It's not uncommon nowadays for useful apps and services to require a subscription or a one-time purchase. But there are plenty of free open-source programs. This free availability is one of the reasons you should try open-source software, and has been a driving factor in my adoption for years.

A quip made by Seth Rogen (left), who co-presented an award with Edward Norton (right) was edited out of the ceremony video.When the Breakthrough Prize, founded by Facebook, Apple, and Google moguls and sometimes called “the Oscars of Science” by people who want that to be true, invited a comedian to present one of its awards it probably should have expected a few topical jokes. Remarks made by Seth Rogen during the April 5th livestream about the high-profile tech titans supporting Trump may have ruffled a few feathers, however, and have been scrubbed from the “full video” upload of the ceremony.“It’s amazing that others in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science,” Rogen said according to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320 million and RFK Jr., very fast.”Rogen’s quip was in response to the Trump administration gutting some government departments, agencies, and major scientific programs. Trump, a noted climate change denier, has quickly surrounded himself with wealthy Silicon Valley figureheads like Zuckerberg — who co-founded the Breakthrough Awards with his wife and has been especially subservient to Trump’s pet causes. The President has also elevated close cohorts like Elon Musk — who spent almost $300 million to elect Trump — and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. into positions of power.Rogen’s remarks received only light applause from the room, and came directly after co-presenter Edward Norton paid thanks to Silicon Valley audience members for underwriting the ceremony. Each prize is $3 million, handed out in different fields for life sciences, mathematics, and fundamental physics.“This year’s ceremony lasted longer than the prior few years, and several edits were made in order to meet the originally planned run time,” the Breakthrough Prize told The Hollywood Reporter. As the ceremony wasn’t televised, it’s unclear what scheduling requirements the Breakthrough Prize needed to adhere to on YouTube.

Steep hills? No problem for the BougeRV Electric Foldable Wagon, until you go down.Not to brag, but I’m somewhat of an expert in folding wagons. Huge flex, I know. But I’ve never tested one with a motor like BougeRV’s new Electric Foldable Wagon.I have a little surf shack that sits almost exactly 1km (0.6 miles) from the parking lot, where I regularly carry supplies and sports gear back and forth. I’ve used lots of folding carts, with prices starting around $40 for something that will only last a few months, $250 for something from a reputable brand, and closer to $800 for something top-of-the-line. Nothing I’ve tried can make hauling 200kg (about 440 pounds) over steep inclines as effortless as the new BougeRV electric wagon. Yeah, it’s $399.99, and not without its quirks, but boy is it worth it if you regularly carry large heavy loads over hills.BougeRV — the company behind that impressive lantern I recently reviewed — makes luxury glamping gear for vanlifers and outdoorsy people. Its name sounds a bit too similar to the disparaging slang bougie, if you ask me, but maybe they’re in on the joke?Regardless, this Chinese company’s electric folding wagon has flattened the 5- and 10-percent grade hills (as measured by my Garmin bike com …Read the full story at The Verge.

I've tried a number of file transfer tools over the years, but when it comes to moving files to and from my external drives, I always find myself reaching for TeraCopy. Here are the reasons why this lightweight utility has earned a permanent spot in my workflow.

The real PowerShot was the friends we made along the way.I’ve been trying to buy a Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III for two weeks, and I no longer believe this camera exists. The Canon G7 X III is so popular that strategies for buying them have become a whole sub-genre of videos on TikTokIt definitely existed at one point. The camera was released in 2019, and I’m sure I used one at least for a little bit because I was working at a camera website then. The G7 X III was the latest in a long line of very good “premium” compact cameras with high-end specs like a big sensor, manual controls, and a decent lens. I’ve recommended G-something-X cameras to people for over a decade, but it’s far from the only option if you want a really good compact. Last I checked, Sony was selling roughly twenty different RX100 models, plus a vlogging-friendly ZV-1 II. So I found the news that the G7 X III in particular was so popular among TikTokers that it is nigh impossible to find in stock a little hard to believe.Aside from just generally being a good camera, the G7 X III represented Canon’s attempt to appeal to creators. The compact camera market was all but DOA at that point, so Canon and other manufacturers started adding YouTuber-friend …Read the full story at The Verge.

Microsoft has enabled a new “computer use” feature for Copilot Studio this week that lets AI agents interact with websites and desktop applications. Much like OpenAI’s Operator or Claude’s identically named “computer use” feature, businesses will be able to use Copilot Studio to build AI agents that treat websites and desktop apps as if they’re tools for automating tasks.“Computer use enables agents to interact with websites and desktop apps by clicking buttons, selecting menus, and typing into fields on the screen,” explains Charles Lamanna, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s business & industry Copilot. “This allows agents to handle tasks even when there is no API available to connect to the system directly. If a person can use the app, the agent can too.”Copilot Studio will be able to create AI agents that can automate data entry, perform market research, or even process invoices. This new tool will even detect when buttons and screens change in apps or websites and continue working without failing or breaking, according to Microsoft.Microsoft added a similar feature, dubbed Actions, to its consumer Copilot earlier this month. Actions can be performed in the background while you work on other tasks. Copilot can now do things like book restaurant reservations, event tickets, and purchase items from online stores. The Actions experience is limited to a number of partners though, and it sounds like Copilot Studio will be free to work with more websites and apps.

Laser engraving is a creative way to transform everyday items into memorable keepsakes. This technology provides precise detailing that can elevate your projects, whether gifts or personal creations. Even beginners can achieve polished results thanks to intuitive software and accessible tutorials. Below are five ideas to get you started on your next engraving adventure.

If you own a PC with Windows Home, you might wonder where some of the Windows features you read about are. Certain features are only available in the Pro version of Windows. To get the pro version preinstalled on a PC, manufacturers typically charge $200-300 more, which is a significant markup considering it’s only $100 to upgrade from Home to Pro. However, I run multiple systems in my home lab environment and started looking for replacements for Pro features that I can run on the Home edition. After using the alternatives, I found that the notable features included with the Pro version aren't as great as I thought. I also need similar functionality on the Home version.

From executing commands over SSH to installing packages inside a resource-intensive GUI environment, you’ve got a couple of options for accessing your Raspberry Pi. But if your DIY projects involve using the Raspberry Pi as a home server, a web UI accessible from any device on your network serves as a great companion on your tinkering journey. Cockpit is my favorite web-based interface for the job, and here are four reasons why I recommend every Raspberry Pi user give it a shot.

I never really knew just how good text extractors were until I started using them. No longer did I have to manually type out everything in a picture; now I can just use the eextractor to grab what I want and paste it whenever it needs to go. So, imagine my happiness when I saw that Microsoft added a new text extractor feature to the Snipping Tool, meaning that not only is text extraction easier to access than ever before, but all Windows machines come with one pre-installed as a result.

Mark ZuckerbergMaking Instagram a separate company. Buying Snapchat. Wiping everyone’s Facebook friends. Creating a feed of only ads. These were some of the ideas that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg considered over the years as he built his social media empire. Over the past two days, he talked about them from the witness stand at a federal courthouse in Washington, DC, where Meta is fighting the Federal Trade Commission on an antitrust case that could ultimately require it to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp. Zuckerberg has so far testified for roughly nine hours. He’s expected to continue testifying on Wednesday, followed by Sheryl Sandberg. So far, the FTC has prodded him to confirm its theory of the market and understand his motivation for acquiring nascent rivals. The FTC’s theory of the case is that Meta gobbled up newer competitors by buying Instagram and WhatsApp in the early 2010s, when it feared they would grow to challenge its dominance. The agency is trying to show that Meta has monopoly power in a market it calls personal social networking services, which is focused on connecting with friends and family and includes the apps Snapchat and MeWe.Meta argues that the FTC has craf …Read the full story at The Verge.

If you've been looking for easy or free design tools, you've probably come across Adobe Express. It's a highly rated, easy-to-use graphic design program with a comprehensive set of features, even in the free version. But it's not the only contender worth considering.