Image: Valve Half-Life 2 is getting a major update in celebration of the classic title’s 20th anniversary. In addition to Steam Workshop support directly within the game, Valve has fixed bugs and restored some content, added new graphics settings, updated gamepad controls, and a whole lot more. You’ll also be able to get the game for free on Steam through November 18th at 1PM ET. After that, it will cost $9.99.Valve is also now including the Episode One and Episode Two expansions with the base game. They’ll be accessible from the Half-Life 2 menu, and Valve says that “you will automatically advance to the next expansion after completing each one.” You’ll also be able to access the Steam Workshop within the Extras menu, which means you’ll no longer... Continue reading…

If you're the type of person that loves to play games but doesn't like spending $70 on every new title that comes out, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate might be for you. The service has access to over 100 games, which can be played on Xbox consoles, PC, smartphones, tablets, streaming devices, or through the cloud on a compatible web browser. The monthly subscription service grants access to a variety of games from developers like Bethesda Softworks, Activision Blizzard, EA Games, and more.

Microsoft is probably best known for Windows and Office. And while you can get a lot of things done with just those two, there are many other productivity and creative tools available that can really make your projects a breeze. Of course, all of this is going to depend on what you're doing and the kinds of tools that you'll need. But if you're looking for one of the best diagramming programs out there, then Microsoft's Visio 2024 is going to be for you.

There is no shortage of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) tools out there. For months, I bounced between note-taking apps and PKM systems, always feeling like something was missing. Then I stumbled upon Capacities, and after trying it out for a couple of weeks, it feels like the missing puzzle piece to my brain. Capacities isnt just another note-taking tool; its a powerful, interconnected workspace that's transformed how I learn, think, and create.

Illustration: The Verge WhatsApp dropped the most “I can’t believe this wasn’t already there” feature this week: message drafts. Now, WhatsApp lets you know if you have unsent messages typed up in chats so you know to get back to them later.To let you know about a draft, messages you’ve started writing will show a green and bold “Draft” word followed by what you’ve typed up. That way, you can ponder about finishing it when you open the app and not accidentally ignore your friends (though you still purposefully could, I guess.)Drafts also end up at the top of the chats list, so you don’t have to scroll to search for lost ones. The feature is now available in the app worldwide, Engadget reports.WhatsApp announced in July that it had hit 100 million monthly... Continue reading…

Whether you self-host a website from your NAS or host it in the cloud, you'll still need a snappy domain name to use for it. That's an easy thing to say but a tricky thing in practice, because most of the short or one-word URLs are owned by other people. Even if these domains are just parked, they could be worth a tidy sum, as short URLs are easy for people to remember, and they can make or break your site's success. So, if you're building your company's brand and want one of these parked domains, the only way to get them is to fork over almost unthinkable wads of cash to the existing owner.

It's no secret that Microsoft is slowly adding more and more ads to Windows 11. However, people are finding that the Redmond giant is finding new ways to pester people into purchasing its stuff. Now, it seems that even more ads have arrived on the operating system, but there is a way to disable them. For now, at least.

When deciding which services you wish to run on your NAS, the question of installing apps as normal or using some form of virtualization and containers will likely require answering. Should you fire up virtual machines (VM) or install Docker containers? There's no correct answer as it depends on how you wish to approach service deployment and management. VMs and Docker containers are both excellent routes to take and each has its pros and cons. While I recommend using Docker whenever possible, a VM can also make sense for NAS services. Here's why you should use Docker or VMs for your apps and services.

Network-attached storage (NAS) can interface with hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs). These two technologies differ in operating and storing data. Older mechanical HDDs use motors and spinning platters with magnetic heads whereas an SSD is a newer technology and relies on electronic chips and cells to store data. HDDs have a maximum bandwidth of around 550MB/s under the right conditions whereas the fastest PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs top out at 15,000MB/s but SSDs are considerably more expensive than mechanical drives. When looking at new drives for your NAS, here are some reasons you should consider using SSDs.

There are a lot of good things to like about November, but one of the lesser-explored elements is when someone gets a bolt of inspiration from their Halloween costume and spends the next month fleshing it out further. Such is the case of one Rick and Morty fan, whose October 31st outfit became the start of something better. They've designed their very own smart home controller with a Raspberry Pi, and it lives on their wrist for that extra mad scientist feel.

In which various government bodies fight over “permissionless” assets | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The US Securities and Exchange Commission wants to “unilaterally wrest regulatory authority away from the States” when it comes to crypto, according to a lawsuit from 18 states. These states want to halt the SEC’s enforcement actions, so they can manage crypto regulation instead. Also named as a plaintiff on the suit is the DeFi Education Fund, a special interest lobbyist.Controversial SEC chair Gary Gensler is named in the suit, along with other SEC commissioners. Gensler’s treatment of crypto during his time as chair has made him a punching bag for the industry — and for Republicans such as president-elect Donald Trump.There has been an ongoing turf war over crypto regulation. Until this point, the two major contenders were the... Continue reading…

You'd think after so many years, tech companies would have found a way to make disposable email services obsolete. We've had decades of having to sign up for shady-looking websites and not wanting to hand over our emails in fear that they'd bombard us with spam until kingdom come. Fortunately, it seems that Google is working on a way to build temporary email addresses directly into Gmail, so you'll never have to make one again.