First Drive: 2025 Toyota Crown Signia Hybrid SUV Shines

The Crown moniker dates back almost 70 years, making it the automaker’s longest-running model name. While absent from the U.S. market for about half a century, it has been applied to a series of regal sedans overseas for decades. Now the automaker is redefining “Crown” by applying it to a growing line of models that…

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Can a Steam Mop Kill Germs?

Cannon explains that viruses, in general, are very susceptible to heat. “Viruses come ‘shrink-wrapped’ in a layer of fat that helps them to survive in our bodies, by acting as a type of stealthy covering,” she says. The spikes on the outside of this fat layer allow it to latch onto and enter your body’s…

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YubiKeys Are a Security Gold Standard—but They Can Be Cloned

The YubiKey 5, the most widely used hardware token for two-factor authentication based on the FIDO standard, contains a cryptographic flaw that makes the finger-sized device vulnerable to cloning when an attacker gains temporary physical access to it, researchers said Tuesday. The cryptographic flaw, known as a side channel, resides in a small microcontroller used…

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OpenAI Backs Down on Restructuring Amid Pushback

“The nonprofit will control and also be a large shareholder of the PBC, giving the nonprofit better resources to support many benefits,” OpenAI’s blog post said. “Our mission remains the same, and the PBC will have the same mission.” Delaware attorney general Kathy Jennings said in a statement to WIRED that she is encouraged by…

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Who Can See What You Do on Venmo? You’d Be Surprised.

Since then, Venmo has slowly made some changes to its app, including clearer privacy disclosures. And it removed its social feed of all users’ payment histories in July 2021, shortly after BuzzFeed journalists reported finding President Biden’s Venmo account in less than 10 minutes using nothing more than the app’s search function. Social feeds are…

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The Race to Translate Animal Sounds Into Human Language

In 2025 we will see AI and machine learning leveraged to make real progress in understanding animal communication, answering a question that has puzzled humans as long as we have existed: “What are animals saying to each other?” The recent Coller-Dolittle Prize, offering cash prizes up to half-a-million dollars for scientists who “crack the code”…

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Tired of Fake Friend Requests, Dumb Videos, and Scams? Here’s How to Make Facebook and Instagram Fun Again.

For starters, set up a unique, strong password for every online account, including email accounts, retailer accounts, and, yes, social media accounts. (A password manager can help.) Use two-factor (aka multifactor) authentication to add another layer of protection. Next, remember that the more information you put out on social media—say, the names and ages of…

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Insta360 X4 Review: 8K 360 Footage in a Tiny Package

In practice, this is the first 360 camera I’ve used where the video footage is still very sharp and clear, even when reframed to 16:9. You still have to deal with the stitch line, which is where the edges of the two lenses meet and software (imperfectly) fills in the gaps, but otherwise postproduction use…

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Your Car Repair Handbook

Front Suspension Shock/StrutCost, Ford F-150: $926Cost, Toyota Highlander: $767 The problem: Suspension parts are regular wear items that, if in poor condition, could cause unsafe braking and handling. How long shocks and struts last depends primarily on the road surfaces you usually drive on. Rougher roads are harder on these parts. Their replacement is fairly…

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