Technologies

The AirPods Pro 2 Just Hit a New All-Time Low Price at Walmart

Walmart’s Black Friday sale knocks a whopping $80 off these Apple earbuds — dropping them to just $169.

Apple’s sleek second-gen AirPods Pro are one of the overall best pairs of earbuds on the market right now. And while they may be a little pricey at $249, now you have a chance to get your hands on a pair for less. Walmart is offering a whopping $80 off the original model with the Lightning charging case as part of its Black Friday sale, which kicked off today, Nov. 22. Walmart’s sale knocks them down to a new all-time low price of just $169.

CNET’s resident audio expert David Carnoy called the AirPods Pro 2 the «best lightweight earbuds you can buy» in his original review. They offer some of the best noise-canceling capabilities you’ll find on a pair of earbuds and have a built-in transparency mode for when you need to be more aware of your surroundings. Plus, they will automatically optimize volume based on your environment. iPhone users will also get access to exclusive features like personalized spatial audio and hands-free Siri access. And the AirPods Pro 2 boast Qi wireless charging and have an impressive battery life of up to 30 hours on a single charge (with the charging case).

It’s worth noting that Apple recently released an updated version of the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C charging, as well as slightly improved dust resistance and lossless audio support for its Vision Pro VR headset. But this offer is only available on the original model that charges via Lightning cable. And there are plenty of other Walmart Black Friday deals that you can shop now, including discounts on top-rated headphones, laptops, tablets and much more.

Technologies

Here’s How to Track the Artemis II Mission in Real Time With NASA’s New Tool

The tool will let you track NASA’s modern lunar program during its 10-day flight around the moon and back again.

More than half a century after astronauts last left footprints on the lunar surface, humanity is preparing to return to the moon. The excitement surrounding NASA’s Apollo program once captivated the world, and now NASA hopes to rekindle that same sense of wonder with its modern lunar effort, the Artemis program.

NASA’s Artemis II launch is scheduled for the first week of April. It’ll be the first human mission to the moon since 1972, and it should be quite the achievement for the Artemis program. Now, NASA has released a new tool that lets the public track Artemis II in real time.

The Artemis program is NASA’s long-term effort to return humans to the moon and establish a sustained presence there for the first time since the Apollo program. The program aims to land astronauts near the lunar south pole, develop new technologies for long-term exploration and use the moon as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars.

The Artemis Real-time Orbit Website, dubbed AROW, is already available to the public, although there isn’t much to see since the launch is still a few weeks away. It’s also available directly from the NASA app if you’re using a mobile device. The site lets the public visualize data collected by sensors on Orion and sent to the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The website is simple to navigate. You’ll see a visual representation of Artemis II’s progress, including its speed, distance from Earth and distance to the moon. Mobile app users get all of the above, along with an extra augmented reality tracker that lets you point your phone at the sky and see where Artemis II is relative to your position on Earth. It works much like Google Star Map and other stargazing apps that use similar technology.

According to NASA, tracking will be available once the Orion capsule separates from the rocket’s upper stage, which is expected about 3 hours after the upcoming April launch. The site will then update its information in real time for the entire 10-day mission.

NASA is also making flight data available for download so that people interested in creating their own content, such as visualizations or tracking apps, can do so. The data will include all sorts of things, including state vectors, which are data that «describe precisely where Orion is located and how it moves.» That same data will be used by NASA to study Orion and make improvements for future Artemis missions.

An exact launch date for Artemis II hasn’t been set, but the agency plans on launching the mission no earlier than April 1. The launch was originally scheduled for February, but it was delayed multiple times due to a hydrogen leak and a helium flow issue. NASA says it has since fixed both issues.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 10, #1003

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 10, No. 1,003

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 is a fun and diverse mix. If you know your US states, you’ll surely solve the blue category early. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times 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: Think Julia Child.

Green group hint: Also, Bro and Sis.

Blue group hint: Minn. and Ore. are two others.

Purple group hint: Hit with your fist.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Cook with dry heat.

Green group: Familial nicknames.

Blue group: US state abbreviations.

Purple group: Punch

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 cook with dry heat. The four answers are brown, roast, sear and toast.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is familial nicknames. The four answers are Cuz, Gram, Pop and Unc.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is US state abbreviations. The four answers are Mass, Miss, Penn and Wash.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is punch. The four answers are box, duke, slug and sock.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for March 10, #1725

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for March 10, No. 1,725.

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

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a tough one. It’s a word I don’t think many people use often, and some might not know it at all. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.