Though there's no shortage of AI tools for productivity out there, Google's AI-powered research assistant, NotebookLM, is one of the few that's packed with features that make it worth using.

I’ve always had a soft spot for classic games, so I decided to dedicate my Intel N100 mini PC to retro gaming. It’s compact, quiet, and surprisingly powerful for the price, which made it a great candidate for emulation. With the right software and a few tweaks, I turned it into an all-in-one machine that plays everything from the Atari 2600 to the PlayStation 2. Best of all, it boots right into my game library and feels like a purpose-built console.

There are a ton of customization apps out there for Windows 11, and many of them stake their identity on bringing back fan-favorite UI elements from years past. Tools such as Start11, StartAllBack, and Open-Shell are all great examples of this, but recently, another project came to light with this purpose, and it's quite an interesting one.

When it comes to seamless task management and ultimate productivity, finding the right tool can make all the difference. I have tried dozens of such all-in-one tools, but none of them really clicked for me. However, during my self-hosting journey, I came across YouTrack, and it ticked all the right boxes for me.

Rematch, the latest game from developer Sloclap, best known for making Sifu, is a multiplayer soccer game which can comedically be described as Rocket League with people instead of cars. While that pitch might sound silly and bland, Sloclap has developed an incredibly deep and intricate multiplayer experience. An experience, despite my own lack of skill, that has me excited about a sports game without the word "Mario" in the title for the first time in a long time. As someone who loves watching sports, but has never loved the experience of playing in the big sports simulation games like Madden and MLB The Show, Rematch feels like a unique experience out of the bunch, mixing arcade sports with deep simulation, and one I would love to see extended to other sports in the future.

Summer break is the perfect time to turn curiosity into hands-on learning, especially with a Raspberry Pi in the mix. Whether your kid is just getting into tech or already loves tinkering, these projects offer a fun way to build new skills. They blend creativity with real-world tech experience, utilizing inexpensive hardware and ample room for customization. With a bit of setup and encouragement, any of these can become a launchpad for a summer filled with discovery.

A screenshot from Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. | Image: Pocket Trap / PM Studios, Inc When I was a kid, there was a moment when it felt like everyone was obsessed with yo-yos. I never got better than just being able to make the yo-yo go up and down. But with Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, I could pretend like I was halfway decent - all while playing a silly game that feels like a spiritual successor to the Game Boy Advance titles I loved growing up.Pipistrello is a top-down adventure game, in which you use your yo-yo to attack enemies and traverse the world. You play as Pippit, a goofy bat who has dreams of yo-yo excellence but is also a freeloader who relies on financial support from his wealthy aunt, an energy magnate. In the opening minutes of the game, the aunt gets merged with your yo-yo as four big baddies steal her Mega Batteries, and your goal is to get the batteries back and help free her.The game is quite charming. Pippit is a lovable doofus, and you'll also be tasked with ridiculous missions like rounding up people for a soccer fan club so you can get easier access to a stadium run by a corrupt boss, who wants people to gamble. The pixel art is great, too - it looks exactly like what I remember from GBA games, even though I played Pipistrello on my …Read the full story at The Verge.

If you have been using Windows for a while, you are likely familiar with the System32 folder. It is located in the C:WindowsSystem32 directory and was introduced back with Windows 2000 (remember that version?). It contains several files that are essential for Windows to function correctly.

It has become almost impossible to browse the internet without having an AI-generated video thrust upon you. Open basically any social media platform, and it won't be long until an uncanny-looking clip of a fake natural disaster or animals doing impossible things slides across your screen. Most of the videos look absolutely terrible. But they're almost always accompanied by hundreds, if not thousands, of likes and comments from people insisting that AI-generated content is a new art form that's going to change the world.That has been especially true of AI clips that are meant to appear realistic. No matter how strange or aesthetically inconsistent the footage may be, there is usually someone proclaiming that it's something the entertainment industry should be afraid of. The idea that AI-generated video is both the future of filmmaking and an existential threat to Hollywood has caught on like wildfire among boosters for the relatively new technology. The thought of major studios embracing this technology as is feels dubious when you consider that, oftentimes, AI models' output simply isn't the kind of stuff that could be fashioned into a quality movie or series. That's an impre …Read the full story at The Verge.

Over the years, software keeps evolving and shifting into something else entirely. Apps we once knew and loved become totally different, or they might just get replaced by alternatives that usurp their popularity. But something that's truly good is always good, and some pieces of software prove that you don't need continuous updates to have value.

I recently got a new ergonomic chair to go with the motorized standing desk in my work setup. The idea was to improve the ergonomics when sitting and working for long hours, since bad posture and slouching can lead to severe health issues in the long run. Apart from a good desk and chair, there are a few other parameters to take care of when working on a computer. For instance, your monitor needs to be at eye level, your arms should be parallel to the ground when typing, and your feet should rest flat on the ground. While the first two requirements were met in my existing setup, my feet weren't always in contact with the ground.

The insights are more repackaging data you already know with common sense advice than deductive analysis. After nearly a decade of wearables testing, I've amassed a truly terrifying amount of health and fitness data. And while I enjoy poring over my daily data, there's one part I've come to loathe: AI summaries. Over the last two years, a deluge of AI-generated summaries has been sprinkled into every fitness, wellness, and wearable app. Strava introduced a feature called Athlete Intelligence, pitched as AI taking your raw workout data and relaying it to you in "plain English." Whoop has Whoop Coach, an AI chatbot that gives you a "Daily Outlook" report summarizing the weather, your recent activity and recovery metrics, and workout suggestions. Oura added Oura Advisor, another chatbot that summarizes data and pulls out long-term trends. Even my bed greets me with summaries every morning of how its AI helped keep me asleep every night. Each platform's AI has its nuances, but the typical morning summary goes a bit like this:Good morning! You slept 7 hours last night with a resting heart rate of 60 bpm. That's in line with your weekly average, but your slightly elevated heart rate suggests you may not be fully recovered. If you feel tired, try going to bed earlier tonight. Health is …Read the full story at The Verge.