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 NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, August 7 (game #522)

Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram.

https://www.techradar.com/computing/websites-apps/nyt-strands-today-answers-hints-7-august-2025

 Smarter networks in the Agentic AI revolution

Discover how agentic AI enables smarter, secure, self-optimizing networks and redefines digital operations.

https://www.techradar.com/pro/smarter-networks-in-the-agentic-ai-revolution

 ESPN’s new streaming service will be the home of NFL – here’s how you can subscribe for free

ESPN is acquiring the NFL Network and other media rights ahead of its new streaming service's launch in August, which you'll be able to try out for free thanks to DirecTV.

https://www.techradar.com/streaming/espns-new-streaming-service-will-be-the-home-of-nfl-heres-how-you-can-subscribe-for-free

 I got my hands on the most intriguing Windows laptop of 2025 — this is Lenovo's AI PC with a rollable OLED screen

After months of waiting following an official reveal at CES 2025, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable finally showed up at my door. Here's an early hands-on look at the unique PC.

https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/laptops/lenovo-thinkbook-plus-gen-6-rollable-hands-on

 Secure Boot is required to play Battlefield 6 on PC — here's how to enable it on Windows 10 and Windows 11

I'm seeing a lot of PC players concerned over Battlefield 6's Secure Boot requirement, so I put together this step-by-step guide on how to get everything set up properly.

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows/how-enable-secure-boot-battlefield-6-windows

The standalone Hulu app may not be around much longer
Nvidia says its chips don’t have backdoors, wants to keep it that way
Critical flaws found in Dell Latitude, Precision, and Pro laptop models
Wikipedia goes to war against AI slop articles with new deletion policy
Windows Recall still screenshots sensitive data at times, test shows
Beware of emails from Mozilla! They might be phishing scams
Act fast! Score a Dell Snapdragon X laptop for just $500, today only
 U.S. Senator probes Intel board over CEO Lip-Bu Tan's former China links —raises national security concerns amid Cadence scandal

Senator Tom Cotton is pressing Intel’s board over CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s past China investments and whether he knew about subpoenas tied to Cadence, his former company, which recently pleaded guilty to selling chip design tools to a Chinese military university during his tenure.

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/u-s-senator-probes-intel-board-over-ceo-lip

Disney+ will unhinge its jaw and swallow Hulu in 2026

It’s almost the end of the road for Hulu as a standalone app. Now that it fully owns Hulu, Disney will entirely integrate the streaming service into Disney+. It will roll out a new, unified app next year.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the price of a Disney+ subscription is going to skyrocket in 2026. A Disney spokesperson told

2h | Engadget
ESPN’s new streaming service arrives August 21

ESPN’s long-awaited new standalone streaming service will launch on August 21, alongside an overhauled ESPN app that gives users a "more p

2h | Engadget
Show HN: An Open-Source E-Book Reader for Conversational Reading with an LLM

Hi HN! I've been working on BookWith, an open-source e-book reader that integrates AI as your reading companion.

The problem: Traditional e-readers are passive. When you encounter something unclear, you have to context-switch to search for it. Your highlights and notes remain isolated, and you can't easily connect ideas across different books.

My solution: BookWith embeds an AI that maintains full context of what you're reading. It features:

- Context-aware AI chat: Ask questions about

How social media users are using AI vision boards and ‘life trailers’ to manifest their dream lives

Vision boards are now getting the AI treatment.

From Lucky Girl Syndrome to the whisper method, the idea of manifesting your dream life into existence has been trending on social media for some time. Now, with the rise of generative AI tools, people are creating personalized “life trailers” with the help of platforms like Freepik, Runway, and ChatGPT in orde

Bringing Back Parallax With Scroll-Driven CSS Animations

Parallax is a pattern in which different elements of a webpage move at varying speeds as the user scrolls, creating a three-dimensional, layered appearance. It once required JavaScript. Now we have scroll-driven animations in CSS, which is free from the main-thread blocking that can plague JavaScript animations.


Bringing Back Parallax With Scroll-Driven CSS Animations

3h | CSS tricks
Make Your Phone Last Years Longer With These Easy Tips

Doing these things can help your iPhone or Android phone last for much longer, saving you a ton of money. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/make-your-phone-last-much-longer-with-these-easy-tips/#ftag=CADf328eec

4h | cnet.com
The iPhone 17 Air Could Hint at Apple's Foldable Future

Commentary: Apple may take a page out of Samsung's book and bring a thin design to its long-rumored foldable. It could be the innovation leap it so desperately needs. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/the-iphone-17-air-could-hint-at-apples-foldable-future/#ftag=CADf328eec

4h | cnet.com
 Hey, Xbox, just what in the heck is going on with Forza Motorsport? — Players deserve answers, not silence

It's been more than a month since reports suggested Forza Motorsport was essentially done following layoffs at Turn 10, the studio making it. And we're still waiting for Xbox to even acknowledge it.

https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/hey-xbox-just-what-in-the-heck-is-going-on-with-forza-motorsport-players-deserve-answers-not-silence

 The mystery of the blank "app preventing Windows shutdown" — Microsoft engineer explains they were never meant to be seen

Microsoft veteran Raymond Chen recently revealed the whole concept behind the secretive window with no name blocking Windows shutdown in his ongoing Old New Thing series.

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows/mystery-of-the-unnamed-program-blocking-windows-shutdown

 What are GaN chargers? Here's how Gallium Nitride technology works, and why you should care about it

Most of the best chargers you can buy for your phone, laptop, or other tech today utilize Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology, but how does it actually work?

https://www.windowscentral.com/accessories/gallium-nitride-gan-chargers

 Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection — Release date, story, and everything you need to know on Monster Hunter Stories' first Xbox entry

Capcom has revealed Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the third installment of Monster Hunter's turn-based JRPG spin-off series. Here's everything you need to know on this epic, war-torn take on Monster Hunter Stories.

https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/monster-hunter-stories-3-twisted-reflection-everything-you-need-to-know

I use this neat Windows trick to create daily to-do lists in a flash
 Apple I replica can run ChatGPT — Macintosh Founding Father uses Wi-Fi module to turn relic into AI assistant

Original Apple employee, Daniel Kottke, was spotted at a recent Computer History Museum event where he was demoing a unique project: An original Apple 1 replica with a modern Wi-Fi module, running a version of ChatGPT.

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/apple-i-replica-can-run-chatgpt-macintosh-founding-father-uses-wi-fi-modul

 40 years of Windows: How XP changed everything

Windows XP was a significant moment in the operating system's history. While it suffered from security problems, it also brought forth a slew of new features.

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/40-years-of-windows-how-windows-xp-changed-everything

 Inside the future of 3D NAND: The roadmap to 500 layers

The 3D NAND industry is rapidly advancing toward 500-layer stacks and 4800 MT/s interfaces by 2027, enabling denser, faster, and more efficient storage.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/inside-the-future-of-3d-nand-the-roadmap-to-500-layers

 Nvidia enterprise GPU and CPU roadmaps: Rubin, Rubin Ultra, Feynman, and silicon photonics

Nvidia’s 2025–2028 roadmap introduces next-gen GPUs, CPUs, and photonic networking to massively scale AI performance, culminating in the 576-GPU chiplet NVL576 Kyber system, delivering 14 times the performance of currently leading-edge NVL72 platforms.

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/nvidia-enterprise-roadmap-rubin-rubin-ultra-feynm

 Now that Wi-Fi 7 has been around for a while, is it worth upgrading?

Wi-Fi 7 brings some noticeable performance and reliability benefits over preceding standards, but not everyone should upgrade.

https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/now-that-wi-fi-7-has-been-around-for-a-while-is-it-worth-upgrading

 Why parts of Tom’s Hardware now have a paywall

Wondering why parts of Tom's Hardware now have a paywall? You can find all your questions answered right here.

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/why-parts-of-toms-hardware-now-have-a-paywall

 Nvidia defiant over backdoors and kill switches in GPUs as U.S. mulls tracking requirements — calls them 'permanent flaws' that are 'a gift to hackers'

Nvidia has denied backdoors or kill switches in its GPUs amid U.S. proposals for location tracking to enforce export controls. The company calls such features a security risk and “permanent flaw,” warning they could undermine trust. Nvidia lost $8B in sales from recent export restrictions.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/nvidia-defiant-over-b

Automating Design Systems: Tips And Resources For Getting Started

Design systems are more than style guides: they’re made up of workflows, tokens, components, and documentation — all the stuff teams rely on to build consistent products. As projects grow, keeping everything in sync gets tricky fast. In this article, we’ll look at how smart tooling, combined with automation where it makes sense, can speed things up, reduce errors, and help your team focus on design over maintenance. https://smashingmagazine.com/2025/08/automating-design-systems-tips-resour

Dell Premium 14 review: New name, same great laptop

Every now and then companies make truly boneheaded decisions, which is exactly what happened when Dell killed off the name of its most iconic PC line and replaced it with something generic. It's like if Ford decided to rebrand Mustang and call it The Prime Sportscar instead. It doesn't make sense. But now that XPS has become Premium, it's t

4h | Engadget
Trump tells states they'll lose out on broadband fund if they try to dictate rates

States will lose out on their share of a $42 billion broadband fund if they attempt to dictate rates that internet services providers (ISPs) charge low-income customers, according to a new FAQ from the Trump administrati

4h | Engadget
Google's latest Pixel update fixes unresponsive button issue

Google is rolling a fix for a bug that made some Pixel users' three-button navigation unresponsive with its monthly software update this August. As The Verge notes, after the company released

4h | Engadget
NASA explains how it keeps the Curiosity rover running, 13 years later

Thirteen years ago, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars, inside Gale crater in particular. It was originally sent to the red planet for a two-year mission, but it was extended indefinitely just a few months into its operations. The rover has several goals, most of which are meant to help scientists determine whether Mars could ever have supported life in the past. And while it's still very much operational and doing science, NASA has had to make adjustments and give it new capabilities to ensu

4h | Engadget
Pinterest’s male audience is booming. Here’s what they’re searching for

A growing number of men are flocking to Pinterest.

The company’s first-ever trend report reveals that male users now make up more than one-third of its 570 million global active users. That equates to over 171 million men, most of whom are part of Generation Z, according to Pinterest. Interestingl

Exclusive: Visa announces new cybersecurity protections in the wake of rising scams

Cyberattacks are on the rise, and artificial intelligence is making it easier for bad actors to scam individuals and businesses alike. In response, Visa is launching a new initiative that offers businesses tailored data to better combat cybercrime.