/Technology/ Last Updated: Sat, Dec 14th, 2024 @ 6:45am EST

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Asuka Kawanabe

Can the AirPods Pro 2 Really Replace Hearing Aids? We Asked a Grandmother

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 have some added hearing-aid capabilities. How well do they work in practice? I asked my grandmother, who is in her eighties, to try them for a week.

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Matt Burgess, Andy Greenberg, Andrew Couts

Microsoft’s AI Recall Tool Is Still Sucking Up Credit Card and Social Security Numbers

Plus: The US indicts North Koreans in fake IT worker scheme, file-sharing firm Cleo warns customers to patch a vulnerability amid live attacks, and more.

Mashable

An affordable MacBook Pro makes the perfect present this season

TL;DR: Gift a refurbished MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar for $379.99 (reg. $1,499) and bring joy with high-performance tech.

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Ditch Microsoft 365 — this permanent Office license is only $33

TL;DR: Through December 22, get a Microsoft Office lifetime license for Windows for $32.97 — that’s under $5 per app.

If you’re still paying Microsoft 365 fees only to get access to Office apps, try a permanent license as a far more cost-effective alternative. Here’s everything you need to know:

Pay just once and download the complete app suite onto one Windows PC for lifelong use. You only have to purchase again when you replace your device

It includes all of the essential apps like...

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Get Microsoft Visual Studio Pro for $28 and take your development skills to new heights

TL;DR: Own Microsoft Visual Studio for life for just $27.97 through Dec. 22 and transform your development process with advanced tools.

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This HD gaming projector comes preloaded with 36,000 games — get it for $50 off

TL;DR: Order through Dec. 15 for on-time Christmas delivery and get this 2-in-1 Gaming Projector with 36,000+ games for just $99.99 (reg. $149.99).

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Mashable

The War of the Rohirrim finds another use for the The Lord of the Rings eagles

It's the question Lord of the Rings viewers have been asking ever since Peter Jackson's trilogy came out: Why didn't Frodo and the Fellowship just ride eagles into Mount Doom?

SEE ALSO: 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' review: What if Éowyn got her own movie?

The reasons are fairly simple. A flock of Great Eagles flying into Mordor would have immediately wrecked the secrecy the Fellowship strove for. Plus, the eagles just aren't...

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Heres why there are orcs in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, an anime prequel set 183 years before The Lord of the Rings, spends most of its time centered on the bloody war between Rohan's king Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Succession's Brian Cox) and Dunlending lord Wulf (Medusa Deluxe's Luke Pasqualino). But for one brief moment, the film shifts from its solely human focus to a broader look at what's going on in the rest of Middle-earth — specifically, Mordor.

SEE ALSO: 'The...

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What most people think they know about the Big Bang is wrong

Many textbooks and science educators have attempted to describe the Big Bang as the birth of the universe — an explosive start that happened at a specific point creating matter and flinging it into the void like shrapnel from a grenade. 

But the Big Bang is not really the moment of creation — more like its aftermath. The Big Bang didn't emerge from a particular location in space, and it wasn't an explosion — at least not in the traditional sense. 

Popular culture — and cosmologists,...

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Save 36% on this iPad Pro and get it in time for Christmas

TL;DR: Order through Dec. 15 to get this grade-A refurbished Apple iPad Pro for just $699.99 in time for Christmas.

This holiday season, give (or get!) the ultimate tech upgrade with the iPad Pro 12.9" 4th Gen. For just $699.99 (reg. $1,099), this grade-A refurbished powerhouse combines stunning visuals, pro-grade performance, and renowned versatility. It's like a full-powered laptop you can take anywhere and hold in the palm of your hand.

The iPad Pro delivers whether you’re creating...

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How The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim adapts two pages of Tolkien lore into a whole movie

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a fascinating experiment in adaptation. It's not adapting a novel of J.R.R. Tolkien's, but rather two pages from his Appendices, which lay out the last great stand of one of Rohan's most famed kings, Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Succession's Brian Cox).

SEE ALSO: 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' review: What if Éowyn got her own movie?

In this section of the Appendices, Tolkien...

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Microsoft Visio 2021: Your secret weapon for professional workflows for under $20

TL;DR: Own Microsoft Visio for Windows for life for only $17.97 through Dec. 22 and create professional-grade diagrams effortlessly.

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Susan Solomon

Creating a Global Package to Solve the Problem of Plastics

A UN treaty could be the beginning of the end for single-use plastic production—but victory over this pollutant isn’t yet in the bag.

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How to watch Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne online for free

TL;DR: Live stream Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne in the Champions Cup for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The next round of Champions Cup fixtures includes some huge clashes between the best rugby teams in Europe, but the biggest game of the bunch is almost definitely Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne. Leinster have lost the last three Champions Cup finals. Can they go one better this year and get their hands on the trophy?

If...

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19 of the best Georgia Tech courses you can take online for free

TL;DR: A wide range of online courses from Georgia Tech are available to take for free on edX.

Do you love to learn? It's time you got to know all about edX. This popular platform hosts a large bank of free online courses from some of the top educational institutions in the world, including Georgia Tech.

We have checked out everything on offer from Georgia Tech and lined up a standout selection to get you started. You can find lessons on AI, machine learning, programming with Python, and much...

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How to watch Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks online

TL;DR: Live stream Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA with FuboTV, Sling TV, or YouTube TV.

It's the second annual Emirates NBA Cup, previously known as the In-Season Tournament. The Atlanta Hawks are looking for their fifth straight road win as they head to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the East Semifinals.

The Hawks are seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Bucks are sixth. The Hawks are not only on a win streak on the road, but they...

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How to watch Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder online

TL;DR: Live stream Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA with FuboTV, Sling TV, or YouTube TV.

It's the second annual Emirates NBA Cup, previously known as the In-Season Tournament. The Houston Rockets head to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Semifinals of the Emirates NBA Cup.

The Rockets have won three of their last five games, including back-to-back wins in the tournament over the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors....

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Surf the web in peace with advert-free browsing for the whole family for £12.65

TL;DR: For £12.65 through 15 December, AdGuard’s Family Plan lifetime subscription keeps adverts and trackers out of your family’s online experience on up to nine devices.

Imagine an internet without constant pop-ups, sneaky trackers, and distracting adverts. With AdGuard’s Family Plan, you can make that a reality — and give the whole family a safer, more peaceful online space. This lifetime subscription covers up to nine devices for £12.65 (reg. £134.70), so no one has to deal...

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NYT Strands hints, answers for December 14

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special,...

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Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 14

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable ...

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