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Organizations now have much more convenient ways to store huge quantities of data, but that has come at a cost: this data is decentralized like never before.

It’s almost become cliché to start articles about data with an acknowledgement of the sheer volume of data that modern economies create and, with the increasing prominence of AI, the demand for all of this data is simply going to continue to increase.

Thanks to the rise in business cloud storage platforms, organizations also now have a much more convenient way to store these huge quantities of data, but that has come at a cost: this data is decentralized like never before. That means, for a modern data consumer, it’s not just tough to find and access the data they’re looking for; they can’t even be sure it exists at all.

Collecting, cataloguing and governing the large amounts of data stored by an organization is now paramount to getting the most out of it. In an effort to accelerate this move towards ensuring data is both discoverable and usable, though, businesses are increasingly adopting a one size fits all approach via a data catalog alone. Whilst this approach is being praised as a silver bullet for businesses, could it actually be holding them back?

Uniting your data

To overcome the challenges associated with large data lakes, which are increasingly becoming more like data oceans, many data professionals have adopted data catalogs to help bring some order to their large quantities of data. But what exactly are data catalogs, and why might they not be the sole solution to the challenge of uniting an organization’s data?

Data catalogs provide the frameworks and interfaces to manage and collect metadata, or information on the lineage, reliability, quality and sensitivity of data and data products. Put more simply, they allow users to see all of the information they need about data stored by an organization, which is an incredibly powerful tool for, say, the data engineers who are building their organization’s data products – think of the data catalog like a large inventory list at a builders yard, allowing data product builders to find all of the right materials for their next project at a glance.

Data catalogs are, therefore, incredibly important to an organization serious about getting the most from its data. They are not, though, a one size fits all solution to the challenge of making data discoverable, governable and accessible.

The data marketplace

As data consumers become an increasingly important part of a modern data strategy, businesses need to look beyond a catalog-only approach to their data tools, and begin considering an internal data marketplace. But what exactly is a data marketplace, and what can it offer data consumers that they can’t achieve with a data catalog alone?

When talking about marketplaces, many data professionals tend to think of selling data externally. However, there are just as many benefits to businesses using internal marketplaces to solve issues around discoverability, accessibility and governance. These internal marketplaces deliver data products within a business, helping to drive corporate missions and data-driven initiatives. Some organizations use the phrase data exchange interchangeably with internal data marketplace, but by and large these all refer to the same thing: a platform to make data products more readily available to data consumers.

When we talk about data marketplaces increasing data product availability, this doesn’t just mean discovery. Data product delivery, a process which enables consumers to use data platforms or BI tools, is key to a successful marketplace. Without proper provisioning, a data marketplace would be very similar to a catalog, but in turn would only be half complete; it would be a bit like using the App store to locate the perfect app, only to find that instead of being able to download it, you have to raise a ticket with the app creator and wait a week to use it.

Note the key difference here between a catalog and a marketplace is that they serve two distinct functions: catalogs are great tools for data engineers building your data products, whilst marketplaces are the best way to empower data consumers with those data products that they need.

Blending catalogs and marketplaces

So, between a catalog and a marketplace, which one is right for a modern business? The answer is both.

A catalog-only strategy fails because it tries to serve two types of users instead of being allowed to focus on serving the builders whilst leaving space for a marketplace to empower data consumers. This is bad not only for the consumers who are left inadequately served, but it can also fail builders, too.

Relying on just a data catalog means that, whilst data engineers are able to identify the right data for their products, it can also create large amounts of additional work. In a scenario where data catalogs are used by consumers, not only is it much harder to find what consumers are looking for, but they would also be exposed to all of the intermediate data used to build the final data products, leading to a large amount of accountability and pressure being placed on the teams owning each data product.

Complementing a data catalog with an end to end data marketplace that offers the ability to publish, find and access products delivers the best of both worlds: two purpose built solutions for both groups of data users, allowing data engineers to use catalogs without the need to document everything in the data platform, freeing them up to focus on the products that they own and publish. Consumers, meanwhile, are empowered with a marketplace to find and learn about data products and benefit from automated access and governance provisions.

There’s no one size fits all approach to gathering your data and making it useful to everyone in your business. By combining data catalogs and internal data marketplaces, though, organizations can benefit from two powerful tools that give them the best of both worlds to drive maximum value from the data they own.

We’ve listed the best cloud storage.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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When was the last time your customer experience team sat down with your security experts? If the answer isn’t ‘recently’, your business might be more vulnerable than you think.

When was the last time your customer experience team sat down with your security experts? If the answer isn’t ‘recently’, your business might be more vulnerable than you think.

As I read a recent article in this very publication about the CrowdStrike aftermath, I realized there’s an important addition to the lessons learned. While I agree with each of the insights offered into the technical aspects and immediate business impact of the incident, the role of customer experience teams in managing such crises has, so far, been overlooked.

Recent high-profile incidents underscore this point vividly. In addition to the CrowdStrike outage, which resulted in a staggering £90 billion in damages, the UK also witnessed a high-profile cyberattack on hospitals in London. While now fixed, this caused over 1,000 planned operations and 2,200 outpatient appointments to be postponed. Such events highlight the vital importance of robust security protocols. However, as these crises unfold, it’s becoming increasingly clear that security measures alone are not enough. The customer experience provided during such incidents is equally crucial in managing the fallout and maintaining trust.

This realization is prompting a significant shift in how businesses approach crisis management. No longer can customer experience (CX) and security teams operate in isolation. The siloed approach must give way to a more integrated strategy – one that recognizes the interdependence of these two critical functions.

All too often, these two teams operate in separate spheres. Yet, as the primary interface with customers, CX teams are often the first to detect and respond to outages or security incidents through increased customer complaints or inquiries. Simultaneously, cybersecurity teams are tasked with identifying, containing, and mitigating threats. This disconnect can lead to delayed responses and fragmented communication during crises, potentially exacerbating the situation and damaging customer relationships.

The case for collaboration

It may sound simple, but through fostering greater collaboration between CX and security teams, businesses can create a more resilient frontline in crisis management. This unified approach offers several key benefits.

Firstly, it accelerates incident detection, with CX teams serving as an early warning system to quickly alert security teams to potential issues based on customer feedback. Secondly, it improves real-time information flow, ensuring that accurate, up-to-date information is consistently communicated to customers and stakeholders. This swift, coordinated response helps maintain customer trust and mitigates negative impacts on brand reputation. Lastly, by sharing insights, both teams can contribute to more effective risk assessment and prevention strategies, enhancing overall crisis prevention.

However, creating synergies between CX and security teams requires a strategic approach. A comprehensive unified strategy should start with establishing cross-functional teams that include members from both departments. These teams should meet regularly to share insights, discuss potential threats, and develop joint response plans for if things go wrong.

Implementing shared communication channels is crucial. Utilizing secure, real-time communication platforms allows for quick information sharing between teams during a crisis, ensuring that CX representatives have the most up-to-date information to relay to customers. Alongside this, businesses should develop integrated training programs that educate CX staff on basic security principles and alert identification, while also teaching security teams about customer communication best practices.

Fortifying the frontline

To effectively unify two once disparate teams as a new frontline in crisis management, enterprises must take several key steps. Cultivating a culture of collaboration is paramount, encouraging not only open communication, but mutual respect between the teams. This step could also lead to continuous learning, which is vital as the threat landscape continues to evolve. This should be bolstered by offering courses, lunch and learns and self-learning, ensuring that both teams are regularly updated on the latest security trends and customer experience best practices.

Technology can play a key role, too. A number of tools facilitate seamless information sharing, which is crucial in forming a proactive response. For instance, these include integrated dashboards that display both customer feedback and security alerts. In turn they empower decision making, and grant frontline staff the authority to make certain decisions during a crisis.

Finally, fostering executive support is essential. Ensure that the importance of this unified approach is recognized and supported at the highest levels of the organization. By taking these steps, businesses can create a more robust, responsive frontline in crisis management.

As Einstein himself said, “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”. The rise of cyber threats – while daunting – offers the chance for businesses to reimagine their approach to both security and customer experience. An integrated, holistic approach isn’t just a smart business idea, but an opportunity to protect businesses and deepen customer trust. By breaking down siloes and fostering collaboration, businesses can turn potential vulnerabilities into strengths.

We list the best customer database software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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YouTube is testing an AI music remix tool.

Like a song you put on a YouTube video but want to give it a new spin? The video platform is testing a new AI tool to do just that, at least for when you post a Shorts video. YouTube is letting a limited number of creators use the AI tool as a kind of co-producer. They can submit their music and a prompt about genre, mood, or other elements, and the AI will spin a new 30-second soundtrack that attempts to meet the request.

The remix feature employs YouTube’s Dream Track, an AI toolkit released a year ago to some U.S.-based artists. The AI works with the creators to compose songs based on prompts and pre-recorded vocals. Artists like Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Sia, T-Pain, and Charlie Puth all gave permission to YouTube for Dream Track to use their singing. The new tool carries Dream Track into the popular track remix facet of the music industry by restyling it to a new mood and type of sound. They might turn a pop song into a jazz ballad or an R&B song into a formal, baroque-style sound.

All of the Dream Track features use the Lyria music generation AI model developed by Google’s DeepMind team. Lyria interprets words and audio and recombines the ideas behind both into unique music. Despite being new tracks, YouTube made a point of saying that the AI origin and the human artist behind the new track will be obvious.

“If you’re a creator in the experiment group, you can select an eligible song > describe how you want to restyle it > then generate a unique 30-second soundtrack to use in your Short,” YouTube’s description explained. “These restyled soundtracks will have clear attribution to the original song through the Short itself and the Shorts audio pivot page, and will also clearly indicate that the track was restyled with AI.”

Music dreams

The ability to quickly customize music to fit any specific genre, mood, or theme has obvious appeal for creators. And the industry probably won’t be too upset thanks to YouTube’s proactive measures to avoid copyright issues. YouTube and Google have made ostentatious efforts to compensate creators and rights holders when it comes to AI assistance. YouTube and Universal Music Group (UMG) signed a deal last year to work out a compensation scheme for AI to defuse that question before YouTube releases an AI music generator.

Compare that to the annoyance of creators who have seen their videos scraped to train AI models without their permission. Still, YouTube wants AI to fill its platform in as many ways as possible. The platform has already tested all kinds of AI tools for the public. AI can help inspire new video ideas with YouTube’s Brainstorm with Gemini tool and jump ahead of the kind of rights issues raised by artists thanks to an AI tool for removing copyrighted music from your video without taking it down completely.

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The Sonos Arc Ultra is a fantastic sounding soundbar, and while it might be expensive, I’ve found a few more extra features that make it worth the investment.

When the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar and Sub 4 were finally unveiled, all eyes (or should that be, ears?) were focused on whether they sounded better than their predecessors, and by how much.

As our full Sonos Arc Ultra review reveals, it’s “the best one-box Dolby Atmos soundbar for the price.” It’s not without its immediate flaws, namely maintaining a single HDMI input (yep, Sonos still refuses to offer HDMI passthrough) and there’s no support for DTS, although with the majority of spatial audio movie soundtracks being available in Dolby Atmos, this shouldn’t alienate too many potential customers.

I wholeheartedly agree with the statements made by my colleague Matt Bolton in our full Arc Ultra review, but having spent some time with both the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 – which have temporarily replaced my Arc and Sub 3 at home for testing – I’ve discovered a few extra little features that, combined with the stellar sound output, have me reaching for my credit card to upgrade.

The Sonos diet

The Sonos Arc (top) is shorter and taller than the Sonos Arc Ultra (bottom). (Image credit: Future)

When we first spied leaked photos of the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar, it was tricky to determine if there was any change at all to the design compared to the Arc. In reality, there certainly isn’t much to separate them, and the Ultra is still unmistakably Sonos. The only difference is that the new soundbar is slightly longer but also – crucially for me – marginally shorter in height. Official dimensions are 87 x 1142 x 116 mm for the Arc and 75 x 1178 x 111 mm for the Arc Ultra.

The biggest impact the Sonos diet has had for me is that the soundbar now doesn’t cut off the bottom of my LG G4 OLED. My previous Arc didn’t block the bottom of the screen massively, but I often found my eyes being drawn to it more than I would like. Now, with the Arc Ultra in its place, I can clearly see the bottom of the screen and I’ve found I’m immersed in the action on the screen a lot more, as the ‘floating screen’ effect of the G4 OLED is more prominent.

The change in depth is also another bonus for me. The LG G4’s stand, plus the fact the TV naturally sits at a slight angle (I have the 77-inch version – the 65- and 55-inch models stand flat) meant there wasn’t an awful lot of space for my old Arc to sit on the approximately 40cm deep stand. While the Arc Ultra is ‘only’ six millimeters skinnier, it has made a huge difference on my media unit.

Matte attack

The Sonos Sub 4’s new matte finish makes it that little bit less noticeable in my room. (Image credit: Future)

Another feature I’ve found to have a subtle but significant impact at home is the new matte finish of the Sub 4. When I first read about it before receiving the test unit Sonos sent me, I was unsure exactly what to expect. I was already quite enamored with the shinier finish of the Sub 3 and I do still think it looks like a premium product.

But when I took the dust bag off the Sonos Sub 4, I let out an “oooh, that’s nice” response. The white matte finish perfectly matches the Era 300 speakers I have for surrounds, and I’m sure it would match a white Arc Ultra (I was sent the black version for this article).

But the surprising effect it had for me was how it blends in more with the white wall it’s placed against. It’s not a monumental change, but when you’re spending the money Sonos asks for the Sub 4, you’re going to want it to look as good as possible, and I think it’s stunning.

As I’ve alluded earlier, I only get to test the Sub 4 – and the Ultra soundbar – for a limited time, and I’ll admittedly be fine going back to the Sub 3 when the new gear has to be returned. If you already own a Sonos sub, I’m not sure it’s worth upgrading just for the matte finish, but ultimately I’m pleased to see Sonos making the design change. And, as our review of the Arc Ultra states, most people may not feel the need to add a subwoofer at all, given how well the soundbar handles low frequencies.

Speech-y clean

The Sonos Arc Ultra (bottom) introduces a new Speech Enhancement feature that dramatically improves dialogue clarity. (Image credit: Future)

OK, so this one is sort of sound related, but not entirely. Along with the new Sound Motion technology used in the woofer, the Sonos Arc Ultra has introduced a new Speech Enhancement feature to boost dialogue. It’s not a revolutionary update where soundbars are concerned – the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8, for example, calls its version Voice Zoom – but it’s something I was excited to learn of, as I had previously thought the Arc sometimes struggled when it came to voice clarity.

The Speech Enhancement feature is accessed within the Sonos app – which, for the record, I never really had an issue with during SonosAppGate, but can appreciate has now been vastly improved – and works on a scale of Low, Medium or High. You also have the option of turning it off.

When in use, it really works, with dialogue coming through a lot clearer, with a much more obvious notion of a ‘center channel’. Its highest setting comes at the cost of other aspects of soundtracks being softened, such as bass levels, so I’ve personally found low or medium to be the better options, as the rest of a soundtrack remains as it should, just with vocals given a slight boost.

To be honest, the Speech Enhancement feature is the biggest improvement over the Arc in my opinion, and genuinely worth the upgrade.

Long-overdue Bluetooth

A Bluetooth button can now be found on the rear panel of the Sonos Arc Ultra, for easy streaming from a range of devices. (Image credit: Future)

Sonos and Bluetooth haven’t always had the most harmonious of relationships. The brand has traditionally been a Wi-Fi-only operator, until it introduced the Sonos Move as its first portable Bluetooth speaker. This was followed by the Roam and Sonos has since given Bluetooth support to its home-based speakers, including the Era 100 and Era 300.

I’ve not always seen the need for Bluetooth in Sonos’ home gear – they’re constantly connected to Wi-Fi and music quality benefits when being streamed via AirPlay or directly from within the Sonos App – but at least Sonos is giving its speakers and soundbars the ability to receive a Bluetooth stream and share it with other compatible speakers. It is a multi-room speaker brand, after all.

To make connectivity that much easier, Sonos has added a dedicated Bluetooth button on the rear of the Arc Ultra. It’s also possible to activate Bluetooth pairing from within the Sonos app. It’s a quick process, and you’ll have music streaming around your home in no time at all.

Final credits

If you already own a Sonos Arc, you may still be wondering if it’s worth upgrading to the Arc Ultra. As with almost everything, that depends on your use case. For myself, I spend a lot of time at home scouring the best streaming services for movies and TV shows to binge on. I also love good sound, and so naturally, I’m going to want the best that’s available to me. I would love a ‘proper’ speaker package and an AV receiver, but I just don’t have the space.

Therefore, in my opinion, the Arc Ultra with Era 300 surround speakers and a Sub is the next best thing. The new Speech Enhancement feature is a huge step up, and fixes perhaps the biggest niggle I had with the original Arc. To me, it’s worth the upgrade, but to you, maybe not.

As for the Sub, if you already have a Sub 3 or older, then I don’t think it’s worth moving up to the Sub 4. I didn’t notice much difference in the bass output. Sonos’ big slab o’ subwoofer has always been a top performer in my experience (and could realistically be too much in some rooms) and I have no complaints with the Sub 3’s performance. Do I prefer the new matte finish? Yes. Is it worth spending $799 / £799 / AU$1,299 just for that finish? No.

If you currently own a full Sonos home theater setup but you want to make the overall soundfield bigger, wider and more powerful, than I’d recommend at least auditioning the Arc Ultra in your local hi-fi or electronics store. Even if you ultimately decide the improvements aren’t big enough to justify an upgrade, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

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Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here’s all you need to know to solve today’s game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you’ve finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I’ve also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #523) – today’s words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today’s NYT Connections words are…

PIPEPHRASEJUGPASSAGELEAKLETTERWASTEWHISTLENICKCRACKRECORDERWORDHOLESANDSSENTENCEPUNCTURE

NYT Connections today (game #523) – hint #1 – group hints

What are some clues for today’s NYT Connections groups?

Yellow: Unwanted openingGreen: Text constructionBlue: Just put your lips together, and blowPurple: Blank [phrase concerning duration]

Need more clues?

We’re firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today’s NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #523) – hint #2 – group answers

What are the answers for today’s NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: FISSUREGREEN: ELEMENTS OF WRITINGBLUE: INSTRUMENTS YOU BLOW INTOPURPLE: ___ OF TIME

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #523) – the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Connections, game #523, are…

YELLOW: FISSURE CRACK, HOLE, LEAK, PUNCTUREGREEN: ELEMENTS OF WRITING LETTER, PHRASE, SENTENCE, WORDBLUE: INSTRUMENTS YOU BLOW INTO JUG, PIPE, RECORDER, WHISTLEPURPLE: ___ OF TIME NICK, PASSAGE, SANDS, WASTE

My rating: EasyMy score: Perfect

Sometimes a Connections group is so simple you can’t believe that it could possibly be the answer. Take green today – ELEMENTS OF WRITING. I spotted LETTER, PHRASE, SENTENCE and WORD very early on, but hovered my finger over the submit button because it seemed too easy. In the end I decided to try it anyway – I had all four guesses left, after all – and was more surprised when they proved to be correct than if they had been wrong. Yellow was about as easy and blue only slightly more so, meaning I didn’t need to worry about the more difficult blank-format purple group.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday’s NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 14 November, game #522)

YELLOW: DEPLETE DRAIN, EMPTY, EXHAUST, SAPGREEN: PLAY MUSIC WITH PASSION GROOVE, JAM, ROCK, SHREDBLUE: WORDS ON A RESTAURANT RECEIPT SIGNATURE, TAX, TIP, TOTALPURPLE: FORMS OF SUGAR CUBE, GRAIN, POWDER, SYRUP

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don’t technically need to solve the final one, as you’ll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What’s more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It’s a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It’s playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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Looking for Quordle clues? We can help. Plus get the answers to Quordle today and past solutions.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1026) – hint #1 – Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1026) – hint #2 – repeated letters

Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1026) – hint #3 – uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1026) – hint #4 – starting letters (1)

Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you’re not ready yet then here’s one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1026) – hint #5 – starting letters (2)

What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?

• P

• T

• T

• F

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1026) – the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today’s Quordle, game #1026, are…

PURERTRUSSTORCHFORUM

It’s always helpful when the same letter begins multiple Quordle words; it’s sort of a buy-one-get-one-free scenario. Today, TRUSS and TORCH both start with a T, and given that I had all five letters for the latter after my opening three guesses, that inevitably made finding the former all the easier too.

Elsewhere, PURER was a potentially troublesome word, what with being an ER answer and having a repeated R. It was not too bad for me, because by the time I got to it I had PUR in place, plus a yellow E that had to go in position #4. But for others, it may be a different story; it’s not an easy word to solve.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1026) – the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today’s Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1026, are…

FROSTBEVELBLUNTQUEUE

Quordle answers: The past 20

Quordle #1025, Thursday 14 November: EXALT, TASTE, CRONY, CLOUTQuordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEYQuordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHTQuordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODYQuordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITEQuordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANERQuordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARMQuordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHYQuordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSHQuordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSYQuordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZAQuordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWNQuordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUSTQuordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEETQuordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMENDQuordle #1010, Wednesday 30 October: SLOOP, BRINE, BROOD, FLUIDQuordle #1009, Tuesday 29 October: CLIFF, BURNT, SNAKY, POLYPQuordle #1008, Monday 28 October: MACAW, LIEGE, GOUGE, CARGOQuordle #1007, Sunday 27 October: STUNG, CLOUT, SOWER, BASISQuordle #1006, Saturday 26 October: DUCHY, CANNY, BLOCK, SMART

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

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #257) – hint #1 – today’s theme

What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?

• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Dress for lunch

NYT Strands today (game #257) – hint #2 – clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

SCREECREEDCHIDEREEDWARERANG

NYT Strands today (game #257) – hint #3 – spangram

What is a hint for today’s spangram?

• Rabbit food?

NYT Strands today (game #257) – hint #4 – spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 4th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #257) – the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Strands, game #257, are…

KALEICEBERGROMAINEWATERCRESSRADICCHIOSPANGRAM: SALADGREENS

My rating: EasyMy score: 1 hint

I’m not a fan of salad and very rarely eat it, but even I was able to solve today’s easy Strands puzzle. I needed one hint to get started, admittedly, because the theme clue of ‘Dress for lunch’ was just a bit too far on the cryptic side. Strands is a little variable in this regard; some days the theme clues give the game away, some days they are only really helpful once you’ve used up a hint (or found an answer by accident).

That’s a hard thing to get right, though, and in fairness it was a simple task to find the likes of ICEBERG, ROMAINE, WATERCRESS and RADICCHIO once I had KALE on the board; even if you don’t eat these SALADGREENS you’ll surely recognize the names.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 14 November, game #256)

PLUMGREENPEACOCKMUSTARDORCHIDSCARLETSPANGRAM: CLUESUSPECTS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT’s new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT’s games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I’ve got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you’re struggling to beat it each day.

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AI companies are struggling to upgrade models.

Moments after OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic drop a major upgrade to their AI models, you’ll see people already speculating on the next update’s date and features. And there have been fairly regular updates to feed those rumors. However, those days may be over, according to a Bloomberg report. All three major AI developers are reportedly struggling to make their next-gen models match their ambitions for improvement over the current crop.

The report claims that OpenAI’s work on the Orion model isn’t going as well as the company expected. The model doesn’t perform at the level the company is aiming for, especially when it comes to coding. Orion may not offer a seismic change from GPT-4 compared to how GPT-4 blew GPT-3.5 out of the water. That may be one reason OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly pushed back on rumors about the release date for the Orion model and an upgrade to ChatGPT.

Delays and lower expectations are also plaguing Google and Anthropic. Google’s Gemini development is slower than hoped, according to Bloomberg. Anthropic has already pushed back releasing its Claude 3.5 Opus model for similar reasons despite teasing it earlier this year.

All of the AI developers are running into the same ceilings in growing their model’s abilities. The biggest is likely training data. The companies have leveraged enormous datasets to train their AI models, but even the internet is not infinite, and that goes even more when discussing high-quality data useful for training AI. Finding previously unused, accessible information is becoming tricky. That’s partly because of growing awareness and consideration for ethical and legal rights to use some data, but that’s only part of the explanation. At some point, there aren’t enough human examples for the AI models to absorb and improve upon. Even if the companies find enough raw data, processing it and incorporating it into an AI model is expensive in terms of money and computing power. If the data cannot make more than slight improvements, then upgrading the AI model might not be worth the price.

Fuel or fumes?

The report describes how OpenAI and its rivals are looking to other ways of upgrading their models, like post-training Orion with human feedback. That’s a slow way to improve an AI model and raises questions about whether AI has reached the limits of rapid scaling in size and functions. Brute computing power and avalanches of data may not be enough to make the dreams of AI developers real anymore. They’ll need to get more creative in how they iterate on their models without throwing the entire internet at it.

For us, we should expect somewhat slower releases of new and improved AI features. That might not be terrible if it gives everyone a chance to catch their breath and really dig into the best ways to use all the AI tools released in the last few years. There’s plenty to explore with ChatGPT-o1. And, who knows, maybe this will give OpenAI the space to work on releasing the Sora AI video creator, which has been kept highly restricted despite OpenAI teasing it with a steady drip of demos.

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Bluesky is the social media flavor of the moment and yes I am here for it.

I would like to say I saw Bluesky Social’s big moment coming. After all, I joined the social network in April 2023 when few knew about it, and Twitter Founder and ex-charmingly quirky tech CEO Jack Dorsey was leading it.

I rooted around a bit, and despite its threadbare interface, I declared it “quiet, reserved, thoughtful, or even polite. Overall, BlueSky is the equivalent of a social media Shangri-La.”

This week though it resembled the opening hours of a classic Black Friday Sale at Macy’s as millions of people reportedly joined Bluesky, prompted in part by what may be the imminent collapse of X (formerly Twitter). Sorry, it’s not actually collapsing but instead having a moral collapse since it’s being run by one narcissist who is now aligned with the U.S.’s incoming Narcissist-in-Chief.

Instagram’s Threads has for months served as the safe social media harbor for X refugees, but for as good and as popular as that platform has become, it still has yet to replace the real-time news and information nature that made the original Twitter so compelling. Instagram CEO and Threads leader Adam Mosseri has made it fairly clear that news is not what drives Threads, and he shows little intention of helping it thrive on the platform, at least not yet.

Stefon would love this

(Image credit: Future)

I don’t know if Bluesky will be any different, but for the moment, it’s the most exciting place on social media. If Saturday Night Live’s Stefon were describing it, he might say:

“If you’re looking for a good time on social media, look no further. New York’s hottest social media club is Bluesky. Inside it has everything, posts about Alf’s privates, ex-Twitter drifters carrying cute cat pics, and Lizzo wondering if the internet is fun again.”

Since I last checked Bluesky – and it had been months – the platform on mobile and desktop has grown. It’s a cleaned-up version of old Twitter or current Threads but still lacks some key functions like polls and GIFS.

The activity was so frantic on Tuesday that Bluesky Social froze up and started delivering empty pages and artless posts. It really did feel like Twitter 1.0, all that was missing was a Fail Whale.

So many people from so many strata of life were joining that they were sometimes stumbling into their doppelgangers. It seems that while Bluesky was operating mostly in the shadows, some took it upon themselves to adopt the handles of famous people. Lizzo and Mara Wilson (author and the little girl from Mrs. Doubtfire) both found their fake selves. Lizzo resorted to creating a new handle, Lizzobeeating,bsky.social, to combat the @lizzo imposter.

Imposter syndrome

(Image credit: Future)

Soon, I was arguing with people on Bluesky about the need for a real verification system and was swiftly reminded that one already exists. You just have to set up a domain for yourself and do something with DNS, and… Right. No normal person is going to do that.

I did find myself having fun on Bluesky. It felt like a homecoming of sorts as more and more people finally gave up on Twitter and marched over to the newer platform. It’s not clear if they were also giving up on Threads – I see no reason to do so – or planned on supporting multiple platforms.

The thing is with these distributed platforms, you could ostensibly post in one place and have it appear elsewhere. I do this on Threads where all my posts get pushed to the Federated platform as well. I don’t visit these other platforms but appreciate the enhanced audience.

I now have roughly 1,000 followers on Bluesky, about a fifth of what I have on Threads and miles away from the 89K (and dropping) I still have on the moribund X. I don’t know what that number means anymore. Followers do not equal engagement, which is the only reason I post on social media.

Threads engagement has improved in recent months, but it’s unpredictable. Bluesky is so new that everyone is jumping on almost every post. That won’t last.

When will the good times end?

(Image credit: Future)

I guess I’m now wondering what I do next. Do I shut down X (Twitter) and spend all my time on Bluesky? Do I keep Threads on as a backup? Even if I leave X (Twitter), I won’t delete my account and the record of the good times like when I taught Levar Burton how to Tweet or the first time Captain Kirk (William Shatner Tweeted at me). The internet is far too quick to delete historical records, and I have no interest in joining that unfortunate trend. But staying active on the platform seems less appealing by the second.

Bluesky, on the other hand, is so fresh-faced that it has nothing but appeal. I know that won’t last, just like babies don’t stay cute. They grow into dirty children and then surly teens before becoming uninteresting adults (or worse).

Whatever happens, Bluesky will never recreate Twitter 1.0, just like Threads can’t really replace it. As a society, we have moved on from that. Open discourse on social media might start fresh and sweet, but it always curdles. I guess we should just enjoy this Bluesky moment – I know I am – but maybe also start thinking about how we return to having these experiences in real life.

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North Korean hackers are apparently experimenting with extended attributes on macOS to hide malware.

Security researchers from Group-IB discover unique new piece of malwareIt abuses extended attributes for macOS files to deploy the payloadThe malware is most likely built by North Korean state-sponsored actors

Cybersecurity researchers have stumbled upon yet another malware variant for macOS likely built by the notorious North Korean Lazarus group.

The report from Group-IB concerns the discovery of RustyAttr, a brand new piece of macOS malware built using the Tauri framework. T

he malware was not flagged on VirusTotal and was, at one point, signed using a legitimate Apple developer ID. The ID has since been revoked.

Extended attributes

Days before them, researchers from Jamf found something similar – a seemingly benign app on VirusTotal, built with Flutter, and serving as a backdoor for macOS victims.

In both cases, the malware used novel obfuscation methods, but wasn’t fully operational, leading the researchers to believe that they were mere experiments, as crooks look for new ways to hide the infection.

RustyAttr was found abusing extended attributes for macOS, the researchers claim.

Extended attributes (xattrs) are a feature that allows files and directories to store additional metadata beyond standard attributes like name, size, and permissions. They are used for different things, from storing security-related information, to tagging files with specific metadata, and enabling compatibility with other file systems. In this case, the EA name was “test”, and carries a shell script.

When the malware runs, it loads a website with a piece of JavaScript. This JavaScript – called preload.js, pulls content from “test” which seems to be a location. This location is then sent to the ‘run_command’ function, where the shell script executes it.

While the process is ongoing, the victim is tricked with a decoy PDF file or a fake error message that pops up in the foreground.

RustyAttr was most likely built by Lazarus, the researchers said, although since there are no reported victims, they cannot be absolutely certain. However, they are confident that the malware was built to test new delivery and obfuscation methods on macOS devices.

Via BleepingComputer

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