In a devastating blog post, image-uploading site Abload announced that it would be permanently shutting down its website by June 30, 2024. Abload, which has been around as a free service since 2006, stopped accepting new uploads back in December 2023.
According to the blog post, the team had spent four months trying to keep the site afloat but failed in the end and now its entire contents — legacy images and links alike — are forfeit. What makes this even more tragic is that it’s something that keeps happening as the internet becomes more profit-driven and centralized.
This phenomenon recently occurred with Gliphy, a free site where you could upload and create gifs that could then be shared throughout the internet. Gliphy eventually went under and with it the entire expanse of its years-long collection. Just like that, internet history was erased. Even some of my own workshave suffered thanks to losing this valuable resource.
Remnants of the old internet are disappearing
There’s a pattern here, with websites from the older internet created so users can freely create and share content being driven either to adopt a subscription model to survive or perish and sacrifice its entire catalog of content. Even looking at our best photo storage and sharing sites list, the only entries that survived from that era are Flickr and Photobucket, with the latter completely eliminating its free-use option.
Seeing so much online history being lost, with very few methods left to preserve it (the Wayback Machine, an amazing resource, cannot preserve Abload’s images), is truly difficult to watch. Personal cloud storage has grown in popularity over the years but as you can see from our aforementioned list, almost none of them serve the same function as these older websites. They solely exist to store photos but are incapable of letting you share and embed them on other websites.
It represents how much the internet has changed over the decades. Unfortunately, the reality is that as the internet changes instead of its past being preserved it’s instead discarded and lost to time. This also has the added effect of breaking old websites and forums that featured a significant amount of images from hosting sites like Abload, which means even more of what remains of archived content is further lost and ruined.
PS5 SSD deals have been hard to come by for a while now, but if you’re looking to pick one up right now then Silicon Power’s XS70 range has a bunch of tempting discounts right now over at Amazon.
The most impulse-purchase-worthy deal is the 1TB XS70 PS5 SSD which is down to $74.99 at Amazon (was $85.99). It’s a 13% price cut and takes the drive to its second lowest-ever price.
If you need a bit more storage and breathing room, the 2TB model has the biggest price cut of the three models and is down 22%, dropping its price to $139.99 at Amazon (was $179.99). As far as we can tell, this is nearly a lowest-ever price – perhaps missing that mark by only a couple of dollars.
For those looking to solve their PS5 storage woes in one fell swoop and cover themselves for years to come, the 4TB XS70 has got a handy 10% discount running right now with the drive dropping to $269.99 at Amazon (was $299.99). This is the 4TB model’s lowest price since February and is decent value for a large-capacity drive.
Silicon Power might not be the most famous name in storage, but the brand offers excellent products, and usually at value-busting prices – something that’s accentuated today with these price cuts.
Today’s best PS5 SSD deals
The XS70 comes with a heatsink already so immediately wins points for offering a ready-to-go storage solution. Offering speeds of up to 7,200 MB/s (write) and 6,800 MB/s (read) means it’ll also offer you top-drawer performance, reducing the time you spend looking at loading screens and waiting times while you transfer files. It’s got more than enough chops to make it feel like you’re just using the PS5’s own storage.
In a field barren of price cuts on the best SSDs for PS5, or even any truly outstanding cheap PS5 SSD deals, these price cuts offer a good value way of bolstering your storage.
Not in the US, or looking for even more options? Then check out even more prices on PS5 SSD’s below no matter where you are in the world.
I’ve been coveringhearing aids for WIRED for nearly three years now, and I regularly talk to users and prospects about them when I wear them in public. Regardless of what I’m testing, one brand name has consistently and repeatedly popped up during that time: Jabra.
The Danish brand has a long history making a variety of audio gear, but I’ve always associated it mostly with the Bluetooth headset craze of the aughts. The brand made an early entrance into the over-the-counter hearing aid market (via an acquisition), and it hasn’t let up since, releasing new OTC models at a steady clip.
The latest of these is the Jabra Enhance Select 300, the brand’s smallest and most advanced model yet. You wouldn’t really know it just from the look of the aids. These are fairly standard behind-the-ear models that, while quite small (2.64 grams each), don’t offer any obvious surprises. The demure gray chassis sits close to the back of the ear and snakes a silver cable to the ear canal. Each aid carries a single button on its reverse.
Photograph: Jabra Enhance
Jabra front-loads a lot of the purchase process to ensure your aids arrive preconfigured. You can take an online hearing test or, as I did, upload a professional audiogram; either option allows Jabra’s audiologists to tune the product appropriately before it is shipped. The company also asks you to take a lengthy medical questionnaire to rule out any hearing-related medical problems before sending out the product. Eventually, the digital chatter can get a little tiresome: During the shopping process, Jabra even asks about your credit rating and suggests a monthly payment plan for its lowest-priced product if you say your credit is trash. Once you do place an order, Jabra barrages you with introductory emails and invites you to schedule an orientation with an audiologist to walk you through the hardware and the app. Admittedly, some of this is helpful—especially the Zoom orientation—but Jabra could stand to pump the breaks on the auto-mailer a bit.
There’s plenty to explore once your hearing aids arrive. For example, if you aren’t sure which type of ear tips are best for you, you’ll have ample room to experiment, because the company sends seven different baggies of them to try out, including open, closed, and tulip-style tips in a multitude of sizes. I counted 70 different tips in total, and I have no doubt that Jabra would happily send more if I asked.
With tips installed (I usually test with open tips), I found that getting the aids situated on my ears was made a bit easier thanks to a pinging sound that plays—Jabra calls it Smart Start—while you are guiding the receivers into your ear canal. Controls are as basic as they come: the button on the right aid turns the volume up for both aids, the one on the left turns volume down, and either one cycles through the programs—four in total—if you hold it down for a couple of seconds.
Naturally you’ll get a lot more out of the hearing aids if you connect your set to a mobile app, and Jabra actually has two apps to choose from. The Enhance Pro app comes up first in the app store, but the Enhance Select app is newer. They work about the same way, but since the Enhance Select is more recent I’ll write mostly about it. Primarily you’ll use the app to move among the four modes—All Around, Restaurant, Music, and Outdoor—all of which are self-explanatory. Each mode has extra options associated with it; for most you can select between “noise filter” to mute ambient sounds or “speech clarity” to boost conversational volume. These can be further customized thanks to three equalizer sliders corresponding to bass, middle, and treble frequencies. Volume can be set globally or individually per ear in the app as well. Of special note: Any customizations you make to programs aside from the All Around mode are reset to defaults once the hearing aids are put back into the charging case.
There have been several rumors in recent weeks about Apple’s work on a finger-worn smart ring, and while it’s not clear if the project is in active development at this time, we thought we’d round up the rumors that are circulating.
Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Ring
This guide aggregates what we’ve heard so far on an Apple-branded smart ring.
Potential Features
A February rumor from Electronic Times suggested that Apple is “speeding up development” on a smart ring with health-related features.
Like the Apple Watch, an Apple Ring could track heart rate, activity, sleep, and respiratory rate, using that information to provide users with sleep insights and health recommendations.
Apple could also potentially use a smart ring as an input device for the iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro, or Mac.
Ring vs. Watch
Apple already has an Apple Watch that is able to track multiple health metrics, but a smart ring would be more comfortable for certain activities. A ring could be preferable for sleep, for example, or in situations where the wrists need to be covered, like when wearing supportive wrist wraps.
A ring would not likely need a constant connection to an iPhone or another Apple device because it has no display, so the battery would probably last for a longer period of time. On the downside, a smart ring would convey information via Bluetooth or a similar method, so while it would collect data, that data would not be synced to the iPhone in real-time as it is with the Apple Watch.
There is a possibility that a smart ring would be more affordable than the Apple Watch, with higher-end smart rings priced at around $300 from Apple’s competitors.
Apple’s Competition
Samsung is developing a Galaxy Ring that is expected to be available in the second half of the year. It can track heart rate, activity, and sleep, plus it is able to make wireless payments and control Samsung devices.
Companies like Oura and Ultrahuman have been making and selling smart rings for several years. The third-generation Oura ring is able to collect activity information and measure heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep quality.
The Ultrahuman Ring Air measures heart rate, skin temperature, respiratory rate, recovery times, and sleep.
Ring Patents
Apple has patented smart ring technology. One patent, for example, explains how a smart ring (or several smart rings) could be used as a control method for a VR headset. Sensors in the ring would gather input from the user, and haptic output could provide feedback.
Another patent describes using a ring with a touch-sensitive display to control a TV or tablet, while a third outlines a smart ring with NFC.
Release Date
While Electronic Times said that Apple is seriously considering a smart ring, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurmanclaimed in February that Apple is not actively developing a finger-worn device at this time.
Apple’s industrial design team did present the idea of a smart ring focused on health and fitness to executives a few years back, but it may not be a project that Apple is planning to bring to market right now.
In November 2023, 20 tenured professors told a career strategist why they left academia for industry roles. After the reasons were posted on the social-media site X (formerly known as Twitter), Nature asked 11 scientists to tell us why they’re thriving in academia and what fuels their passion for it.
DARYL YEE: Risky research and mentoring
Materials scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
Materials scientist Daryl Yee can explore risky ideas in his academic research.Credit: Titouan Veuillet, EPFL
Two things come to mind: risky research and mentorship. I love that my job lets me work on risky, interesting problems, such as 3D printing DNA, that might or might not align with what industry is currently exploring. It’s fun to approach problems from unusual perspectives and see what we can learn along the way.
I also really enjoy teaching and mentoring students — helping them to learn concepts and grow as scientists. It is so rewarding to see students have those ‘aha’ moments when they understand how to overcome problems.
KATRINA CLAW: My community motivates me
Geneticist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.
Katrina Claw is motivated by her collaborations with Native American communities on pharmacogenetics research.Credit: DBMI
Being in academia is a privilege and I never forget that. My dad was a heavy-equipment operator for more than 40 years, and in our tribe’s traditional ceremonies, he always prayed for me to have a job in which I would stay clean all day and have an office. I not only have an office with views of the Rocky Mountains, I also have a laboratory full of pristine equipment and lead a successful research programme that trains students and collaborates with Native American communities on pharmacogenomics and the cultural, ethical, legal and social implications of genomics research. My main responsibility is to think all day and write. My community motivates me to continue in academia and to hold my culture and traditions closely in my work. I’ve stayed in academia because no one has kicked me out yet (haha), and because I love it.
DEVIN SCHWEPPE: Talking ideas into fruition
Bioanalytical chemist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
I love talking to anyone I want to about anything scientific, letting ideas percolate and then turning that ‘we met at a meeting’ conversation into a project worth pursuing. And next, pitching that idea to mentors, peers and students, and eventually trying to get support and presenting it to the community. And finally, hopefully, you get buy-in and see people use your idea to do something even more amazing than you anticipated. That whole trajectory is what keeps my head above water.
ANKUR SINGH: Thrive with good balance
Bioengineer at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
Bioengineer Ankur Singh says he thrives in academia because he has learnt how to keep balanced, mentally and physically.Credit: Ankur Singh
I love academia and research. There is freedom to pursue risky, complex and futuristic ideas with the potential to transform human health and lives. You have opportunities to mentor bright young minds, earn competitive pay along with global recognition and live with a sense of stability in life.
However, academia is cut-throat and highly demanding. I thrive by maintaining a good work–life balance, focusing on my priorities and making thoughtful decisions. It took a few years to realize that I do not need to work outside of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, or on weekends. I spend a lot of time with my young children and wife and call my parents in India every day. I do whole-body workouts three to five days a week and run half marathons at least once a month. I enjoy grant writing, in which my creativity can shine. I am receptive to peer review. I do not give up. Instead, I compartmentalize my brain, plan and deliver. I thrive because I understand what academia demands and how to navigate it without burning myself out.
PAUL MACKLIN: Reshaping the academic system
Mathematician and associate dean for undergraduate education at Indiana University in Bloomington.
I stay for the opportunity to find connections between fields, such as using insights from immunology to improve my cancer simulations, or by adopting approaches from education to help make my software more robust and usable. I try to keep things fresh by working on a mixed portfolio of projects: basic sciences in multicellular systems biology, methods development in our simulation toolkits and practical applications in cancer immunology and tissues.
As my career has advanced, the chance to make a difference for others has motivated me to stay as well. I’ve reached a leadership position as an associate dean, in which I cannot just complain about ‘the system’, but instead help to reshape it to be more equitable and transparent, and to open up opportunities for our students.
JONATHAN MOORE: Charting your own path
Applied aquatic ecologist at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada.
I value the intellectual freedom — learning and thinking about what type of research is important to do and then doing it. Intellectual independence is amazing, being able to chart your own path forwards. Another thing is getting the chance to work with young, emerging scientists. That continual influx of energy and different brains and personalities is super exciting. I love getting to know people and thinking about how their work can advance, and trying to provide them with a stepping stone for their careers.
ELANA FERTIG: Transdisciplinary happiness
Computational oncologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.
Although high-quality research can be done in both academia and industry, scientific exploration for its own sake is best suited to academia. This remains my driving force for staying, despite the challenges. As a transdisciplinary scientist, being surrounded by specialists both in mathematical theory and biomedical science is crucial to my success, but also to my happiness. There are of course numerous pros to industry, such as larger-scale projects, team-based missions and products as a main goal. Everyone can and should find their own path, in the environment that best suits them. For myself, taking a greater than 50% pay cut to return to academia was the best decision of my life and I have never looked back.
MYUNGJAE LEE: Guiding future generations
Materials scientist at Seoul National University.
Materials scientist Myungjae Lee prioritizes building relationships with students and mentoring them.Credit: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University
I remain in academia because of its nurturing environment for personal and professional growth. Academic research encourages critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration and intellectual exploration, and allows me to explore ideas that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in my field of optical engineering. This continuous pursuit keeps me engaged and motivated.
One aspect that I particularly enjoy is the opportunity to guide future generations. I build strong relationships with students and dedicate myself to mentoring, just as my mentors did. It’s incredibly rewarding to evolve perspectives and ideas through this process.
YU ZHONG: Exploring the unknown
Materials scientist and engineer at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
My decision to stay is driven by several factors. The most important is my passion for exploring unknown puzzles. I enjoy the ‘eureka’ moments. Toward the end of my postdoc, I realized that I was well prepared for and capable of doing academic research. That’s when I decided to stay. Furthermore, the flexible working schedule appeals to me — especially when my family needs me urgently — although the job is not easy.
LANA GARMIRE: Freedom to create and realize
Biomedical informatician at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
I grew up in China, where intellectuals are considered to be among the most respected professionals. My mum was a teacher, and I’ve wanted to be an educator like her since I was little. So why have I stayed in academia? The freedom to think, create and realize an idea. The satisfaction of mentoring students and helping to shape their lives is utterly rewarding — and more important than the relatively low salaries compared with industry.
CHIARA ZURZOLO: Discovery as a team effort
Cell biologist at the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Cell biologist Chiara Zurzolo enjoys the autonomy of academic research and nurturing scientific curiosity in the next generation.Credit: Institut Pasteur/François Gardy
My journey is driven by a passion for understanding how cells communicate and move in conditions such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, paving the way for potential cures.
Thriving in academia, for me, means having the freedom to explore uncharted territories. Unlike some industries, in which research tends to be more narrowly focused and directed towards specific goals, academia offers the liberty to follow our curiosity wherever it leads. This freedom is empowering — it lets us address challenging questions and test ideas in a creative environment. Importantly, discovery is a collective team effort.
What keeps me here is also sharing the excitement of unravelling the secrets of cells with the next generation of scientists. The academic journey goes beyond finding answers; it’s about instilling a passion for knowledge and contributing to a legacy of scientific understanding. Whereas some choose industry roles, I choose to remain because of the autonomy to shape my research direction and the joy of nurturing scientific curiosity.
Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Ring
