Author: Awais

Most people think of Google as a consumer company, best known for products like Search, Android, Gmail, and Maps. These are useful tools, but they are mostly things you interact with directly. What often gets overlooked is how much of today’s internet runs on technology Google invented long before it became a household name, not features or apps, but deep infrastructure that shapes how the modern web works every day. Some of Google’s most important contributions are things you never see. An algorithm that decided which pages deserved attention. A system for running software at a massive scale across thousands…

While a good pie crust is in every baker’s repertoire, sometimes you need to make fabulous, flaky desserts in a pinch. That’s where puff pastry comes in. Find it in the frozen aisle of your grocery store, and use it to make a variety of pastries for every occasion. We’re not saying it’s magic, but it will make your holiday dessert wishes come true. And working with frozen puff pastry is easier than you think. Each of these festive desserts will steal the show, and no one will believe you did it all with store-bought dough. Discover 13 easy puff…

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For the last couple of years, a lot of the conversation around AI has revolved around a single, deceptively simple question: Which model is the best? But the next question was always, the best for what?  The best for reasoning? Writing? Coding? Or maybe it’s the best for images, audio, or video? That framing made sense when the technology was new and uneven. When gaps between models were obvious, debating benchmarks felt productive and almost necessary. Choosing the right model could meaningfully change what you could or couldn’t accomplish.  But if you use AI for real work today — writing,…

In his bestselling book Atomic Habits, productivity expert James Clear talks about the power of “onetime actions” that improve your life indefinitely. Automation is a perfect example: you can create workflows that remind you to apply sunscreen when the UV index is high, or that automatically turn off your home’s lights at 9 p.m. so you go to bed earlier.IFTTT works well for this sort of use case. It’s a simple single-step automation app focused on habits, personal productivity, and smart home workflows. But if you’re automating anything related to business, you’ll quickly outgrow IFTTT’s capabilities.5 things you should automate…

“Like a coffee capsule machine, but for plants,” reads Click & Grow’s marketing copy. Sure enough, the Click & Grow Smart Garden’s seed pods come in a Nespresso-evoking plastic three-pack with a tear-off cover. (Pods run about $3 to $5 each.) Put a nutrient-packed “smart soil” seed pod in one of the Click & Grow’s cups with the wicking bottom, fill the reservoir, and that’s it. In what was the most simple watering system I tried, a wick at the bottom of the cup will bring water up to the pods, and the roots stay in the cups. Plug it…

Alexa+ has been available for most of the year, being released back in February. Anybody with an Amazon Alexa-enabled smart home has options to upgrade to the more advanced version of the voice assistant. It uses generative AI to take Alexa’s abilities to another level. If you’ve previously used Alexa in her base form, you know there are some frustrating aspects to her. But Alexa+ offers a much smoother experience and delivers a more well-rounded product. Alexa+ is an added benefit of Prime access, meaning many people are eligible to use it. I’ve enjoyed Alexa+ for months now, and there…

Stoemp is a classic Belgian comfort food of mashed potatoes and carrots with rich flavor.You can adapt this side dish easily using whatever vegetables you have in season or in the fridge.The recipe is simple and fast, coming together in 40 minutes with just one pot. I want to make one thing clear: I did not move to Germany for the potatoes. They were just the cherry on top, coming to me in forms I had never heard of, and now can’t imagine life without. Another unexpected benefit of living in close proximity to many other potato-loving countries in Europe…

Google parent Alphabet has agreed to buy Intersect Power, a data center and clean energy developer, for $4.75 billion in cash, plus the assumption of the company’s debt. The acquisition, which was announced Monday, will help Alphabet expand its power-generation capacity alongside new data centers without having to rely on local utilities that are struggling to keep up with the demand of AI companies. Securing access to energy that powers data centers has become a critical part of training AI models. Alphabet previously held a minority stake in Intersect Power after Google and TPG Rise Climate led an $800 million…

A security warning is a nasty surprise, especially when the add-on in question claims it exists to protect your privacy. Researchers at Koi Security say Urban VPN Proxy, a VPN extension for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, began logging users’ AI assistant conversations and sending them to a data broker. Urban VPN Proxy looked reputable, with a 4.7-star rating, Google’s featured badge, and more than six million installs on Chrome. Another 1.3 million people installed it on Edge. But Koi says the extension’s behavior changed after a quiet update on July 9, 2025, when the publisher shipped version 5.5.0. From…