Month: July 2023
iRobot’s Roomba s9+ robot vacuum is back down to a record low price
If you’ve wanted a top-tier robot vacuum but were put off by the sometimes outlandish prices, now’s your time to act. Amazon is once more selling iRobot’s Roomba s9+ at a record low of $600, or 40 percent off. That’s the best we’ve seen since Prime Day, and puts it at the same price as a mid-range model like the Roomba j7 or Shark’s AI Ultra.The Roomba s9+ is still our pick for the best premium robot vacuum. It’s powerful, good at navigating floors (both carpet and hardwood), tackles corners well and empties itself relatively quietly. The slick design also makes it look right at home in an upscale abode. You shouldn’t have to worry about it getting stuck or missing an important mess.It’s not flawless. The Roomba s9+ isn’t specifically geared to avoid pet poop, so you may need to look elsewhere if your cat or dog routinely leaves unwanted surprises. It’s also louder than newer (if less effective) options like the j7. At this price, though, it’s an easy choice — you’ll get efficient cleaning that frees you for more important tasks.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/irobots-roomba-s9-robot-vacuum-is-back-down-to-a-record-low-price-152658325.html?src=rss
If you’ve wanted a top-tier robot vacuum but were put off by the sometimes outlandish prices, now’s your time to act. Amazon is once more selling iRobot’s Roomba s9+ at a record low of $600, or 40 percent off. That’s the best we’ve seen since Prime Day, and puts it at the same price as a mid-range model like the Roomba j7 or Shark’s AI Ultra.
The Roomba s9+ is still our pick for the best premium robot vacuum. It’s powerful, good at navigating floors (both carpet and hardwood), tackles corners well and empties itself relatively quietly. The slick design also makes it look right at home in an upscale abode. You shouldn’t have to worry about it getting stuck or missing an important mess.
It’s not flawless. The Roomba s9+ isn’t specifically geared to avoid pet poop, so you may need to look elsewhere if your cat or dog routinely leaves unwanted surprises. It’s also louder than newer (if less effective) options like the j7. At this price, though, it’s an easy choice — you’ll get efficient cleaning that frees you for more important tasks.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/irobots-roomba-s9-robot-vacuum-is-back-down-to-a-record-low-price-152658325.html?src=rss
Adding clean energy to the US power grid just got a lot easier
Turbines generate electricity outside Medicine Bow, Wyoming, on August 14th, 2022. | Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
A new rule aims to speed up the time it takes for renewable energy projects to connect to the grid — and clean energy advocates are celebrating.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decided yesterday to overhaul the process for approving new energy projects, which had become a serious holdup for renewable energy growth in the US.
“This is a watershed moment for our nation’s transmission grid,” FERC Chair Willie Phillips said in a press release yesterday.
“This is a watershed moment for our nation’s transmission grid.”
As it is now, it takes an average of five years for a new energy project to connect to the grid. There’s a huge backlog of more than 2,000 gigawatts of clean energy generation and storage that’s just waiting in line for approval. That’s about as much capacity as the nation’s existing power plants have for generating electricity today.
Delays were expected to get even longer with renewable energy projects picking up steam as wind and solar energy costs fell below that of building new coal or gas power plants. FERC’s old way of doing things was designed for a grid dominated by fossil fuels. In the past, developers might only have focused on several large-scale power plants at a time. More recently, they might be juggling thousands of smaller solar, wind, and battery projects, The New York Times reports. Renewables tend to fan out over a more distributed network of energy sources.
To clear the backlog, the new federal rule will require grid managers to assess projects in clusters instead of one at a time. They’ll also face firm deadlines and penalties for failing to finish interconnection studies on time. The new rule prioritizes projects that are the farthest along in development and also includes new requirements for project developers, like financial deposits to discourage them from proposing projects that might not pull through.
Today, renewable energy makes up just over 20 percent of the US electricity mix. A five-year wait time isn’t going to cut it if the Biden administration wants to reach its goal of achieving a 100 percent clean power grid by 2035. Added capacity would also come in handy during sweltering heatwaves like those of this summer, when electricity demand spikes for air conditioning. Two of the nation’s largest grid operators issued alerts about potential energy shortages for that reason this week.
Clean energy trade groups and environmental organizations lauded the changes. The American Clean Power Association called FERC’s move a “much-needed action … which is a key step towards allowing new clean energy resources to predictably and cost effectively interconnect to the electric grid.”
Turbines generate electricity outside Medicine Bow, Wyoming, on August 14th, 2022. | Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
A new rule aims to speed up the time it takes for renewable energy projects to connect to the grid — and clean energy advocates are celebrating.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decided yesterday to overhaul the process for approving new energy projects, which had become a serious holdup for renewable energy growth in the US.
“This is a watershed moment for our nation’s transmission grid,” FERC Chair Willie Phillips said in a press release yesterday.
As it is now, it takes an average of five years for a new energy project to connect to the grid. There’s a huge backlog of more than 2,000 gigawatts of clean energy generation and storage that’s just waiting in line for approval. That’s about as much capacity as the nation’s existing power plants have for generating electricity today.
Delays were expected to get even longer with renewable energy projects picking up steam as wind and solar energy costs fell below that of building new coal or gas power plants. FERC’s old way of doing things was designed for a grid dominated by fossil fuels. In the past, developers might only have focused on several large-scale power plants at a time. More recently, they might be juggling thousands of smaller solar, wind, and battery projects, The New York Times reports. Renewables tend to fan out over a more distributed network of energy sources.
To clear the backlog, the new federal rule will require grid managers to assess projects in clusters instead of one at a time. They’ll also face firm deadlines and penalties for failing to finish interconnection studies on time. The new rule prioritizes projects that are the farthest along in development and also includes new requirements for project developers, like financial deposits to discourage them from proposing projects that might not pull through.
Today, renewable energy makes up just over 20 percent of the US electricity mix. A five-year wait time isn’t going to cut it if the Biden administration wants to reach its goal of achieving a 100 percent clean power grid by 2035. Added capacity would also come in handy during sweltering heatwaves like those of this summer, when electricity demand spikes for air conditioning. Two of the nation’s largest grid operators issued alerts about potential energy shortages for that reason this week.
Clean energy trade groups and environmental organizations lauded the changes. The American Clean Power Association called FERC’s move a “much-needed action … which is a key step towards allowing new clean energy resources to predictably and cost effectively interconnect to the electric grid.”
These antimicrobial spacesuits could solve astronauts’ laundry woes
Wardrobe malfunctions are never fun. When on Earth, they might be a nuisance or prove somewhat embarrassing. In space however, they could be a matter of life and death. Not to mention, how do you handle, uhm, laundry on the Moon? The European Space Agency (ESA) says that the next generation of lunar explorers will be kitted with a wholly upgraded set of spacesuits. And textile tech has come quite a way since the iconic string of Apollo missions in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Other than having to stand up to an extra-terrestrial environment characterised by high vacuum, radiation, extreme…This story continues at The Next Web
Wardrobe malfunctions are never fun. When on Earth, they might be a nuisance or prove somewhat embarrassing. In space however, they could be a matter of life and death. Not to mention, how do you handle, uhm, laundry on the Moon? The European Space Agency (ESA) says that the next generation of lunar explorers will be kitted with a wholly upgraded set of spacesuits. And textile tech has come quite a way since the iconic string of Apollo missions in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Other than having to stand up to an extra-terrestrial environment characterised by high vacuum, radiation, extreme…
This story continues at The Next Web
Hugging Face, GitHub and More Unite To Defend Open Source in EU AI Legislation
A coalition of a half-dozen open-source AI stakeholders — Hugging Face, GitHub, EleutherAI, Creative Commons, LAION and Open Future — are calling on EU policymakers to protect open source innovation as they finalize the EU AI Act, which will be the world’s first comprehensive AI law. From a report: In a policy paper released this week, “Supporting Open Source and Open Science in the EU AI Act,” the open-source AI leaders offered recommendations âoefor how to ensure the AI Act works for open source” — with the “aim to ensure that open AI development practices are not confronted with obligations that are structurally impractical to comply with or that would be otherwise counterproductive.”
According to the paper, “overbroad obligations” that favor closed and proprietary AI development — like models from top AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google — “threaten to disadvantage the open AI ecosystem.” The paper was released as the European Commission, Council and Parliament debate the final EU AI Act in what is known as the “trilogue,” which began after the European Parliament passed its version of the bill on June 14. The goal is to finish and pass the AI Act by the end of 2023 before the next European Parliament elections.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
A coalition of a half-dozen open-source AI stakeholders — Hugging Face, GitHub, EleutherAI, Creative Commons, LAION and Open Future — are calling on EU policymakers to protect open source innovation as they finalize the EU AI Act, which will be the world’s first comprehensive AI law. From a report: In a policy paper released this week, “Supporting Open Source and Open Science in the EU AI Act,” the open-source AI leaders offered recommendations âoefor how to ensure the AI Act works for open source” — with the “aim to ensure that open AI development practices are not confronted with obligations that are structurally impractical to comply with or that would be otherwise counterproductive.”
According to the paper, “overbroad obligations” that favor closed and proprietary AI development — like models from top AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google — “threaten to disadvantage the open AI ecosystem.” The paper was released as the European Commission, Council and Parliament debate the final EU AI Act in what is known as the “trilogue,” which began after the European Parliament passed its version of the bill on June 14. The goal is to finish and pass the AI Act by the end of 2023 before the next European Parliament elections.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google and Bing search ads hijacked to spread malware
Popular ad networks are serving malicious ads, leading people to download malware.
The Google and Bing advertising networks are being abused to deliver malware to targeted sets of users, new research has claimed.
Cybersecurity experts from Sophos recently announced the discovery of a new malware campaign dubbed Nitrogen. In the campaign, the threat actors were using Google ads and Bing ads to advertise popular tools, such as AnyDesk (a remote desktop tool), WinSCP (SFTP/FTP client for Windows OS), TreeSize Free (free-disk-space manager) and Cisco AnyConnect VPN.
When a victim searches for any of these tools (or finds the ad anywhere on the web where Google and Bing ads are shown) and clicks on the ad, however, they don’t get redirected to the official websites belonging to these products. Instead, they get sent to compromised WordPress websites (or landing pages designed specifically for the purpose of the campaign) where they get offered to download the installers (usually .ISO files).
The installers are in some cases legitimate, but bundled with malicious software which ends up downloading nasties such as Cobalt Strike, or similar. This gives the attackers access to the target endpoint and allows them to install second-stage malware, which can be pretty much anything from infostealers, to ransomware.
The researchers believe that the attackers are not looking to gain access to computers belonging to any specific group or individual – they’re just casting a wide net and seeing who gets caught in it. They also believe that it’s highly likely the attackers will impersonate other software in the future, as well. The name of the group behind the attack is not known at this time.
Analysis: Why does it matter?
This is not the first, and most likely won’t be the last hacking campaign abusing legitimate advertising networks such as Google Ads and Bing Ads to deliver malware to its victims. Earlier this year, researchers from SecureWorks warned of a campaign called Bumblebee that leveraged Google Ads to deliver malware. This campaign tried to infect people searching for software such as Zoom, Cisco AnyConnect, ChatGPT, and Citrix Workspace. Just a few months prior, in February, researchers from SentinelLabs warned about a Google Ads campaign used to drop Formbook, a known infostealer. In this example, hackers went after people looking for Blender 3D software. In December last year, Grammarly, MSI Afterburner, and Slack, were all impersonated to get people to install IceID and Raccoon Stealer, all known malware and infostealers.
What makes this type of attack so popular is the immense trust these advertising platforms enjoy with the general public. Google Ads and Bing Ads are mostly perceived as trusted, with internet users firmly believing the companies’ filtering system works well and that it’s impossible to squeeze a malicious campaign through. While that’s mostly true, and hundreds, if not thousands, of malicious campaigns being blocked by the service providers, some manage to squeeze through. With trust at such a high level, many people don’t look twice when clicking on the search engine result spot reserved for paid advertising and don’t double-check the address bar of the website they’ve just opened.
As a result, it’s the victims who end up compromising their own devices. In many cases, they will even ignore the warnings from their antivirus programs, dismissing them as false positives, due to the fact that they’ve navigated to the page via their trusted search engine. The best way to stay safe is to always be on alert, even when searching on Google and Bing, or clicking on ads from known ad networks.
What have others said about the campaign?
When SecureWorks published its report on a similar campaign, its Director of Intelligence, Mike McLellan, explained at the time that as many as 1% of all online ads contain malicious content. McLellan described the typical scenario during which a victim is attacked: rather than downloading software via a company’s IT team, many remote workers are taking control and heading online themselves, unaware of the potential risks. McLellan explained that the findings demonstrated the importance of companies having strict policies in place for restricting access to web ads and managing privileges on software downloads.
In its writeup about the report, BleepingComputer said that the researchers discovered the end goal of the campaign was to deliver ALPHV or BlackCat. This is a known ransomware strain used in some of the biggest ransomware attacks out there.
Sophos added that to stay safe, users should always be aware of served advertisements from search engines and use ad-blocking extensions. Alternatively, users can run the defaults in browsers with built-in ad-blocking capabilities. “When choosing an ad-blocker, we recommend opting into those that allow you to block “non-intrusive advertising,” thus restricting ads that search engines post on their own sites,” they added. Finally, users should consider restricting the capability to mount virtual file systems via Group Policy Objects, and be aware of downloading “abnormal” file extensions.
Go deeper
If you want to learn more, start by checking out our guide for the best endpoint protection, as well as best firewalls. Also, you can check out our in-depth guide on the best online marketing services out there.
Verizon Is Raising Rates on Older Go, Beyond, Above and Start Unlimited Plans Next Month – CNET
Expect a $3 monthly increase on your bill, per line, starting on Aug. 29.
Expect a $3 monthly increase on your bill, per line, starting on Aug. 29.
Best Apple Deals of the Week: Lowest Prices of the Year Hit AirTag 4-Pack ($84.99), MagSafe Charger ($28.99), and More Apple Accessories
This week we saw a group of Apple’s first party accessories hit solid discounts on Amazon and Woot, including the year’s best prices on the MagSafe Charger and AirTag 4-Pack. You’ll also find low prices on the M1 MacBook Air, 10.9-inch iPad, and Anker products.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple Accessories
What’s the deal? Save on Apple’s first party accessories
Where can I get it? Amazon and Woot
Where can I find the original deal? Right here
$10 OFFMagSafe Charger for $28.99
$15 OFFMagSafe Battery Pack for $84.00
$14 OFFAirTag 4-Pack for $84.99
$40 OFFApple Pencil 2 for $89.00
This week saw a big focus on solid discounts on Apple’s first party accessory lineup, and all of these sales are still available. At Woot, you can get the MagSafe Charger for $28.99, down from $39.00, which is the best price of the year so far.
At Amazon, the MagSafe Battery Pack is available for $84.00 ($15 off), the Apple Pencil 2 is on sale for $89.00 ($40 off), and the AirTag 4-Pack is down to $84.99 ($14 off).
MacBook Air
What’s the deal? Take $249 off M1 MacBook Air
Where can I get it? Amazon
Where can I find the original deal? Right here
$249 OFFM1 MacBook Air (256GB) for $749.99
One of the best deals we tracked during Prime Day returned this week, with Amazon offering the 256GB M1 MacBook Air for $749.99, down from $999.00. You can still get this notebook in all three colors on Amazon.
iPad
What’s the deal? Take $50 off 10th gen iPad
Where can I get it? Amazon
Where can I find the original deal? Right here
$50 OFFiPad (64GB Wi-Fi) for $399.00
All four colors of the 64GB Wi-Fi 10.9-inch iPad are available at the all-time low price of $399.00 on Amazon, down from $449.00. Only the 64GB Wi-Fi model is matching its all-time low price, although you can find some solid discounts on cellular models as well.
Anker
What’s the deal? Take $200 off Eufy’s SmartDrop Package Box and more deals
Where can I get it? Amazon and Anker
Where can I find the original deal? Right here
$200 OFFEufy SmartDrop Package Box for $199.99
Anker this week emerged with a new set of discounts on Amazon and on its own website, including a return of the best-ever price on the Eufy SmartDrop Package Box at $199.99, down from $399.99. We’ve listed a few other deals below, but be sure to visit our original post to browse the full list of Anker accessories on sale, including USB-C chargers, portable batteries, and more.
100W USB-C Charger – $26.59 with on-page coupon, down from $35.99
100W USB-C Power Adapter (2-Port) – $39.09 with on-page coupon, down from $45.99
PowerCore 20,000 mAh – $31.99 with on-page coupon, down from $41.99
MagGo Magnetic Battery – $54.99 with on-page coupon, down from $79.99
PowerCore Hybrid Charger – $69.99, down from $99.99
MagGo Magnetic Charging Station – $70.00 with on-page coupon, down from $99.99
3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe Charging – $119.96 with on-page coupon, down from $149.95 [matched at Anker] If you’re on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, “Best Apple Deals of the Week: Lowest Prices of the Year Hit AirTag 4-Pack ($84.99), MagSafe Charger ($28.99), and More Apple Accessories” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
This week we saw a group of Apple’s first party accessories hit solid discounts on Amazon and Woot, including the year’s best prices on the MagSafe Charger and AirTag 4-Pack. You’ll also find low prices on the M1 MacBook Air, 10.9-inch iPad, and Anker products.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple Accessories
What’s the deal? Save on Apple’s first party accessories
Where can I get it? Amazon and Woot
Where can I find the original deal? Right here
This week saw a big focus on solid discounts on Apple’s first party accessory lineup, and all of these sales are still available. At Woot, you can get the MagSafe Charger for $28.99, down from $39.00, which is the best price of the year so far.
At Amazon, the MagSafe Battery Pack is available for $84.00 ($15 off), the Apple Pencil 2 is on sale for $89.00 ($40 off), and the AirTag 4-Pack is down to $84.99 ($14 off).
MacBook Air
What’s the deal? Take $249 off M1 MacBook Air
Where can I get it? Amazon
Where can I find the original deal? Right here
One of the best deals we tracked during Prime Day returned this week, with Amazon offering the 256GB M1 MacBook Air for $749.99, down from $999.00. You can still get this notebook in all three colors on Amazon.
iPad
What’s the deal? Take $50 off 10th gen iPad
Where can I get it? Amazon
Where can I find the original deal? Right here
All four colors of the 64GB Wi-Fi 10.9-inch iPad are available at the all-time low price of $399.00 on Amazon, down from $449.00. Only the 64GB Wi-Fi model is matching its all-time low price, although you can find some solid discounts on cellular models as well.
Anker
What’s the deal? Take $200 off Eufy’s SmartDrop Package Box and more deals
Where can I get it? Amazon and Anker
Where can I find the original deal? Right here
Anker this week emerged with a new set of discounts on Amazon and on its own website, including a return of the best-ever price on the Eufy SmartDrop Package Box at $199.99, down from $399.99. We’ve listed a few other deals below, but be sure to visit our original post to browse the full list of Anker accessories on sale, including USB-C chargers, portable batteries, and more.
100W USB-C Charger – $26.59 with on-page coupon, down from $35.99
100W USB-C Power Adapter (2-Port) – $39.09 with on-page coupon, down from $45.99
PowerCore 20,000 mAh – $31.99 with on-page coupon, down from $41.99
MagGo Magnetic Battery – $54.99 with on-page coupon, down from $79.99
PowerCore Hybrid Charger – $69.99, down from $99.99
MagGo Magnetic Charging Station – $70.00 with on-page coupon, down from $99.99
3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe Charging – $119.96 with on-page coupon, down from $149.95 [matched at Anker] If you’re on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
This article, “Best Apple Deals of the Week: Lowest Prices of the Year Hit AirTag 4-Pack ($84.99), MagSafe Charger ($28.99), and More Apple Accessories” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums