Trump makes more Cabinet picks but some top economic posts remain unfilled
Trump makes more Cabinet picks but some top economic posts remain unfilled
Trump makes more Cabinet picks but some top economic posts remain unfilled – CBS News
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President-elect Donald Trump announced more Cabinet picks this weekend, while CBS News polling shows that some of his highest-profile picks have more support among Americans than opposition. Nikole Killion reports.
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Labor eyes last chance of 2024 to tick policy boxes
Labor eyes last chance of 2024 to tick policy boxes
Pressure is on the Albanese government to make headway on its long list of stalled legislation before the federal election.
Housing will be back in spotlight during the final sitting week of 2024, with the Help to Buy government equity scheme and incentives for build-to-rent to be brought to a final vote in the Senate.
The two housing bills have struggled to attract the support of the opposition or the Greens, with Labor knocking back fresh demands from the latter.
Central to the Greens’ updated position is funding for 25,000 “shovel-ready” homes not given the go-ahead under the first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund.
Labor insists the demand is unlawful and would result in the construction of million-dollar homes that are not value for money.
Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said his party had designed “a compromise offer that is popular, achievable and easy to accept, it requires no new legislation and sits broadly within government policy”.
With 30 or so bills still before the parliament, the government has been ramping up pressure on the Greens and the coalition to co-operate.
“This is a week where we will see the colour of the eyes of Peter Dutton and the Greens party,” Employment Minister Murray Watt told reporters on Sunday.
A friendless crackdown on misinformation and disinformation has been shelved and gambling reforms have been pushed into next year.
Though the government is expecting wins on its aged care reforms and its social media age limit, with the former expected to attract opposition support.
Under world-first legislation, Australians younger than 16 will be banned from social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter).
Labor will also be spruiking its Future Made in Australia plan, with its hydrogen and critical minerals production tax incentives to be introduced to parliament on Monday.
Economic management will likely get some airtime after monthly inflation figures are released on Wednesday, with headline inflation expected to once again land within the Reserve Bank of Australia’s target band.
But with the central bank’s preferred underlying gauge – stripped of the volatility inflicting the headline number – likely to remain above the two-three per cent band, keenly-anticipated interest rate cuts are likely to stay on ice.
The federal election is due to be held by May 17.
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****** Friday PS5 deals discount the DualSense wireless controller to $55
****** Friday PS5 deals discount the DualSense wireless controller to $55
Whether you picked up a new PS5 console on ***** or not, you can also save on console accessories for ****** Friday. One of the best deals for Sony fans is on the PS5 DualSense wireless controller, which you can give for $55 a pop at various retailers including Amazon, Target and Best Buy. The discount applies to a bunch of colorways, too, so you’re not limited to just the standard ****** or white versions. Just be aware that some ****** options are a tad more expensive at $60 each.
A brand-new PS5 ships with one of these controllers, but you need two to enjoy some sweet couch co-op. We called out the gamepad in our official review of the PS5, saying it had “some of the most advanced haptic controls” we’ve ever experienced.
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The analog triggers can be manipulated to emulate various sensations, like pulling an arrow back or running out of ammo with a ****. It’s a gimmick, sure, but a fun one. The built-in haptics also allow for more realistic rumble, which is heads and shoulders above what the DualShock 4 offered.
There’s a built-in microphone, a headphone jack, a tried-and-true button layout and a pair of joysticks. It’s a really well-designed controller. It’s a DualSense. It is not, however, a DualSense Edge. That’s Sony’s ultra-premium controller that costs nearly $200. That one offers extra features like easy button remapping, multiple joystick nubs, customizable rear paddles and more.
Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
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The Dyson V8 cordless vacuum just crashed to a ridiculously low price, with $220 off in the ****** Friday sales
The Dyson V8 cordless vacuum just crashed to a ridiculously low price, with $220 off in the ****** Friday sales
The V8 Absolute cordless vacuum is currently $299.99 (was $519.99) at Dyson, making it one of the cheapest and best value Dyson vacuums in the ****** Friday sales. This specific model is exclusive to Dyson, but I’ve had a hunt around for deals on alternative V8 models, and this is by far the best offer I’ve spotted.
The V8 is a slightly older, but still supremely capable, model in the Dyson lineup. It’s lightweight and (especially compared to newer, fancier models) extremely easy to maneuver, and has the high build quality you’d expect from this brand. The ‘Absolute’ bit means it comes with a second floorhead – a fluffy one that’s especially designed for cleaning hard floors. There are a number of Dyson ****** Friday deals kicking around right now, but this is one of the strongest.
Today’s best Dyson V8 Absolute deal
In our Dyson V8 review, we called it a “lightweight but heavy-duty dust-buster”. This model is relatively simple compared to other models in the lineup – for example, there’s just two power modes, while newer models have three. If you’re not sure exactly which Dyson to go for, you can see how it compares to the model up in our Dyson V8 vs V11 comparison, or get a feel for the wider lineup in our guide to the best Dyson vacuums.
Annoyingly, Dyson doesn’t list included detail tools on it product listing, but we’d expect a good selection. The main floorhead – the Motorbar head – is suitable for hard floor or carpet, but the additional fluffy floorhead included here is specialized for picking up dust and dirt on hard floors, without scraping or damaging them.
More of today’s ****** Friday sales in the US
Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99
Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99
Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones
Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99
Christmas trees: top-rated trees from $54.99
Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99
Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping
Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99
Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture
Lowe’s: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31
Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses
Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry
Samsung: $1,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances
Target: save on furniture, tech & clothing
Walmart: cheap TVs, ****** vacs, furniture & appliances
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‘******* ***** His Life Down for Me’: Greg Laurie Gives Powerful Gospel Presentation to Jordan Peterson
‘******* ***** His Life Down for Me’: Greg Laurie Gives Powerful Gospel Presentation to Jordan Peterson
********** megachurch leader Greg Laurie recently appeared on psychologist Jordan Peterson’s podcast, where he gave the professor-turned-cultural commentator a powerful presentation of the Gospel.
“When everything’s said and done, what’s more important than the afterlife?” the California-based pastor asked Peterson. “What’s more important than where we spend it? According to the ******, I believe there’s a literal heaven, a literal *****, and I believe we choose in this life where we will spend the afterlife.”
Laurie added he’s going to spend eternity in heaven “not because I’ve lived a good life — because I ******* in many ways — but because ******* ***** His life down for me on the cross.”
“Coming back to Abraham, and what a picture, the son was willing to go and be sacrificed by the father,” the pastor continued, referring to the Old Testament story of Genesis 22. “[Isaac] knew what was going on: ‘Hey, Dad, where’s the sacrifice?’ ‘My son, **** will provide for Himself a sacrifice.’ But Isaac made that sacrifice, too. The Son ****** made that sacrifice for us, because He knew there was no other way that we could reach ****, no other way we could satisfy the righteous demands of ****. So Heaven isn’t for good people, as it’s often said; heaven is for forgiven people.”
The conversation between Peterson and Laurie stemmed from the 71-year-old minister opening up about the ****** of his son, Christopher, who passed away in 2008 as a result of a tragic car accident.
He described that day in July of 2008 as the “worst” day in his life. Nevertheless, Laurie said he is not without hope — because of his ****** in the redemptive work of ******.
Listen to the latest episode of “Quick Start”
“I believe I’ll see my son again, because he believed in ******,” Laurie explained. “He won’t be in heaven because I’m his dad; he’ll be in heaven because he put his ****** in ******* and he had that relationship. He’s a part of my future as well, so that gives me hope. But, also, I realize that **** can allow these things in our life. I don’t know why. I can’t explain it. I don’t even try to explain it.”
Peterson, author of the new book, “We Who Wrestle With ****: Perceptions of the Divine,” admitted to Laurie he struggles to intellectually reconcile a ******* to perfect the earthly world with the knowledge the ********** life is heavily weighted toward considering eternity.
The famed psychologist and podcast host asked, “How do you reconcile, in your own mind, the insistence that part of the ********** moral pattern is to perfect the world and to raise the material up to the heavenly with the notion of the afterlife and immortality?”
Laurie referenced 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, in which the Apostle Paul wrote about experiencing a “third heaven,” as well as the thief on the cross next to ******, Who promised the man, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43, NIV).
The pastor explained he has felt closest to **** — and His promises of eternity — through life’s trials.
“**** made a lot of promises,” said Laurie. “I’ve put those promises to the test, including the worst thing of all, to lose a child. And I’ve seen how **** had come through for me. If He hadn’t come through for me after my son *****, I would have given up preaching, for sure. Why carry on? But He came through for me.”
You can watch the full conversation between Laurie and Peterson in the video embedded above.
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****** Friday Apple deals include the 10th-gen iPad for a record-low price
****** Friday Apple deals include the 10th-gen iPad for a record-low price
Apple’s ****** Friday deals have started popping up, and this is your chance to grab a new iPad at a discount if you’ve been thinking of getting one. The 10th-gen iPad is currently on ***** for $279 at Amazon, $50 less than what it usually costs. A few ****** options have an additional coupon that brings the final price down to $250. Apple released the tablet back in 2022, but it’s still our best budget iPad option for 2024.
The 10th-gen iPad is only slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad Air. It looks similar to the iPad Air, too — the tablet no longer has the Home button that its predecessor did, and it has a ******* screen with smaller bezels.
Apple
Apple’s 10th-gen iPad is on ***** for between $250 and $279.
$250 at Amazon
The device is powered by Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, which was first seen on the iPhone 12 and is powerful enough that we could edit RAW photos in Lightroom when we tested the tablet. When we ran a test for battery life, we discovered that the model could play movies continuously for 11 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge.
Unlike previous models with Lightning ports, this one comes with a USB-C port for charging. Apple moved its front-facing camera to its landscape edge, as well. The company gave it a larger display, measuring 10.9 inches, so it doesn’t feel as cramped as previous models even with a lot of apps. While the iPad Air does have a better display overall with its lamination and anti-reflective coating, the 10th-gen iPad’s isn’t bad at all seeing as it costs significantly less, especially with this discount.
Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
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******** army orders Gaza City suburb evacuated, 10 ******* by IDF strikes – National
******** army orders Gaza City suburb evacuated, 10 ******* by IDF strikes – National
The ******** military issued new evacuation orders to residents in areas of an eastern Gaza City suburb, setting off a new wave of displacement on Sunday, and a Gaza hospital director was injured in an ******** drone *******, ************ medics said.
The new orders for the Shejaia suburb posted by the ******** army spokesperson on X on Saturday night blamed ************ militants ******* rockets from that heavily built-up district in the north of the Gaza Strip.
“For your safety, you must evacuate immediately to the south,” the military’s post said.
The rocket volley on Saturday was claimed by ******’ armed wing, which said it had targeted an ******** army base over the border.
Footage circulated on social and ************ media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed residents leaving Shejaia on donkey carts and rickshaws, with others, including children carrying backpacks, walking.
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U.S. casts sole vote against Gaza ceasefire deal, as envoy pushes for Lebanon truce
Families living in the targeted areas began fleeing their homes after nightfall on Saturday and into Sunday’s early hours, residents and ************ media said – the latest in multiple waves of displacement since the conflict began 13 months ago.
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In central Gaza, health officials said at least 10 Palestinians were ******* in ******** airstrikes on the urban camps of Al-Maghazi and Al-Bureij since Saturday night.
Adding to the miseries of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, most of whom have been repeatedly displaced, heavy winter rain flooded hundreds of tents across the enclave, spoiling food and sweeping away plastic and cloth sheeting that had protected them against the elements.
“We ran in the middle of the night, the rainwater flooded the tent, the food is gone, the kids screamed and I am afraid they will get *****,” Rami, 37, a Gaza City man displaced at a former soccer stadium, told Reuters via a messaging app.
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The ************ Civil Emergency Service said thousands of displaced people were impacted by the seasonal flooding and demanded new tents and caravans from aid donors to shield them.
In north Gaza, where ******** forces have been operating against regrouping ****** militants since early last month, health officials said an ******** drone dropped ****** on Kamal Adwan Hospital, injuring its director Hussam Abu Safiya.
“This will not stop us from completing our humanitarian mission and we will continue to do this job at any cost,” Abu Safiya said in a video statement circulated by the health ministry on Sunday.
“We are being targeted daily. They targeted me a while ago but this will not deter us…,” he said from his hospital bed.
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Philippine VP says she hired ********* to ***** president if she is *******
Canada Post says no ‘major breakthrough’ in talks as strike enters 2nd week
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Trudeau says Canada will ‘abide’ by international law, after ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
******** forces say armed militants use civilian buildings including housing blocks, hospitals and schools for operational cover. ****** denies this, accusing ******** forces of indiscriminately targeting populated areas.
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Kamal Adwan is one of three hospitals in north Gaza that are barely operational as the health ministry said the ******** forces have detained and expelled medical staff and prevented emergency medical, food and fuel supplies from reaching them.
In the past few weeks, ******* said it had facilitated the delivery of medical and fuel supplies and the transfer of patients from north Gaza hospitals in collaboration with international agencies such as the World Health Organization.
Residents in three embattled north Gaza towns – Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun – said ******** forces had blown up hundreds of houses since renewing operations in an area that ******* said months ago had been cleared of militants.
Palestinians say ******* appears determined to depopulate the area permanently to create a buffer zone along the northern edge of Gaza, an accusation ******* denies.
*******’s campaign in Gaza has ******* more than 44,000 people, uprooted nearly the entire population at least once, according to Gaza officials, while reducing wide swathes of the narrow coastal territory to rubble.
The war erupted in response to a cross-border ******* by ******-led militants on Oct. 7, 2023 in which gunmen ******* around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to ******** tallies.
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Save $100 on Audeze Maxwell This Holiday Season
Save $100 on Audeze Maxwell This Holiday Season
Just in time for ****** Friday 2024 players can save $100 on Audeze Maxwell gaming headset. – IS
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Wallabies’ slam hopes hammered by Scots at Murrayfield
Wallabies’ slam hopes hammered by Scots at Murrayfield
The Wallabies’ dream of bouncing towards a coveted grand slam of triumphs on their British Isles tour is over, dynamited 27-13 by a buoyant Scotland at Murrayfield.
They were also beaten by the one who got away, with Scotland’s *********** captain Sione Tuipulotu powering over for their first of their tries in an inspiring performance in front of his own Glasgow-born gran in Edinburgh on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
Joe Schmidt’s men, infused with such high hopes of a first home-nation sweep in 40 years after their thrilling triumphs at Twickenham and Cardiff, found Murrayfield a fortress too far at the end of a trying week.
Even worse, the Wallabies camp were left fretting over the fate of their superstar cross-code centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who went off clutching his wrist after handing out a big hit on Tuipulotu late in the first half and never returned.
Rarely threatening in ******* after putting a combined 13 tries past England and Wales in previous weeks, a well-drilled Scottish defence kept them out until the 75th minute when Harry Potter landed a consolation try on his much talked-about debut.
But the tries from Tuipulotu, a record-breaking 30th for Ruhan van der Merwe, Josh Bayliss and Finn Russell, who scored 12 points, were a fair reflection of the Scots’ dominance in a brutal reality check for the visitors.
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Xbox Holiday Gift Guide 2024
Xbox Holiday Gift Guide 2024
Infinite Start gives several suggestions on what to get Xbox owners this holiday season.
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Earning an MBA is one way veterans can ease into career transition
Earning an MBA is one way veterans can ease into career transition
According to one of the nation’s first female armor officers in the US Army, an education in business “unlocks a tremendous, tremendous amount of opportunity” for veterans transitioning into business.
Retired Captain Charlotte Levine, who earned an MBA at Harvard Business School and now serves as Director of Strategy for NJ/NY Gotham FC, shares her thoughts on a new episode of Yahoo Finance’s Warrior Money.
“An MBA from a top program is an amazing way for veterans to transition,” Levine says, noting that VA (Veteran Affairs) benefits can aid individuals in paying for business school. “It really helps you learn the language of business.”
“One of the difficult things that people don’t really talk about,” she explains, “is you have to learn a whole new vocabulary when you leave the Army. The acronyms are very different.”
Business school, Levine says, offers “a low-threat environment to learn that language and learn that toolkit.” Moreover, the schools serve as inherent networking opportunities that can pay off down the line.
“Relationships matter,” Levine says. “They matter in the military, and they matter a lot more in the private sector.”
Listen to full episodes of Warrior Money here or wherever you get your podcasts.
This post was written by Nick Riccardo.
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PC Holiday Gift Guide 2024
PC Holiday Gift Guide 2024
Infinite Start gives several suggestions on what to get PC owners this holiday season.
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Buffett’s new pizza investment a perfect fit in Berkshire’s portfolio
Buffett’s new pizza investment a perfect fit in Berkshire’s portfolio
Warren Buffett, a celebrated lover of junk food, just bought into a national pizza chain whose shares are trading near their cheapest level of the year. With CEO Buffett at the helm, Berkshire Hathaway bought more than 1.2 million shares of Domino’s Pizza last quarter, a stake worth about $550 million, a recent regulatory filing showed. Given its small size in Berkshire’s massive portfolio — cash holdings alone top $300 billion — Buffett’s investing lieutenants Ted Weschler and Todd Combs may be behind the investment. Whosever original idea, Domino’s Pizza is in keeping with other, long-standing investments by the sprawling Omaha-based conglomerate. Berkshire already owns 100% of See’s Candies and Dairy Queen , and counts Coca-Cola and Oscar Meyer hot dog-parent Kraft Heinz among its top equity holdings. Buffett, a 94-year-old billionaire known for childlike dietary habits, has famously said he would happily drink five cans of Coke and eat McDonald’s every day. Yet, despite the seemingly indulgent diet, Buffett ******** in good health. “I eat like a 6-year-old,” the Berkshire CEO once said. “I’m one quarter Coca-Cola,” Buffett once famously quipped. In 2014, Berkshire invested $3 billion in shares of Restaurant Brands International , owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons amd in the 1990s owned a large position in McDonald’s in the 1990s. DPZ YTD mountain Domino’s Pizza shares have trailed the S & P 500 this year. Value bet Domino’s fits into Berkshire’s value investment philosophy, focused on cash flow and price-to-earnings and price-to-book-value yardsticks. At the same time, Berkshire may have simply taken advantage of a steep sell-off in Domino’s July, when it slumped 17%. On one day alone, shares in the world’s largest pizza chain plunged more than 13%, its worst decline since 2008, after telling investors that sales would miss an original forecast and fewer new stores would open overseas than originally planned. As a result, Domino’s price-to-earnings ratio fell to 23.7, the lowest this year, according to FactSet data. Pizza wars The pizza chain has struggled with comparable sales growth in the U.S. as competition for cost-conscious customers mounts. “Near-term fundamentals remain under pressure,” said Jeffrey Bernstein, a Barclays Capital analyst. “Similar to the ‘burger wars’ of years past, management believes we are now in the midst of ‘pizza wars’, with all focused on incremental value.” Even after Berkshire’s disclosure boosted Domino’s stock, it’s still up just about 10% this year, far behind the S & P 500’s 25% return. The Barclays analyst, who recently met with Domino’s management, said Berkshire’s newly-disclosed stake was mentioned in the meeting but that the company didn’t have much to add. “We don’t believe they spoke with Warren,” Bernstein told CNBC, referring to Domino’s management, but executives probably “received questions from the conglomerate ahead of the stake being announced.”
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The PlayStation Portal is finally worth buying
The PlayStation Portal is finally worth buying
Whether you’re looking at the base PlayStation 5 or the Pro model, investing in a current-gen machine hasn’t gotten any cheaper since launch. While sales for Sony’s newest console are by no means bad, there are still a large number of players out there who are either sticking with their PS4s or simply holding off on buying hardware entirely. Sadly, $450 is the lowest admission price (excluding the rare discount or buying secondhand), and it is not an insignificant amount of money for most people.
The PlayStation Portal was originally launched as an accessory to the PS5, much to the chagrin of those who were hoping for the next iteration of the PlayStation Vita. It isn’t quite the dedicated PlayStation handheld we wanted, but it might be the closest thing we get. Thanks to a fresh update, this $200 device has transformed into a no-brainer entry point to the PlayStation ecosystem that doesn’t break the bank, and I can easily recommend to almost anyone.
Step through the portal
At launch, the PlayStation Portal was fairly limited in functionality. It would allow you to play your PS5 games remotely so long as both were connected to the internet. That kept it from truly competing with devices like the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, which could function completely independently. That has all changed with the latest firmware update. Now, the Portal can stream a selection of PS5 games directly from the cloud via the internet — no PS5 required. While the update to the Portal doesn’t fully take it off the leash — you’re still tethered to a Wi-Fi connection — it does create the perfect on-ramp for new players.
Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends
For just $200 and the cost of a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription, anyone can get a *****-sized version of the PS5 experience. You obviously have that lower entry price, but also don’t need to worry about investing in a library of games. So long as you’re comfortable with streaming (and have the internet speeds to facilitate it), then you’re free to test out anything on the service with no commitment. Plus, for many people, the convenience of having a portable PlayStation could be more enticing than owning the home console.
The big difference here compared to something like the Xbox Series S, which is Microsoft’s low-barrier entry point, is that the Portal encourages players to further engross themselves in PlayStation. While I’m sure there are some people that do, I imagine it is a much ******* sell to get someone who has a Series S to upgrade to an X. It’s a similar story with the PS5 and PS5 Pro. Sure, some people will want that extra bit of power, but there’s a lot less to gain in relation to the effort it takes to upgrade. And then you have an almost useless older model hanging around to either sell or find some other use for. You’re almost punished for purchasing the lower-end model if you upgrade later since it essentially invalidates your initial purchase. Depending on your luck with selling it or trading it in, it can even end up costing you more. The opposite is true for the Portal.
If you purchase a Portal and enjoy the limited selection of streaming games through Premium enough to invest in a console, you’re rewarded by buying a PS5 in almost every way. Your Premium subscription suddenly explodes with additional PS1, PSP, PS2, PS3, and PS4 games, you can play games natively on your big screen, and, best of all, your Portal doesn’t become obsolete. It can still be your portable machine, but now also works as a remote play device for any game you purchase instead of just what’s available via cloud streaming. Adding a PS5 (or Pro) after the fact adds value to both products.
We don’t know PlayStation’s future plans with the Portal, but I could easily see it staying relevant through the transition to the PS6. Because it isn’t reliant on internal hardware, Sony could update its cloud servers with PS6 hardware when the time comes to give people who may not be immediately sold on, or able to afford, a PS6 right away a taste of what’s to come on that system.
When asked if it was worth it to buy a Portal before, I’d always have to give some caveats. Now, I can easily recommend the PlayStation Portal to anyone curious about what’s going on with PlayStation.
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Lauren Laverne given ‘all clear’ following ******* diagnosis
Lauren Laverne given ‘all clear’ following ******* diagnosis
Broadcaster Lauren Laverne has said she has been given the “all clear” after treatment for *******, adding the experience had taught her “so much about what really matters” in life.
The BBC presenter, 46, said on Instagram on Sunday that she would be back to work on The One Show on Tuesday “after taking some time off to get better”.
She said she now feels “more than ever that the small things in life – the connections we make and care we take with each other – are the big things really”.
Laverne, who also hosts BBC Radio 6 Music’s breakfast show Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, revealed her diagnosis in August, saying at the time that her ******* had been caught early and that she “expected to make a full recovery”.
Her post on Sunday went on to thank the “brilliant medical teams who took such great care of me” and “the thousands of people who sent me such beautiful and encouraging messages”.
“Most of all [thank you] to my family: my two astounding kids and especially my husband Graeme, who was absolutely extraordinary throughout,” she said.
“It’s been a difficult time but one that has taught me so much about what really matters.
“I can’t say I suddenly regretted never having hiked the Inca Trail, more that I now see more beauty in ordinary things than I could have imagined.”
Her post also included a picture of her wearing a jumper bearing the words: “Life is beautiful”.
She said in August her ******* had been discovered “unexpectedly during a screening test” and urged anyone who was “avoiding a test or putting off an appointment” to get checked.
Laverne began filling in for Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs in 2018, later taking over as permanent host.
The role has seen her interview the likes of Cillian Murphy, Steven Spielberg, Rebel Wilson, Delia Smith, Kate Mosse and John Legend.
She has previously presented BBC Two’s The Culture Show and Channel 4’s 10 O’Clock Live, and in the 1990s was a singer and guitarist with alternative rock band Kenickie.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lauren back to the studio this month for The One Show and Desert Island Discs, with new episodes airing on Radio 4 from 1 December, and we look forward to welcoming Lauren back to BBC Radio 6 Music in the new year.”
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An iMac, a coffee maker and an Amazon tablet
An iMac, a coffee maker and an Amazon tablet
It’s almost Thanksgiving week here in the US, and that means gift-shopping season is in full swing. As the hardware launches slow down while companies wait for you to buy their wares, so, too, can our reviews team take a tiny breather. That respite will unfortunately be brief, as we begin to prepare for CES 2025 in earnest while getting some year-end retrospectives ready. Many of our team members will be taking meetings all through December ahead of the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, which is officially starting on January 7 this year, and the news will be coming as early as January 5.
In the meantime, our team’s holiday gift guide and ****** Friday shopping content have been dominating our site, thanks to the relentless hard work of everyone that works at Engadget. There are many people behind-the-scenes involved in the process, as we try to find the best deals this season to better serve our audience. I myself have gone to CamelCamelCamel to make sure a standing-mirror-shelf was indeed 30 percent off, and not just marked as such while being listed at the same price as during non-***** periods. You’ve got to be so careful with your money and not falling for deceptive deals, and our commerce team is truly adept at sussing out the good stuff versus the bad.
Between all the work for our holiday gift guides, planning for CES and taking some well-deserved time off, our team of reviewers has still managed to deliver some great reads, just in time for the holidays.
Apple M4 iMac review
by Steve Dent
Apple
Apple’s 2024 iMac comes with the powerful M4 chip and starts with 16GB of RAM, making it a better value than past models.
*****
Powerful M4 processors
16GB of RAM comes standard
Much improved webcam
Nano-textured display option
*****
Upgrades still too expensive
Needs more screen size options
No vertical height adjustment
$1,199 at Amazon
Steve’s one of our expert photographers and videographers, and his review of the new iMac as a content creator is super insightful. I’ve always admired Steve’s depth of knowledge, and his background brought a different perspective to our review that I found relevant and helpful.
One of the biggest takeaways from Steve’s review is that Apple is finally offering more RAM in the entry-level model, and that’s somehow the most intriguing upgrade here. Though the webcam now has a sharper 12-megapixel sensor, and the display can be configured with a nano-coating, having twice the RAM in the base configuration is the most significant improvement. Steve clearly lays out why.
Fellow Aiden review
by Billy Steele
Fellow/Engadget
The Aiden is an automatic drip coffee machine that actually delivers on its promise of hands-off pour-over quality brewing. It offers tons of customization options and controls, plus guided brewing for novice users.
*****
Excellent pour-over performance
Lots of customization
Reconfigurable for single-cup use
Carafe pours easily
*****
One-button interface slows you down
Some app features are still in development
$365 at Fellow
Whenever Billy files a draft that’s for something outside the audio category, I know I have to be prepared. His mouthwatering descriptions of the meats he smokes or pizzas he makes with the cooking appliances he reviews often evoke FOODMO (food-induced FOMO) and, weirdly, so did this review of the Fellow Aiden. It’s an automatic coffee maker that promises to replicate the quality of brews you’d get using a pour-over cone. I am a casual coffee lover, in that I know my preference for darker roasts and can kind of tell the difference when a cuppa has been prepared well. But aside from convenience, I couldn’t tell you exactly why I prefer my pour-over cone to a French press or drip machine.
Billy’s review clearly explains why the Aiden is the best of the coffee makers that claim to bring pour-over quality in an automatic system. While simultaneously making me somehow crave an expertly crafted cup of morning joe. Be warned, if descriptions of beans can make your mouth water, definitely make sure you have a mug of your favorite beverage nearby before reading this.
Loop Switch 2 review
by Billy Steele
Loop/Engadget
The Switch 2 delivers on Loop’s promise to safely filter loud noise without overly muffling the sound for social gatherings, concerts, commuting and more.
*****
Easy to adjust while wearing
Very comfortable
*****
Priciest model from Loop
Noise levels on vary by 3dB
$60 at Loop
We don’t typically review earplugs, but Billy had done fairly deep testing of the Loop Switch 2, and had enough experience to also compare it to some competing products. That’s why we felt confident about assigning these noise-filtering earbuds a score. You might notice that the scorecard is smaller than usual — this is something you’ll see more of moving forward. It represents reviews that involved first-hand, in-depth testing, but for products that for a variety of reasons may not rise to the level of our full reviews. Rest assured that a scored review on Engadget will always involve thorough first hand testing and thoughtful criticism and evaluation.
Billy’s piece on the Switch 2 had me intrigued, especially as I recently went to a concert and was concerned about the loud music and potential damage to my hearing. I never knew earplugs had gotten so advanced, and learned a lot from Billy’s description of how you can change between levels of noise-filtering without having to take these buds out of your ears.
Amazon ***** HD 8 tablet review
by Jeff Dunn
Amazon
The ***** HD 8 ******** a decent value for a casual media consumption tablet, particularly when it’s on *****, but its iffy display and ad-heavy software make it less appealing at full price.
*****
Cheap, and frequently discounted
Lightweight and comfortable to hold
Improved performance over prior generation
Good battery life
Has a microSD slot and headphone jack
*****
***** OS is ad-heavy and Amazon-centric to the point of hostility
Limited app selection
Display needs a refresh
Poor cameras
Still only powerful enough for light gaming and media consumption
$55 at Amazon
Many Amazon tablets fall under the category of products that we would like to review but don’t typically have the time or bandwidth to get to. That’s why I was excited when Jeff was able to find time to test the ***** HD 8, especially since he is familiar with the Amazon product ecosystem. There are plenty of Android tablets out there, and the ***** series are among the most affordable, making them a popular choice. That’s why it’s important for us to test them, to get a better sense for what people are using and also to inform our other coverage and reviews. Though Jeff didn’t like ***** OS, he did find the HD 8 to be just good enough to be a decent value. As long as you can put up with an ad-heavy interface and a limited app selection, you’ll probably find this to be a competent device for, say, your child to use on the go.
Sonos Arc Ultra review
by Billy Steele
Sonos/Engadget
Sonos’ latest premium soundbar relies on new technology to improve audio quality and the upgrade delivers more than just a bass boost.
*****
Improved bass performance
Crisp, clear and immersive sound
Expanded Speech Enhancement
Compatible with Ace headphones
*****
Still just a single HDMI port
Expansion ******** pricey
Large footprint
$999 at Sonos
Sonos’ Arc Ultra manages to deliver better bass and sound than the original, and thanks to Billy’s explainer on the company’s latest Sound Motion technology, I have a better understanding of how it’s different. According to Billy, the acoustic improvement is significant, and the company’s improved app makes for a greater overall experience that could be worth the extra $100. Considering the Sonos Arc is now on ***** for $699 and the Ultra costs $999, though, the greater difference in cost may be ******* to justify.
Sony’s PlayStation Portal gets a cloud-streaming upgrade
by Devindra Hardawar
Sony announced this week that it was bringing cloud-streaming to the PlayStation Portal, a handheld gaming console that was previously only capable of playing games that were on the PlayStation in your home. Since this drawback was one of the major complaints Devindra had when he reviewed the Portal last year, he dusted off his Portal and got to testing the new cloud-streaming feature and was generally impressed by the performance and latency. It’s nice to see companies deliver features after a product launches, and even nicer when they work well.
But since Devindra still has some unaddressed griped with the Portal, like some clunkiness and lag in connecting to a PlayStation, the cloud-streaming addition doesn’t yet warrant an update to our original review and score. If Sony further updates the Portal and genuinely improves the experience, we will revisit our evaluation. For now, though, Devindra just says he has “started to hate this thing a bit less.”
On the horizon: Upcoming reviews
We’re still awaiting a review unit of the new Kindle Scribe that Amazon announced in October, and continue to work through our backlog of gadgets that includes a Roku, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We’re also taking some time to revisit some older products so we can review them with some time after launch, which should give us a better view of how the things we test hold up over time. Stay tuned for all that, and feel free to send us your feedback and suggestions on what you’d like to see us review. In the meantime, happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it, and we’ll see you soon!
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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 gets a new patch to address ongoing stability issues — Microsoft suggests users install 1.1.9.0 patch, relocate Community Folder to mitigate long loading times
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 gets a new patch to address ongoing stability issues — Microsoft suggests users install 1.1.9.0 patch, relocate Community Folder to mitigate long loading times
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s launch has been marred by a handful of issues and clunky backend infrastructure designed for just 200,000 players. To somewhat alleviate this situation, Microsoft’s latest patch for its flight simulator addresses a few common stability problems and advises users to relocate the Community Folder for better performance.
MSFS 2024 (Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024) incorporates a unique design to reduce initial download sizes – streaming assets from the cloud on the go as you play. This has several implications, the first being bandwidth on Microsoft’s end and the second being game preservation, but that’s a topic for another day. Microsoft’s design did not factor in the large swarm of players at launch, and even now, it struggles to keep up with demand. Talk about suffering from success.
In its release notes, Microsoft suggested users transfer the Community Folder to another folder before restarting the game. According to Microsoft, outdated packages in this folder can impact your framerate, so this small step might boost your performance—to a certain extent. A handful of other bugs have also been addressed, as you can see in the list below.
Stability & Performance
Fixed a ****** when you selected “As Arrival” in the EFB.
Fixed a ****** that could occur when closing and invoking the Camera menu after changing the Drone focus mode option to a value other than undefined.
Fixed various crashes across the title.
General Bug Fixes
Fixed missing cursor on Xbox Live sign-in popup
Fixed an issue where you could lose focus when creating a new input profile.
Aircraft selection is accessible via the control menu, but can only be changed from the home page.
Fixed an issue where you could get stuck when accessing the menu bar from any help page.
Users have expressed their frustrations, an example of which is Steam – seeing MSFS 2024’s rating drop to “Mostly Negative.” Admittedly, while server capacity issues still plague the flight-sim, initial testing should have taken these considerations into mind. Global player counts are still on the rise – offsetting Microsoft’s best efforts to mitigate ongoing bandwidth problems.
As we speak, Microsoft has not rolled out a roadmap of any sort to address the community’s concerns. This sort of ties into the increasing player count problem we mentioned above. A game heavily reliant on cloud streaming is bound to run into these issues. The idea is new and innovative but also restricts data and bandwidth-limited users from accessing the game and then you have the obvious subject of game preservation. Nonetheless, MSFS 2024 has been a hit – in all sorts of ways but we expect Microsoft to find solutions to these issues shortly.
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“The House With the Caryatids:” an Architectural Gem in Athens
“The House With the Caryatids:” an Architectural Gem in Athens
“The House With The Caryatids” is a landmark of Athens. Credit: Screenshot YouTube Up Stories
In a quiet street minutes away from the Acropolis Hill, an iconic building with two Caryatids on its balcony has been adorning the heart of downtown Athens for over 100 years. Known as “The House With the Caryatids,” it is a symbol of Greek heritage and an architectural jewel poised between the past and the present.
The simple, two-story building on Asomaton 45 Street was the residence of modern Greek sculptor Ioannis Karakatsanis, who lived and worked at the house until his ****** in 1906. Karakatsanis was a student of Leonidas Drosis, a leading Greek sculptor whose massive statues of Socrates and Plato stand in front of the Academy of Athens on Panepistimiou Avenue. Karakatsanis’ family sold the building after the sculptor *****. It underwent a renovation and since then has been the home of the Greek Olympic Winners Association.
In 1989, the Greek Ministry of Culture listed it as a landmark.
Caryatids of the Erechtheion. Credit: George Rex. CC BY 2.0/flickr
The differences with the Caryatids of the Erechtheion
In contrast with the Caryatids of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis, the two female statues on the balcony of Karakatsanis’ house have their hands crossed in front of them instead of freely falling down. Moreover, their legs are not visible. Instead, they are connected to square stands that are smoothly combined with the balcony.
This deviation from the ancient Greek tradition appears to be far from coincidental. The two Caryatids are said to be representing the image of Karakatsanis’ wife, Xanthi, and his wife’s sister, Eudoxia, thus making the monument deeply personal.
A Caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as architectural support instead of a column in ancient Greece.
The eerie legend behind “The House with the Caryatids”
“The House with the Caryatids” became widely known through a popular legend, which 19th century Athenians loved to tell. That legend ******** alive to this day, adding a veil of mystery to the house.
Panagiotis Kritikakos, a barber who had his shop on the ground floor of the building, told his clients that the two Caryatids represented Karakatsanis’ daughters, who ***** either of a rare ******** or were poisoned by their stepmother. However, his descendants refuted these claims while Karakatsanis’ daughters all lived a long life.
“The House of the Caryatids” in other artists work
In 1952, Henri Cartier-Bresson, a famous French artist and humanist photographer, snapped one of his most legendary pictures in front of “The House of the Caryatids.” It depicts two old Greek women dressed in ****** passing under the building. The photo beautifully contrasts the two female statues with the two, ******-clad Greek women.
Giannis Tsarouxis, a famous Greek painter and set designer, was inspired by the two Caryatids adorning the building and portrayed them in his paintings and set designs.
To this day, “The House of the Caryatids” appears in countless photos posted online and in social media, snapped by local passers-by and tourists.
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‘Wild, Dark, Demonic’ Forces: Woman’s Powerful Ministry to Confront Evil, Offer Healing
‘Wild, Dark, Demonic’ Forces: Woman’s Powerful Ministry to Confront Evil, Offer Healing
Judith MacNutt, founder of ********** Healing Ministries, an organization dedicated to healing prayer, is on a mission to help people find hope — and spiritual recovery.
MacNutt, co-author of “Deliverance from Evil Spirits: A Guide to Freedom from the Demonic Realm” alongside her late husband Francis MacNutt, grew up in a ********** home with a mother who believed wholeheartedly in healing.
“When I would listen to her, she would talk about the miracles of ****** for healing and deliverance, and then I would go to our *******, and they would pray for someone, like, in the hospital,” she said on the “Playing With ***** Podcast.” “But there didn’t seem to be that same level of ****** and authority that I saw when I read the Scripture.”
Eventually, MacNutt went to college, studied psychology, and became a psychotherapist. This led her to work in psychiatric hospitals throughout the Boston area, where she started to notice something.
LIsten to her explain her journey:
“It was during that time that the Lord led me to Isaiah 61,” she said, quoting the Scriptures there about **** healing the brokenhearted and setting the captive free. “And I began to see psychology as a wonderful diagnostic tool, and I was thankful for my training and I still am. But, at the same time, it’s limited in helping people.”
MacNutt said research shows one-third of people get better, one-third remain the same, and another third “get worse,” explaining her belief that these numbers aren’t “great.” One of the precipitating events that led her into healing ministry unfolded after a ******** at her hospital.
“One of my clients was able to find a **** and take his life on the hospital grounds,” MacNutt said. “No one ever knew how he got the ****, but that created this real crisis for me, because I began to see the limitations.”
She deeply loved her patients and used medicine and treatment but too many “just weren’t getting well.” MacNutt said she felt at the time as though love simply wasn’t enough.
“When this young man — he was only in his 30s — committed ********, that’s what drove me deeper into finding out more about Scripture, and about healing, and, ultimately — deliverance,” she said.
MacNutt began to pray for her patients, which began a process that changed everything.
“When I started praying with my patients, I didn’t tell anyone,” she said. “I just started praying, and I was running a youth group at that time at a local ******* there in Boston, and I got my students to pray for these patients, like, first name only. They didn’t know anything, but they were so zealous for ****.”
As those prayers progressed, MacNutt said she started seeing her patients “getting well.”
“They really started getting free of the issues they had when they came into the unit,” she said. “So, I saw real-life transformations in the psych hospital.”
Listen to the latest episode of “Quick Start”
All of this paved the way for the work MacNutt does at ********** Healing Ministries, where she said they address four different types of healing: physical healing, inner healing, spiritual healing, and deliverance.
“Most people are familiar with physical healing,” she said. “And then there’s inner healing, which is our emotions and our memories. And then there’s spiritual healing, which is in the area of forgiveness. We need to forgive someone or be forgiven, and then the fourth area of healing is deliverance from evil spirits.”
It’s the last form of healing — deliverance — that often sparks debates in theological circles, as believers battle over the extent to which the demonic can impact Christians, the lengths to which evil manifests today, and other related issues. MacNutt is no stranger to these discussions.
“What concerns me is people take deliverance out of context and they ******* it as some, you know, wild, dark, demonic force coming against people, which is true,” she said. “But they don’t put it in the context of our humanity, and certainly the love of ****.”
MacNutt continued, “And it’s beautiful to see someone set free from a lifetime of ***** use or a lifetime of self-****** in some way, because the demons do have an awful lot of control, whether they’re outside or inside a person.”
She said she always encourages people to return to the ****** to see how ****** handled evil. From the man labeled the Gerasene demoniac in Scripture to the people with mute spirits, ******* always confronted evil in a head-on, intriguing way.
As for the term “exorcism,” a theological practice known more in ********* circles than anywhere else as an expulsion of the demonic from a person who has been fully overtaken by evil, MacNutt said she has only seen one person in 50 years of ministry who needed to undergo such a process.
Most people, she said, simply need deliverance, which she differentiated from exorcism. And she said Christians are often in need of expelling evil that is somehow pressing in or attached to them.
“The rest of them either have like a demonic force kind of pressing on them, oppressing them, or they have one inside,” MacNutt said. “And I know that’s controversial always with a lot of Christians, but … I’ve prayed with so many Christians that I do know that’s absolutely true.”
She continued, “There’s a vast difference between exorcism and deliverance.”
MacNutt said the actions we take in life can open us up to these spiritual evils. She recalled her own journey in middle school playing with a Ouija board. At the time, she didn’t know the dangers. But a friend at a slumber party convinced her to take part in a seance.
Years later, while working in ministry, a man approached her who had a gift of “discerning spirits.”
“He said, ‘You have a spirit of the occult,’” she recalled. “And I said, ‘That’s impossible. I’ve never ever dealt in the occult.’ And the Lord immediately brought back those two memories, and I had to renounce the occult. … And when I had the prayer of renunciation, asking ****’s forgiveness, and then being set free, it really changed me in ways that I had a definite, new freedom.”
MacNutt now helps others find that very freedom through her ********** Healing Ministries, explaining that finding freedom is a “very simple process.” People will call or come to events hosted by the organization, including trainings and healing events.
People will fill out intake forms addressing their lives and backgrounds and then meet with prayer ministers to hear their stories and then work with them.
“Our prayer ministers are really trained in listening, and they know that love is what heals,” she said, explaining how they then pray and help those move past these traumas and evils. Find out more about these efforts here.
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Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Kalen DeBoer’s bad night, Indiana’s silver lining mark wild Week 13
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Kalen DeBoer’s bad night, Indiana’s silver lining mark wild Week 13
And now, 20 Final Thoughts from Week 13, when four of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s top 16 teams lost to opponents with 5-5 or 4-6 records.
1. No. 5 Indiana finally played its big game against No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday and lost by 23 points. Yet, by night’s end, the Hoosiers found themselves in much better shape to make the Playoff than … Alabama.
2. Don’t let SEC flacks tell you after Saturday, “This just goes to show you how tough it is to win in this conference.” Not this year. No. 7 Alabama (8-3, 4-3 SEC) lost 24-3 at Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5), a team that has spent much of the season struggling to find the end zone. No. 9 Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3) lost 24-17 at Florida (6-5, 4-4), which until recently wasn’t sure its coach would make it to 2025. And No. 15 Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2) went down 43-41 in four overtimes at Auburn (5-6, 2-5), even though its distinguishing trait this season has been its ability to cough up turnovers.
Even after all that, the Aggies can still reach the SEC Championship Game if they knock off No. 3 Texas (10-1, 6-1) next week. They’d face No. 10 Georgia (9-2, 6-2), which clinched its berth on a day when it faced UMass. If that matchup happens, it would be the most combined losses in an SEC title game (five) since 2007.
A conference that assumed it would be getting at least four, if not five berths to the first 12-team Playoff may now find itself with a maximum of three.
GO DEEPER
College Football Playoff 2024 projections: Indiana hangs on as Alabama, Ole Miss fall out
3. Alabama’s loss — the first game since 2011 in which it did not score a touchdown — was unspeakably bad for first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, who has overseen the program’s first three-loss regular season in 14 years. The Tide finally had cleansed the stench of October losses at Vanderbilt and Tennessee and could write their ticket to Atlanta. Instead, a swarming Oklahoma defense pressured Jalen Milroe (11 of 26 for 164 yards) into a three-interception night, while the Sooners’ 127th-ranked offense saw freshman running back Xavier Robinson (18 carries, 107 yards, two touchdowns) and quarterback Jackson Arnold (25 carries, 131 yards) run all over the Tide.
This was a seminal win for third-year Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, whose midseason switch to Joe Jon Finley as offensive coordinator paid off. But unless Alabama still backdoors into the CFP, the first season of the post-Saban era officially will go down as a disaster.
4. Since losing 32-31 at current No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) has answered its biggest questions. They were all on display in the Buckeyes’ 38-15 drubbing of No. 5 Indiana (10-1, 7-1). Quarterback Will Howard, whose late clock-management gaffe doomed the Buckeyes in Eugene, has been impressive since. He finished 22 of 26 for 201 yards and two TDs with one tipped pick Saturday. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles took flak for his defense’s inability to get to the quarterback against Oregon, but it has had 18 sacks in the five games since, including five Saturday. And, of course, popular punching bag Ryan Day emerged from that Oregon game with a 2-6 record against top-five foes. He has doubled his top-five wins since (Penn State and Indiana).
Ohio State’s biggest question ******** its offensive line, though the Buckeyes did not miss injured center Seth McLaughlin in this one. Even so, Ohio State will be a popular national title pick come Selection Sunday.
5. The Hoosiers, who close with 1-10 Purdue next week, present one heck of a riddle for the committee. On the one hand, they likely will finish 11-1, with 10 blowout victories, while playing in a major conference. On the other hand, at most three of Indiana’s 11 wins will have come against bowl-eligible teams, and even those three likely will be 6-6. And then, in the one chance the Hoosiers had to prove themselves against an elite opponent, they lost big.
Still, they’ve only lost once, and we’re down to eight Power 4 teams that can say that. The best guess is the committee will drop Indiana to No. 10, below 9-2 Tennessee and Georgia and just behind 10-1 SMU.
Safe for now, with almost no breathing room.
GO DEEPER
Curt Cignetti thinks Indiana is still Playoff worthy. In 12-team format, we get to debate
6. The good news for Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is he no longer has to worry about his team reaching the SEC Championship Game, losing and getting knocked out of the Playoff. The Rebels just skipped right to the last part.
Ole Miss committed every self-inflicted wound imaginable in Gainesville. Twice on fourth-and-1 deep in Gators territory, Kiffin called a direct snap to 325-pound defensive tackle JJ Pegues. He was stuffed on both. And given two chances in the last 3:58 to send the game to overtime, quarterback Jaxson Dart threw two inexcusable interceptions.
Barring a miracle, the most hyped Ole Miss team in a generation will spend the holidays at the Citrus/Gator/Las Vegas bowl. Florida will, too, but that’s a big victory given Billy Napier’s job status only a few weeks ago.
7. When the Big 12 opted to expand from eight teams (after Texas and Oklahoma left) to 16, it inadvertently created possibly the flattest conference ever assembled. There are no alphas and no doormats, just 16 programs that can beat any of the others in a given week. And now, those teams have produced a perfectly fitting stretch run. Four teams — Arizona State, BYU, Colorado and Iowa State — sit tied atop the standings at 6-2 in league play. And none of them play each other next weekend.
If all four win their last game, the Sun Devils and Cyclones will meet in Arlington. But what chance do you give that happening?
8. Kansas (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) is the living embodiment of Big 12 parity. Ranked in the preseason Top 25, the Jayhawks limped to a 2-6 start before upsetting 7-1 Iowa State. And then upsetting 9-0 BYU. And then, on Saturday, likely ending the Playoff hopes of No. 16 Colorado (8-3, 6-2) in a 37-21 rout. Kansas, led by veteran tailback Devin Neal (37 carries, 207 yards, three TDs), played bully ball, running for 331 yards against the Big 12’s third-best rushing defense entering the weekend.
It’s an abrupt turn of events for Deion Sanders’ team, which entered that game on a four-game winning streak with its eyes on a Big 12 title. Barring everything breaking their way next week, stars Shedeur Sanders (23 of 29 for 266 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions) and Travis Hunter (eight catches, 125 yards, two touchdowns) may be playing their last college games Friday against Oklahoma State (3-8, 0-8).
9. Arizona State has had a hard time through the years building fan loyalty in its pro sports market, but second-year coach and alum Kenny Dillingham is doing everything possible to change that. Led by star running back Cam Skattebo (28 carries, 147 yards, three touchdowns), the No. 21 Sun Devils (9-2, 6-2) jumped to a 21-3 halftime lead against No. 14 BYU (9-2, 6-2) before hanging on for dear life. They prevailed 28-23 only after a ********** field storming and a BYU Hail Mary attempt that was caught just short of the end zone.
Arizona State, 3-9 a year ago, was picked to finish last in the conference. It may beat that by 15 spots.
GO DEEPER
Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham has proved himself a great coach — with room to improve
10. No. 22 Iowa State (9-2, 6-2) has gone 112 years since its last conference championship, and for a brief moment against Utah (4-7, 1-7), it looked like the drought might continue. The Utes, down to fifth-string quarterback Luke Bottari, drove 91 yards to take a 28-24 lead with 5:51 left. But Cyclones counterpart Rocco Becht is no stranger to late-game drives. Iowa State went up 31-28 with 1:31 left, then Utah’s Cole Becker missed a 54-yard field goal attempt to tie.
Iowa State is in the Big 12 Championship Game with a win next week, but it has the toughest remaining game of the four contenders, against 8-3 Kansas State. “Farmageddon” does not usually have such high stakes.
11. Any hopes of a service academy crashing the CFP likely ended Saturday when No. 6 Notre Dame (10-1) humbled No. 19 Army (9-1) 49-14, ending the nation’s longest winning streak at 13. The Irish defense was just too good. Army was averaging an FBS-best 334.9 rushing yards but had 207, including 71 on its last garbage-time drive. Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love needed just seven carries to rack up 130 yards and two scores (he also caught a touchdown pass). And so, it’s down to 6-5 USC standing between the Irish and a CFP first-round home game.
The ****** Knights still have plenty ahead of them: They’ll play for the AAC championship on Dec. 6 against Tulane and then, of course, face Navy. But even were Army to knock off the Green Wave, it’s doubtful it would finish ranked higher than the Mountain West champion.
12. Seeing all those SEC road teams go down Saturday should elicit some appreciation for No. 4 Penn State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten), which survived 26-25 at Minnesota (6-5, 4-4) despite digging itself an early 10-0 *****. The Nittany Lions ran out the clock with a six-minute drive in which they converted three fourth-and-one situations, including a daring James Franklin call. Penn State faked a punt from its 34-yard line with freshman tight end Luke Reynolds breaking off a 32-yard run.
Speaking of tight ends, I’ve been including Penn State’s Tyler Warren on my Heisman Trophy straw poll ballot for the past few weeks. That won’t change after he caught eight passes for 102 yards.
13. Seven programs have moved up from a Group of 5 league to a Power 5 league since 2011. The first six all finished below .500 in conference play in their first year. The seventh, No. 13 SMU, has yet to lose in conference play. The Mustangs (10-1, 7-0 ACC) clinched a spot in the ACC championship game with a 33-7 win at Virginia (5-6, 3-4). SMU has won eight straight games, including its last three by double digits, and it looks like a more complete team with each week. The committee has not been impressed with the Mustangs, but with teams above them losing, they’re moving into potential at-large territory, win or lose the conference.
14. SMU’s opponent in Charlotte will be No. 8 Miami (10-1, 6-1) if the Canes win at Syracuse (8-3, 4-3) next week or No. 17 Clemson (9-2, 7-1) if Miami loses. The Canes broke open a close game in the fourth quarter to run away from Wake Forest 42-14, holding the ****** Deacons (4-7, 2-5) without an offensive touchdown after the first quarter. This season has been a long time coming for Miami fans, who’ve spent most of the past 20 years in purgatory. This is the program’s first 10-win season since 2017, and even that team lost three in a row to end the season. The 2024 edition is aiming for a more satisfying ending.
15. All those SEC teams losing Saturday introduces the possibility of the ACC getting a second CFP berth. If Miami and SMU both go into the conference title game at 11-1, it would be surprising if the ****** fell out of the field.
And then there’s Clemson.
Dabo Swinney’s team, which handled The Citadel 51-14, should move to the cusp of the top 12 on Tuesday heading into a home showdown with current No. 18 South Carolina (8-3). Should the Gamecocks win, they could get blocked out by their losses to Alabama and Ole Miss, but Clemson could have a shot if someone takes an unexpected second loss next weekend.
16. No. 12 Boise State (10-1, 7-0 Mountain West) clinched a berth in the Mountain West Championship Game, which it will host, with a *******-than-expected 17-13 win at Wyoming (2-9, 2-5). Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty briefly left with an injury but came back out to finish with 169 yards on 19 carries, becoming the first FBS 2,000-yard rusher in five years. (He’s now at 2,062.) Jeanty will be playing on championship weekend, but with Colorado losing, his top Heisman competition, Colorado’s Hunter, might not be.
Boise State now seems to have a real chance to finish above the Big 12 champion and earn the No. 4 seed and the accompanying first-round bye. Keep an eye on how high No. 21 Arizona State moves up on Tuesday.
17. Well folks, they did it. The Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) are going to a bowl game for the first time since 2016, ending the longest drought of any Power 4 team.
Nebraska, which entered Saturday having lost four straight games, avoided one of its patented last-minute losses by hammering Wisconsin (5-6, 3-5) 44-25, ending a 10-game losing streak to the Badgers. A whole lot of demons slayed in one afternoon. Now, Wisconsin has its own streak on the line. Luke Fickell’s team needs to beat Minnesota next week to avoid the program’s first losing season since 2001.
18. USC (6-5, 4-5 Big Ten) did its best to salvage an otherwise ********** season with a 19-13 win over rival UCLA (4-7, 3-6) at a half-full (half-empty?) Rose Bowl. Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava has not been spectacular since taking over the starting job two weeks ago, but he has made plays when needed. USC’s go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter came when Maiava was flushed nearly to the sideline but found his footing and hit Ja’Kobi Lane in the end zone. Next week, the Trojans have a heck of a step up in competition: No. 6 Notre Dame heads to L.A. with a CFP berth in its sights.
19. The first Pac-2 Championship Game ended dramatically, with Oregon State’s Everett Hayes kicking a 55-yard field goal with 20 seconds left to lift the Beavers (5-6) to a surprising 41-38 win over Washington State (8-3). Oregon State had lost five straight games, most recently a 28-0 head-scratcher against Air Force. Now it has a chance to go bowling, but it would have to win Friday at Boise State. Wazzu’s season has taken a disappointing turn since getting to 8-1 and No. 18 in the CFP rankings. First, it lost a heartbreaker at New Mexico and now this, despite the continued heroics of quarterback John Mateer (250 yards passing, 75 yards rushing, four TDs).
20. Finally, Cal (6-5, 2-5 ACC) won its fourth consecutive Big Game, 24-21 over rival Stanford (3-8, 2-6). The Bears had been trailing all game until engineering a 98-yard touchdown drive to take the lead with 2:40 left.
On one hand, these were two programs far from national relevance, marginalized by realignment, playing a game on ACC Network that likely no one outside of their fans watched. On the other hand, this was a season- and career-defining game for those involved, as evidenced by Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s extremely emotional and eloquent postgame interview.
Highly recommend.
The full Fernando Mendoza post game interview after defeating Stanford
I’m not crying, you are#CALGORITHM #GOBEARS pic.twitter.com/5EPIiq7uwM
— c (@calgoldnbears) November 23, 2024
(Photo: Brian Bahr / Getty Images)
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Max Verstappen clinches fourth F1 championship as George Russell wins Las Vegas GP
Max Verstappen clinches fourth F1 championship as George Russell wins Las Vegas GP
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LAS VEGAS — George Russell may have won the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton beside him on the podium for a Mercedes 1-2 finish. But all eyes were on Max Verstappen. For the fourth time in as many seasons, the Dutchman was crowned Formula One world champion.
It wasn’t an easy slam dunk like the previous two titles, though Verstappen wrapped up the feat with two grands prix and a sprint race left in the season. In previous years, he won races by a significant margin, like a 33-second gap when he won the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. At the start of the 2024 season, it looked as if Verstappen would dominate once again. He won the ********* Grand Prix by 19.3 seconds, and after that race, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff reckoned, “No one is going to catch Max this year.”
Wolff added, “His driving and the car are just spectacular. You can see the way he manages the tires. Basically, this season now is (about being) best of the rest. That’s the fact, that is all.”
But that’s not how the season evolved.
Verstappen’s resilience pays off
Verstappen had to battle more later in the year, failing to win a grand prix in 10-race weekends. There were times when he crossed the line, such as when the racing rules debate flared, but other times, he put on a masterclass, like the Brazil victory that was arguably one of his strongest wins.
The Ferrari and Mercedes duos challenged him at times, taking a total of eight combined wins this season. It’s the first time since 2012 that seven different drivers have won a race. But Verstappen’s closest rival was McLaren’s Lando Norris.
The Briton threatened Verstappen quite early on, taking his first F1 victory at Miami in May. But different developments across the season raised doubts about whether Norris could catch Verstappen in the title battle — like when the pair collided in Austria, Norris’ streak of poor starts, team strategy calls, and unusual conditions like Brazil, where McLaren gambled in the wet. Some questioned whether the team took too long to enact team orders. McLaren finally publicly confirmed the team orders in September.
Singapore seemed like a turning point in the championship, with Norris putting on a dominant performance as he won the race by 20.945 seconds. The points gap to Verstappen narrowed to 52 points. It wasn’t a 100 percent clean race, the McLaren driver admitting afterward that he had “a few too many close calls,” but the victory wasn’t in doubt.
The U.S. Grand Prix saw Verstappen and Norris battle once again, going wheel-to-wheel and avoiding contact but not a penalty. Norris got dinged with a five-second penalty for overtaking off of the race track and lost third place as a result. The gap extended to 57 points. Afterward, Norris said, “It’s a momentum *******.” McLaren did submit a right of review, which was denied.
Norris and Verstappen clashed again in Mexico, and this time, the Dutchman was dinged. And São Paulo was a decisive moment. Red Bull may have stumbled with its car development, which allowed McLaren to soar past it in the constructor standings, but Verstappen managed to drive around the difficulties. He only won nine grands prix this season, by the time he wrapped up the drivers’ world championship.
Max Verstappen during the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
A championship decider under the lights
Coming into the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, Norris seemed to accept his first F1 title ****** may end in defeat would happen Saturday evening. Verstappen, though, cautioned against whether it was definite the title would come this weekend.
“At the moment, it’s difficult to tell because if you look at the last few races in the dry, we didn’t have the pace. It’s not that because we won in the rain in Brazil, suddenly everything is fixed and everything is looking great,” the Dutchman said. “Of course, it gave us a good position in the championship, but I also have to be realistic that we are still not the quickest.”
Aside from Oscar Piastri being in the incorrect starting position, lining up outside of the grid box and receiving a five-second penalty, the start to the race was relatively clean. Charles Leclerc navigated past Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz early, putting pressure on George Russell. The two came close over the subsequent laps as the Ferrari driver tried to lunge past, but Leclerc never could ******** the move. Sainz, though, seemed to have the stronger pace, and it appeared that Leclerc let his teammate pass.
The driver championship contenders, meanwhile, had different starts to the Las Vegas GP. Verstappen began closing on Leclerc while Norris didn’t advance much. Around when all the first pit stops happened, Verstappen seemed set to win the drivers’ championship, sitting fourth on lap 14 while Norris was seventh. That would put the Dutchman 67 points ahead. By lap 21, Verstappen reached second place while Norris sat sixth, putting the Red Bull driver’s lead at 72 points if the results stayed as they were.
Mercedes’ pace was undeniable, but Ferrari wasn’t helped by being delayed when Sainz wanted to pit. Lewis Hamilton continued navigating through the pack, eventually slipping past Verstappen for second. Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, said over the radio, “Don’t lose sight of our aim today, yeah?” The Dutchman replied, “Yeah, yeah, I’m doing my race.”
The gap between Norris and Verstappen was at around 16 seconds by lap 36, and the rest was history. A Mercedes 1-2 prevented Ferrari from taking a significant chunk out of McLaren’s championship lead, but the Prancing Horse duo still finished ahead of Norris and Piastri. With a sprint race and two grands prix to go, the constructors’ championship isn’t wrapped up just yet.
Here’s how the top 10 finished.
George Russell (Mercedes)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
Top photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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NYT Connections: hints and answers for Sunday, November 24
NYT Connections: hints and answers for Sunday, November 24
Sam Hill / Digital Trends
Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends.
Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you’re having a little trouble solving today’s puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today’s Connections puzzle below. And if you still can’t get it, we’ll tell you today’s answers at the very end.
How to play Connections
Connections is a daily game about finding common threads between words. Players must select four groups of four words without making more than three mistakes. Play now. pic.twitter.com/CqObVOqeUs
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2024
You can play Connections on the New York Times website or with the NYT Games app on iOS or Android.
In Connections, you’ll be shown a grid containing 16 words — your objective is to organize these words into four sets of four by identifying the connections that link them. These sets could encompass concepts like titles of video game franchises, book series sequels, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc.
There are generally words that seem like they could fit multiple themes, but there’s only one 100% correct answer. You’re able to shuffle the grid of words and rearrange them to help better see the potential connections.
Each group is ******-coded. The yellow group is the easiest to figure out, followed by the green, blue, and purple groups.
Pick four words and hit Submit. If you’re correct, the four words will be removed from the grid and the theme connecting them will be revealed. Guess incorrectly and it’ll count as a mistake. You only have four mistakes available until the game ends.
Hints for today’s Connections
We can help you solve today’s Connection by telling you the four themes. If you need more assistance, we’ll also give you one word from each group below.
Today’s themes
CAREEN
WHAT A NOUN MIGHT BE
ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC GENRES
WORDS AFTER “ASH”
One-answer reveals
CAREEN – HEAVE
WHAT A NOUN MIGHT BE – IDEA
ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC GENRES – AMBIEN
WORDS AFTER “ASH” – BLOND
New York Times
Today’s Connections answers
Still no luck? That’s OK. This puzzle is designed to be difficult. If you just want to see today’s Connections answer, we’ve got you covered below:
CAREEN – HEAVE, LURCH, PITCH, REEL
WHAT A NOUN MIGHT BE – IDEA, PERSON, PLACE, THING
ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC GENRES – AMBIENT, HOUSE, JUNGLE, TRANCE
WORDS AFTER “ASH” – BLOND, TRAY, TREE, WEDNESDAY
Connections grids vary widely and change every day. If you couldn’t solve today’s puzzle, be sure to check back in tomorrow.
NYT Connection FAQs
What time does the Connections puzzle change?
The puzzle changes daily at midnight local time.
Who edits the NYT Connections game?
Wyna Liu, who has been editing puzzles at The New York Times since 2020, edits Connections daily.
“A few months ago, a new assignment crossed my desk: Create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had recently been greenlighted and was in search of an editor,” wrote Liu in an article explaining her process in June 2024. Most of my puzzle experience has been working with crosswords, and I was excited at the chance to try something different. I’ve enjoyed learning how puzzle editing plays out once a game is greenlighted, and seeing how our team fits into a larger ecosystem.”
On the one-year anniversary of Connections launching earlier this year, Liu posted this TikTok about her favorite puzzles so far:
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F1 champion Verstappen hails his most impressive season
F1 champion Verstappen hails his most impressive season
Max Verstappen claims 2024 has been his most impressive Formula One season, if not his best, after winning his fourth successive title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen needed only to outscore Lando Norris to take the title, which he did by finishing fifth in a race won by George Russell.
The Red Bull driver told reporters he had not had the fastest car for 70% of the season, unlike in 2023 when he won 19 of 22 races in the most one-sided campaign in the history of the championship.
So far this year Verstappen has triumphed ‘only’ eight times in 22 and reaching double figures looks a stretch with two rounds to go and Mercedes, Ferrari and leaders McLaren all fighting for the top step of the podium.
“Last year I had a dominant car but I always felt that not everyone appreciated what we achieved as a team, winning 10 in a row,” Verstappen said after finishing fifth in Vegas to take an unbeatable lead in the standings.
“Of course our car was dominant (last year) but it wasn’t as dominant, I think, as people thought it was.
“That (2023) is for sure my best season. I will always look back at it, because even in places where maybe we didn’t have the perfect set-up, we were still capable… our car was always quite strong, to win races.
“But I’m also very proud of this season because… for 70% of the season we didn’t have the fastest car, but actually we still extended our lead. So that is definitely something that I’m very proud of.”
Verstappen started the campaign with seven pole positions in a row and won seven of the first 10 but then went on a streak of 10 winless races in a row.
The latter part of the season has been about defending the sizeable lead built up in the early months.
“Every championship has actually been very different in emotions,” said Verstappen.
“It will never top the emotions of the first one because that is what you set out to do and that’s your ultimate dream and goal to win one.
“But then you know, the season has been very different to the second one and last year’s one. And that’s, I think, very beautiful because if they’re all fairly similar that’s not as exciting.
“Honestly, when I crossed the line, I was just very relieved. I was like, it’s over. It’s been a tough run of races, and I’m very happy that it rained in Brazil,” he added, referring to his standout win from 17th on the grid.
“When I look back at this season, probably in 20 years’ time when I’m retired, Las Vegas ’24 as a race is not going to be in my top 10. But it’s still very special to win it here.”
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Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, has made history. Can the prodigy become the youngest chess world champion?
Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, has made history. Can the prodigy become the youngest chess world champion?
Dr. Rajinikanth and his wife Dr. Padma would regularly play chess together for fun at their family home in India. Always at their side, watching wide-eyed, observing intensely as each piece was strategically moved on the board, was their son, Gukesh. The young boy was captivated by the calculated ****** and white dance before him.
“He would become fascinated with how the pieces worked,” Rajini tells The Athletic.
Over the next few weeks, Gukesh, still fresh into adulthood, could become the youngest-ever chess world champion. By qualifying for this month’s 2024 World Chess Championship in Singapore, the 18-year-old is already the youngest challenger to compete for the world title.
It has been a meteoric and surprising rise for a player who, until the summer of 2022, was still solely ranked as a junior. “It just happened by accident,” says Rajini, a surgeon. His son’s success wasn’t preordained, he says. Neither he nor his spouse, who is a microbiologist, had planned for or dreamed of their son becoming a phenomenon in the sport. “We never realized he was a special talent,” he explains. “It was the schools, teachers, and coaches who started to tell us, ‘This **** is talented, you should pursue more’.”
Starting on Monday, Gukesh will play titleholder Ding Liren, 32, of China in the best-of-14 classical games match that could last until December 13. For the first time in 138 years, two players from Asia will contest the final.
Gukesh, from the city of Chennai on the Indian south coast, a hotbed for chess talent, won the eight-player 2024 Candidates tournament in Toronto to set up the chance to become the first teenager to win the world title. Aged 17, in his first appearance at what is essentially the final round of World Championship qualifying, he overcame the odds and got the better of five more celebrated players — all with higher rankings — earning his title shot with five wins, one loss, and eight draws to finish with a score of nine out of 14 (one point for a win, half a point for a draw, and zero for a loss). Should he triumph in Singapore, he will become India’s second world chess champion after Viswanathan Anand.
Ding competes against Gukesh during the ***** Steel Chess Tournament in the Netherlands in January 2023. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Perhaps such success shouldn’t have been surprising given the records he broke as a child. Still young enough to be included in the International Chess Federation’s (FIDE) junior world rankings, he is the world’s top-ranked junior male player in classical chess, the longest format of the sport.
That he could beat the defending champion isn’t in the realm of fantasy, either. Gukesh, ranked fifth in the world in this month’s classical rankings, is the in-form player. Ding, currently 23rd, has had a difficult reign as world champion, taking a nine-month break from the sport last year for mental health reasons. He hasn’t won a classical game since January and has only played 44 classical games since becoming world champion.
“I am worried about losing very badly. Hopefully it won’t happen,” Ding said to chess app TakeTakeTake in September. At this week’s press conference, Ding said he wasn’t at his peak but said he was at “peace” and would review his previous best performances for inspiration.
Ding does, however, hold the better record in the pair’s head-to-head classical meetings, winning two and drawing once, and his peak FIDE rating of 2,816 is higher than Gukesh’s (2,794, reached in October).
But Magnus Carlsen, the five-time world champion who opted not to defend his world crown in 2023 but is still ranked as the world’s best classical player, has backed Gukesh to win, and urged the importance of Ding making a fast start.
“Ding cannot lose the first game… from what we’ve seen from Ding for the last one-and-a-half years, I don’t think he’ll come back from losing the first game, so I agree, hesitantly, that he’s going to be the first person to win a game, but I’m very uncertain,” he told chess.com. The Norwegian added: “The only way there’s going to be a low number of decisive games is that Ding gets chances and keeps missing them. We could see a bloodbath.”
‘Gukesh D’ as he is known, started playing chess at the age of seven, winning various junior tournaments before becoming, at the time, the second-youngest grandmaster, aged 12 years, seven months and 17 days. Grandmaster, awarded to players by governing body FIDE for life, is the highest title outside of world champion; today there are more than 1,850.
This year, he became the third-youngest to reach a FIDE rating of 2,700 after claiming two gold medals at the Chess Olympiad — a biennial international tournament that was held in Budapest, Hungary, and he is the youngest player to achieve a rating of 2,750.
Gukesh said his youth could be viewed as a negative and a positive heading into the final, but at this week’s press conference Ding said his opponent played with maturity “in many aspects”. Known for being an aggressive player, Gukesh, who recently revealed he was a fan of the sitcom Friends, is one of a number of young players making a name for himself in the sport. Ding recently decribed the new generation of players as fearless. “There are a lot born after 2000, they play fearlessly and are willing to try different strategies that the previous generation might not have,” he said, according to The Straits Times.
Gukesh is welcomed at Chennai International Airport after winning two gold medals at the FIDE Chess Olympiad (Photo by R. Satish Babu/AFP via Getty)
One of the coaches who told Gukesh’s parents about their son’s special ability and helped his development was Indian grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna, who coached the prodigy from 2017 to 2023.
They first met after Vishnu hosted a small training camp for students from Gukesh’s school, Velammal Vidyalaya, which has a great reputation for producing chess talents. Developing a strong mentality was a big focus point for Vishnu. “We discussed a lot of non-chess stuff about mindsets and how people in extreme sports behave,” Vishnu tells The Athletic.
“We talked a lot about Alex Honnold (the ********* free solo climber) and many extreme athletes and what kind of mindsets they try to keep. I always emphasized that chess techniques come and go and can be played around with, so there is no one right technique. But there can be a right mindset that promises performance, and that is the difference between players rather than the chess itself.”
His parents never involved themselves in training, instead making sure life outside of the sport was settled. But, with the approval of Gukesh’s parents, Vishnu, experimenting with his approaches, resisted the use of computer or chess engine assistance until Gukesh was a grandmaster, the aim being to encourage Gukesh to think on his own.
Chess had a deeper impact, too, on the teenager. “He used to be very naughty,” says Rajini.
“He was the only child so whatever he wanted he had to get it sometimes. He used to have all these tantrums but once he started chess he became very observant, how he is now. He started becoming more calm, patient, and observant. Chess has changed him.”
Playing chess can cause mental fatigue because of the concentration required. Yet, Gukesh’s appetite for the game once saw him play 276 games in 30 tournaments across 13 countries over 16 months while squeezing in 10am-5pm sessions with Vishnu in between competitions.
The longest game at a World Chess Championship was in 2021 between Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, taking seven hours and 45 minutes. Such mental focus can take its toll. After the ‘Moscow Marathon’, a World Championship contest between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov that lasted five months and 48 games, Karpov told a Russian magazine he had lost 10kg (22lb) in weight.
Gukesh could become the first Indian world champion since Viswanathan Anand (Photo by Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
In Singapore, each classical game will follow the time control of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game. From move 41, a 30-second increment will start. Players must remain poised, balanced and consider their moves deeply. A score of 7.5 points or more will win the world title. If the players are level after 14 classical games, a tie-break will be played on December 13. The right mindset is paramount, says Vishnu.
“It’s probably the biggest stage that anyone would get to, it’s all about nerves when you get there,” he says.
“He has been thriving under pressure. So far, he has always delivered in moments where he has a lot to lose and when things are hanging by a thread.”
History is on the line, and so too is a lot of money. The total prize **** for the World Championship is $2.5million, with each player earning $200,000 for each game they win. The remaining prize money will be split equally between the players. This is a significant hike from the €48,000 ($50,489 at current currency conversion) Gukesh banked from winning the Challenger tournament.
Even if Gukesh ******** calm under the Singapore spotlight, his parents will not be relaxed. Padma does not watch her son’s matches because the experience is too stressful. Instead, she will wait for the results to come in.
“I also want to do that, because it is too stressful for us, but it is too difficult to stay away so it’s like a hide-and-seek. So I just watch once every half an hour or hour and just see what position he is in,” says Rajini.
Tournaments have taken Gukesh, accompanied by his father, all over the world. There have been sacrifices, but the family have few regrets.
“Two-thirds of the year we were travelling for tournaments — his mother got very little time to spend with us. That is one thing we regret. Otherwise, we are very happy with how things turned out and we are very fortunate,” says Rajini.
Coach Vishnu saw the pursuit of greatness first-hand. “There is no clear path to recreate what he has done,” he says. “A certain hyper-focus and sacrifice of a regular childhood, a regular school life, and a regular social life of a teenager, you give up all that and focus on the main thing and that is to get better at chess.”
There are increasingly more chess prodigies, but Gukesh has worked persistently to fulfil his potential. “I had no doubt he was going to do well but, still, he exceeded expectations,” says Vishnu.
Gukesh is following in the footsteps of a great: five-time world champion Anand, now the deputy president of FIDE and also from Chennai. Fittingly, Gukesh overtook him in the chess rankings last year to knock him off the top spot as India’s highest-ranked player, a position he had held for 37 years (although Arjun Erigaisi, in fourth place, currently holds that honour).
Anand dominated an era, including winning four consecutive World Championships between 2007 and 2012.
“Playing the world championship and winning the Candidates is trying to fill Anand’s shoes, which is something my generation tried but ******* to do,” says Vishnu, 35.
“So it is very inspiring that Gukesh is close to putting India back on top of world chess, looking back and thinking, ‘That was the **** who was coming and training with me’.”
(Top image: Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images; design Eamonn Dalton)
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