Blogroll

Even when you buy a product outright, you may still need to pay a subscription to access all of its features. These subscriptions can soon add up, but thankfully, there are alternatives. You can often avoid subscription fees with an inexpensive ESP32.

"Thriller" is the most overworked word in the movie business. It gets slapped on everything from courtroom dramas and shark movies to high-octane spy pictures to shark movies with tornadoes in them. All these thrills make it tricky when browsing streaming services, and Paramount+, with its cavernous pit of thrillers, is definitely not immune ... which I guess isn't a bad thing?

If you feel like your internet is playing up, what's the first thing you do? A lot of us reach for the same tool: a speed test. Those things catch more than just slow internet; they also note your latency, and if there's packet loss, you'll see it because the speed test will take ages to complete (or it won't complete at all). And as long as it shows a number within our expectations, we shrug and assume the Wi-Fi is just having a bad day.

TL;DR: UmanWrite’s lifetime Unlimited Plan is on sale for $63.20 (reg. $1,799) through Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT, with unlimited monthly words and personalized AI writing tools.

Opens in a new window Credit: UmanWrite UmanWrite All-in-One AI Writing Platform: Lifetime Subscription (Unlimited Plan/Unlimited Words) $63.20
$1,799 Save $1,735.80   Get Deal

AI can make writing a first draft easier, but the result doesn’t always sound like something you would actually write. UmanWrite Premium takes a more personalized approach, allowing you train the platform on your own writing samples so future drafts can better match your tone, vocabulary and style. The lifetime UmanWrite Premium Unlimited Plan is on sale for $63.20 (reg. $1799) through Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT, use code SAVE20.

UmanWrite lets you create unlimited Voice Profiles using your own writing samples. Its context-aware writing tools can then adapt content to your intended audience, purpose, and preferred style. There’s also an AI Humanizer designed to make AI-generated text read more naturally, plus an AI Detector for checking drafts for patterns associated with AI-generated writing.

The program also serves as a complete writing and editing workspace. The Advanced Grammar Checker improves grammar, clarity, and readability, and the Writing Studio brings all your drafting and editing tools together. With the Unlimited Plan, you get unlimited monthly word generation and can make requests for up to 2,500 words at a time.

These features are useful for anyone who works with different types of writing. Freelancers can set up a Voice Profile for their client projects, and marketers can create content for various audiences. Businesses can use them for emails, newsletters, and other documents. The platform also helps with SEO articles, social media posts, and sales copy.

The main advantage is that you can create a writing profile based on your own style instead of using a generic AI voice. Plus, since the plan is a one-time purchase, you won’t need to pay for another monthly writing subscription.

For writers who want AI assistance without completely giving up their own voice, UmanWrite offers a broad collection of tools in one platform. Get the lifetime Unlimited Plan while it’s price-dropped to $63.20 (reg. $1799) through Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

I've been homelabbing for over five years at this point, and it's safe to say I've run hundreds of Docker containers over the years. However, there are five stand-out containers in my homelab that I've simply never had to repair.

My phone and Android Auto go together like two peas in a pod. I use my phone all day, and the moment I get in the car, Android Auto becomes an extension of it on my dashboard. Maps, music, messages, calls — I’m so used to the two working together that I rarely stop to think about where my phone ends and Android Auto begins.

Linux failed to keep me happy, even after I moved from Ubuntu to Arch, then to Gentoo. I now live comfortably on another little-known OS, one with forward-thinking ideas.

Amazon's Echo smart speakers have been incredibly popular, with sales in the tens of millions at their peak. If you have old Echo smart speakers lying around, don't throw them away just yet; there are plenty of ways to put them to good use.

When your PC's operating system gets corrupted, or if an update fails, or a drive gets damaged, you need to be ready—or be prepared to spend a lot of time trying to get it back up running. Thankfully, it's just as simple as grabbing a thumb drive and getting it up and running as a rescue drive.

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is forming an "AI Force," modeled after the Space Force branch he established during his first term, and said he'll soon name a new AI "czar" to oversee the effort.

The announcement came in a lengthy Truth Social post in which Trump dismissed growing concern over AI risk as the latest in a string of what he called manufactured "hoaxes," while also promising the new body would go after "BAD" actors in the industry using the existing legal system.

"We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry," Trump wrote, adding that the administration would instead "cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows." He said only "High I.Q. individuals" should apply for the czar role, and separately floated renaming AI something more flattering, alternately suggesting "supreme," "superior," or "extreme" intelligence, according to reporting on the post.

The comparison to Space Force is notable given what that branch actually does day to day. Rather than operating as a traditional combat force, Space Force has largely focused on consolidating and coordinating satellite operations, missile warning systems, and space-based communications that were previously split among the Air Force, Army, and Navy.

SEE ALSO: Tetris hits back at Trump over knockoff game, warns White House about copyright infringement

If the AI Force follows a similar model, it would likely function less as a new fighting force and more as a way to centralize the military's sprawling AI programs under one roof.

Trump's announcement may also revive a position that's been sitting empty for months. Venture capitalist David Sacks served as Trump's AI and cryptocurrency czar until he stepped down in March. Sacks moved to an advisory role within the White House after his term as a special government employee had ended.

Broadly, Trump's calls for a "US AI Force" come amid a series of high-profile failures in the Defense Department's use of AI. Pentagon investigators have been examining whether an "overreliance on AI" played a role in a February strike that killed dozens at a girls' school in Iran.

More recently, CNN reported that an AI-generated report from a US military analyst falsely claimed a Chinese ship was transporting nuclear weapons components. According to that report, armed US service members were preparing to board the vessel before officials discovered the intelligence had been generated by an AI chatbot and pulled the operation at the last minute.

One source described the false, AI-generated claim to CNN as having "almost started a war" with China.

As much as I enjoy digital books and comics, there is nothing quite like reading on paper—but I have neither the budget nor the space to amass physical copies of my digital library. This is why I've kept tabs on the state of paper-like Android tablets over the years. After comparing three devices that each take a different approach, here's what I would buy.

I built a capable gaming PC because I wanted a powerful machine that could run all the latest games in 1440p and 4K. The problem is that I spend most of my day writing, browsing, and doing other miscellaneous tasks rather than gaming.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, President Trump opened a poll on X and on his own platform, Truth Social, calling for a name change to "Artificial Intelligence."

"Many people think that the words 'Artificial Intelligence' are inaccurate, and very ineloquent, relative to AI, or Artificial Intelligence," Trump shared on social media. "A far more elegant and accurate description of this new phenomena [sic] would be Superior Intelligence (SI) or, Extreme Intelligence (EI) or, Supreme Intelligence (SI)."

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

Trump then opened a poll on the platforms, with options to vote on the "best name for this ever growing 'Revolution.'" As of this writing, "Superior Intelligence" was in the lead on X with around 39 percent of the vote.

The poll comes shortly after the president called the fears around AI a "hoax" on social media this week. He also said he won't hinder the growth of the AI industry, which aligns with his administration's enthusiastic adoption of the technology.

Trump wants to meet with AI executives next week, the New York Times reported, though a White House official told the Times on Thursday that no meeting was on the calendar. Both Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently agreed that the industry should slow AI development, following the resignation of an Anthropic researcher who said AI could "kill us all" by the end of the decade.

Other lawmakers in the U.S. seek to regulate AI. On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to create a panel to strengthen the state's AI safety laws.

Just this week, reports surfaced that a U.S. military analyst generated a false report using AI that "almost started a war" with China.

I've been a cord-cutter for years, so over-the-air TV isn't new to me. I've used an antenna during hurricane outages and for the occasional football game when I wanted a local broadcast without worrying about which streaming service carried it. It was always useful, but it never became a big part of how I watched TV.

I’m perfectly happy doing plenty of things on my phone, but Google Maps isn’t always one of them. Ask me why, and I could probably give you 50 reasons. The biggest one? Maps feel far less cramped on my PC. I get a much bigger view of the map, more room to move around, and the freedom to use my mouse and keyboard instead of constantly pinching and dragging on my phone. After using Maps this way, I’ve realized that some tasks are simply more enjoyable — and much less fiddly on a bigger screen.

The iPhone Duo comes a whopping seven years after the original Galaxy Fold. With that much time to prepare, you’d hope Apple would have some fresh, new ideas — and it did. Samsung may have all the foldable experience, but it could still learn a thing or two.

The FBI sent an internal memo warning ICE agents of women pretending to be "tradwives" in order to publicize their private information, The Guardian reported.

In Feb., the FBI in Chicago sent the memo to law enforcement officials across the country, stating, "as of late Jan. 2026, a small group of women allegedly were creating fictitious online dating profiles with the purpose of attracting and then doxxing law enforcement participating in immigration enforcement."

SEE ALSO: The impact of tradwife content on U.S. singles, according to Match

Over the last few years, tradwives — or women who supposedly uphold traditional gender roles and conservative values — gained virality online. But despite all the talk of tradwives online, Match recently found in its Singles in America report that while some survey participants saw an uptick in such content, only 21 percent said it influenced their preferences regarding gender roles in relationships. A participant's age and past experiences were more impactful on this front.

"These profiles were incorporating imagery of a 'traditional wife' aesthetic and listing specific interests in an attempt to appeal to … individuals in law enforcement," the memo continued, according to The Guardian. "The objective was to lure affiliated law enforcement personnel into an online or in-person interaction under the guise of a date, after which the individuals would be publicly exposed and doxed online. The tactic is intended to generate public embarrassment and deter immigration enforcement activity."

No specific dating apps were mentioned. The memo was sent after viral TikToks circulated, saying women should dox ICE agents they came across on dating apps — and the FBI noted that the report was "not finally evaluated intelligence."

A spokesperson for the FBI told The Guardian that, "The FBI regularly shares information with our law enforcement partners to assist in protecting the communities they serve as well as protecting those who serve and protect communities. The FBI is committed to ensuring that law enforcement officers are safe from threats or violence while performing their duties."

The document was obtained by the government-transparency nonprofit Property of the People through a public records request. In a statement, its executive director, Ryan Shapiro, told The Guardian, "It's absurd the FBI issued a thinly-sourced security alert about ICE agents' online dating troubles."

"It's equally ludicrous the FBI is spending taxpayer dollars to protect ICE agents from possible 'embarrassment' at the hands of a supposed 'small group of women' who might name and ridicule them online," Shapiro continued.

A few months ago, Microsoft released a new Windows 11 feature that provides a modern alternative to the good old System Restore. The feature is called point-in-time restore, and it should have already landed on your PC with a recent Windows update. Point-in-time restore can be useful because it creates a snapshot of your system every 24 hours, allowing easy recovery to a recent restore point.

What is a laptop if not a mini PC stuck in a folding prison? There may be a bit more to it than that, but when a laptop fails at its primary task of being a portable computer, it’s good to know that you can still get some life out of it as a static one.

HBO Max has no shortage of shows that everyone is into, but some of its best series are not exactly the household names that dominate every streaming conversation. Dig a little deeper into the platform's catalog, and you will find plenty of shows that deserve more attention than they get.