I used a combination of Apple iCloud and Microsoft One Drive to back up and catalog photos and videos. This setup was perfect when sailing through my twenties, but now that home labs are fully taking off and apps are much more refined, I turned to Immich and have not looked back once. I'll run you through why you'd want to make the switch with me, what Immich is, and how to quickly set up and deploy your own photo and video hosting platform.

Image: Koei-Tecmo After previous games failed to live up to expectations, Origins is a vast improvement. Read the full story at The Verge.

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images Brendan Carr is now formally the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, giving him the power to set the agency’s agenda and usher through a host of regulations with major implications for the tech and media industries as soon as he has a Republican majority.In a statement, Carr named a few areas of focus: “issues ranging from tech and media regulation to unleashing new opportunities for jobs and growth through agency actions on spectrum, infrastructure, and the space economy.”Carr’s priorities might also be gleaned from a document you might have already heard about: Project 2025. That’s because he authored the FCC chapter of the Heritage Foundation’s wishlist for a Donald Trump presidency. In that chapter, Carr proposes actions including: limiting immunity for tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, requiring disclosures about how platforms prioritize content, requiring tech companies to pay into a program that funds broadband access in rural areas, and more quickly approving applications to launch satellites from companies like Elon Musk’s StarLink. Carr also wrote about protecting the US from security threats stemming from China, including by addressing “TikTok’s threat to national security.” Whether that’s something Carr takes up as chair now seems more in doubt, as Trump has changed his tune on the app’s danger to the US. While Trump was the first to try to ban TikTok from the US, he’s now positioning himself as its savior — putting China and TikTok hawk Carr in a tricky position.The new FCC chair has also indicated that he could use his power to revoke spectrum licenses for networks over their decisions to host speech, when he deems it a violation of the equal time rule. This came up in a scuffle about NBC’s hosting of Kamala Harris on “Saturday Night Live” before the election — though the network seemed to comply with the rules for giving candidates similar time and placement on public airwaves by offering Trump an appearance on air later on.Regardless, Carr will need a third Republican vote on the commission to approve any measures that are not bipartisan in nature. Trump has nominated Mark Meador, a former staffer to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), to join the commission, pending Senate confirmation. Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Trade Commission is also now in place. Andrew Ferguson, who was already serving as a commissioner, has a reported agenda that echoes parts of Carr’s. It includes a desire to “hold big tech accountable and stop censorship,” and also to “protect freedom of speech and fight wokeness.”

Fujifilm has added two new models to its Techno-Stabi binoculars line with stabilization and increased magnification. | Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm has announced two new additions to its flagship Techno-Stabi line of binoculars featuring electronic stabilization, as spotted by PetaPixel. The new TS-L2040 and TS-L1640 deliver even more magnification than Fujfilm’s previous top-of-the-line offering — 20x and 16x, instead of just 14x — while also being smaller and lighter without sacrificing features like waterproofing. Both new models can survive a complete dunking to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes.The Fujifilm TS-L2040, with 20x magnification, will be $1,299.95 when available for purchase starting on January 31st, 2025. The slightly cheaper TS-L1640, which offer 16x magnification, will be $1,199.95.Using binoculars with more than 10x magnification without a tripod or stable support can result in blurred images because humans are simply incapable of holding them steady enough by hand. Even imperceptible hand movements are exaggerated through a pair of binoculars, making it hard to focus on a distant magnified subject. Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm’s new TS-L2040 Techno-Stabi binoculars (right) are smaller and lighter than the company’s previous flagship model (left) which weigh about a pound heavier. Fujifilm’s new models rely on a gimbal-mounted prism with plus and minus three degrees of electronic stabilization. They’re also noticeably smaller and lighter than the company’s existing Techno-Stabi TS-X14x40 binoculars — weighing 1.88 pounds instead of 2.9 pounds — making them easier for birdwatchers to carry on a hike.The two new models aren’t entirely replacing Fujifilm’s heavier and bulkier TS-X14x40 binoculars. Although the older model only offers 14x magnification for the same price as the company’s new 20x offering, they feature a more rugged design with plus and minus six degrees of electronic stabilization.In a video comparing the old and new models, Fujifilm technical expert, Michael Bulbenko, says the older model is still a better choice for boaters given the extra movements while out on the water. Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm says both new models run on a pair of AAA batteries that offer up to 30 hours of stabilization. Other features of the new TS-L2040 and TS-L1640 include 40mm objective lenses on the front that allow more light in to boost brightness. Fujifilm’s cheapest stabilized binoculars, the $749.95 TS12x28WP, feature much smaller front lenses that are just 28mm in size.Both new binocular models are powered by a pair of AAA batteries that Fujifilm says will keep the image stabilization continuously powered for up to 30 hours. The binoculars will also automatically power themselves off after 60 minutes if you forget to, so if you’re headed out on a weekend birdwatching trip, you probably won’t need to pack an extra set of AAAs.

If you're deep into your home lab journey with several self-hosted apps, you know that remembering all the URLs to access each service's management pages soon becomes a nightmare. Plus, if anything changes in the configuration of your home network, you have to go in and change everything manually. Instead, you can set up a reverse proxy to direct traffic to your self-hosted apps so they're all reachable from the same external URL.

If you've been looking for an easy way to expand your home or office setup, then going with a USB hub or docking station is going to be the way to go. These devices can easily add ports to your current device without a lot of setup. You just plug it in and away you go. With that said, there are plenty of choices out there, but we think this Anker PowerExpand docking station is the best choice right now, especially since it's being discounted down to a ridiculously low price.

Mind mapping tools can be a game changer for anyone feeling overwhelmed by a jumble of thoughts. If you often struggle to organize a complex project, it’s time to invest in a mind mapping software. But finding the right tool, especially a free one that doesn't skimp on features, can be a challenge. Here is where Draw.io really surprised me. This powerful, web-based platform offers a robust set of tools for creating, customizing, and sharing mind maps.

In the Fall of 2023, Valve officially released Counter-Strike 2, their latest installment in the legendary FPS franchise. With the launch came a significant increase in fidelity, and in turn, players were starving for the high framerates their PCs could once achieve without breaking a sweat. Historically, Counter-Strike has been a CPU-bound title, meaning its performance is closely tied to single-core CPU performance over GPU processing power. CS2 is a little bit more GPU intensive than past titles, but its performance is still closely tied to the CPU. These 5 processors are the best you can buy for CS2, so you can focus on headshots over 1% lows.

I was one of the rare few willing users of Microsoft Edge — even on a Mac. It’s the first thing I’d install on a new laptop. Sure, Microsoft’s aggressive persuasion tactics aren’t exactly agreeable, but I switched to Edge because I wanted a Chrome alternative that wouldn’t disrupt my workflow (with all my extensions) or experience, so it had to be Chromium-based. After sticking with Edge for years, I finally gave in last year and decided to try out the Arc browser. I have to admit that it successfully lured me in with its modern design. It feels refreshingly different from most web browsers, which look identical, with their homepage recommendations (read: ads) being the only differentiator.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Donald Trump has once again taken the US out of the landmark Paris climate agreement, abandoning the global effort to limit climate change. Trump signed an executive order today to exit.The Paris accord was adopted in 2015, committing nearly 200 countries including the US to working together to stop global average temperatures from rising much higher than they have already. 2024 was the hottest year on record, beating the previous record set in 2023.Scrapping efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the US can have repercussions for Americans and people around the world. The US was already the biggest historical emitter of planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions and the the world’s leading oil and gas producer, giving it big sway in global climate negotiations. Within America’s borders, billion-dollar weather and climate disasters have already grown more prevalent (adjusted for inflation) in recent years.Exiting the Paris agreement “is in clear defiance of scientific realities and shows an administration cruelly indifferent to the harsh climate change impacts that people in the United States and around the world are experiencing,” Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in an emailed statement.Our planet’s climate has stayed relatively stable for the last 11,000 years or so, supporting the rise of agriculture and civilization as we know it, until the industrial revolution. The Paris agreement aims to keep global temperatures within roughly the same temperature range, preventing warming of more than 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius. It might not seem like a big difference in temperature, but climate change has already become severe enough to supercharge weather-related disasters across the US including wildfires still burning around Los Angeles that leveled entire communities this month.Trump took the US out of the Paris accord the last time he was in office. Former President Joe Biden recommitted upon stepping into office in 2021. Now, the US will join Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only countries not on board with the international agreement. It’ll take one year from the date the Trump administration sends notification to the United Nations before US withdrawal from the Paris agreement will be official.

If you primarily use your computer for writing, Google Docs might be your word processor of choice. It's free, simple, and the default option if you use many of Google's services or products. However, there are multiple downsides to using Google Docs. It may not be the safest option out there since Google -- at the end of the day -- is an ads company. Moreover, it relies on an internet connection for most features, despite the fact that there is an offline mode. This, along with a few other reasons, made me wonder what other options I could use to write and format my documents.

Photo by Kevin Lamarque - Pool/Getty Images Vivek Ramaswamy has stepped down from co-leading President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to the Associated Press. The official line as to why Ramaswamy is moving on is that he plans to run for elected office — he reportedly intends to run for Ohio governor.“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” spokesperson Anna Kelly says in the statement to the Associated Press. “He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again.”Trump gave DOGE, which is not a department of the US government, the remit to advise cuts to “wasteful” government spending. Musk and Ramaswamy spelled out their plans in a Wall Street Journal article. But CBS News reported yesterday that Ramaswamy was on the way out:People close to Musk have privately undercut Ramaswamy for weeks, frustrated with his lack of participation in the heavy lifting, according to sources familiar with the internal dynamics. There has been friction between the incoming rank and file DOGE staff and Ramaswamy, the sources said, and Ramaswamy has been subtly encouraged to exit.Ramaswamy hasn’t said on X if he’s stepping away from DOGE, but he did post a picture today with Musk. A few days ago, he also quote-tweeted a parody account that “announced” Ramaswamy’s candidacy for Ohio governor, saying that it’s “not a bad idea.”DOGE is already the subject of at least three lawsuits.