They’ll Need A Crane. You’d be forgiven for assuming the iPhone Air would snap like a twig under pressure. It’s almost impossibly thin at just 5.6mm. But, its titanium frame is not only stronger than aluminum, it’s also more elastic. YouTuber JerryRigEverything demonstrates this with his usual bend test. While he’s able to get some slight bowing by pressing his thumbs into the center of the screen with all his might, it doesn’t crack and immediately returns to its original shape. Not content to be thwarted by Apple’s engineering team (and perhaps feeling a little disappointed that the last several devices on his channel survived the bend test), JerryRigEverything takes a trip out to his garage. With the help of a crane scale and some metal bars he’s able to find out exactly just how much pressure it takes to crack the iPhone air — 216 pounds.

Barely over a week after right-wing activist Charlie Kirk's public killing at a Utah campus, speech attacks in the name of the self-proclaimed free speech advocate are piling up.Law enforcement officials have custody of suspected shooter Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah who prosecutors allege was in a relationship with a transgender woman and opposed Kirk's "hatred." Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said last week that officials believe Robinson acted alone and that they didn't anticipate further arrests.But to many of Kirk's friends and defenders, any past or present critic of him - or anyone on the left in general - is implicated in the ac …Read the full story at The Verge.

All the fawning by tech CEOs wasn’t enough to convince Donald Trump to back off his crusade against immigrants. Yesterday the president announced that the government would be adding a $100,000-a-year fee on all H-1B visas in an effort to discourage their use. While many industries make significant use of the H-1B program to attract highly skilled foreign workers, the tech industry is particularly reliant. Amazon has roughly 14,000 H-1B workers across its multiple entities, far more than any other company according to data from the federal government. But Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Tata Consultancy (a major IT services firm) each have more than 4,000 employees working on H-1B visas. The fee will only apply to new applicants and it’s likely to face legal challenges, but even just the specter of this change appears to have some companies scrambling. There are reports that Microsoft and Amazon issued internal memos advising any workers currently abroad that operate on a visa to return to the US before the new fees kick in at midnight tonight. When asked, Microsoft declined to comment on the leaked memo or the changes to the H-1B program. Unsurprisingly, tech companies have already been warning those working on visas not to leave the US for fear that they might not be able to return.Broadly when the White House talks about attracting the “top, top people” to the US, it seems they’re talking about wealth not skill. It also unveiled a so-called “gold card” program that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will replace the existing EB-1 and EB-2 visa programs. Those programs are for people of “extraordinary ability” (often artists, athletes, educators, and executives) or those with advanced degrees in competitive fields. The replacement program demands that applicants “prove [their] exceptional value to the United States of America by contributing a million dollars.”Under the gold card potential immigrants would pay $1,000,000 as part of a fast-tracked application process, and that fee could climb to $2,000,000 if the person was sponsored by a company for employment. Clearly this new program would favor wealth over actual skills, though the Trump administration claims (without any data to back it up) that it will raise over $100 billion that it will use to pay down the debt and lower taxes. Of course, with the national debt currently exceeding $37 trillion, and the federal government expected to add more than $2 trillion in 2025, any revenue raised by the gold card program or fees on H-1B visas would be insignificant.Updated September 20th: Added response from Microsoft.

When building a PC, all our thoughts about power revolve around getting a PSU that can handle the transient spikes in the total power draw of all the components combined. We also presume the PC won't be running at full tilt all the time, so there's no realistic way to estimate the actual increase in your utilities bill until you plug the PC in and use it for a couple of months. Things might be different with a laptop that typically draws a consistent amount of rated power. The truth is, your PC could be guzzling watts unnecessarily, even when it's just sitting there showing you your desktop wallpaper. Every component, from the CPU to the case fans, is a potential point of inefficiency.

With new restrictions and fees on work visas in the US set to take effect at midnight tonight, it’s no surprise that many employers are advising workers abroad to return to the US. Leaked memos from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have been circulating on social media that instruct instruct any H-1B visa holders currently traveling to immediately make travel arrangements to land in the US before 12AM ET on Sunday September 21st. The companies all acknowledge the limited warning provided and apologize, promising to provide more guidance as the situation evolves. The memos also advise any H-1B employees and their H-4 dependents currently in the US to remain and not travel abroad until further notice. Since the changes to the H-1B visa are structured as a travel restriction, employers are concerned that any workers that are part of the program will be denied reentry to the country without a $100,000 fee.We’ve included the full text of the leaked memos below. Microsoft declined to comment for this story, and Amazon and Google had not responded at the time of publication. Microsoft:IMPORTANT ADVISORY: New travel restriction for H-1B visa holders Hi all–We have now reviewed the actual text of today’s Presidential Proclamation on H-1B visas, which you can find here: Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers – The White House. Here’s what you need to know: First, the proclamation is structured as a travel restriction. Beginning at 12:01 am eastern time on September 21, 2025 (so, 9:01 pm Pacific time tomorrow), individuals will not be able to enter/return to the U.S. in H-1B status unless their petition has an additional $100,000 payment associated with it. What you need to do: If you are in H-1B status and are in the U.S., you should remain in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. We know this may interrupt your travel plans. But the critical thing is to stay in the U.S. in order to avoid being denied reentry. While the proclamation doesn’t reference H-4 dependents, we also recommend that H-4s remain in the U.S. If you are in H-1B or H-4 status and are currently outside the U.S., we strongly recommend that you do what you can to return to the U.S. tomorrow before the deadline. The Proclamation was released within the last 30 minutes, so we realize that there isn’t much time to make sudden travel arrangements. But again, we strongly encourage you to do your best to return. I will be updating this post later this evening with a form for people to fill out if they are currently outside the U.S. with an H-1B visa. We want to be able to follow up with each individual and provide support and guidance as they try to return within the next 28 hours. The proclamation does not impact any other visa statuses. There is other content about the pause in processing H-1B petitions for individuals who are outside the U.S. At this time, we do not interpret this to immediately impact extensions of H-1B status or changes of status to H-1B as long as you are currently in the U.S. We’ll share more about that later.Google:We are reaching out with an urgent update regarding international travel for individuals on H-1B visas.A Proclamation is scheduled to take effect this Sunday at 12:01 AM ET. It introduces significant changes to re-entry procedures for H-1B visa holders currently outside the United States. We continue to review the Proclamation, but the initial advice we have received is that re-entry will require a mandatory payment of $100,000 per petition, which may cause substantial delays or prevent re-entry to the U.S.What You Need to Know:If you are currently outside the U.S.:If you are currently outside the U.S. with a valid H-1B visa, make plans to return and enter the U.S. before the Proclamation takes effect on Sunday, September 21 at 12:01 am ET (i.e. by this Saturday night).If you are currently in the U.S.:We strongly advise against any international travel if you are in valid H-1B status or need to travel to activate your H-1B visa. You should remain in the U.S.Departing the U.S. may result in complications or denial of re-entry under the new policy.If you are unable to return prior to the deadline in H-1B status: please reach out to go/immigration-help.We understand this may create challenges, and we are here to support you. We are actively monitoring the situation and will keep you updated as we learn more.Amazon:Amazonians,We’ve reviewed the Presidential Proclamation on H-1B visas that was released today and are actively working to gain greater clarity. Here’s what you need to know right now: The proclamation creates a travel restriction starting September 21, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EDT (9:01 p.m. PDT tomorrow). After this deadline, individuals cannot enter the U.S. on H-1B status without an additional $100,000 payment associated with their petition. Recommended actions for you to take:If you have H-1B status and are in the U.S.: Stay in the country for now, even if you have travel planned for the immediate future. We will continue to provide updates as more details are available.If you have H-4 dependent status: We also recommend you remain in the U.S., though the proclamation doesn’t specifically mention H-4 dependents.If you have H-1B or H-4 status and are outside the U.S.: Try to return before tomorrow’s deadline if possible. We realize this is short notice but returning soon is advisable and you should make every effort possible to clear U.S. customs before 12:00 a.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. PDT) on Sunday, September 21, 2025.At this time, if you have an H-1B or H-4 status and are unable to return before the deadline, we advise that you do not attempt to enter the U.S. until further guidance is provided.

A three-month Kindle Unlimited subscription is free for Amazon Prime members right now. A cool new perk recently became available for Prime members: for a limited time, you can get a three-month subscription to Kindle Unlimited. If your ebookshelf is looking bare, Amazon is currently offering a three-month subscription to Kindle Unlimited for free. The service typically costs $11.99 per month, so the deal saves you $35.97 over the course of the trial. Keep in mind that your subscription will automatically renew once the trial period is over. The discount is one of Amazon’s early Prime Big Deal Days deals (that’s a mouthful), dropping well ahead of the October 7th event. We’ll be on the hunt for more early deals as that date approaches.Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service that gives you access to a library of over four million books, thousands of audiobooks, and an assortment of magazines. You can download items from the Kindle Unlimited library onto — you guessed it — a Kindle, or any device with the Kindle app. The library is large enough that you should be able to find books in your favorite genres (perhaps by your favorite author, too) and three months is plenty of time to tear through a full series or two. You can browse the Kindle Unlimited library before subscribing to see if there’s any books you’re interested in. It has some must-reads, like The Canterbury Tales and the entire The Expanse series. If you’re reading on a device with a color screen, you can use Kindle Unlimited to read manga and comics, like Watchmen, The Batman Who Laughs, and Doomsday Clock: The Complete Collection, and get the full experience.  More deals our readers loved this weekThe entire iPhone 17 lineup (plus the iPhone Air) has been released, and we highly recommend getting a screen protector for your new phone. You can get a two-pack of amFilm’s OneTouch Screen Protector for the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro for $4.49 ($7.50 off) at Amazon with promo code EUZWG92J. The same code lets you get an iPhone 17 Pro Max screen protector for $4.99 ($7 off). AmFilm’s screen protector is made from tempered glass, has an anti-fingerprint coating that’ll keep your display looking sharp instead of smudged, and comes with an alignment guide to help you install it properly. Motorola’s budget-friendly Moto G Power 2025 has returned to its all-time low price of $249 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The unlocked smartphone has a 6.8-inch 120Hz LCD display, a 5,000mAh battery, and wireless charging support. It even has a 3.5mm headphone jack. The device has a combination IP68 and IP69, which offers full protection from dust, submersion under water, and exposure to high pressure water jets and steam.The latest Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is down to $89.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The tablet has a 10.1-inch 1080p display, 32GB of storage (you can pop in a microSD card for more space), and a battery that Amazon says lasts up to 13 hours. It’s also compatible with Amazon’s Stylus Pen and Bluetooth Keyboard Case, which are helpful if you want to use the tablet for sketching or long-form writing. The tablet has lockscreen ads, which won’t interrupt you when you’re using it, but you can pick up a model without advertisements on sale for $104.99 ($50 off) at Amazon.If you have a speedy internet connection, Nvidia’s GeForce Now lets you play PC games you own through an app — no expensive gaming rig required. Through September 25th, if you subscribe to the streaming service’s Ultimate tier ($199.99 per year), you can get a free copy of Borderlands 4 with purchase (redeemable on Steam). A GeForce Now Ultimate membership lets you play games in up to 4K and 240 frames per second, and gives you first priority access to machines so you can start playing quickly. The virtual PC you’re connected to will have either GeForce RTX 4080 or RTX 5080 graphics card, and will allow you to play over 4,000 compatible games across services, including Steam, Epic Games Store, and more. The 11-inch iPad Air (M3) with 128GB of storage is back to its all-time low price of $449 ($150 off at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart. It lasts up to 10 hours per charge, and its M3 processor is powerful enough to play games and run creative apps like Final Cut or DaVinci Resolve. It’s also a great choice if all you want is a nice screen for binging TV shows and movies on the couch, or in bed. If you need an even larger screen, the 128GB 13-inch M3 iPad Air is also on sale for $649 ($150 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. Read our review.Anker’s 622 Magnetic Battery can keep your devices charged without a cable, and it’s on sale for $27.99 ($20 off) at Amazon and from Anker with promo code WS7DV2P3I2ZP. The 5,000mAh MagSafe-compatible power bank has a maximum charging speed of 7.5 watts, and Anker says it holds enough juice to top up an iPhone 15 from zero to 84 percent. The battery’s built-in kickstand allows you to stand your phone up while it charges. Anker includes a USB-C to USB-C cable with the battery pack. 

In Henry Halfhead, you play through the life of a person named Henry. But there are a couple twists. Henry is only half of a head - just eyes, ears, nose, and the top of their head - meaning they move around by sliding on the floor and jumping up and down. Also, Henry can possess everyday objects. It's a strange concept, but the developers at Lululu Entertainment use the goofy ideas to tell a poignant story and have a lot of fun along the way.The game starts with Henry as a baby in their nursery, bouncing around the room to wreak havoc. As you play, you'll progress to different rooms and age up through different stages of Henry's life, and …Read the full story at The Verge.

I’ve been using Linux for several months now and haven’t regretted it for a second, but it does come with some drawbacks. When I left Windows behind, I also had to move on from my long-time favorite writing app, Scrivener.

We've covered many budget and mid-range gaming builds on XDA, but non-gaming PCs haven't gotten any attention lately. Well, this build guide intends to do just that. Non-gamers either build a no-nonsense starter build for a home office and casual gaming, or a workstation for professional needs. I intend to take the former as a foundation and tweak it accordingly for a performance-oriented rig, recommending components for each of the two builds.

Custom smart home dashboards on an external screen reduce the need to access the actual system. You can create stunning dashboards that display all your metrics on a small screen, which sits on your desk, your bedside stand, or the kitchen countertop, and is easily accessible. Adding a touchscreen to the mix allows you to interact with the dashboard and control all the connected devices. The first impulsive thought that comes to mind is using an old phone or a tablet, or purchasing a low-spec one to serve as a dashboard display. However, it isn't always a wise choice.

Windows has long been the dominant force when it comes to desktop operating systems, and there really isn't much room for debate there. It's got a massive lead on both macOS and Linux, and it's so ingrained in our society that a lot of Windows users have never known anything else. After all, ignorance is bliss, and Windows 11 works well enough if you don't know about the alternatives.

Starting Monday, the US government will get another crack at convincing a federal judge to break up Google, after a different judge decided to keep it intact despite finding it to be a monopolist.Lawyers for Google and the Justice Department will return to a federal courthouse in Alexandria, VA for a roughly two-week trial about how to restore competition to the advertising technology markets that Google illegally monopolized. It comes just weeks after DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta - who issued a historic ruling deeming Google a monopoly in online search - delivered his prescription for restoring competition to the online search marke …Read the full story at The Verge.