Technologies

Enjoy Increased Speeds With Discounts of Up to 52% on This Internal M.2 SSD

Today only, grab an internal solid-state gaming drive with up to 2TB of storage to upgrade your computer.

Having enough space on your devices can be tricky. And if you’re a gamer, you know how difficult it is, especially if you want to maintain a large gaming library. Storage often comes at a premium, which makes finding great deals that much more important.

Whether you want to upgrade your current computer or need to snag a drive for a new build, you can get the SK Hynix Gold P31 PCIe NVMe SSD at a bargain today at Amazon. Drives are available with 500GB, 1TB and 2TB of storage, with prices discounted by up to 52%. These offers expire tonight, so make your purchase sooner rather than later if you want to cash in on these deals.

See at Amazon

If you’re looking for solid performance and safe storage for your entire gaming library, the SK Hynix is a solid bet. It delivers read speeds up to 3,500 MB/s and write speeds of up to 3,200 MB/s, so it’s the perfect thing to speed up your computer. Plus, the Gold P31 has more thermal efficiency than comparable products, helping it to stay cool. And with SK Hynix edition Macrium cloning software for data transfers and OS migration, setup won’t take long. Your purchase also comes with a five-year protection plan, for added peace of mind.

If you need the extra space, getting the high-capacity 2TB version may be your best best. It’s discounted by $58 right now, bringing the price down to $150. But if you’re looking for the best deal of the day, check out the 1TB drive. It’s marked down by a whopping 52% right now. That’s an $87 savings, meaning you’ll pay just $80 if you buy it today. However, if you’re looking for bottom-dollar prices and just need a boost to your current storage, you can get the 500GB model for $46 right now (save $24).

Note that these solid-state drives are intended for gaming and are compatible with most modern laptops and desktops, but you will need to check your specific model to make sure you can use it. To be clear, these drives are not compatible with Sony’s PlayStation 5, so if you’re looking to expand space and speed on your PS5, you’ll want to check out these drives instead.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 11

Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.