Saturday, February 21, 2026
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No commentsSaturday, February 21, 2026System EngineerregisterNo commentsLas Vegas hotel and casino giant Wynn Resorts appears to be the latest victim of data-grabbing and extortion gang ShinyHunters.…
Saturday, February 21, 2026System EngineerbleepingcomputerNo commentsSaturday, February 21, 2026LiveStream This 27-Inch LG 4K Monitor Just Dropped to Under $200, LifehackerNo commentsWe may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Gamers and multi-taskers shouldn’t sleep on the 27-inch LG 27UP650K-W Ultrafine 4K monitor—like most options from LG, it’s a versatile and visually striking display with appeal for multimedia, gaming, and office usage. Right now, it’s cheaper than it's ever been at 30% off, bringing its price down from $279.99 to $196.99.
The monitor offers top-tier 4K clarity for a sub-$200 price tag, with Native 3840×2160 resolution on a 27-inch IPS panel. Its strong color accuracy with HDR400 makes it equally suitable for creative or media consumption. Additionally, it has wide viewing angles and reliable brightness (around 400 nits, which isn’t cinema-quality, but still impressive for a budget 4K monitor), which improves daytime visibility but is modest compared to pricier monitors. Users can adjust the monitor's pivot, tilt, and height, while HDMI and DisplayPort make it a good choice for most desk setups.
Given its 60Hz refresh rate, it’s better for work, watching movies, and casual gaming; competitive gamers might find it limiting. It also lacks USB-C connectivity, which is a con for those who use laptops like a MacBook. While it can’t offer the same as luxury displays, if you’re looking for a monitor that gets it all done, whether that’s light gaming, office work, media consumption, or content creation, the 27-inch LG 27UP650K-W Ultrafine 4K monitor is a strong budget 4K productivity and casual gaming monitor, particularly at less than $200 with its current discount.
Friday, February 20, 2026System EngineerregisterNo commentsSome AI advocates claim that bots hold the secret to mitigating climate change. But research shows that the reality is far different, as new datacenters cause power utilities to burn even more fossil fuels to meet their insatiable demand for energy.…
Friday, February 20, 2026LiveStream This iPhone Feature Can Save Your Life in an Emergency, LifehackerNo commentsThis week, an avalanche killed eight people who were on a backcountry skiing expedition on Lake Tahoe. One person is also missing, but presumed dead. This story is tragic, but, miraculously, six members of the group survived the disaster. According to the New York Times, those skiers were rescued thanks to a standard iPhone feature, Emergency SOS via satellite, which let them connect to emergency services from where they were trapped by snow.
If you have an iPhone, you probably have this feature available to you, as well. Better yet, it's not hard to activate in the event of an emergency, though it doesn't hurt to know exactly how it works ahead of time. This isn't the first time Emergency SOS via satellite was credited with saving lives during disasters, and knowing about it now could potentially save your life in a future emergency.
You might be familiar with your iPhone's Emergency SOS feature—you may have even set it off accidentally when clicking the buttons too many times in a row. Emergency SOS makes it easy to quickly dial 911 in the event of an emergency.
But Emergency SOS via satellite is different. This feature connects you to emergency services when you're in an area with no cellular service. Where a typical 911 call would route through your carrier's network, Emergency SOS via satellite connects your call or message to the nearest satellite above your head. That means, so long as conditions are right, you're able to contact emergency services from basically anywhere in the world, regardless of whether that area is covered by cell networks.
Of course, since communications are being routed via satellite, the experience is much different than a standard cellular connection. Apple says that in "ideal conditions" with a clear sky, it might take 30 seconds for messages to send. Less ideal conditions, say, if your view of the sky is blocked by trees, could slow a message down to 60 seconds or more.
Apple first launched this feature with the iPhone 14, but since iOS 18, you've been able to text anyone via satellite. The principle is the same, but you can reach out to friends and family rather than 911. If there's an emergency, but not one you need police, fire fighters, or EMTs for, this can connect you to close friends no matter where you are.
To connect to satellite with your iPhone, you'll need an iPhone 14 or later. You'll also need to be running iOS 16.1 in the U.S. and Canada, though other regions have their own software requirements. The feature is currently available in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the U.S.
You won't have the option to connect to satellite services when you have a connection, either cellular or wifi. Instead, the option appears when you have no service. Once this happens, iOS' Connection Assistant will ask if you want to connect to satellite. If you miss the prompt, you can launch it from the Cellular tile in Control Center, or from Settings > Satellite.
Once the Connection Assistant launches, it'll walk you through connecting to your nearest satellite, including with on-screen visuals, but here's the gist: You'll need to be outside with as clear a view of the sky as you can. Apple says that "light" to "medium" foliage from trees could slow down messages, while "dense" foliage, hills, mountains, or tall structures could prevent connection at all.
Apple says you can hold your iPhone as you usually would—no need to point it at the sky—but you may be instructed to move left or right depending on the location of the satellite. Apple also says the connection might not work in places above 62° latitude, which includes northern parts of Alaska.
Once connected, the first thing you should do is try calling 911. The call might go through even over satellite, but if it doesn't, you'll find the option to send an "Emergency Text." Tap this option, then choose the appropriate services (roadside assistance or emergency services.). You can also open the Messages app, text 911, then choose "Emergency Services." Here, tap "Report Emergency," then answer questions when prompted to describe the situation you're in. You can also choose to automatically notify emergency contacts that you contacted 911. From here, your iPhone shares all this information, along with your location, remaining iPhone battery life, and Medical ID (if set up), with responders.
Yes! (For now.) Since its launch, Emergency SOS via satellite has been free to use, though Apple officially says that the feature is free for two years after an iPhone is activated. The company pushed back that deadline for iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users last year, so no iPhone has actually had to pay for the feature yet. The company might continue to push it back, or begin charging, but there's no word on pricing at this time.
It's worth noting T-Mobile has its own satellite feature, as well. If you have the service, and an iPhone 13 or later, you could use their satellite connectivity services instead.
Friday, February 20, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsIn Formula One, grip is everything. The world's best engineers devote their careers to designing cars that maximize downforce and grip to squeeze every bit of performance out of a set of four humble tires. These cars punish their drivers by slinging them at six Gs through corners and offer similar levels of abuse in braking.
It's all wildly impressive, but I've long maintained that those drivers are not the ones having the most fun. When it comes to sheer enjoyment, grip is highly overrated, and if you want proof of that, you need to try ice racing.
Should you be lucky enough to live somewhere that gets cold enough consistently enough, all you need is a good set of tires and a car that's willing and able. That, of course, and a desire to spend more time driving sideways than straight. I've been ice racing for well over 20 years now, and I'm here to tell you that there's no greater thrill on four wheels than sliding through a corner a few inches astern of a hard-charging competitor.
Thursday, February 19, 2026LiveStreamTechNo commentsThursday, February 19, 2026System EngineerregisterNo commentsSpanish police arrested a hacker who allegedly manipulated a hotel booking website, allowing him to pay one cent for luxury hotel stays. He also raided the mini-bars and didn't settle some of those tabs, police say.…
Wednesday, February 18, 2026LiveStream This High-Capacity Anker Power Bank Gives You 200W Portable Charging for Just $80, LifehackerNo commentsWe may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
The Anker Prime 20,000mAh 200W Power Bank is built for the moments when your phone is at 3%, your laptop is at 8%, and there is no outlet in sight. Right now, it is selling for $79.99 on Woot, down from its listed $139.99. That is a $60 drop, or about 43% off. The same model is also $79.99 refurbished on Amazon, so this price puts a new unit on par with what you would normally pay for a refurb. Also, it comes with a two-year manufacturer's limited warranty. Shipping is free for Amazon Prime members, while others pay $6, and this deal runs for 11 more days or until it sells out.
This is a high-output power bank meant for more than topping off a phone. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, with a combined 200W total output. Each USB-C port can deliver up to 100W on its own, which is enough to charge two devices at full speed—Anker says it can boost an iPhone 16 Pro to 30% in 15 minutes. In practice, its 20,000mAh capacity translates to roughly three to four full smartphone charges or a significant recharge for a light laptop. Its digital display shows remaining battery percentage along with real-time input and output, so you can see exactly how much power is flowing in or out. When the battery itself runs low, it supports 100W input over USB-C and can recharge in about 1 hour and 15 minutes, provided you use a compatible high-wattage charger.
As for its portability, at 4.9 by 2.1 by 1.9 inches, it is compact for the power it offers, but it is still heavier than basic 10,000mAh banks. This makes more sense in a backpack than in a pocket. That said, it does not support app control, which may matter if you want deeper monitoring. For frequent travelers, remote workers, or anyone charging multiple devices at once, the performance matches the current price. For casual use, it may have more capacity and output than you actually need.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsNo one will supplant American and Chinese dominance in the space launch arena anytime soon, but several longtime US allies now see sovereign access to space as a national security imperative.
Taking advantage of private launch initiatives already underway within their own borders, several middle and regional powers have approved substantial government funding for commercial startups to help them reach the launch pad. Australia, Canada, Germany, and Spain are among the nations that currently lack the ability to independently put their own satellites into orbit but which are now spending money to establish a domestic launch industry. Others talk a big game but haven't committed the cash to back up their ambitions.
The moves are part of a wider trend among US allies to increase defense spending amid strained relations with the Trump administration. Tariffs, trade wars, and threats to invade the territory of a NATO ally have changed the tune of many foreign leaders. In Europe, there's even talk of fielding a nuclear deterrent independent of the nuclear umbrella provided by the US military.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026System EngineerbleepingcomputerNo commentsTuesday, February 17, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsHeating accounts for nearly half of the global energy demand, and two-thirds of that is met by burning fossil fuels like natural gas, oil, and coal. Solar energy is a possible alternative, but while we have become reasonably good at storing solar electricity in lithium-ion batteries, we’re not nearly as good at storing heat.
To store heat for days, weeks, or months, you need to trap the energy in the bonds of a molecule that can later release heat on demand. The approach to this particular chemistry problem is called molecular solar thermal (MOST) energy storage. While it has been the next big thing for decades, it never really took off.
In a recent Science paper, a team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and UCLA demonstrate a breakthrough that might finally make MOST energy storage effective.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026System EngineerregisterNo commentsCanada Goose says an advertised breach of 600,000 records is an old raid and there are no signs of a recent compromise.…
Monday, February 16, 2026System EngineerosnewsNo commentsHave you ever wanted to read the original design documents underlying the Windows NT operating system?
This binder contains the original design specifications for “NT OS/2,” an operating system designed by Microsoft that developed into Windows NT. In the late 1980s, Microsoft’s 16-bit operating system, Windows, gained popularity, prompting IBM and Microsoft to end their OS/2 development partnership. Although Windows 3.0 proved to be successful, Microsoft wished to continue developing a 32-bit operating system completely unrelated to IBM’s OS/2 architecture. To head the redesign project, Microsoft hired David Cutler and others away from Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Unlike Windows 3.x and its successor, Windows 95, NT’s technology provided better network support, making it the preferred Windows environment for businesses. These two product lines continued development as separate entities until they were merged with the release of Windows XP in 2001.
↫ Object listing at the Smithsonian
The actual binder is housed in the Smithsonian, although it’s not currently on display. Luckily for us, a collection of Word and PDF files encompassing the entire book is available online for your perusal. Reading these documents will allow you to peel back over three decades of Microsoft’s terrible stewardship of Windows NT layer by layer, eventually ending up at the original design and intent as laid out by Dave Cutler, Helen Custer, Daryl E. Havens, Jim Kelly, Edwin Hoogerbeets, Gary D. Kimura, Chuck Lenzmeier, Mark Lucovsky, Tom Miller, Michael J. O’Leary, Lou Perazzoli, Steven D. Rowe, David Treadwell, Steven R. Wood, and more.
A fantastic time capsule we should be thrilled to still have access to.
Monday, February 16, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsA recent study showed that Mars was warm and wet billions of years ago. The finding contrasts with another theory that this era was mainly cold and icy. The result has implications for the idea that life could have developed on the planet at this time.
Whether Mars was once habitable is a fascinating and intensely researched topic of interest over many decades. Mars, like the Earth, is about 4.5 billion years old and its geological history is divided into different epochs of time.
The latest paper relates to Mars during a time called the Noachian epoch, which extended from about 4.1 to 3.7 billion years ago. This was during a stage in solar system history called the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB). Evidence for truly cataclysmic meteorite impacts during the LHB are found on many bodies throughout the solar system.
Monday, February 16, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsOn Friday afternoon, Ars Technica published an article containing fabricated quotations generated by an AI tool and attributed to a source who did not say them. That is a serious failure of our standards. Direct quotations must always reflect what a source actually said.
That this happened at Ars is especially distressing. We have covered the risks of overreliance on AI tools for years, and our written policy reflects those concerns. In this case, fabricated quotations were published in a manner inconsistent with that policy. We have reviewed recent work and have not identified additional issues. At this time, this appears to be an isolated incident.
Ars Technica does not permit the publication of AI-generated material unless it is clearly labeled and presented for demonstration purposes. That rule is not optional, and it was not followed here.
Monday, February 16, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsIt was the image that launched a cultural icon. In 1967, in the Northern California woods, a 7-foot-tall, ape-like creature covered in black fur and walking upright was captured on camera, at one point turning around to look straight down the lens. The image is endlessly copied in popular culture—it’s even become an emoji. But what was it? A hoax? A bear? Or a real-life example of a mysterious species called the Bigfoot?
The film has been analysed and re-analysed countless times. Although most people believe it was some sort of hoax, there are some who argue that it’s never been definitively debunked. One group of people, dubbed Bigfooters, is so intrigued that they have taken to the forests of Washington, California, Oregon, Ohio, Florida, and beyond to look for evidence of the mythical creature.
But why? That’s what sociologists Jamie Lewis and Andrew Bartlett wanted to uncover. They were itching to understand what prompts this community to spend valuable time and resources looking for a beast that is highly unlikely to even exist. During lockdown, Lewis started interviewing more than 130 Bigfooters (and a few academics) about their views, experiences, and practices, culminating in the duo’s recent book "Bigfooters and Scientific Inquiry: On the Borderlands of Legitimate Science."
Sunday, February 15, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsNASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Saturday the agency is looking at ways to prevent the fueling problems plaguing the Space Launch System rocket before the Artemis III mission.
Artemis III is slated to be the first crew mission to land on the Moon since the Apollo program more than 50 years ago. As for Artemis II, which remains on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after missing a launch window earlier this month, NASA is preparing for a second countdown rehearsal as soon as next week to confirm whether technicians have resolved a hydrogen fuel leak that cut short a practice countdown run February 2.
Artemis II is the first crew flight for SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. The nearly 10-day mission will carry four astronauts around the far side of the Moon and return them to Earth.
Sunday, February 15, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsIt's Valentine's Day, and while there are plenty of classic and current rom-coms out there for those wishing to immerse themselves in warm and fuzzy feelings, we're opting to celebrate in a different way: honoring Ang Lee's 2000 masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a wuxia tragic fairy tale featuring one of the most beautifully heartbreaking love stories in film at its center. It's also got stunning cinematography and tons of awe-inspiring martial arts sequences, which makes it my personal perfect date night movie.
(Spoilers below, but we will give you a heads up before the major reveals.)
The film is adapted from a 1940s novel by Wang Dulu and is set sometime during the Qing dynasty, which lasted from 1644 through 1912. (No specific date is given.) The title is a direct translation of a line from a 6th century Chinese poem: "behind the rock in the dark probably hides a tiger, and the coiling giant root resembles a crouching dragon." It's generally interpreted as a description of legendary martial arts masters living un-noticed and/or hiding in plain sight—until someone picks a fight, that is. And some of those hidden masters are women.
Sunday, February 15, 2026LiveStreamTechNo commentsSunday, February 15, 2026System EngineerTech CENTRALNo commentsSaturday, February 14, 2026System EngineerregisterNo commentsThe Trump administration has outlined the first 26 goals for its project to inject AI into the government's scientific research, and everything from securing critical minerals to discovering a unified theory of physics is on the table. …
Saturday, February 14, 2026System EngineerbleepingcomputerNo commentsSaturday, February 14, 2026LiveStream The Easiest (and Cheapest) Ways to Turn Your Attic Into Useful Storage Space, LifehackerNo commentsWe may earn a commission from links on this page.
If you own a home with an unfinished attic, you’ve probably thought about all that precious space and how you might make it more useful. Your attic already serves an important purpose in temperature and moisture regulation in the house, of course, but that doesn’t mean it can’t do more. If you’ve got the budget, you can transform an attic into a bedroom or office space, or a crisp, well-lit storage option.
If you don’t have the budget to really build out your attic, though, you can still make it into a more useful space, even if it’s small or slightly scary. With just a few modest purchases (and possibly some sweat equity), you can make your attic an ideal storage space.
Your first step towards making your attic useful is to make it safe to walk around. Even if your attic is shallow and standing up straight is impossible, having a stable surface will reduce your chances of falling through the ceiling.
Putting down plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) is a cheap and relatively easy option, but it’s also labor-intensive and pretty permanent. If you want a faster solution, floor panels like these from Attic Dek are sized to fit most standard joist spacings and are designed to just snap together, allowing you to quickly drop a floor into place without needing to cut them. They come with screws, and it’s a good idea to secure them in place, but if you just need a temporary floor that can bear weight (up to 250 pounds) you can just click them into place and bolt them down later.
If your attic isn’t wired up or lacks light fixtures, you don’t need to hire an electrician and spend a mountain of cash. Just pick up one or two of these rechargeable ceiling lights and stick them to the ceiling or overhead joist (literally—you place a magnetic sticker on the ceiling and that holds the light in place—no screws required). It’s motion-activated, so every time you haul yourself up into the attic, the light will come on and save you from stumbling about in the dark.
Once you have a sturdy, safe floor in your attic, you can start installing storage options. You could, of course, just pile up some boxes or bins and call it a day, but you can do a lot better than that without breaking the bank:
Installing some hanging rods designed for slanted surfaces (like an attic ceiling or rafters) will give you the option of hanging clothing or storage bags without cluttering up the floor.
A few cheap, adjustable shelving units like this one can add all the shelf space you need to keep bins of stuff organized and off the floor, making it easy to store or retrieve items.
If your attic is tight and trusses make it difficult to store anything, you can install some truss-friendly shelving. This can be a relatively easy DIY job involving screwing some support brackets into the trusses (as seen here). If you don’t have a floor in your attic, you have to avoid placing heavy storage boxes or bins directly on insulation—compressed insulation isn’t very effective. You can purchase some truss brackets that support plastic bins or other storage boxes off the floor.
Once you’ve got storage, you need a way to get stuff up into the attic, which can be more challenging than you expect. Carrying awkward, heavy boxes up flimsy, pull-down attic stairs is a recipe for accidents, so consider rigging up some mechanical assistance. You can spend a fair amount of money on a fancy lift system that will make bringing stuff up to your attic pretty easy, but if that’s too rich for your blood, you could opt for a simpler winch system that will allow you to haul up to 440lbs of stuff up there at a time. If that’s still a little too much, you could also opt for a classic pulley system, using good old-fashioned mechanical advantage to get your stuff up into the attic.
Saturday, February 14, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsThere are plenty of unanswered questions about the origin of life on Earth. But the research community has largely reached consensus that one of the key steps was the emergence of an RNA molecule that could replicate itself. RNA, like its more famous relative DNA, can carry genetic information. But it can also fold up into three-dimensional structures that act as catalysts. These two features have led to the suggestion that early life was protein-free, with RNA handling both heredity and catalyzing a simple metabolism.
For this to work, one of the reactions that the early RNAs would need to catalyze is the copying of RNA molecules, without which any sort of heritability would be impossible. While we've found a number of catalytic RNAs that can copy other molecules, none have been able to perform a key reaction: making a copy of themselves. Now, however, a team has found an incredibly short piece of RNA—just 45 bases long—that can make a copy of itself.
We have identified a large number of catalytic RNAs (generically called ribozymes, for RNA-based enzymes), and some of them can catalyze reactions involving other RNAs. A handful of these are ligases, which link together two RNA molecules. In some cases, they need these molecules to be held together by a third RNA molecule that base pairs with both of them. We've only identified a few that can act as polymerases, which add RNA bases to a growing molecule, one at a time, with each new addition base pairing with a template molecule.
Friday, February 13, 2026LiveStreamTechNo commentsFriday, February 13, 2026System EngineerbleepingcomputerNo commentsFriday, February 13, 2026LiveStream Apple Just Patched Its First Zero-Day Security Vulnerability of 2026, LifehackerNo commentsIt's once again time to update your Apple devices. The company just released a whole host of security patches, including a fix for an actively exploited zero-day affecting iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. These updates arrived alongside the official release of iOS 26.3, which includes features like more seamless data transfer between iPhone and Android. Other security patches address bugs in Photos, VoiceOver, and Screenshots, to name a few.
According to Apple's latest security bulletin, the zero-day—tracked as CVE-2026-20700—is a memory corruption issue in dyld, Apple's "Dynamic Link Editor." The flaw could allow attackers with memory write capability to execute arbitrary code—or, in other words, run their own code on your device.
Apple says that the vulnerability may have been exploited in an "extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals" in earlier versions of iOS alongside CVE-2025-14174 and CVE-2025-43529. Those at greatest risk with this bug are likely high-profile users with access to sensitive data—users who might be inclined to use Apple's Lockdown Mode—but everyone should install the update to patch the issue.
The patch for this flaw is available for the following iOS and iPadOS devices, in addition to all Macs that run macOS Tahoe:
iPhone 11 and later
iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later
iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later
iPad Air 3rd generation and later
iPad 8th generation and later
iPad mini 5th generation and later
You should have automatic updates enabled to ensure you receive critical security patches ASAP, but you can confirm that you're on the latest OS version under Settings > General > Software Update. As a reminder, Apple won't message you urging you to click links, download attachments, or install apps related to security updates. Always go through your device settings to receive official fixes.
Friday, February 13, 2026LiveStreamTechnical storiesNo commentsIt's been about a month since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—an anti-vaccine activist and lawyer who has no background in medicine, health, or science—released dietary guidance for Americans. It's going about as well as expected for a man who drinks raw milk, peddles beef tallow, swims in sewage-tainted water, and keeps roadkill meat in his freezer. That is to say, it's going badly—so badly that even his favorite AI chatbot is openly defecting.
Of course, this hasn't slowed Kennedy. On Wednesday, he and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins held an event in Washington, DC, to celebrate what they called the "implementation" of the dietary guidance, which is represented in an upside-down food pyramid—or a funnel.
However, the event, which lasted about an hour, seemed mostly focused on honoring a commercial produced to promote the nutrition guidance and a new website showcasing it, RealFood.gov. That commercial, which aired during last weekend's Super Bowl, featured tightly framed shots of world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who made stigmatizing remarks about how he felt "fat and nasty" earlier in life and consequently "just wanted to kill myself." He went on to decry America's "obese, fudgy" people and lambasted "processed food," before eating an apple.
Thursday, February 12, 2026System EngineerregisterNo commentsPromo AI projects fail at scale not because models don't work or GPUs lack performance. They fail because data can't keep pace.…
Thursday, February 12, 2026LiveStream How Did the FBI Get Nancy Guthrie's Nest Doorbell Footage?, LifehackerNo commentsLike millions of Americans, I've been watching the news of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance with concern—so I was somewhat relieved when the FBI announced they were releasing new footage of a suspect. Finally, the case had something to go on, even if it was only doorbell video of a masked stranger.
When I saw the footage, I assumed this was something the FBI had in their possession since the beginning, and had finally decided to release to the public. But that's not what happened at all. If you have been following this case closely, you may know that law enforcement had previously confirmed that Guthrie's Google Nest camera was disconnected (presumably by the perpetrator), and that she did not have a subscription that would store video either on the doorbell or in the cloud. Yet despite the fact the doorbell should have been a dead end, the FBI has seemingly produced this video out of thin air.
If you have a Google Nest device in or attached to your home, this might give you pause. Sure, it's one thing if law enforcement is able to obtain video from your subscription or from the device itself. But if you don't keep video records on your Nest, it seems it is still possible to retrieve the footage. How did the FBI do this, and what does it mean for the privacy of your Nest devices?
The short answer is that we don't really know for sure how the FBI got the footage, but there are a few leads. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the Google Nest footage was recovered "from residual data located in backend systems." That's pretty vague, though the FBI isn't necessarily known for its transparency.
According to experts that spoke to NBC News, however, it is possible to obtain data from the "complex infrastructure" of cloud-based cameras, including Google Nest devices. Retired FBI agent Timothy Gallagher told NBC News that Guthrie's Nest camera might have sent images to Google's cloud service, or at least stored data points locally throughout the hardware of the device, even though she wasn't paying for a Nest subscription. The FBI could have obtained the footage from the cloud this way, or pieced together the video from those data points.
Both possibilities track, based on how Nest cameras work without a subscription: While you need to pay Google in order to save video clips from your Nest cameras, some Nest devices record event histories and store them on-device. The third-gen wired Nest Doorbell can save up to 10 seconds of clips, while the first and second-gen wired doorbells can save up to three hours of event history, all without a subscription. They also support live video feeds when motion is detected, which could impact the video data points saved to the device or cloud.
It's entirely possible the subject walking up to the camera triggered the doorbell to save an event history. But since it took the FBI so long to produce the footage, and since the director claims it was obtained from "residual data," my guess is it wasn't readily available in Guthrie's Google Home app. Maybe the event history saved to the cloud, but it wasn't clear where it was located. Maybe it was overwritten, but the FBI was able to build it back up with recovered data points. My guess would learn toward the latter, as authorities did say the camera had been disconnected. Unfortunately, we don't have a definitive answer at this time, even if the theory is sound.
I've reached out to Google for comment, and will update this piece if I hear back.
Based on what we know, it doesn't really seem like your Nest doorbell or camera is a fourth amendment disaster waiting to happen—but I don't blame anyone for being concerned. After all, if you don't have a Nest subscription, you might have been comforted by the thought that none of your footage was being saved anywhere, meaning law enforcement or other authorities would have nothing to seize if you somehow popped up on their radar. That doesn't necessarily appear to be the case.
That said, without a subscription, you don't have access to a collection of all clips your Nest camera has ever recorded. You might have a limited event history saved, based on motion detection, but that will be limited to three hours of data. Your device might have data points that an organization like the FBI could theoretically use to restore footage, but that's likely true for any camera or smart doorbell system—not just Nest.
Also, this is not a Ring situation—Google hasn't partnered with organizations like Flock to help law enforcement request footage from users. Nest also lacks Ring's "Search Party" feature, which can turn a neighborhood into a kind of surveillance state, and probably not just to search for lost dogs. I'm not dismissing every security and privacy concern, of course: By putting a commercially-available smart camera on your front door, you are placing your data in the hands of companies like Google or Amazon. If you want to eliminate the risk of the FBI obtaining your doorbell footage, you simply can't have a doorbell with a camera. But barring a warrant, or a Nancy Guthrie-level situation, the chances of your Nest doorbell footage actually being used against you seem rather slim.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026LiveStreamTechNo commentsWednesday, February 11, 2026System EngineerbleepingcomputerNo commentsWednesday, February 11, 2026LiveStream This LG 77-Inch OLED TV Is Half Off Right Now, LifehackerNo commentsWe may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
LG has some of the best OLED TVs on the market, from entry-level models that suit a lower budget to ultra-premium, high-tech options. If you want OLED-quality performance from a reliable brand without breaking the bank, the LG B5 is an intuitive smart TV with the brand’s signature vivid color, contrast-rich visuals, and strong gaming features. Right now, this 77-inch LG B5 OLED TV is $1,500 off at Best Buy in a Presidents Day Deal, bringing its original $2,999.99 price tag down to $1,499.99.
The B5 is LG’s most affordable 2025 OLED TV, and its biggest draw is excellent OLED picture quality, with true blacks, strong color accuracy, and detailed contrast (as well as built-in burn-in mitigation). It’s suitable for both streaming and gaming, with 4K resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate with low input lag and VRR, G-Sync, and FreeSync support, as well as HDMI 2.1 ports. It uses the easy-to-navigate webOS platform and includes a range of streaming apps, free channels, and AI features like AI Voice ID, which can recognize individual viewers and switch to their profile.
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Tuesday, February 10, 2026LiveStream Discord Is About to Force You to Prove Your Age, LifehackerNo commentsOn Monday, Discord announced its plan to begin rolling out mandatory age verification globally. Starting in March, new and existing accounts will start moving over to a "teen-by-default" setting, which will lock certain chats and features away until the account's owner proves they're an adult. Here's what you'll lose, how to get it back, and for good measure, what your other options are.
In its announcement, Discord said the new age verification settings will start with a "phased global rollout" in March, so it may be some time until it hits you. However, once the changes make their way to your region, you'll lose access to the following features until you verify your age:
Age-restricted channels and servers: This is the most obvious one. Any channels that are set to adults only will now be off-limits to your account until you verify your age. In some cases, this could include whole servers, or depending on the server, certain app commands.
Spicy content: Until you verify your age, Discord's content filters will be active for you, and the app will blur any images it thinks are too sensitive or graphic.
Message requests: Direct messages from people you don't know will now go to a separate inbox.
Speaking in Stages: Accounts that aren't age-verified won't be able to speak in Stage channels, which are livestreams where a few server members can broadcast to everyone on the server at once.
Warnings on friend requests: This one adds something rather than taking it away. Until you verify your age, you'll now see a warning prompt when getting a friend request from someone you don't know.
Discord has two ways to verify your age, though it will tell you if you need to go through the process. To the platform's credit, it won't suddenly strip away a bunch of features from you without explanation.
To start verifying your age on Discord, either click Get Started on a prompt the platform should send you once age verification hits your region, or navigate to User Settings > My Account > Age Group to see your age group and verify from there.
Now, you can either take a video selfie or scan a valid government ID. For video selfies, just select Take a selfie from the verification page, follow the on-screen instructions, and click Done to submit. For verifying through a government ID, select Use your ID, scan the provided QR code with your mobile device, take a clear photo of your ID on said device, and tap Done to submit.
Discord says that video selfies used for age verification are processed purely on-device, and that while photos of government IDs do go to "vendor partners" for verification, they are "deleted quickly—in most cases, immediately after age confirmation."
Once you've submitted your video selfie or ID, the app will then begin the process of assigning you an "age group," which you'll be able to see under User Settings > My Account > Age Group. Discord says most users only need to verify once, but that you might need to provide a government ID in addition to a video selfie if the app can't confidently determine your age from just a face scan. You're also able to attempt re-verification at any time, but if the app determines that you're under the 13-year-old minimum for using Discord, your account will be banned. (You can appeal this and attempt to re-instate your Discord account via an ID.)
According to Discord, the age verification process "typically takes just a few minutes," and you'll get a notification and DM once it's completed.
As countries around the world add new laws for age verification online (Discord mentions the UK and Australia in particular), it seems like Discord is just throwing its hands up and deciding to play it as safe as possible by taking the feature global. The move mimics similar decisions from Google, ChatGPT, and Roblox, but even adult users might be uncomfortable with it, since they'll need to show the company—and the company's third-party processors—personal identifying information to comply with it.
If that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, there are a few Discord alternatives you can try that don't yet require age verification, although they might not completely match the app's feature set:
Slack: Discord basically stole Slack's entire flow, and that's great news for anyone looking for a Discord alternative. About the only Discord feature missing here is persistent voice channels, although you can still talk to others over voice using huddles. Slack can be a strong Discord replacement or supplement to another Discord replacement, but if you're a teen looking for a new home, be careful. Technically, users under 16 are banned from Slack, according to the app's terms of service.
TeamSpeak: TeamSpeak has been updated since the 2000s to match many of Discord's features, including adding persistent chat channels. However, it's still lagging behind on some features, like video chat. Additionally, only 32 users can be in a free TeamSpeak server at a time. This is what I used as a teen before moving onto other platforms.
Mumble and Ventrilo: These are no-frills, voice-first clients that primarily focus on privacy and low latency connections, with Mumble even being open source. They aren't as robust as Discord, but they could serve as a strong voice channel supplement to another Discord alternative, like Slack.
