Technologies
Some Apple shareholders want a civil rights audit
The tech giant has faced accusations of allowing a hostile work environment to grow under its majority white and male leadership.

Apple shareholders will likely vote next year year on a proposal tied to online criticism the company has faced from some of its employees, calling for a civil rights audit after victims detailed stories of harassment and abuse at the company. It also comes after the US National Labor Relations Board began investigations into complaints filed by two former employees.
The proposal, earlier reported by MarketWatch, seeks to draw attention to Apple’s employee base, which is 47% white and 66% male, according to the company’s public data. The shareholders told MarketWatch that despite Apple’s public commitments to support racial justice, its progress diversifying its own ranks has been slow.
«It is unclear how Apple plans to address racial inequality in its workforce,» the proposal, shared with MarketWatch, says. «Apple currently has no Hispanics and only one Black member on its executive team.»
SOC Investment Group, which reported owning 22 million shares of Apple stock earlier this year, worked on the proposal with Trillium Asset Management, which earlier reported owning more than 1 million shares of Apple. The Service Employees International Union was also reportedly involved. The proposal is expected to be voted on during Apple’s 2022 shareholder meeting; last year’s meeting occurred in February.
Apple declined to comment. Representatives from SOC, Trillium and the SEIU didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The move is the latest in a series of public efforts to draw attention to Apple’s corporate culture at a time of intense scrutiny. Employees have publicly accused the tech giant of allowing a hostile work environment to develop in parts of the company. Apple’s ultra-secretive work culture, they say, is unintentionally adding to this problem by discouraging people from speaking up about these issues.
Apple isn’t the only company facing these types of questions. Current and former employees at Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Pinterest have also raised concerns, speaking out on a range of issues, including workplace harassment.
What’s notable about Apple is how unusual it is for its workers to publicly criticize the company. Earlier this year, a group of employees published an open letter to CEO Tim Cook and the company’s senior leadership, asking the tech giant to improve how it treats its 160,000 employees and «fulfill its promise of inclusion, diversity and equity.»
In the letter, the group asked for increased privacy over personal information; transparent and fair compensation; an audit of all relationships with other companies; increased accountability across leadership and human resource teams; and a process for sharing group concerns. The letter also asks for a reinvestigation of all reports of «racism, discrimination, abuse, harassment, concerted activity suppression and retaliation» at Apple.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 25, #806
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Aug. 25, #806.

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 was all over the place for me. I solved the blue category right away, but did not even see the purple theme coming. 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 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: A bad situation.
Green group hint: Tiny circles.
Blue group hint: Frosty the Snowman smoked one.
Purple group hint: Not up.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Predicament.
Green group: Small spherical things.
Blue group: Pipe-smoking accessories.
Purple group: What «down» might mean.
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 predicament. The four answers are fix, jam, mess and pickle.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is small spherical things. The four answers are mothball, pea, pearl and pom-pom.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is pipe-smoking accessories. The four answers are filter, lighter, pipe cleaner and tamper.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is what «down» might mean. The four answers are feathers, guzzle, sad and willing.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 25 #540
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Aug. 25, No. 540.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Some students have been back to school for weeks, but others see that first day looming large. Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has a timely related theme. If you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: Back to school.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Stock your locker.
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
- PACK, PACT, TOLL, LAPS, SLAP, SLAT, LOST, BOOK, BOOKS, CRAP
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
- LAPTOP, FOLDERS, BACKPACK, NOTEBOOKS, CALCULATOR
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is SUPPLIES. To find it, look for the S that is five letters down on the far-right row, and wind backwards.
Technologies
Back-to-School Deal: Tello’s Unlimited Plan Gets You Cell Service for $15 Per Month Your First 3 Months
Tello’s back-to-school deal lets you save big on cellphone service, but you have until Monday to take advantage of this discount.

The cost of every day basics continues to go up, but we take great pride in looking for ways to help you cut your expenses wherever you can. If you haven’t considered switching phone plans, maybe it’s time to do just that. Phone plans are a necessary line item on everyone’s budget, but switching to a cheaper one can help you save money every monty — which adds up over time.
If you’re looking to make a change, Tello is offering Unlimited phone plans for just $15 per month for your first three months this back-to-school season. You pay this as a $45 upfront payment rather than month to month, which may be preferable for some customers. After your initial three-month period on the Tello plan, the price reverts to the usual cost of $25 per month. But this deal is available only to new Tello customers until Monday.
Tello offers 5G and 4G LTE nationwide coverage so you can reliably get through phone calls or surf the internet. The plan includes unlimited data, 35GB of high-speed data, and free Wi-Fi and hotspot calling. US plans include free calls and texts to more than 60 countries, including Canada, India and Mexico. Data speeds slow down after you use your 35GB. Tello allows you to bring your own phone or lets you get a new one for a separate fee.
Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.
If you’re looking for an even more budget-friendly plan, you can also consider their 2GB plans for $10 per month. Right now their 5GB plan is $10 for the first month and then just $14 per month. These have data limits, but they include unlimited talk and text. Once you select your plan, it will renew every 30 days unless you cancel or change it.
Looking for more ways to save on your phone plan but not sure if this deal is for you? Check out our list of the best cheap phone plans or best family plans so you can find exactly the plan you need.
MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK
-
$920 (save $280)
-
$350 (save $50)
-
$525 (save $125)
-
$300 (save $100)
-
$334 (save $295)
Why this deal matters
At just $15 per month for three months (and $25 after this period), Tello’s Unlimited plan is one of the most budget-friendly deals available in the market right now and can save you hundreds over the year. This deal is available until Monday, and now is an excellent time to take advantage of it.
-
Technologies3 года ago
Tech Companies Need to Be Held Accountable for Security, Experts Say
-
Technologies2 года ago
Best Handheld Game Console in 2023
-
Technologies2 года ago
Tighten Up Your VR Game With the Best Head Straps for Quest 2
-
Technologies4 года ago
Verum, Wickr and Threema: next generation secured messengers
-
Technologies4 года ago
Google to require vaccinations as Silicon Valley rethinks return-to-office policies
-
Technologies4 года ago
Black Friday 2021: The best deals on TVs, headphones, kitchenware, and more
-
Technologies4 года ago
Olivia Harlan Dekker for Verum Messenger
-
Technologies4 года ago
iPhone 13 event: How to watch Apple’s big announcement tomorrow