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Your plan price isn’t the whole story. Verizon is announcing a new price lock policy today, and the timing is probably no coincidence. The company is extending a three-year price guarantee on certain plans, both for new and existing customers. The announcement comes a day […]
World NewsAs the US government launches investigations and threatens to pull federal funding, some elite universities have decided to take the path of least resistance. Colleges across the country have responded to the Trump administrationâs attacks on diversity programs and student protesters by complying with these […]
World NewsGoogle has added a new feature to NotebookLM that lets the AI note-taking tool find its own web sources to summarize and narrate. Instead of manually uploading sources like documents or YouTube links, users can now tap the “Discover” button and simply describe the topic […]
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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived […]
In some ways, I am an incurable romantic. I don’t care for realism in movies; I just want everyone to live happily ever after. I want the good guys to be noble and honorable, and the bad guys to see the error of their ways, […]
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Automobile TechnologySmartphone apps that track our driving behavior may be the key to safer road conditions. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety just published a study that found that using smartphone apps to monitor driver behavior, and then providing summaries of that behavior via text message […]
World NewsSmartphone apps that track our driving behavior may be the key to safer road conditions.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety just published a study that found that using smartphone apps to monitor driver behavior, and then providing summaries of that behavior via text message or a data dashboard, leads to safer driving.
Researchers borrowed techniques from usage-based insurance (UBI) programs, in which insurance companies use smartphone apps to measure dangerous driving behaviors, like hard braking, sudden acceleration, and speeding. Rather than rely on actuarial data, like driving records and vehicle type, UBI programs use real-time data from app trackers to determine premiums. These are typically opt-in programs, marketed as a way to lower premiums. But if your driving isn’t as safe as you think, it can lead to higher monthly payments.
Most people have an aversion to being tracked in real-time by their insurance company. But the AAA group was able to show that these methods can lead to safer driving — even after the tracking apps are turned off. Participants were told their data was being reviewed as part of a research study, and not being used by insurance companies to lower or raise their rates.
Most people have an aversion to being tracked in real-time by their insurance company.
The research team corralled 1,400 participants and split them into four groups: a control group; a standard feedback group, which were given weekly feedback via text on all behaviors monitored; an assigned goal group, which were given weekly text feedback on one behavior; and a chosen goal group, which selected their own behavior on which to receive feedback.
Among the three feedback groups, 13 percent of participants showed a reduction in speeding, 21 percent showed a reduction in hard braking, and 25 percent experienced less rapid acceleration.
Participants also gave their own feedback on tactics for changing their driving behavior: 67.4 percent said they would be persuaded by the potential to earn extra money; 53.9 percent liked weekly feedback via text message; and 45.8 percent preferred a weekly dashboard that provided detailed driving information for the week.
The research team also monitored the groups’ use of smartphones while driving, and were surprised to find that terrible behavior remained mostly unchanged. They theorized that providing baseline safety scores at the start of the study led drivers to believe they were being safer than they actually were — and therefore, less in need for improvement.
13 percent of participants showed a reduction in speeding
After the 12-week study, participants were monitored for an additional six weeks without any feedback to determine whether their improved driving would persist. The study found that generally they continued to drive more safely.
“It’s encouraging to see that many individuals stuck with safer habits even after the study,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy, in a statement. “This shows that positive reinforcement, not just punitive measures, can lead to safer driving habits that can save lives.”
In 2023, over 40,000 people died in vehicle crashes in the US. AAA says the research results point to the need for innovative approaches to educating people about safer driving behavior.
Most people have an aversion to being tracked while they drive — especially when you consider that most drivers have an overinflated sense of their own behavior. But UBI programs are growing. In 2020, 16 percent of auto insurance shoppers were offered UBI and 12 percent of them enrolled, according to USA Today. In 2024, 15 percent of buyers were offered UBI, but a almost a fifth of them signed up.
We already use our phones to monitor a lot of our behavior, including our steps, our sleep, and our eating habits. Why not driving?
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10Genre: DramaSize: 1.4 GBRuntime: 1hr 24 min
Hollywood MoviesThere are six Switch games that star Kirby, Nintendo’s beloved pink puff. Here’s the full list, as well as details about new Kirby games coming to the Switch 2.
Video GamesKirby has been a steadfast Nintendo mascot for 33 years, ever since the character debuted in 1992’s Kirby’s Dream Land for Game Boy. In addition to being a Smash Bros. staple, Kirby and his ever-evolving powers of inhalation have starred in over two dozen games, culminating in the series’ best-selling game to date, Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
As we near the end of Nintendo’s current console generation, we’ve compiled a list of every Kirby game on the Switch as well as new Kirby games coming to the Switch 2.
Six Kirby games have been released on Nintendo Switch, while 11 more retro Kirby games are playable with Nintendo Switch Online. The franchise debuted on Switch in 2018 with Kirby Star Allies; its latest release, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, arrived in 2023. A new Kirby game, Kirby Air Riders, will be releasing for the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025.
Kirby’s Switch debut came in 2018 with Kirby Star Allies. The action-platformer is played with a party of four (multiplayer or local AI) and sees Kirby combine abilities with allies to solve puzzles and enhance combat.
Series developer HAL Laboratories and Nintendo brought the pink puff back the following year for the free-to-play Super Kirby Clash. Like Star Allies, Clash is played with a team of four that can be controlled by other human players or AI. Unlike Star Allies, this is not a platformer but rather a standalone boss rush mode; it features a hub world for changing equipment and selecting quests, though the heart of the game is the series of boss fights that serve as those quests.
A sequel to the 3DS game Kirby Fighters Deluxe (an expanded version of the subgame Kirby Fighters found in Kirby: Triple Deluxe), Kirby Fighters 2 is exactly what it sounds like: a fighting game starring Kirby. It supports up to four players and features Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee, Gooey, and Magolor as playable characters.
The series’ standout game on Switch, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a post-apocalyptic adventure in which Kirby gets sucked into a wormhole that appears above Dream Land. The Forgotten Land is the series’ first fully 3D platformer, complete with puzzles and Kirby’s signature ability-based combat. It’s the series’ best-selling game to date, selling more than 7.5 million copies by the end of March 2024. There’s even a Switch 2 version of this game currently listed to be available for preorder.
Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a dessert-themed multiplayer game released in 2022. It features three four-player game modes: race, minigame, and battle royale. The modes can be played separately or together as part of Dream Buffet’s Gourmet Grand Prix.
The series’ latest game, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a remake of the 2011 Wii game Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. The action-platformer came to Switch with improved visuals, a new easy mode (Helper Magolor), three new abilities (Sand, Mecha, and Festival), and an all-new two-hour adventure called Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler.
Return to Dream Land Deluxe supports local co-op for up to four players, with each player taking control of either Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, or Bandana Waddle Dee.
There are 11 Kirby games available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Those with a regular subscription can play nine Kirby games from NES, SNES, and Game Boy, while those with the more expensive Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription get access to two additional games: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (GBA) and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64).
Here’s the list of Kirby games playable with Nintendo Switch Online, ordered by initial release date:
Kirby’s Dream Land (GB)Kirby’s Adventure (NES)Kirby’s Dream Course (SNES)Kirby’s Avalanche (SNES)Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (GB)Kirby Super Star (SNES)Kirby’s Star Stacker (SNES)Kirby’s Dream Land 3 (SNES)Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble (GB)Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (GBA)
A new GameCube library will also be available in the NSO + Expansion Pack membership on Switch 2, which may include Kirby Air Ride.
The era of Kirby on Switch may be coming to a close, but the character’s journey on the Switch 2 has just begun. Kirby Air Riders was officially announced during the April 2025 Nintendo Direct as a follow-up to the 2003 Kirby Air Ride racing game on GameCube. Masahiro Sakurai, creator of both the Kirby series and Super Smash Bros., returns as director of the new game.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is also on the list of games that will be getting Switch 2 upgrades. The upgrade will take advantage of the Switch 2’s improved specs and includes a new story expansion. Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World will be released on August 28 with a discounted upgrade option for those who owned the original game on Switch.
Check out more upcoming games for the original Switch and what games are coming to the Switch 2.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
IMDB Rating: 5.6/10Genre: Action / Adventure / Animation / Comedy / Fantasy / Sci-FiSize: 379.89 MBRuntime: 12hr 22 min
Hollywood MoviesIMDB Rating: 7.8/10Genre: Action / Biography / Drama / HistorySize: 6.12 GBRuntime: 2hr 14 min It’s Christmas 1183, and King Henry II (Peter O’Toole) is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons […]
Hollywood Movies
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Genre: Action / Biography / Drama / History
Size: 6.12 GB
Runtime: 2hr 14 min
It’s Christmas 1183, and King Henry II (Peter O’Toole) is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John (Nigel Terry) to take over. Henry’s wife, Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard (Sir Anthony Hopkins) should be King. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive King choose his or her option.—Jwelch5742
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10Genre: Adventure / DramaSize: 1.98 GBRuntime: 1hr 59 min
Hollywood MoviesIMDB Rating: 5.9/10Genre: Comedy / HorrorSize: 1.6 GBRuntime: 1hr 37 min
Hollywood MoviesThe White House released a list more than 150 countries and territories that would see at least a 10 per cent ‘reciprocal tariff’ from the U.S.
World NewsThe White House released a list more than 150 countries and territories that would see at least a 10 per cent ‘reciprocal tariff’ from the U.S.
This yearâs iPad Air was a surprise to me. Apple launched the last Air less than a year ago, and that was a very good device that could already support Apple Intelligence â and most of Appleâs recent gadget upgrades have been about supporting Apple […]
World NewsThis yearâs iPad Air was a surprise to me. Apple launched the last Air less than a year ago, and that was a very good device that could already support Apple Intelligence â and most of Appleâs recent gadget upgrades have been about supporting Apple Intelligence. I figured Apple might launch a better Magic Keyboard for the Air (which it did), and that maybe weâd see some big new software ideas at WWDC this year. But a whole new model? Didnât see that coming.
In fairness, thereâs really only one new thing about the new model: it runs on an M3 chip instead of last yearâs M2. So maybe instead of a whole new iPad Air, this is more like a mid-cycle refresh. Appleâs chip production changes, and so its devices change too. The new one, just like the old one, starts at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch screen. It comes in the same very pale colors. You get it.
Iâve had a 13-inch M2 Air for many months and an 11-inch M3 Air on my desk for the last several days. The story is the same as ever: itâs an excellent tablet, and I wish Apple would use iPadOS to make it a more versatile one. But we donât need to litigate the reason for tablets to exist â yo …
Guy Ritchie and Jake Gyllenhaal’s latest action/thriller is the story of a local interpreter (Dar Salim) who goes above and beyond to ensure the safety of an injured American sergeant (Gyllenhaal). As someone who doesn’t typically watch war films, for Ritchie, Gyllenhaal, and the promise […]
Hollywood Movies Hollywood NewsGuy Ritchie and Jake Gyllenhaal’s latest action/thriller is the story of a local interpreter (Dar Salim) who goes above and beyond to ensure the safety of an injured American sergeant (Gyllenhaal). As someone who doesn’t typically watch war films, for Ritchie, Gyllenhaal, and the promise of a thrilling chase sequence, a lady can make certain […]
THE COVENANT (2023): The Things I Liked…