Technologies
Apple and Google speak out against tech bills
The statements arrive before a Thursday Senate debate on an antitrust bill targeting the tech industry.
Apple sent a letter on Tuesday to Senate Judiciary Committee members warning against two antitrust bills that could impact the tech industry. Separately, Google released a blog post on Tuesday titled, «The harmful consequences of Congress’s anti-tech bills.» Apple’s letter and Google’s blog post arrive less than two days before a scheduled senate debate over S.2992, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act.
The legislation targets companies operating «covered platforms,» which essentially refers to a platform that has millions of monthly users and a market cap in the billions, and is a «critical trading partner for the sale or provision of any product or service offered on or directly related to the online platform.» One platform that would fall into this category is the App Store.
Right now, iPhone and iPad users can only access apps through the App Store. If S.2992 passes into law, iPhone users might be able to access third-party apps outside of the App Store. The letter from Apple details the privacy issues that could affect users by making it difficult for Apple to oversee the collection and management of user data by apps downloaded outside of the App Store. Apple wrote that the bills would let predators and scammers completely sidestep Apple’s protections.
«After a tumultuous year that witnessed multiple controversies regarding social media, whistleblower allegations of long-ignored risks to children and ransomware attacks that hobbled critical infrastructure, it would be ironic if Congress responds by making it much harder to protect the privacy and security of Americans’ personal devices,» Apple wrote.
Google’s blog post did not call out any bills by name. Instead, it referred to «anti-tech bills» and «antitrust law,» saying these measures could «break» online services like Google Search, Maps and Gmail. The post also detailed how the bills could degrade the security and privacy of Google services and harm US technological leadership.
The American Innovation and Choice Online Act was announced on October 14, 2021 and introduced by US Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Chuck Grassley.
«As dominant digital platforms — some of the biggest companies our world has ever seen — increasingly give preference to their own products and services, we must put policies in place to ensure small businesses and entrepreneurs still have the opportunity to succeed in the digital marketplace,» Sen. Klobuchar said.
The US Senate debate on the American Innovation and Choice Online Act is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20, at 9 a.m. ET.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 27, #399
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 27, No. 399.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tricky one. Hope you know your NBA history! If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Help athletes learn.
Green group hint: Statistics.
Blue group hint: From Sin City.
Purple group hint: Not Queens, but…
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Coach.
Green group: Seen in a baseball scorebug.
Blue group: UNLV
Purple group: Home cities of the NBA’s Kings franchise, over time.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is coach. The four answers are drill, instruct, school and teach.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is seen in a baseball scorebug. The four answers are count, inning, outs and score.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is UNLV. The four answers are Las, Nevada, University and Vegas.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is home cities of the NBA’s Kings franchise, over time. The four answers are Cincinnati, Kansas City, Rochester and Sacramento.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 27, #869
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Oct. 27, No. 869.
Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a fun mix of topics today. They’re not too tough but if you need help you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Reach out from a center point.
Green group hint: Barely.
Blue group hint: Decorative eats in a drink.
Purple group hint: Not two or three, but …
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Emanate.
Green group: In the slightest.
Blue group: Cocktail garnishes.
Purple group: ____ four.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is emanate. The four answers are branch, fan, radiate and spread.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is in the slightest. The four answers are just, merely, only and simply.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is cocktail garnishes. The four answers are cherry, mint, olive and twist.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ____ four. The four answers are connect, fab, fantastic and petit.
Technologies
Unlock Borderlands 4 Power: Try These Active SHiFT Codes ASAP
These are the latest SHiFT codes that unlock epic loot and cosmetics in Borderlands 4, but you must act quickly.
The biggest looter shooter of the year, Borderlands 4, is out, and players are already taking the fight to the Timekeeper on Kairos. If you want to put the beat down on someone strong enough to control time, then you’re going to need an arsenal of powerful weapons and equipment.
Luckily, developer Gearbox Software is willing to lend a helping hand. Instead of having to farm every piece of legendary equipment in-game, you can roll the dice on some loot with Golden Keys unlocked by SHiFT promo codes.
If you’re already swimming in more loot than you know what to do with, some SHiFT codes also unlock special cosmetic looks for your favorite vault hunters. Special in-game challenges have already unlocked promo codes for Amon, Rafa and Vex vault hunter skins, with a Harlowe skin unlocking soon. Here’s how to use the latest SHiFT codes in Borderlands 4.
All active SHiFT codes for Borderlands 4
You can hunt down SHiFT codes on social media, but we’ll keep all of the active promo codes in one place for ease of access.
Below, you’ll find a chart that contains every active SHiFT code for Borderlands 4, what it unlocks and its expiration date:
Active Borderlands 4 SHiFT codes
| Reward | SHiFT code | Expiration date |
|---|---|---|
| Vex Mass Market Appeal Skin | BZ6JJ-CB6CT-WXJJW-3TT3B-56FZ5 | Jan. 1, 2031 |
| Amon Cult Classic Skin | JZ6BJ-SBR5J-WF3BK-BT3BB-TX9HB | Dec. 31, 2030 |
| Rafa Savings Savior Skin | TZXT3-XJXCB-CXBJW-BTTJT-9SK6B | Dec. 31, 2030 |
| Break Free Cosmetics Pack | JS63J-JSCWJ-CFTBW-3TJ3J-WJS5R | Jan. 1, 2031 |
| Golden Key | TZR3T-JZJKJ-WXJTC-T33TB-RFCFR | Oct. 20, 2025 |
| Golden Key | 3S6TT-CZJWT-WXJT5-3B3BJ-JS3JZ | Oct. 20, 2025 |
| Golden Key | J96BJ-RZJWB-C6TJC-BBJJJ-5B5W9 | Oct. 20, 2025 |
| Golden Key | T9RJB-BFKRR-3RBTW-B33TB-KCZB9 | No expiration |
How to redeem SHiFT codes for your Borderlands 4 account
While SHiFT codes are totally free rewards for you to accumulate, you must make a SHiFT account to input any active codes in-game.
SHiFT is a service that Gearbox integrates into its biggest games, and making an account unlocks forums and exclusive beta participation. It’s also necessary to create an account to turn in any promo codes, which is what most fans care about.
Once your account is created, you can enter your SHiFT codes in two separate places. Within your SHiFT account settings, you can find a Rewards tab with a field to enter any Borderlands promo codes. Once you enter the codes, any unlocked items will be added to your account the next time you open the game.
However, an easier way to input your SHiFT codes is within Borderlands 4 itself. Within the game’s pause menu, you can access a SHiFT. Select the Rewards tab from the resulting menu, input your codes and the unlocked items will be immediately available on your save.
Where are SHiFT codes normally released?
SHiFT codes are released frequently on Gearbox and Gearbox-affiliated social media channels. For the best chance at catching every new SHiFT code that gets released, you should follow Gearbox on X and on Facebook.
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford also releases promos on his X account, so if you’re brave enough to follow him despite his frequent outbursts toward fans you can find SHiFT codes there as well.
What are SHiFT codes?
SHiFT codes are promo codes that Gearbox occasionally releases that reward players with loot and cosmetics in Borderlands games. The main SHiFT code reward is a Golden Key, which opens the Golden Chest in most Borderlands hub areas.
But don’t spend them immediately — it’s worth saving your Golden Keys until you reach the level cap and are playing on the hardest difficulty, as the loot rewards will scale to your character accordingly. This is a great way to begin farming some endgame legendaries quickly and easily.
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