Month: December 2024

How to Spot and Prevent a Carbon Monoxide Leak

A CO leak can be dangerous, even deadly. Here’s how to prevent one from happening.

A CO leak can be dangerous, even deadly. Here’s how to prevent one from happening.

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Chinese cloud giants bought more of Nvidia’s flagship AI chips than anybody else – except Microsoft

Tencent and ByteDance seriously outspent the likes of Google, Meta and Amazon.

Microsoft purchased nearly half a million of Nvidia’s flagship Hopper chips in 2024
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, and Tencent bought almost as much
This is more than Meta, Tesla/xAI, Amazon and Google

Chinese cloud giants Tencent and TikTok’s parent company ByteDance were the major buyers of Nvidia’s flagship AI chips in 2024, coming second only to Microsoft, according to a report from Omdia and analysis from the Financial Times.

The two Chinese companies ordered approximately 230,000 of Nvidia’s Hopper GPUs each, including the H20 model which has been developed to adhere to strict US export restrictions for China.

The report reveals that Microsoft bought 485,000 Hopper chips in 2024, far ahead of its competitors.

(Image credit: Omdia)

Chinese influence

“Good data center infrastructure, they’re very complex, capital-intensive projects,” Alistair Speirs, Microsoft’s senior director of Azure Global Infrastructure, told the Financial Times. “They take multi-years of planning. And so forecasting where our growth will be with a little bit of buffer is important.”

In contrast, Meta bought 224,000 Hopper GPUs in 2024, followed by Amazon and Google with 196,000 and 169,000 units, respectively. All three tech giants are increasingly moving away from reliance on Nvidia hardware by developing their own in-house custom silicon. The FT says Google deployed 1.5 million TPUs, Meta 1.5 million MTIA chips, and Amazon 1.3 million Trainium and Inferentia chips, while Microsoft, still in its early stages, installed around 200,000 Maia chips.

According to Omdia, Nvidia captured 43 percent of server hardware spending in 2024, but AMD also performed strongly, with Microsoft purchasing 96,000 of its Instinct MI300 chips and Meta acquiring 173,000.

While Microsoft leads comfortably in GPU acquisitions, the substantial investments made by ByteDance and Tencent reflect the determination of Chinese firms to secure a strong position in the AI race – a momentum that is expected to carry into 2025.

In outspending Google, Meta, Tesla/xAI and Amazon in units purchased, the two Chinese companies have shown they can compete with the biggest of the American tech giants, despite the significant challenges posed by the ongoing trade restrictions which are expected to intensify even further under the Trump administration.

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Bench, a popular accounting platform startup, suddenly shuts down, leaving customers in limbo

Popular accounting startup Bench abruptly shut down on Friday, marking a dramatic end for a company that had once been a favorite among small businesses and startups across North America. The closure comes just a few years after venture capitalists
The post Bench, a popular accounting platform startup, suddenly shuts down, leaving customers in limbo first appeared on Tech Startups.

Popular accounting startup Bench abruptly shut down on Friday, marking a dramatic end for a company that had once been a favorite among small businesses and startups across North America. The closure comes just a few years after venture capitalists […]

The post Bench, a popular accounting platform startup, suddenly shuts down, leaving customers in limbo first appeared on Tech Startups.

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Legacy Airlines Are Now Coming For Your Carry-on Bag

Traditional airlines worldwide are rapidly eliminating long-standing perks from their basic fares, blurring the line between full-service and budget carriers, according to industry analysis of 90 major airlines.

Air Canada’s decision to ban standard carry-on luggage for its lowest-fare passengers from January 3 marks the latest rollback, joining United Airlines, Finnair, and others. Most legacy carriers, including British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa, have already stripped checked baggage and seat selection from basic fares, signaling an industry-wide shift toward budget airline practices.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Traditional airlines worldwide are rapidly eliminating long-standing perks from their basic fares, blurring the line between full-service and budget carriers, according to industry analysis of 90 major airlines.

Air Canada’s decision to ban standard carry-on luggage for its lowest-fare passengers from January 3 marks the latest rollback, joining United Airlines, Finnair, and others. Most legacy carriers, including British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa, have already stripped checked baggage and seat selection from basic fares, signaling an industry-wide shift toward budget airline practices.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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The perfect New Year’s Eve comedy turns 30

Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) bombed at the box office but it’s since amassed a strong cult following.

There aren’t that many movies specifically set on New Year’s Eve, but one of the best is The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Joel and Ethan Coen’s visually striking, affectionate homage to classic Hollywood screwball comedies. The film turned 30 this year, so it’s the perfect opportunity for a rewatch.

(WARNING: Spoilers below.)

The Coen brothers started writing the script for The Hudsucker Proxy when Joel was working as an assistant editor on Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead (1981). Raimi ended up co-writing the script, as well as making a cameo appearance as a brainstorming marketing executive.  The Coen brothers took their inspiration from the films of Preston Sturgess and Frank Capra, among others, but the intent was never to satirize or parody those films. “It’s the case where, having seen those movies, we say ‘They’re really fun—let’s do one!’; as opposed to “They’re really fun—let’s comment upon them,'” Ethan Coen has said.

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Witness! Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now streaming for a much wider audience

How to watch “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” at home and online, including the best Max and Netflix deals that may let you watch for free.

UPDATE: Dec. 31, 2024, 1:56 p.m. EST This article has been updated with new details about “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” coming to Netlix, as well as the best Netflix deals.

How to watch ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ at a glance:
BEST OVERALL DEAL

Max (With Ads) annual subscription
$99.99 per year
(save 16%)
BEST WITH NO ADS

Max Ad-Free annual subscription
$169.99/year
(save 16%)
BEST FOR CRICKET CUSTOMERS

Max (With Ads)
Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month unlimited plan
(save $9.99/month)
BEST FOR STUDENTS

Max Student
$4.99 per month for 12 months
(save 50%)
BEST NETFLIX DEAL FOR VERIZON INTERNET CUSTOMERS

Netflix and Max (with ads)
Free for 12 months with select Verizon Home Internet plans
(save $120)
BEST NETFLIX DEAL FOR VERIZON WIRELESS CUSTOMERS

Netflix and Max with ads
$10/month through Verizon myPlan
(save $6.98/month)
BEST NETFLIX DEAL FOR T-MOBILE CUSTOMERS

Netflix Standard with ads
Free with most T-Mobile Go5G plans
(save $6.99/month)
BEST NON-STREAMING OPTION

Prequels are tough to get right, but George Miller’s return to the Mad Max wasteland in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga nailed it. The trailer alone is a thrill ride, so you can only imagine the action packed into the 2-hour and 28-minute flick. We’ve already dubbed it one of the top five films of 2024 (so far).

Furiosa debuted in theaters in late May, made its way to digital on-demand services just a month later, then officially started streaming on Max as of Aug. 16. Now, four months later, it’s becoming available to a much wider audience by making its Netflix debut.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Furiosa at home, including the best streaming deals for both Max and Netflix.

What is Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga about?

A prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa centers around Imperator Furiosa (played first by Charlize Theron, now by Anya Taylor-Joy). As a child, she grew up in the Green Place, an idyllic refuge where she was safe from the wasteland horrors of the desert. However, after she’s kidnapped from this refuge and taken into the horde of the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), she spends her whole life trying to get back home.

“Much of the aforementioned plot can be gleaned from the trailers — that Furiosa is a prequel means she will inevitably end up the Immortan’s right hand, his ‘Imperator’ — but the movie’s bygone conclusions never rob it of its ferocity. Instead, Miller enters into a sadistic game of expectations by playing with narrative point of view,” Mashable film critic Siddhant Adlakha writes in his review.

Take a peek at the extremely shiny and chrome trailer:

Is Furiosa worth watching?

Furiosa earned a spot on our list of the best movies of 2024, and other critics agree. On Rotten Tomatoes, Miller’s epic prequel has a “certified fresh” 90 percent critic rating and 89 percent audience rating. It may not have done well at the box office, pulling in a measly $26 million domestically on its opening weekend, but box office numbers aren’t everything.

As Mashable’s reviewer put it, “Furiosa is a magnificent, pulse-pounding achievement unlike anything you’ll see this year.”

Read our full review of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

How to watch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga at home

Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Just a month after Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga made its theatrical debut, it became available to watch at home via video-on-demand sites like Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home (aka Vudu). You can now purchase the film for your digital collection or rent it for 30 days. Just keep in mind that once you start watching a rental, you’ll have just 48 hours to finish it before you lose access. If you’d rather stream Furiosa, keep reading to learn more.

As of June 25, you can purchase and rent the film at the following retailers:

Prime Video — buy for $6.99, rent for $3.99

Apple TV — buy for $7.99, rent for $3.99

Fandango at Home (Vudu) — buy for $7.99, rent for $3.99

YouTube — buy for $6.99, rent starting at $3.99

Is Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga streaming?

Furiosa made its streaming debut on Max on Aug. 16, 2024. Max is the streaming home of Warner Bros. Pictures, so Furiosa will join Mad Max: Fury Road as well as other recent theatrical releases from Warner Bros. You can sign up for a Max subscription for as low as $9.99 per month, but there are also some ways you can save some money on your plan.

Not a Max subscriber and can’t fathom signing up for yet another streaming service? As of Dec. 31, Netflix has now added Furiosa to its streaming catalog, alongside a few other major Warner Bros. titles from 2024.

Check out the best Max streaming deals and Netflix streaming deals below.

Best Max streaming deal for most people: Save 16% on Max with ads annual subscription

If you don’t mind ad interruptions in your content, Max subscriptions start at just $9.99 per month. You could easily sign up for a single month to watch Furiosa, then cancel before you’re charged for another. However, if you stick around for the long haul, you can save some money. An annual plan with ads goes for $99.99 per year, which breaks down to only $8.33 per month. That’s 16% (or $1.66 per month) cheaper than paying for a monthly subscription. The only real downside is that you have to splurge on a full year upfront.

Best Max deal with no ads: Save 16% on a Max Ad-Free annual subscription

If ads are the bane of your existence, there are two ad-free tiers to choose from: Max Ad-Free and Max Ultimate Ad-Free. The basic Max Ad-Free tier will run you $16.99 per month, while Max Ultimate goes for $20.99 per month. If you choose a yearly plan instead, it’ll only cost you $169.99 per year (about $14.17 per month) or $209.99 per year (about $17.50 per month). That’s a total savings of 16% on either plan.

Note: Both tiers offer an ad-free viewing experience, but the Ultimate tier takes things a step further with 4K Ultra HD video quality and Dolby Atmos immersive audio.

Best Max deal for Cricket customers: Free Max with ads for customers on the $60/month unlimited plan

Credit: Cricket / Max

Max (with ads)
Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month plan



Cricket Wireless customers on the $60 per month unlimited plan can sign up for Max with ads for free — that’s a $99.99 per year value. Just head over to the Max app or navigate to Max.com on a browser, choose Cricket as your provider, and enter your credentials to log in. Then you’ll be able to watch whatever you want at whatever time — including Furiosa. Check out the terms and conditions on Cricket’s website to learn more. If you’re hoping to watch Furiosa for free, this is your only option.

Best Max deal for students: Save 50% on Max with ads monthly for one year


Max Student
$4.99 per month for 12 months



If you’re a college student, you’re in luck. A new Max deal allows you to score 50% off an ad-supported monthly subscription for 12 months. That drops the price down to just $4.99 per month. You’ll have to verify your student status with UNiDAYS, which will give you a unique discount code. Then head back over to Max and redeem your code to stream for half price.

Best Netflix deal for Verizon Home Internet customers: Get Netflix and Max with ads for free for one year

Credit: Netflix

Netflix and Max (with ads)
Free for 12 months with select Verizon Home Internet plans



Verizon is giving an entire year of Netflix and Max (with ads) to those who sign up for select Verizon Home Internet plans, including 5G Home Plus, LTE Home Plus, Fios 1 Gig, or Fios 2 Gig plans. You must enroll in the perk within 60 days after your VHI purchase or by no later than March 2, 2025 (whichever comes first), then register the perks directly with Netflix and Max within 90 days of enrollment. Once the year is up, the Netflix and Max bundle will resume its normal price of $10 per month unless canceled. Read more about terms and conditions on the promo page by selecting “Details” next to the Special Offer.

Best Netflix deal for Verizon Wireless customers: Save $6.98/month through Verizon myPlan

Credit: Netflix

Netflix and Max
$10/month through Verizon myPlan (save $6.98/month)



If you’re a Verizon customer with myPlan, you can add the Netflix and Max bundle to your account for just $10 per month (reg. $16.98 per month). That essentially gets you Netflix with ads for free. You’ll need an Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, or Unlimited Ultimate plan to be eligible (learn more on the Verizon support page). Once you enroll in the promotion, you’ll have to head over to Netflix and Max separately to setup your accounts.

Best Netflix deal for T-Mobile customers: Get Netflix Standard for free with most Go5G plans

Credit: Netflix

Netflix Standard (with ads)
Free with most T-Mobile Go5G plans



If you’re not a T-Mobile customer, this deal alone is a good reason to switch. Not only do select customers get Netflix Standard with ads for free (reg. $6.99 per month), but also Hulu with ads and Apple TV+. It’s probably the best streaming lineup offered by any mobile provider. Here are the details:

You need to have two or more lines of any type of Go5G or Magenta plan or at least one line of Go5G Next, Go5G Plus, or Magenta MAX to secure Netflix with ads for free. You’ll have to manually activate your subscription by logging into My T-Mobile and selecting “Manage add-ons”. Once there, choose “add Netflix” in the Services section and you’ll be prompted to either create a new Netflix account or sign in to your existing one. T-Mobile will be in charge of paying Netflix for you. Just note that if you already have a Netflix account, it may take a few billing cycles to transfer your bill over to T-Mobile. Learn more about the terms and FAQs on the promo page.

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Stanford University launches STORM, a new AI research tool that enables anyone to create Wikipedia-style reports on any topic

Stanford University has unveiled a new AI tool called STORM, designed to help anyone create detailed, Wikipedia-style reports on any topic. Open to the public for free, STORM is a research prototype that supports interactive knowledge curation. The tool allows
The post Stanford University launches STORM, a new AI research tool that enables anyone to create Wikipedia-style reports on any topic first appeared on Tech Startups.

Stanford University has unveiled a new AI tool called STORM, designed to help anyone create detailed, Wikipedia-style reports on any topic. Open to the public for free, STORM is a research prototype that supports interactive knowledge curation. The tool allows […]

The post Stanford University launches STORM, a new AI research tool that enables anyone to create Wikipedia-style reports on any topic first appeared on Tech Startups.

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Aurora Borealis on New Year’s Eve: Where It’ll Be Visible Tonight

The cosmic display will be visible to the northern 25% of the US, including every state that borders Canada.

The cosmic display will be visible to the northern 25% of the US, including every state that borders Canada.

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