A study published in PLOS One by Gabriel Budel of Delft University of Technology and colleagues found that more than 3,000 academic article titles across disciplines borrow from Beatles song titles and lyrics. Using the Scopus database, the researchers identified 2,237 exact references and 963 instances of wordplay, spanning fields from medicine to computer science, economics and the humanities. The top 10 Beatles songs alone appeared in 1,584 article titles, far outpacing similar counts for Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
A researcher documented a Windows bug triggered by copying files from a Video CD's MPEGAV folder, which causes copy speed to drop to zero and leaves Explorer in a broken state—new files become invisible, parts of the UI glitch, and Explorer cannot be restarted. The only fix is a hard restart, since a normal restart hangs indefinitely at the 'Restarting' screen. The issue was traced to monthly updates released in March 2023 for Windows 11 (KB5023706) and April 2023 for Windows 10 (KB5025221); unpatched versions of Windows 10 and 11 22H2 don't exhibit the bug.
QuillCue is a free App Store app that adds a custom keyboard allowing iPhone users to store and reuse written prompts for Siri AI, avoiding retyping repetitive queries. The app supports folders for organizing prompts and lets users import or export prompt libraries to share with others or move between devices. It requires iOS 27.0 or later and was highlighted in 9to5Mac's Indie App Spotlight series.
Mojang revealed The Sift at Minecraft Live, its first new dimension since The End launched in 2011, coming to Java and Bedrock Editions in 2027. The dimension includes areas called the Meadows and the Carapace, along with new mobs that can act as companions or threats. It will first appear in Minecraft Dungeons 2, releasing September 29, ahead of the main game's arrival on Nintendo Switch 2 on October 27.
A report describes how filmmakers behind the Resident Evil franchise used practical effects techniques, including physical suits, prosthetics and animatronics, to bring the series' monsters to screen rather than relying solely on digital effects. The account highlights the craftsmanship and design work involved in creating the creatures' physical presence on set.
An analysis of the Commodore 64 game Mercenary by Paul Woakes reveals a previously undocumented exploit: standing on a specific invisible patch of grass near the starting location and pressing E lifts the player directly into the Colony Craft's hangar, which normally hovers far overhead with no ground-level access. Pressing E again returns the player to the craft's deck, bypassing the game's usual movement and altitude logic. The discovery was made through a byte-accurate reconstruction of the game's original rendering and control code.
Sony's PlayStation 5 relies on a widely used C13/C14 power cord, the same type found in many desktop computers and household electronics. While replacements are easy to source due to this commonality, checking cable specifications before use is recommended to avoid safety issues or console malfunction.
Home Assistant is open-source software that can run on an old laptop to unify smart home devices from different brands, including Philips Hue, Google Nest, Ring, Sonos and Ecobee. It supports automations, scenes and scripts, letting users link devices together, such as starting a coffee maker with an alarm dismissal or dimming lights when a movie starts.
A large Wendy's franchisee that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month has disclosed in new court filings that it could close as many as 30 restaurants in the coming weeks. Five specific locations slated for closure have already been identified as part of a cash collateral agreement tied to the bankruptcy proceedings.
A how-to guide explains that clearing laptop fan dust often requires removing the bottom panel, and on some models like Dell's Alienware m16 R2 and R1, extensive disassembly of screws, batteries, SSDs and system boards to reach the fan and heat sink. It notes Dell restricts full cooling-assembly removal to authorized technicians and warns against cleaning its Element 31 thermal paste with alcohol wipes, which can cause electrical shorts.
After reports that TikTok, Meta, YouTube and X had all declined to run paid ads for the trailer of Alex Gibney's documentary 'Musk,' Meta and YouTube said the ads would now run. Meta called the initial rejection 'an error,' while YouTube said the ad had been 'temporarily restricted' by its system before being cleared after review. TikTok and X, whose owner Elon Musk publicly criticized Gibney, have not reversed their decisions.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency will phase in new permanent residency requirements starting October 1, including income above the national average (applied retroactively to applications since April), Japanese-language proficiency, and a pension fund equivalent to 30 years of payouts. The agency says the changes ensure foreigners can 'live independently' without becoming a burden. Long-term residents, including a Bangladeshi tech engineer and an American who has lived in Japan for 14 years, say they fear they may not qualify.
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