Technologies

Quadrantids meteor shower: How to watch the shooting star show peak tonight

It’s likely to be a good year for the meteor shower, with the potential to produce over 100 shooting stars per hour under ideal conditions.

The best meteor shower of 2022 for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere could hit within just a few days of New Year’s tonight and tomorrow morning.

The Quadrantid meteor shower hits its peak right around the first week of the year every January and offers some of the highest hourly rates of shooting stars among the major showers on the calendar. This year it comes as the moon is in its new, or darkened, phase, making the prospects even better.

Under absolutely perfect conditions, which would be something like sitting on a mountain top with clear skies, a 360-degree view and robotic eyes capable of scanning the entire dome all at once, you might be able to see up to 120 meteors per hour. That’s approaching what skywatchers might define as a meteor storm.

«The Quadrantids have the potential to be the strongest shower of the year but usually fall short due to the short length of maximum activity (six hours) and the poor weather experienced during early January,» writes the American Meteor Society.

AMS estimates seeing 25 meteors per hour is a better place to set expectations, but the Royal Astronomical Society says «observers enjoying dark skies could see 50 or more meteors an hour.»

The Quadrantids can be traced to particles left behind by the asteroid 2003 EH1, which might be an extinct comet seen in earlier centuries by astronomers, most notably over China in 1490.

Each year in late December and early January, Earth drifts through a cloud of debris associated with the near-Earth object. As tiny pebbles and motes of dust impact our atmosphere, they burn up, sometimes in spectacular fashion.

«The pieces of debris heat up due to friction with the air, and are usually destroyed in under a second at altitudes above 80 kilometers (50 miles),» reads a statement from the RAS. «The superheated air around the meteor glows briefly, and is visible from the ground as a streak of light known as a ‘shooting star.'»

The best time to try and catch the Quadrantids is ultimately going to be whenever skies are clearest and you can get far away from any urban light pollution, as these are the most important components to seeing the show. That said, if you’ve got clear, dark skies all night where you are, you might try heading out just after dusk Monday, as this will put you closer to the actual peak of activity for the meteor shower. This is also the time with the best chance of seeing bright, so-called «Earth grazer» fireballs near the horizon.

That said, just before dawn on Tuesday is also a good time to go Quadrantid hunting, because although it’s a little further removed from the shower’s peak, the area that meteors appear to emanate from will be higher in the night sky, increasing your odds of catching more.

In other words, any time you spend outside looking up Monday night or Tuesday morning is a good investment for most skywatchers.

All you need to do to see some meteors is head outside in a place with a broad view of a clear sky unspoiled by light pollution. Dress appropriately for the weather, bring snacks and plan on at least an hour for the full experience. This includes about 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust. Lie on your back on a blanket, hammock or lounge chair, relax and simply watch.

If you want to be advanced, you can orient yourself to face in the direction of the constellation Bootes, which is where Quadrantid meteors will appear to emanate outward like spokes on a wheel. Truly, though, this is not necessary and a watchful eye is really all you need to watch this long-running light show.

Technologies

Apple Reportedly Plans to Send Siri Engineers to AI Coding Bootcamp

The move comes just weeks before the company is expected to unveil a new Siri.

Apple plans to send dozens of Siri engineers to a multiweek AI coding bootcamp, The Information reported Wednesday. The move comes less than two months before the company is widely expected to unveil a new Siri experience as part of a broader AI reboot.

A group of fewer than 200 engineers will be sent to the bootcamp, leaving approximately 60 members of the core Siri development team behind to continue working on Siri, while another 60 will evaluate Siri’s performance, according to The Information. The outlet also reported that AI has grown in popularity in some Apple divisions, prompting some teams within the company to allocate large parts of their budgets to Claude Code.

Apple representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Siri, once a pioneer, has lagged behind its rivals in voice assistants. Apple had planned to roll out a smarter, AI-driven Siri in 2025 as part of its Apple Intelligence initiative, but executives delayed the launch until spring 2026, admitting the early version wasn’t reliable enough to ship.

For Apple, the move would mark another attempt to reset expectations around its AI strategy after repeated delays to its more advanced Siri ambitions. The news also comes as John Giannandrea, Apple’s former AI chief, is reportedly leaving the company this week after stepping down from that role in December.

The new Siri experience is expected to be introduced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8 and would arrive as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and MacOS 27 later this year, according to a Bloomberg report in March. The report says Apple is testing out a new Siri that would make the assistant feel more like a standalone AI chatbot — think ChatGPT or Claude — rather than the current built-in tool.

Technologies

Google Will Pay $135M to Android Phone Owners. Learn Who’s Eligible and How to Get Paid

If you used an Android phone with cell service in the last nine years, you could be eligible for compensation.

For years, Google has been accused of harvesting data from Android phones without users’ consent. A California lawsuit was settled for $314 million last year, and another class action lawsuit recently reached a resolution that could mean payouts for another 100 million people.

While not admitting fault, Google reached a preliminary settlement in the class action lawsuit Taylor v. Google LLC in January, agreeing to pay $135 million, and the official settlement website for the lawsuit is now live.

The final approval hearing won’t occur until June 23, when the court will hear objections and consider whether Google’s settlement is fair. After that, the court will decide whether to approve the $135 million settlement.

In the meantime, if you qualify and want to be paid as part of the settlement, you can select your preferred payment method on the official website. There, you can find information on speaking at the June 23 court hearing and on how to exclude yourself or write to the court to object by May 29.

As part of the settlement, Google will update its Google Play terms of service to clarify that certain data transfers do occur passively even when you’re not using your Android device, and that cellular data may be relied upon when not connected to Wi-Fi. This can’t always be disabled, but users will be asked to consent to it when setting up their device.

Google will also fully stop collecting data when its «allow background data usage» option is toggled off.

Who can be part of the Google data settlement?

In order to join the Taylor v. Google LLC settlement, you must meet four qualifications:

Be a living, individual human being in the US.
Have used an Android mobile device with a cellular data plan.
Have used the aforementioned device at any time from Nov. 12, 2017, to the date when the settlement receives final approval.
You’re not a class member in the Csupo v. Google LLC lawsuit, which is similar but specifically for California residents.

The final approval hearing is on June 23, so you can add your payment method until then. The hearing’s date and time may change, and any updates will be posted on the settlement website.

If you choose to do nothing, you will still be issued a settlement payment, but you may not receive it if you don’t select a payment method.

How much could I get paid by Google?

It’s not currently known exactly how much each settlement class member will receive, but the cap is $100. Payments will be distributed after final court approval and after any appeals are resolved.

After all administrative, tax and attorney costs are paid, the settlement administrator will attempt to pay each member an equal amount. If any funds remain after payments are sent, and it’s economically feasible, they will be redistributed to members who were previously and successfully paid. If it’s not economically feasible, the funds will go to an organization approved by the court.

Technologies

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Squirrel With a Gun and More Are Coming to PlayStation Plus in April

Some other games might be fun, but Squirrel With a Gun has my full attention.

Sometimes when I play a game, I want a deep story that makes me feel connected to the characters. Other times, I want a nonsensical romp that allows me to shut my brain off and laugh for a minute. Squirrel with a Gun seems to be that kind of game. And good news, PlayStation Plus subscribers can play that game and others starting on April 21.

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass, offering subscribers a large and constantly expanding library of games. PlayStation Plus has three tiers — Essential ($10 a month), Extra ($15 a month) and Premium ($18 a month) — which each give subscribers access to games. But only Extra and Premium tier subscribers can access the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, while Essential subscribers can access only the monthly games.

Here are all the games Sony is adding to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog in April. You can also check out the games all PS Plus subscribers can play until May 4.

Squirrel With a Gun

What more do I need to say about this game? You’re a squirrel, and you have a gun, making you potentially the most American woodland critter behind a bald eagle. After escaping a secret facility, you’re on the hunt for some acorns while you try to evade and defeat the Agents in this sandbox puzzle platformer game. You’ll find out how far our furry friend is willing to go to get their nut — acorns are nuts, get your mind out of the gutter.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Huge robotic dinosaur-looking machines are the dominant force in this award-winning action roleplaying game. You play as Aloy, a huntress who was cast out of the mountain-dwelling Nora tribe. In your search for answers about your past, you’ll encounter machine and human enemies, beautiful landscapes and a plan to reclaim the land once and for all.

Monster Train

Hell has frozen over, the celestial forces of heaven are coming to extinguish the last burning pyre, and it’s up to you to stop them. Monster Train is a unique roguelike deck builder that adds a twist by spreading your playing field out to three vertical areas. With over 250 cards to use and six different monster clans to call on, you’ll have plenty of ways to ward off your enemies and take back your home.