Apple's AirTag drops to $25 for Amazon Prime members at Woot

It’s now that much more affordable to scoop up an AirTag and track your keys or bag from your iPhone. Woot is selling single units of Apple’s item tracker for $25 to Amazon Prime Members, and $27 for everyone else. The sale runs either until the end of 2021 or supplies run out, so this might be ideal for last-minute gifts or post-holiday splurging. Just be aware that Woot’s return policy isn’t the same as Amazon’s, although you will have until January 31st to return anything purchased by December 31st.

Buy AirTag on Woot – $25

The AirTag has a handful of tricks to help it stand out from other find-my-stuff devices. The NFC-based pairing makes it easy to set up with iPhones, but the real star of the show is ultra-wideband support that helps you find tags with high precision. So long as you have a UWB-equipped Apple handset (the iPhone 11 or newer), you may know the exact spot where you lost your goods — helpful if something fell between the couch cushions.

The main catch, as is often the case with Apple gear, revolves around the ecosystem. While you can use an Android phone to help return an AirTag-equipped device or (soon) spot nearby tags, you’ll need an iPhone to set up those tags and track them from afar. You’ll also need accessories if you want to clip a tag to a keychain or backpack. The batteries are replaceable, though, and the simple design might be appealing if you think the alternatives are unwieldy or dull.

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Desperate for Workers, MGM Resorts Is Trying a New Hiring Tactic: VR

As the “Great Resignation” and anti-work movement continue to pick up steam, companies are struggling with record employee turnover. Customer service industries have been among the hardest hit, with many workers saying no thank you to the idea of handling Karens day in and day out during a pandemic. In a bid to curb…

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Halo Infinite Can't Decide If It's a Breakup Game or a Dad Game

With Halo Infinite, 343 Industries and Microsoft want the sixth major entry in the long-running shooter franchise to feel like a soft reboot of the series, particularly in regards to the relationship between the Master Chief and his AI buddy Cortana. After her supposed death at the end of Halo 4, and Halo 5 setting…

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Boris Johnson: UK Faces ‘Tidal Wave’ Of Omicron Cases

The prime minister said cases of the highly transmissible variant are doubling every two to three days in Britain, and “there is a tidal wave of omicron coming.”

Someone 'briefly compromised' the Indian Prime Minister's Twitter account

People aren’t done hijacking major politicians’ Twitter accounts for financial gain. TechCrunch reports an intruder temporarily seized control of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Twitter account on December 12th in local time. The attacker tweeted a bogus claim that India had adopted Bitcoin as legal tender and pointed users to a (thankfully broken) scam website. The post was at odds with India’s well-known disdain for cryptocurrency.

The Prime Minister’s office didn’t say much about the incident. It acknowledged that Modi’s account had been “briefly compromised,” but that it contacted Twitter and “immediately secured” the politician’s profile. Twitter told TechCrunch something similar.

It’s not certain just who’s responsible, or how they hijacked the account (some speculated the attackers exploited a website flaw). This wasn’t a large-scale campaign like the one that defaced the Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Elon Musk and other major figures, though. It’s chiefly concerning that someone breached Modi’s account in the first place — world leaders are expected to have strict security, and Twitter even has a system for protecting high-profile users against attacks. While those measures aren’t foolproof, they theoretically reduce the chances of incidents like this.

Revered Mexican Singer Vicente Fernández Dies At 81

The artist, known for dominating ranchera and mariachi music, was awarded three Grammys and nine Latin Grammys, inspiring a new generation of performers.

Gunpowder Powered Nutcracker Cracks Even The Stubbornest Nuts

Cracking nuts while sipping cocktails and making small talk with relatives: it’s a timeless holiday tradition. But what about those stubborn nuts that refuse to crack so easily – what about them? I’m looking at you, macadamias! Well, engineer Shane Wighton of YouTube channel Stuff Made Here has just the thing for those nuts: an explosive nutcracker powered by up to four maximum power firearm blanks. Nuts, prepare to be shell-shocked!

The world’s strongest nutcracker has a steel piston that fires upward with an acceleration of around 18,000 G’s to make sure that no nut is left uncracked. As a matter of fact, it won’t just crack nuts, it’ll obliterate them, and you’ll probably be picking pieces of shell out of your living room walls for many Christmases to come.

Shane stresses in the video that you should not try this at home, which is like issuing me a personal challenge. I mean he might as well have insulted my family and slapped me in the face with his glove with the whole town watching because I am definitely about to seriously injure myself trying this at home.

[via The Awesomer]

Grant Morrison's as Sick of Tyrant Superman as You Are

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My Hero Academia Would Like to Remind You That Deku–and Friendship–is Magic

One of the things that often makes My Hero Academia so compelling a read (and watch) is Deku. Fun as it can be to watch Bakugo overreact to everything or get swept in the superhero spectacle of it all, using the once powerless Izuku Midoriya as an anchor point to bounce off other characters in the throes of heroic…

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Chris Wallace leaves Fox News to join CNN's new streaming service

CNN just landed a big name for its upcoming streaming video service. The network has revealed that Fox News host Chris Wallace is leaving his TV home of 18 years for CNN+ ahead of that service’s early 2022 launch. The departing Fox News Sunday anchor said he was eager for the “freedom and flexibility” streaming would allow for interviewing major figures.

In his last Fox News Sunday show, Wallace said he wanted to both “try something new” and to “go beyond politics.” He didn’t indicate where he was heading next during that broadcast, however. Wallace is believed to be jumping ship as his contract expires. Fox, meanwhile, said it was “extremely proud” of Wallace’s team and would fill his role with a rotating cast of journalists until it named a permanent replacement.

WarnerMedia, meanwhile, wasn’t shy about touting its coup. The Wallace hire showed CNN’s “commitment” to both CNN+ and journalism as a whole, CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker said.

It’s too soon to say if CNN’s move will prompt a talent war among streaming news outlets like CBSN. Fox News Sundayhasn’t always fared well against comparable shows, like Face the Nation. Regardless, Wallace represents a big bet — CNN is clearly hoping his name will draw viewers to its internet-only service and provide an edge over competitors that might only see streaming as a nice-to-have extra.