Just as new data centers face growing backlash from neighboring communities, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is about to make it harder for people to weigh in on any pollution those centers create.The EPA plans to toss out a federal rule requiring public notice and an opportunity to comment when certain industrial sites apply for an air permit. Advocates warn that the move would allow data center developers and other industries to break ground without giving nearby residents a say, or even a warning that construction is planned. "You can see why that would be so interesting to an administration that wants to rush through the …Read the full story at The Verge.

There's something really cute about retro hardware that has been shrunk down. Even as a set piece, they can be great little reminders of how far we've come with tech. However, miniaturised gadgets that now serve another purpose are even cooler, such as this alarm clock that's based on the classic Linksys WRT-54G router.

Although there’s a lot of overlap between home servers and Network-Attached Storage rigs, I keep my Proxmox experimentation nodes and TrueNAS backup systems separate for the most part. Sure, I may occasionally deploy OpenMediaVault on a Proxmox node just to tinker with cool features released in newer updates, but when it comes to storing backups or archiving old media, I stick to a separate TrueNAS machine that routinely syncs essential files with another remote rig armed with the same distro.

The unofficial version of DLSS 5 makes Jesse Faden’s features much more pronounced. | Image: gabdeg via YouTube Modders are trying out an unofficial version of Nvidia's DLSS 5 on Skyrim, Cyberpunk 2077, GTA V, and a bunch of other games after code for the AI upscaling tech appeared in an early-access build of NBA 2K27. Members of the RenoDX modding channel on Discord reportedly found a way to extract the DLSS "Neural Rendering" file and apply it to Control before it expanded to other games, as reported earlier by Notebook Check and VideoCardz.In one video, a person shows how Control protagonist Jesse Faden's facial features become more and less defined as they tweak various DLSS 5 settings enabled by the RenoDX modders. With the "Neural Uplift" sett …Read the full story at The Verge.

The first thing most of us do after building a PC is boot into the BIOS and change some settings before we even install Windows. We do that because motherboard manufacturers tend to play it safe with their default settings, which makes sense given how many different hardware configurations they need to support. After all, peak performance can't come at the cost of stability when those default settings serve as a decent starting point for just about everyone.

I love using Obsidian. This very article was written up using Obsidian notes and then an initial draft, making the app central to both my work and leisure. But like most productivity apps, even ones as feature-rich as Obsidian, struggle when it comes to using them on multiple devices. Synchronization is available via Obsidian's developer as a cloud-based subscription, but I wanted something I managed myself for free. Turns out, it's incredibly simple and takes a few minutes to get up and running.

You know the person blocking your view of the concert because their phone is swaying in the air, recording the entire thing? Get ready for the unfolded version of it.This week on The Vergecast, we dive right into the big week of Apple news. First, it's the refreshed Mac Mini and Mac Studio, as well as the new M6 and M5 Ultra chips. Apple is advertising them all as achievements in AI inference, but we're skeptical this is more than a marketing ploy for now. Then we get into the newly announced Apple event, why we're not expecting to see an iPhone 18, and whether the folding phone form factor is really good enough yet for Apple.After that, …Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple raised the price of its streaming service for new and current subscribers on Friday, bumping it up from $12.99 per month to $14.99, Deadline and Variety are reporting. An annual subscription now costs $119, up from $99. Apple also increased the cost of its individual Apple One subscription, which includes Apple TV and Apple's other subscription services, from $19.95 per month to $21.95. According to Deadline and Variety, the price change is effective immediately, and current subscribers will be notified of it before their next bill. This price hike comes almost exactly a year after Apple last increased its Apple TV subscription fe …Read the full story at The Verge.

Ever since I caught the self-hosting bug a year ago, I've spent enough time tinkering with Jellyfin to realize that its biggest improvements are not buried deep in its settings. Of course, it's impossible not to notice that using a self-hosted media server feels different from simply opening an app and pressing play. However, small hiccups are the name of the game when it comes to free and open-source software.

Confusion is a generally accepted side effect of mystery box shows. They slather on secrets with the promise of a satisfying payoff in the end, and sometimes the cast and crew even have a hard time following what's going on. But even by the standards of the genre, Dark Matter is extreme. Its multiversal premise, which involves a man kidnapping a version of himself from another world, can be hard to wrap your head around, and as the first season went on, things only got harder to follow. With the return of the show for season 2, I have both good and bad news: The show is more dramatic and thrilling than ever, while also being ever so much har …Read the full story at The Verge.

Adobe Acrobat has been my default PDF tool for years, but I started wondering if I was paying for far more than I actually needed. Most of my PDF work is pretty routine, so installing another heavy desktop application didn't make much sense to me.

Amazon and Best Buy have the TCL QM7L mini-LED TV on sale for as low as $797.99 for the 55-inch model, a $200 discount from the usual price. We spotted scaling discounts on larger sizes as well, although Amazon already listed low stock on the 65-inch version. While OLED televisions are great for deep black levels and great contrast, their high price point may be off-putting to some buyers. Mini-LED TVs like this TCL are a more wallet-friendly option, and have high brightness while also supporting features like Quantum Dots for vivid colors.TCL QM7LWhere to Buy: $997.99 $797.99 at Amazon (55-inch) $1499.99 $899.99 at Best Buy (65-inch)The QM7L also includes the features you’d expect from a premium television. The 144Hz refresh rate is supported by Variable Refresh Rate to reduce tearing and input lag while gaming, with HDR and Dolby Vision support for great image quality and contrast. The screens have Google TV onboard, with support for AirPlay 2 in case you want to stream from an Apple device.Other deals to considerStar Trek fans can pick up the Picard Legacy Collection on Blu-Ray for $137.49 from Amazon, a thirty percent discount from the normal price. This 54-disc set covers the entirety of Patrick Stewart’s legendary role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, including all seven seasons of The Next Generation, the four movies that accompanied the series, and all three seasons of Picard.The 5,000mAh Anker MagGo power bank is on sale for $29.99 (usually $49.95) at Amazon. This MagSafe-compatible battery pack charges devices for up to 15W wireless charging, or 20W through the USB-C port. Woot has the Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro on sale for $64.99, a 64 percent discount from its usual price of $179.99, and you can save an extra 25 percent by using code WOOTDOCK at checkout. This dock has a healthy selection of ports, including five USB-A, two Thunderbolt 3, and DisplayPort 1.4, giving laptops with limited connectivity access to plenty of peripherals and an extra screen.