Beneficient CEO Bradley Heppner, charged with committing $150 million in securities and wire fraud between 2018-2021. The financial services exec was indicted in November. Prior to his arrest, Heppner used Anthropic's Claude chatbot to create 31 documents later shared with his defense attorney, evidence which was then seized by investigators. Federal prosecutors say that the documents are fair game and should be regarded as a "work product," rather than a confidential legal strategy. They also say that the AI tool's own usage policies do not guarantee confidentially.

The defense argued that, even though they weren't created by attorneys, the documents include information based on conversations with legal representatives that should be shielded. Also, by implicating the defense team itself in the documents, the evidence could create a conflict of interest between Heppner and his own representation, they added. Rakoff said he did not see any basis for claims of attorney-client privilege, but agreed the evidence could result in a witness-advocate conflict and a mistrial.

The comments shine a spotlight on an escalating conflict among AI developers, privacy watchdogs, and safety advocates.

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AI executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have suggested extending the same kind of attorney and therapist client privilege, which protects communications from court discovery, to conversations with AI chatbots. Altman has argued that, in particular, increasingly personal uses of AI assistants, including those designed for therapy or health advice, necessitate a reconsideration of what kinds of communications are granted legal privileges. Facing a multitude of lawsuits for copyright infringement and AI's effect on mental health and youth safety, AI developers have fought to keep chatbot conversations behind the black box, despite many providing express permission for government entities to view chat logs.

Meanwhile, chat history data has been essential in cases alleging misconduct and safety failures among AI's big players. Simultaneously, privacy watchdogs have raised concerns about extensive data collection and storage by AI tools, which has in turn prompted AI developers to institute measures to minimize chat history storage and allow users to use AI incognito.

It seems that scams are everywhere these days — in our texts, emails, and phone calls to start. And con artists continue to become more sophisticated in the age of AI, so much so that a recent survey suggested that they're increasingly imitating your loved ones.

Some also prey on people's vulnerability and loneliness, pretending to be potential love interests: Romance scammers. New research from online protection company McAfee found that two in five young adults (ages 18-24) encounter potential romance scams weekly, much more often than adults 65+ (one in 20).

SEE ALSO: The 12 most common internet scams to be aware of in 2025

Fifteen percent of Americans said they've lost money to an online dating or romance scam, McAfee reported. Men are more likely to report losses (21 percent) than women (10 percent). And while most losses are under $500 (especially among younger adults who are scammed), some can be in the thousands; only men have reported losses over $5,000.

And it's not just scammers joining the most popular dating apps who are out to scam. Tinder recently required all new U.S. users to scan their faces when signing up, with one reason being to prevent scams. (Hinge will soon be testing this, too.) But bad actors are also creating fake clones of these dating apps.

A third of adults surveyed by McAfee received a fake "exclusive" or "invite-only" dating app invitation, and 14 percent signed up and shared personal or payment information. And Tinder clones accounted for around half of all malicious app activity, McAfee found. Between Dec. 1, 2025 and Jan. 22, 2026, 78 percent of all detected fake dating app installations were fradulent versions of Plenty of Fish.

Visa Scam Disruption found similar results, according to Visa's chief risk and client services officer, Paul Fabara, in a blog post about romance scams leading up to Valentine's Day. The team found a romance scheme that was "an entire network of dating sites engineered to mimic affection and funnel unsuspecting people into recurring billing traps."

Romance scam red flags

Watch out for those "exclusive" dating app invitations. There are apps out there that let you apply for membership rather than just create a profile — like Raya — but those are few and far between. If you want to download a dating app, your best bet is going to your phone's app store.

Here are some other red flags to pay attention to:

Lovebombing

If someone says they're in love with you after a few messages, that's a red flag — even if they're not after your money. If a potential lover is rushing intimacy, it might be tempting to go along with it, especially if you're lonely, but it's not the norm. The old adage remains: If it seems "too good to be true," it probably is. Same goes with glowing dating app profiles of perfect (filtered?) photos and cutesy bios.

"Romance scams don't begin with money. They begin with trust," said McAfee's head of threat research, Abhishek Karnik. "Scammers blend into everyday dating and social platforms, take time to build emotional familiarity, and make the relationship feel real before the scam ever starts."

Urgent requests for money

Is someone you matched with on a dating app — or someone appearing to be your long-lost friend — saying they need money this instant? It's a sign they just want that from you: Money. And they might even threaten that the conversation will end, Fabara wrote, in an attempt to keep you hooked.

Asking for sensitive information

Are you asking to go out, and they're asking for your bank details first? Be cautious. Just like asking for money, begging for this sensitive data isn't what someone would want to do if they're just trying to get to know you. These people might just want to get to know your bank accounts.

Trying to get you off the app — but not IRL

If a match is sending you weird QR codes, links, or asking for a verification code? That's a bright, bursting red flag. Again, don't send money, and it's best practice not to click any strange links, either.

Especially worse is if someone you're talking to refuses to video chat or meet in person. "Consistent excuses to dodge face‑to‑face interactions signal they may be hiding their real identity," Fabara wrote.

As scams become trickier to navigate, we have to learn the clues. Stay safe this Valentine's Day.

As a long-time Linux user, I enjoy encouraging others to try it. That's why I search for ways people can explore Linux without much hassle. There's virtual machines, there's WSL—then there's a platform that lets you run a Linux distro from the web browser you're using right now.

Every failed gadget eventually gets rebranded as being "ahead of its time," and Windows Phone is no exception. Its bold design and fluid performance helped it to stand out at the time, but in truth, it wasn't the big leap forward that many try to claim.

In the wake of xAI losing two of its co-founders and other prominent employees, Elon Musk held an all-hands meeting at his his AI company, which recently merged with SpaceX.

And in an unusual move, xAI posted the entire 45-minute meeting online.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

No time to watch or listen? We've got you. Here are the main takeaways:

xAI splits into teams

The most consequential news from the meeting: xAI is splitting into four different teams. 

"Grok Main & Voice" will handle the Grok chatbot. "Coding" will maintain the apps's backend systems. "Imagine" is all about AI-generated video capabilities.

And then there's "Macrohard," which is a new Musk project seeking to "simulate" software companies with AI. Macrohard is a play on Microsoft's name, just in case you couldn't tell.

X updates and stats

There was also some news about Musk's social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, which was itself merged with xAI.

X product head Nikita Bier said that the company has 1 billion users, and brings in $1 billion in annual revenue from X Premium subscriptions. Users also spend 55 percent more time on the app than they did 6 months ago, Bier claimed, adding that January was the platform's best month ever for user engagement.

X plans to launch a standalone app for X Chat, the site's new private messaging system. X Money, the platform's cash-sending app, will also begin testing in the coming months.

Bier also stated that X does not have plans to display ads on Grok. OpenAI began rolling out ads for ChatGPT this month.

Musk's predictions — and aliens

Naturally, Elon Musk had plenty to say — and a few grand predictions regarding the combined SpaceX and xAI company.

Musk said he'd like Earth to utilize one million times more of the sun's energy than it currently does. In order to do that, Musk said, we need to move "the next step beyond Earth data centers" which are "Earth orbital data centers."

When SpaceX acquired xAI, Musk's reasoning was that it would help his plan to send AI data centers into outer space.

The next step beyond that, Musk said: AI satellite-building factories on the moon, and a sci-fi-esque system to launch those AI satellites into deep space. Essentially, Musk was talking about building a giant catapult on the moon.

The combined company would then build a civilization on the moon, then Mars (which is 20 years away, Musk now says, after having previously claimed we'd get there by 2025).

This may all culminate into humans meeting aliens or discovering ancient alien civilizations, Musk concluded.

"Maybe we’ll meet aliens. Maybe we’ll see some civilizations that lasted for millions of years. And we’ll find the remnants of ancient alien civilizations. But the only way we’re gonna do that is if we go out there and we explore. And this is a path to making it happen," Musk said.

ICE", surrounded by snow-covered flowers.">

In the cold war between the 2,700 immigration agents who came to Minneapolis, and the large majority of Minnesotans who opposed them, it was supposed to be ICE that had technology on its side.

ICE agents used battlefield tech to make arrests. They boasted about using facial recognition (made by Clearview AI as well as the controversial Mobile Fortify app) on neighborhood observers as well as undocumented immigrants. They had 24/7 social media surveillance tools and Israeli spyware that can hack into phones. Palantir, having been awarded $30 million for "ImmigrationOS," an AI system designed to track individuals for deportation, built a database of real-time locations for ICE's Minneapolis operation.

"The conglomeration of all these technologies together is giving the government unprecedented abilities," a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which is suing the Department of Homeland Security on civil rights grounds, told the New York Times.

But if all that technological terror was supposed to intimidate the people, someone forgot to tell the people, who are feeling more empowered than ever. In large part, that's because every neighborhood in the Twin Cities developed its own conglomeration of technologies — on their regular old smartphones.

ICE tracking apps were banned in app stores under government pressure. Nevertheless, the cameras, apps and wikis in their pockets let residents follow, frustrate, and most importantly broadcast ICE's excesses — including the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — to a stunned world. Late night hosts, awards shows, and some big names in Silicon Valley took note, even as tech's top leaders stayed mute.

And it all worked. The administration is backing down, at least for now. Last week, Homeland Security chief Tom Homan announced reduction in force, to the tune of 700 ICE agents. The remaining 2,000 officers saw no let-up from a determined, neighbor-loving, highly-connected populace. Finally, a day before Valentine's Day, Homan realized Minnesota would never love him. He announced the end of his whole "surge" operation, leaving only a skeleton crew.

But the wider cold war isn't over. ICE continues to ramp up operations at breakneck speed across the U.S. Now, many among the two-thirds of Americans who oppose those operations will be looking to learn what worked this winter in the frozen north.

Civil disobedience with high (and low) tech A woman filming a man flipping the bird to ICE agents. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

"What we’ve seen in Minneapolis has been hugely inspiring, and there has been a ton of creativity that has come out of the movement," says Mark Engler, longtime activist and co-author (with his brother, Paul) of This is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is shaping the 21st Century.

The book's 10th anniversary edition hits stores this month. In a new afterword on the second Trump administration, the Englers call for "continued evolution in organizing practice ... movements in this country must be clearer than ever that their goal is to win over a majority of the public."

But Minneapolis was way ahead of them; it's the evolution of organizing around the sentiment of a majority, on steroids. "There are all sorts of new tools and tactics that activists are innovating," Engler notes, from the high tech of Signal all the way down to low-tech whistles. "The creativity of people coming together, including a ton of people who have never been a part of something like this before, should not be underestimated."

So how exactly has Minneapolis' creative resistance to ICE used modern tech? Everything listed below has been a part of the puzzle — starting with the one piece that federal forces have found the most frustrating.

Signal chats and calls: The secret sauce An ICE resistance organizing sign sits in front of a home. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

"Over four percent of every single neighborhood is in a Signal chat," Minneapolis organizer Aru Shiney-Ajay told one labor writer. And that was just the Signal chats her organization, the Sunrise Movement, was tracking as of Jan. 26. The real percentage — Sunrise being only one part of a growing community resistance puzzle — is now very likely much higher. But it's in the nature of the encrypted app that we don't know how many: Perfect for a decentralized movement.

Sunrise starts each day creating a new "rapid response" Signal group chat for each neighborhood — and they're such a hit, you often can't get in if you're not an early bird. Shiney-Ajay gave the example of one highly organized St. Paul neighborhood, Frogtown: "Every day by 11 a.m., that chat hits its limit of a thousand people — which is to say that, at any given moment in one neighborhood, there are 1,000 people out patrolling."

Much of that patrol, according to ride-along reports in the Atlantic and Mother Jones, is in constant voice contact as well. Dispatchers use Signal group calls to stay in touch with "commuters," volunteer drivers who are directed to where they're most needed, and offer license plates of suspected ICE vehicles for the dispatcher to look up.

SEE ALSO: What is Signal? The basics of the most secure messaging app.

"The calls have the feel of an amateur police radio," Mother Jones summarized. "Volunteers use quirky aliases and the military alphabet but sometimes don’t remember—a caller might say something along the lines of, "This is Cheese Curd, and I’d like a plate check on Texas plate One Three Four Six Charlie, uh, Robert.""

Government vehicles are required by law to identify themselves clearly. Looking up license plates of taxpayer-funded vehicles is self-evidently legal. More dubious was FBI Director Kash Patel's announcement (on a podcast, no less) that he was personally investigating Minneapolis Signal chats. Patel's investigation met with head-scratching from constitutional scholars on the right as well as the left.

But Minneapolis hasn't quit on Signal. Nor does it need to worry about the prying eyes of the FBI, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy and free speech nonprofit.

"Signal is the best in class encrypted chat app, and yes, it is still secure," Cooper Quintin, EFF Senior Staff Technologist, told Mashable. "The people who work at Signal can't read them and the FBI can't compel them to decrypt them, even with a warrant."

But Quintin also offered a word of caution: "ICE [or other] law enforcement can and will make their way into large group chats. If you are on a large group chat where you don't personally know everyone, the safest thing to do is to not say anything that you wouldn't want read back to you in court." 

Smartphone video: The eyes of the world A man's hands holding a smartphone takes video of federal officers. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

You can see it in the eyes of ICE agents caught in the glare of smartphones: Being recorded from multiple angles is simply unnerving, especially if you're trying to hide your identity. You can also see it in the other residents, a sense of the phone as a shield — a powerful aid to nonviolent protest. Simply recording video can be a superior alternative to chanting slogans or pumping fists.

"Filming ICE," Engler says, "can be a way of defiantly showing the authorities that lots of people are watching what they do, and that the community is not intimidated."

Thousands of Twin Cities residents have undergone constitutional observer training that instructs them to not "interfere, obstruct or escalate a situation" — and the peacefulness of the result is encouraging others. "The communities of people who are showing up for each other are not acting in the way that the administration wants, and that is adding to the power of the popular mobilization," Engler says. "People are not taking the bait."

But recording was also what Alex Pretti was doing just before ICE agents shot him. So how can smartphone-wielding observers stay safe? "The biggest question here is physical safety," the EFF's Quintin says. For which he advises: Keep your distance from ICE, keep your fellow observers close. Engler theorizes that "a solid wall of observers" could record from closer range, especially with burner phones and cameras that could be snatched.

As for digital safety, Quintin says, "disabling face unlock and fingerprint unlock and having a strong password are important for keeping ICE out of your phone. If you can record while your phone remains locked, for example by using the camera button on the lock screen, that is a better option for safety. If you can leave your phone powered off and record with a different device that is the most safe option."

Was streaming sidelined? A masked observer behind a fence in Minneapolis. Credit: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

So far, straight-up video footage of outrageous ICE acts in Minneapolis has grabbed most of the media attention. "Recording might be better than live streaming for preserving the evidence," notes the EFF's Quintin. That doesn't mean live streamers haven't had a role in the resistance; one journalist was arrested by federal agents while live streaming a church protest. A handful of Twitch streamers can be found tackling the topic. Some streamers have been accused of inflaming the situation.

But in general, this isn't a streaming situation. Following and recording ICE seems too haphazard a process to alert a wide audience before any encounter; streaming has mostly acted as a way of discussing the issue rather than documenting it.

Free 3-D printed whistles work An observer backs away from an ICE agent as he holds a whistle in his mouth. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The use of whistles to warn of ICE raids began in Chicago in 2025, but has been enthusiastically embraced in Minneapolis. For example, the woman who filmed a crucial video of the Alex Pretti shooting was in the area because she heard whistles.

But those whistles are not all as low tech as you might think. Free 3-D printed whistles are being distributed by multiple individuals and groups around the U.S., with one "whistle crew" claiming to have shipped 200,000 in the first week of February alone. A Whistle Crew Wiki exists to get anyone with a 3-D printer started on fulfilling local requests.

The resistance will be advertised Activists run billboards that read "Ice agents aren't about Minnesota law. Illegal conduct can be prosecuted." Credit: Adam Bettcher/Getty Images for Democracy for America Action Fund

Smartphones and 3-D printed whistles are not the only 21st century means to alerting the public. One donation-funded group bought time on a bunch of electronic billboards — including one at the Minneapolis airport, above, where ICE agents arrive. "ICE agents aren't about Minnesota law," the sign reminds viewers, advising them to call 911 if they see crimes being committed. "Illegal conduct can be prosecuted."

A made-for-social-media event A man in front of a line of masked officers. Credit: Photo by Arthur Maiorella/Anadolu via Getty Images

There's much about social media in 2026 that's highly toxic, and the discussions around Minneapolis, rife with AI-based misinformation, are no exception. One analysis at the end of January found that bots were driving more than one-third of online conversations about ICE, both in English and Spanish.

But as for the social media posts coming from ICE observers and protestors in the Twin Cities? In many cases, Hollywood couldn't have scripted them better. Many residents are so dedicated to observing ICE activities on the fly, they're grabbing phones and going out in their bathrobes in the snow — including one iconic bathrobed local public radio journalist filming armed federal agents at the scene of a crash.

For a big Hollywood finale, however, there's nothing better than a choir trying to sing the ICE agents out of town outside their hotel:

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Minnesota. Nice. Minnesota's residents are politically active. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ultimately, all the technology in the world won't help a movement as much as fostering a culture of helping friends and neighbors. And that, as Minnesotans have been telling journalists repeatedly, is the state's real secret sauce.

No one does civic engagement like Minnesota, with or without smartphones. The state lead the nation in voter participation; around 80 percent of registered voters here participated in 2020, and just a hair under that in 2024. The Twin Cities have strong, proud labor unions, plenty of faith-based activism, and a history of "happy warriors" for civil rights — not to mention the national movement protesting the police killing of George Floyd that kicked off here in the summer of 2020.

"Networks developed in those previous waves of protest have fueled the current round of resistance," Engler notes. "Ultimately, this creates the conditions where you can win elections, and where all of the institutions of society help to impede the authoritarian program that the Trump administration is trying to impose."

Keeping up with modern PCs means upgrading components fairly often, and it's easy to just throw away old hardware if you can't sell it to someone. For some components, like SSDs, there's no need to throw it away. There are plenty of easy ways to reuse them!

Spectrum just revealed its new 'Invincible Wi-Fi' system, combining a standard home internet router, battery backup, and 5G backup into one package. It's available to Spectrum customers starting today, and it might be cheaper than existing options.

PlayStation 5 owners might want to have YouTube open on Thursday afternoon.

As announced earlier this week, PlayStation is holding one of its State of Play livestreams on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET. These events are basically Nintendo Directs but for PlayStation, and this is a particularly beefy one at about 60 minutes in length. You can watch it on the PlayStation YouTube channel when the time is right.

SEE ALSO: The PlayStation DualSense Edge controller is still marked down to its best-ever price at Amazon

As for what to expect, it's difficult to say without diving into the realm of unsubstantiated internet rumors. Based on developer comments, it seems fairly certain that Marvel's Wolverine from Insomniac Games will not make an appearance, which is somewhat surprising for a game that is supposed to launch this year. Aside from that, it really is open season for PlayStation. The stream could showcase just about anything, which makes its 60-minute length particularly exciting.

If you're on the East Coast, this will be a great way to wind down the workday. If you're working a 9-to-5 anywhere else in the U.S., just make sure you switch to a different tab if anyone else walks by.