I played Half-Life 2 for the first time this year—here’s how it went
Wake up and smell the ashes, Ms. Washenko. It's Half-Life 2 week at Ars Technica! This Saturday, November 16, is the 20th anniversary of the release of Half-Life 2—a game of.....»»
Snoopy screensavers arrive on Apple TV with tvOS 18.2
Apple has rolled out tvOS 18.2, a relatively minor update mostly focused on bug fixes and performance upgrades — but this time, you get new screensavers, too.Snoopy comes to Apple TVThe recently introduced Snoopy screensavers were initially announc.....»»
Apple rolls out watchOS 11.2 update, primarily addressing bug fixes
Now's the time to update your Apple Watch, as Apple has released watchOS 11.2 to the public.watchOS 11As expected, the beta builds of watchOS 11.2 didn't have any significant new features, suggesting that the updates concentrate on improving stabilit.....»»
Reminder: Donate to win swag in our annual Charity Drive sweepstakes
Add to a charity haul that's already raised nearly $9,500 in just a couple of days. If you've been too busy punching virtual Nazis to take part in this year's Ars Technica Charit.....»»
Stone Age insights: Life, death and fire in ancient Ukraine
A research group led by Johannes Müller at the Institute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, at Kiel University, Germany, have shed light on the lives of people who lived over 5,600 years ago near Kosenivka, Ukraine......»»
Fast, rewritable computing with DNA origami registers
DNA stores the instructions for life and, along with enzymes and other molecules, computes everything from hair color to risk of developing diseases. Harnessing that prowess and immense storage capacity could lead to DNA-based computers that are fast.....»»
Eyes on the sun: Naked thallium-205 ion decay reveals history over millions of years
The sun, the essential engine that sustains life on Earth, generates its tremendous energy through the process of nuclear fusion. At the same time, it releases a continuous stream of neutrinos—particles that serve as messengers of its internal dyna.....»»
Astronomers discover magnetic loops around supermassive black hole
NGC 1068 is a well-known, relatively nearby, bright galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center. Despite its status as a popular target for astronomers, however, its accretion disk is obscured by thick clouds of dust and gas. A few light-year.....»»
The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s biggest change may be hidden inside the phone
There's more confirmation that Samsung is making a huge switch on next year's Galaxy Z Flip handset......»»
The latest in poker cheats: Tiny cameras that can see cards as they’re dealt
Several recent schemes were uncovered, so should players everywhere be concerned? Matt Berkey was becoming suspicious. Berkey, a 42-year-old poker pro known for his presence in so.....»»
Here are the winners of the 2024 App Store Awards
After unveiling the finalists last month, Apple today officially took the wraps off the 2024 App Store Awards winners. This year, the company crowned Kino from Lux Optics as the iPhone App of the Year, Adobe Lightroom as the Mac App of the Year,.....»»
The best Nintendo Switch games of 2024: Zelda, Mario Party, and more
If 2024 was the Nintendo Switch's last full year, it went out in a memorably eclectic fashion......»»
Game Awards 2024: the case for and against every Game of the Year nominee
What will win Game of the Year at this year's Game Awards? For the first time, every single nominee has a chance at gold......»»
"Zero progress": Western states at impasse in talks on Colorado River water shortages
Seven Western states that depend on the Colorado River are ending the year at an impasse in negotiations over the writing of new rules for dealing with chronic water shortages......»»
Scientists examine how roasting affects the perfect brew
A new study in published in Scientific Reports suggests that the perfect cup of coffee is influenced by a complex blend of variables such as bean processing method, brewing time, and grind size, not just the roast level......»»
Get noise-canceling headphones for only $90 with this Amazon deal
The Treblab Z2 wireless headphones offer noise cancellation, IPX4 resistance, and a 35-hour battery life for an affordable $90 after Amazon's $40 discount......»»
Deformable mirror technology takes laser welding and 3D printing to new heights
Yongcui Mi has developed a new technology that enables real-time shaping and control of laser beams for laser welding and directed energy deposition using laser and wire. The innovation is based on the same mirror technology used in advanced telescop.....»»
These Treblab wireless earbuds are designed for workouts, and they’re 40% off
The Treblab X3 Pro wireless earbuds offer ergonomic ear hooks, an IPX5 rating, and 145 hours of battery life with their charging case for only $60 from Amazon......»»
AI company trolls San Francisco with billboards saying “stop hiring humans”
Company boasts "AI workers" that never complain about work-life balance. Since the dawn of the generative AI era a few years ago, the march of technology—toward what tech compan.....»»
Centromeres could be "hotspots" for evolutionary innovation
New research reveals that centromeres, which are responsible for proper cell division, can rapidly reorganize over short time scales. Biologists at the University of Rochester are calling a discovery they made in a mysterious region of the chromosome.....»»
This cybersecurity disaster made Google’s top 10 searches of 2024
Google Year in Search 2024 list included the calamitous CrowdStrike incident that led to the largest IT outage ever......»»