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When I was a kid, I liked to dig holes in my backyard in Cincinnati. My grandfather joked that if I kept digging, I would end up in China.
In fact, if I had been able to dig straight through the planet, I would have come out in the Indian Ocean, about 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) west of Australia. That’s the antipode, or opposite point on Earth’s surface, from my town.
But I only had a garden spade to move the earth. When I hit rock, less than 3 feet (1 meter) below the surface, I couldn’t go deeper.
Now, I’m a geophysicist and know a lot more about Earth’s structure. It has three main layers:
The outer skin, called the crust, is a very thin layer of light rock. Its thickness compared to Earth’s diameter is similar to how thick an apple’s skin is to its diameter. When I dug holes as a kid, I was scratching away at the very top of Earth’s crust.
The mantle, which lies beneath the crust, is much thicker, like the flesh of the apple. It’s made of strong, heavy rock that flows up to a few inches per year. Hotter rock rises away from Earth’s center, and cooler rock sinks toward it.
The core, at Earth’s center, is made of super-hot liquid and solid metal. Temperatures here are 4,500 to 9,300 degrees Fahrenheit(2,500 to 5,200 degrees Celsius).
Earth’s outer layers exert pressure on the layers underneath, and these forces increase steadily with depth, just as they do in the ocean – think of how pressure in your ears gets stronger as you dive deeper underwater.
That’s relevant for digging through the Earth because when a hole is dug or drilled, the walls along the sides of the hole are under tremendous pressure from the overlying rock and also unstable because there’s empty space next to them. Stronger rocks can support bigger forces, but all rocks can fail if the pressure is great enough.
(Credit: Volcan26/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA)
The Earth is made up of layers. The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the planet, including the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust.
When digging a pit, one way to prevent the walls from collapsing inward under pressure is to make them less steep, so they slant outward like the sides of a cone. A good rule of thumb is to make the hole three times wider than its depth.
The deepest open pit in the Earth is the Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah, which was dug with excavators and explosives in the early 1900s to mine copper ore. The pit of the mine is 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) deep and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide.
Since the mine is more than three times wider than it is deep and the walls are sloped, the pit’s walls are not too steep or unstable. Still, in 2013, one of the slopes collapsed, causing two huge landslides that released 145 million tons of crushed rock to the bottom of the pit. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the landslides caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
Suppose you were to try digging through the Earth and that the planet was all solid. (We know that it’s not, but this is the simplest scenario.) The depth of a hole all the way through the planet would be equivalent to Earth’s diameter, which is just a name for a line that passes straight through the center of a circle. So ,your hole would need to be about three times as wide as the diameter of the Earth in order for it to be stable.
Clearly, this is an impossible task that would completely alter the planet’s shape.
Drilling can go deeper more quickly than digging because less material needs to be moved, and the smaller surface area of a borehole can be engineered to withstand more force. Energy companies routinely drill as far as 3 miles (5 kilometers) beneath the surface to find oil and gas.
The deepest hole in the Earth is the Kola Superdeep Borehole in northwestern Russia, which extends 7.5 miles (12.2 kilometers) deep. Deep boreholes like this one can tell scientists a lot about Earth’s interior. However, the Kola project was eventually abandoned due to drilling challenges, such as temperatures too hot for the equipment to function, equipment failures, and high costs.
Drilling is a tedious process. A rotary drill bit at the end of a hollow, mud-filled pipe grinds rock, penetrating just a couple inches per minute for very hard rocks. Assuming steady progress at this rate, it would take hundreds of years to drill through the Earth.
As the bit drills deeper, it takes more time to replace broken parts. And the miles of drill pipe can become so heavy that they cannot be twisted or pulled out of the hole.
Pressure is also an issue. Borehole walls are under tremendous pressure and prone to failing. The slow movement of Earth’s mantle would eventually cause a borehole to bend and collapse. Magma, gases, and liquid metal deep in the Earth, under tremendous pressure, could explode upward through the borehole toward the surface.
Current drilling technologies just aren’t fast enough or durable enough to drill through Earth’s mantle and core. But we can still marvel at accomplishments like the Kola Superdeep Borehole and Bingham Canyon Mine and dream of digging up rocks from even greater depths.
Andrew Gase is an Assistant Professor of Geoscience at Boise State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some products might be gifted from brands.
Black Friday Deals are in full swing, and Walmart has EVERYTHING, and I mean everything! I’ve been busy buying Christmas gifts for the grandkids, my kids, my husband, and my parents. I also grabbed a few things for my home because Walmart’s Black Friday Deals are too good to pass up.
I buy a lot of my clothing from Walmart. They have the latest fashions to keep you looking stylish and modern looking at an affordable price. Walmart’s prices are always great, and they are even better on Black Friday.
Walmart’s Black Friday Deals are truly a one-stop shop for everyone on your list (and for a little self-care shopping too)! Whether you’re looking to refresh your holiday decor, snag cozy fashion finds, or upgrade your kitchen with stylish essentials, Walmart has you covered with unbeatable prices. Don’t wait too long, though—these deals are flying off the shelves! Head online to snag these bargains before they’re gone, and check a few things off your holiday to-do list. Happy shopping, Gurls!
Walmart makes shopping very convenient for its customers, especially since most people have a store within 10 miles of their homes. You can also sign up for Walmart+, where you get free shipping with no order minimums (excludes most Marketplace items, location & freight surcharges) and Free Delivery (where available) with orders over $35. I take advantage of home delivery several times weekly and love that small convenience.
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Thanksgiving is over and the Kindle Black Friday deals have arrived. Yes, and I mean the brand-new Kindle lineup of e-readers Amazon announced last month. Not only that, but other WIRED-approved Amazon devices are also discounted, from Fire tablets and Echo speakers to Eero routers. If your holiday gift list includes one of those or maybe even a Fire TV Stick, you can shop (and save) now. Be sure to check out our guide to the absolute best Black Friday deals while you’re shopping.
WIRED Featured Deals
WIRED’s Black Friday 2024 Coverage
The 12th-gen Paperwhite (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite Kindle (it was also very new, announced in October). It has all the important features that make for a great reading experience including a large display with high resolution, smooth performance, warm lighting, and an IPX8 water-resistance rating. The latest version has the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle (for sharper text and images) and up to three months of battery life. It’s the thinnest it’s ever been too. The Signature Edition is also on sale for $155 ($45 off), which comes with auto-adjust brightness, double the storage (32 gigs), and wireless charging support.
The basic Kindle is an excellent choice for a compact and affordable e-reader. The latest 2024 model doesn’t offer many new features compared to the 2022 version, but it has a higher contrast ratio, a 25 percent brighter front light, and a faster page-turn rate. As the smallest Kindle, it’s super comfortable to hold one-handed and travel with if you’re the type who reads on the go often. For a fun pop of color, I suggest snagging the Matcha color. For under $100, you can’t go wrong with this one.
If you’re raising a bookworm, the kid-friendly Kindle makes for a wonderful gift this holiday season. Although it’s more expensive, we prefer the Paperwhite Kids because it has a larger display (which is better for reading graphic novels) and it’s waterproof so you don’t have to worry about those accidental spills. The basic Kindle Kids is also on sale for $95 ($35 off) which is smaller, more compact, and comes with fun covers to choose from. Both models also include six months of Amazon Kids+, a subscription service for age-appropriate books, and a two-year warranty.
We think Amazon’s Audible Premium Plus is the best audiobook service, as it bundles a library of Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts, with one credit per month to use on any audiobook title you fancy, and regular exclusive deals and discounts. Usually, you get one month free, after which it costs $15 per month, but any nonsubscriber can get three months for $1 until the end of the year. Remember that you get to keep titles purchased with credits, even after your subscription ends.—Simon Hill
New subscribers can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for just one dollar. Kindle Unlimited made me fall back in love with reading and I highly recommend it to anyone that’s in a book slump. People love the service for its thousands of romance books, but there are thousands of books in nearly every genre. It’s the best ebook subscription service for Kindles. This service will automatically renew at $12 per month once the trial ends, so make sure to set a reminder to cancel if you’re not interested in continuing the membership.
The Fire Max 11 (5/10, WIRED Review) is Amazon’s most powerful tablet. But its high price, especially paired with the Productivity Bundle, put us off. Now that its price is well below $200, it’s a much better value. Like all Fire tablets, it’s ideal if you’re all in on Amazon’s content and services. It packs good performance, a bright and sharp screen, solid speakers, and an all-metal build, plus the 1080p cameras are nicer than what you’ll find on the rest of Amazon’s tablets.
This Fire tablet launched late last year but it’s still the best option in the lineup, especially at this sale price. It comes with a speedy octa-core processor, a large screen Full HD (1080p) screen, and 3 gigabytes of RAM for smoother performance when browsing the web with several tabs open. It supports Show Mode, which turns the tablet into an Echo Show smart display if you set it on a stand. You’ll have the choice between 32 GB or 64 GB configurations, with a microSD card slot that can add up to 1 TB of storage on both models. If you want to use the tablet to get work done, you can also buy the Keyboard Case bundle for $100 ($90 off).
The 2024 Fire HD 8 tablet only comes with a few improvements. Amazon increased the RAM from 3 GB (up from 2 GB), which was likely added for smoother performance when using the company’s new AI features. The rear camera has been upgraded to 5 megapixels (up from 2 MP). Aside from that, it has the same design, size, and 13-hour battery life (we hit about 11 hours in our testing) as its predecessor. You’ll also get 32 GB or 64GB storage options with the ability to expand it up to 1 TB with a microSD card. It’s a better option if you want all the features that come with the HD 10 but in a smaller size. The display isn’t as nice, but the tablet is more travel-friendly.
This is the best kids’ tablet for younger children. It sports all the same features as Amazon’s standard Fire tablets, but you’ll also get a rugged case and a two-year worry-free guarantee. Amazon will replace it for free if your kids accidentally break it. It also comes with a free year of Amazon Kids+, which gives you access to kid-friendly movies, books, apps, and games. You can manage the parental controls on the device as well.
The fourth-generation Echo (8/10, WIRED Recommends) holds the top spot in our Best Alexa and Amazon Speakers guide and it’s also the best one you can get for this price. The company honed in on sound quality, digital signal processing, and fidelity to deliver a great home speaker. Equipped with Amazon’s AZI Neural Edge processor, it does a solid job at recognizing speech. You can use it in the kitchen for timers and recipes, in your bedroom for weather and news, or in the bathroom to play music or podcasts while you’re in the shower or getting ready.
This is a wonderful, affordable little smart speaker that delivers powerful and robust sound. With a compact footprint, you can set it up on your nightstand, side table, or bookshelf. WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell says she set hers up in the hallway, allowing her to ask quick questions while moving throughout the house. It’s on sale for this price often, but we still think this is an excellent deal. Just know that despite being newer than the Echo (4th Gen), the Echo Dot (5th Gen) doesn’t have as good a speaker system.
If you can’t pick between a smart speaker or a smart display, the second-generation Echo Spot (7/10, WIRED Recommends) combines both. The half-circle display shows the time along with any alarms you have set. You can also use voice commands to display music, weather, and the calendar. There are a few customization options too, with the ability to customize the clock with different face options and colors. It has solid sound too—it’s loud enough for alarms and some music listening.
This is Amazon’s kid-friendly speaker (almost identical to the Echo Dot 5th Gen), complete with easy-to-use parental controls that allow you to review activity, filter explicit content, and set time limits. You also can choose between an adorable owl or a fun dragon design. Kids can use the speaker to listen to music, help them spell, or receive reminders for when it’s time for dinner. It comes with a year of Amazon Kids+ too, which gives you access to thousands of Audible books, games, and features. If you’d prefer a smart display for your child instead, the Echo Show 5 Kids is also on sale for $50 ($50 off).
The Echo Pop (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a basic speaker that comes in fun colors like purple and teal. It doesn’t have the best sound, but it’s OK for smaller spaces like a dorm room or studio apartment. It’ll work just fine if you’ll only be using it for background music or podcasts, but the main draw is that it’s affordable. If you want to pick up a couple, you can save another $5 on two with code POP2PACK.
The Echo Show 8 is our favorite smart smart display for Alexa. The 8-inch screen is a perfect size—it’s large enough for video chats, weather updates, and looking at recipes, but is also compact enough that it doesn’t take up too much space on your counter or nightstand. Amazon also added Widgets, which allow you to choose up to three informative little squares to see on the screen. The third-gen version is more expensive than its predecessors, but that’s because it also comes with spatial audio support and a smart home hub.
If you’re looking for a smart display to control your smart home devices, the Echo Hub is the way to go. It’s meant to be mounted on the wall, but you can also place it on a stand (sold separately). You can also use it to ask Alexa questions and play music, but the speakers aren’t great. You can, however, ask the Echo Hub to play music on a different set of speakers instead. If you already have a smart home setup, this device will help streamline the experience.
If you primarily watch Amazon Prime shows and movies, the second-generation Fire Stick is our top recommendation. You can still access major streaming apps like Netflix and Max, but a Fire TV Stick is tailored to Amazon Prime content. As with the last version, Alexa is built into the remote, there’s an “Ambient Experience” feature that displays and cycles through nature or art scenes when you’re not using it, and you’ll have access to picture-in-picture mode for controlling smart home devices or pulling up security camera feeds. Amazon doubled the storage to 16 gigabytes in this model and added support for Wi-Fi 6E, future-proofing it a bit.
Simple to set up and use, Amazon’s Eero mesh systems are easy to recommend and can act as smart home hubs with support for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee. The tri-band Eero Pro 6E (7/10, WIRED Recommends) mesh adds the 6-GHz band to the familiar 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. It’s a great choice for busy households with many devices and a 1 Gbps or faster connection. Performance is excellent, but the 6-GHz band is short-range. The Eero Plus subscription is expensive ($10 per month or $100 per year) but includes comprehensive parental controls, advanced security, ad blocking, and even a password manager and VPN service. Folks with smaller homes and connections up to 500 Mbps, should consider the Eero 6 (3-Pack) on sale at $150 ($50 off), but the more heavily discounted Eero 6+ (3-Pack) at $195 ($105 off) is a better deal if you can afford it. —Simon Hill
If you want the top-of-the-line mesh system from Amazon’s Eero, it’s the Max 7. This tri-band system supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard. Each router can cover up to 2,500 square feet, and they have four Ethernet ports apiece, two rated at 10 Gbps and two at 2.5 Gbps. You can mix and match Eero routers, the app is very accessible, and this system is designed to be hands-off. It also boasts comprehensive smart home connectivity, and the optional Eero Plus subscription is pricey ($10 per month or $100 per year) but bundles parental controls, enhanced security, ad blocking, a password manager, and VPN service. Eero has worked out some of the kinks since I tested the Max 7 (7/10, WIRED Review), but it’s still likely overkill for most folks and more than you need to spend unless you have a big busy household with a multi-gig internet connection. —Simon Hill
The Blink Mini 2 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of our favorite indoor security security cameras. It offers decent low-light performance, can record 1080p footage at up to 30 fps, and has on-device person protection. It’s also affordable, even without the discount. It’s worth noting, however, that the subscription costs #3 per month or $30 per year for a single camera, but you’ll also get 60-day unlimited cloud video history.
The second-gen Ring Indoor Cam comes equipped with a privacy shutter that you can swivel around when you don’t want it recording, optional color night vision, solid two-way audio, and records crisp 1080p footage at 24 fps. You’ll also get pre-roll captures, a built-in siren, and customizable zones if you need them. It’s worth noting, however, that the Ring app can be slow to load the live feed (and slightly confusing to navigate), but you’ll find plenty of useful in-app tutorials. For cloud storage and features like person alerts or rich notifications, you’ll need to subscribe to the Ring Protect Plan—it costs $5 per month for one camera and $10 per month for all cameras and doorbells.
We recommend this outdoor camera if you’re already all in on Amazon Alexa. It records good quality 1080p footage at 30 fps (with optional HDR for mixed lighting), a 140-degree field of view, and two motion-activated LED spotlights. You’ll also get a siren and two-way audio with above-average quality. Since it’s the “Pro” version, you’ll also get additional features like support for dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4-GHz and 5-GHz), Bird’s Eye Zones (for an aerial view), and color pre-roll (which shows four seconds before an event). As with the indoor camera, you’ll have to pay for the Ring Protect Plan for video cloud storage and additional features.
Looking for more? We’ve got you covered. Below, we gathered some more noteworthy gadgets that are also on sale.
Metasurfaces have introduced new opportunities in photonic design by offering unprecedented, nanoscale control over optical wavefronts. These artificially structured layers have largely been used to passively manipulate the flow of light by controlling …
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An Israeli airstrike on a car in the Gaza Strip has killed five people, including employees of charity organization World Central Kitchen. The strike, which took place Saturday morning, occurred after Israel’s military said it targeted a World Central Kitchen worker who had been part Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
“We are heartbroken to share that a vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen colleagues was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza,” World Central Kitchen said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “At this time, we are working with incomplete information and are urgently seeking more details. World Central Kitchen had no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7th Hamas attack.”
The organization added, “World Central Kitchen is pausing operations in Gaza at this time. Our hearts are with our colleagues and their families in this unimaginable moment.” WCK did not confirm the names of those killed.
Israeli Defense Forces shared their own statement on social media, noting, “Earlier today, the IDF struck a vehicle with a terrorist, Hazmi Kadih, who took part in invading Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre. Kadih was monitored by IDF intelligence for a while and was struck following credible information regarding his real-time location.”
They said that Kadih worked for WCK and that the charity had been asked “to clarify the issue and order an urgent examination regarding the hiring of workers who took part in the October 7 massacre and terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.”
World Central Kitchen previously paused its operations in Gaza earlier this year when seven of its aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike. The strikes targeted three vehicles marked with WCK logos.
“All three vehicles were carrying civilians; they were marked as WCK vehicles; and their movements were in full compliance with Israeli authorities, who were aware of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission,” the group wrote in a statement at the time. “An independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers.”
In an interview with Reuters, WCK founder and chef José Andrés said that the WCK workers “were targeted deliberately, nonstop, until everybody was dead in this convoy.” He continued, “This was not just a bad-luck situation where ‘oops,’ we dropped the bomb in the wrong place… Even if we were not in coordination with the [Israel Defense Forces], no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians.”
Israeli subsequently fired two officers it charged with having misidentified the WCK convoy. IDF admitted in a statement that “the forces targeted the three WCK vehicles based on the misclassification of the event and misidentification of the vehicles as having Hamas operatives inside them, with the resulting strike leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers.” They added, “The strikes on the three vehicles were carried out in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedures.”
Friend said no to hosting the couple and then didn’t offer to pay for dinner during their visit.
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You may not realize it, but your TV is sad. It’s sad because it wants to offer great sound to accompany its awesome picture, but it is woefully ill-equipped to do so. You could shop for a multi-component home theater system or a pair of bookshelves to remedy things, but if that sounds like too much hassle, a good soundbar is a great alternative. Luckily, now is the exact right time to grab one. Below we’ve rounded up the best Black Friday soundbar deals to turn your TV’s frown upside down. Be sure to check our live Black Friday deals tracker too.
WIRED Featured Deals
WIRED’s Black Friday 2024 Coverage
If you’re just after a simple and affordable audio upgrade, Yamaha’s SR-C20A is a go-to option, now at an exceedingly reasonable price. It doesn’t offer conveniences like network streaming or multiroom connection, but its 100-watt power plant easily exceeds the pale performance your TV is likely to muster. The 2.1-channel configuration includes dual full-range drivers and a built-in woofer for some heft in the low frequencies. You’ll get a simplified TV connection over HDMI, standard Bluetooth streaming, and even a 3.5-mm analog input so you can connect a turntable with a pre-amp and some cable finagling.
The Bar 1300X (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a sweet audio system that’s even sweeter with this deal. This multi-piece setup provides realistic Atmos immersion with a unique twist. The battery-powered, fully wireless surround speakers can connect to the main bar to play and charge, or disconnect to sit behind you for versatile configurations–you can even take them outside as stand-alone Bluetooth speakers. It’s a futuristic feature, but my favorite trait of this bar is just how good it sounds, offering an expansive dome of sound with 3D audio, and great musicality for streaming your tunes. I wish the app was a bit more precise for settings adjustments, but the 1300X’s performance makes up for it, bringing cinematic punch to everything you play.
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 provides expansive sound from a pint-size package. It’s not big on bass, but it serves up detailed dialog, an expansive soundstage, and solid music streaming skills from a frame that virtually disappears beneath your TV screen. It provides good Dolby Atmos virtualization, though it’s more limited than bars with dedicated upfiring drivers (see the Bose Smart Soundbar). The Beam’s best trick is its advanced networking skills that let it connect with other Sonos speakers in a surround configuration or whole-home audio system via the Sonos app. Said app has been maligned of late, but it now seems to be mostly back on track. You can also stream music from the app directly from multiple services, or via AirPlay and Spotify Connect. The Beam has long been among the most popular compact bars, and it’s still a top option.
It’s not the latest and greatest soundbar we have tested, but the Signa S4 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a slim bar with a relatively large wireless subwoofer that makes it great for action fans. I wish it had Wi-Fi for music streaming, but as long as you connect it to your TV, you can use the apps on there for that. —Parker Hall
Bose’s Smart Soundbar (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is my favorite new compact soundbar thanks to its excellent sound and innovative new tricks. It all starts with true upfiring speakers, which help provide spacey immersion for Dolby Atmos TV shows and movies. The bar’s new AI dialog mode is just as impressive, providing fantastic clarity in dialog and center-channel effects. Maybe most intriguing, you can now connect Bose’s Open Earbuds to use in concert with the bar as personal surround speakers. The app is easy to use for making basic adjustments or streaming music, and the versatile design lets you connect other Bose speakers like a Bass Module subwoofer, so you can expand the system to suit your needs.
Every TV deserves better sound, and this cheap soundbar and wireless subwoofer from Yamaha is a great way to get a more cinematic experience than you can get with a standalone bar. It’s super easy to set up with a simple HDMI eARC connection, and it brings a shocking amount of depth to content you probably watched through tinny TV speakers. Its little brother, the SR-C20A, has been our best soundbar for most of the year, and this brings more bass at a now-discounted price. —Parker Hall
Sonos’ popular Arc (9/10, WIRED Recommends) has gotten an upgrade in the Arc Ultra, which provides revamped sound and some cool new features. But at $1,000, it makes the regular Arc feel like a real bargain, especially on sale. The baseline Arc is still a heckuva bar, offering smooth and detailed sound, great dialog, and expansive Dolby Atmos immersion thanks to multiple speakers and acoustic waveguides that bounce sound around your room. It’s got some fun features, like the ability to connect the Ace headphones (8/10, WIRED Recommends) with its clever TV Swap feature, or link Sonos speakers in a surround or multiroom audio setup with the Sonos app. The app has made headlines lately for all the wrong reasons, but it seems to be mostly back on its feet, and the Arc remains one of the best stand-alone bars you can buy.
Klipsch’s Flexus Core 200 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the most potent and musical stand-alone soundbar I’ve heard at its price point. Built more like a traditional speaker system than most plastic bars, it uses MDF construction and Onkyo internals for impressive sound and responsive performance. Upfiring drivers provide swirling Dolby Atmos performance, and hefty woofers punch deep into the mid-bass region for cinematic punch. What you won’t get here is a Wi-Fi connection, limiting streaming to Bluetooth, but as the bar’s name implies, you can still add surround speakers or a massive sub from the Flexus system. On its own, the Core 200 won’t give you the full boom of bars with a separate subwoofer included, but if you value sound quality above all, this is a great choice.
The Ray (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is a quirky little Sonos offering, but the smallest bar on the list is a great choice for the right buyer. This is the cheapest soundbar I’ve seen with this kind of network skills, letting you connect over Wi-Fi and enjoy all the spoils of Sonos, including linking up with other Sonos speakers in a whole-home audio system. The trade-off is that, unlike nearly all soundbars we test, the Ray connects to your TV via an optical connection instead of HDMI. That means it may not automatically work with your TV remote (though most remotes can be programmed), and it doesn’t even come with its own remote, leaving only the Sonos app as an alternative. If you don’t mind those limitations, the Ray is the spunkiest bar of its size, offering powerful, clear, and musical sound in a profile that barely registers.
If you’re after a crazy affordable way to enjoy the thrills of surround sound, Dolby Atmos, and even its rival DTS:X, you won’t find a better deal than Vizio’s 5.1.2 soundbar (9/10, WIRED Recommends). Offering a multicomponent setup with true surround speakers, upfiring drivers, and a hefty subwoofer to bring the boom, this system will instantly raise your sound game to cinematic heights. To get this affordable, the bar cuts some corners; it requires a wired connection for the surround speakers instead of a wireless connection like many competitors, and it doesn’t offer a Wi-Fi connection for high-quality music streaming. You will get Bluetooth streaming, though, as well as intuitive control via a backlit remote. This may be the best Atmos deal around, and on sale, it’s a guilt-free pickup.
The ZVox AccuVoice has digital processing technology that makes voices sound clearer, making it a great option for folks that have hearing loss. There are twelve levels of voice boosting to choose from. This is the best price we’ve seen for it all year. —Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Samsung
This is a truly bonkers deal on our favorite Dolby Atmos soundbar. It’s normally quite expensive, but you can save nearly 50 percent which is an eye-popping discount that comes close to the historic low we’ve seen just once before. It comes with everything you need for the best immersion you can get with a system like this, including a subwoofer with great bass response and intelligently calibrated room-filling sound. —Louryn Strampe
The JBL Bar 1300x (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has detachable wireless surround speakers. The speakers usually sit on either side of the soundbar, but you can pop them out and move them around for more immersion. The sound will calibrate itself according to your setup. The speakers do require recharging, so you can’t just leave them out on their own forever, but re-docking them between watch parties will top them off. This is a great option for people with limited outlets or just a deep, innate hatred for wires.—Louryn Strampe
This is the most bass-heavy soundbar system we’ve tried. It comes with two huge subwoofers that’ll make explosions sound more explode-y than ever. There are side and rear speakers for added immersion that make playing video games extra fun, and there’s support for formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Just keep in mind that this system runs large, so it’s not ideal for tight spaces. (You’d probably rattle your head off in a small room.)—Louryn Strampe
New algorithms allow for more realistic coily hair animation, enhancing the representation of Black characters in film.
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While at the jury press conference at Marrakech Film Festival, Luca Guadagnino said on Saturday that he’ll be “happy” if people download “Queer” in Turkey where the movie, starring Daniel Craig as a gay American expat in 1950s Mexico City, was banned by authorities who deemed it “too provocative.”
“They banned the movie because they said the movie was creating social disorder,” Guadagnino said. “I wonder if they’ve seen the movie or if they are just judging it by the outline or let’s say the facetious stupidity of some journalism focusing on James Bond going gay.”
He rejoiced about the fact “Queer” is an “object that shutters our house of values in a way that is so powerful” and hopes that the “form of the movie brings the possibility of societal collapse.
“I am scandalized by cinema. I am shocked by it, that I’m going to fight the institution who wants to tarnish its inevitable powers,” said Guadagnino prompting the room to erupt in applause.
Guadagnino, who is presiding over the Marrakech Film Festival Jury, argued the censorship doesn’t prevent people from seeing the movie because they “can find things” by themselves. “You can download the movie. I mean, if someone in Turkey downloads the movie, I’m happy.”
Speaking more largely about his aspiration as a filmmaker, he said, “We have only one enemy, which is industrial taste.”
“That is the enemy that we have to fight fiercely against, which is the idea of cinema being slotted within parameters that are given by a sort of invisible law. That is the idea how cinema has to be made to work as an industrial piece,” Guadagnino continued.
Ali Abbasi, whose Donald Trump movie “The Apprentice” has been plagued with controversy, talked about how crucial it is for filmmakers to address audiences who may not share their world views. The Iranian-Danish director, who is sitting on the Marrakech jury with Guadagnino, Jacob Elordi and Andrew Garfield, also pointed to the evolution of tastes have changed since the 1970’s and 1980’s, when “anti-establishment was seen as the norm and when the cinema (from that era) was seen as outside of the norm, as a rebellion.”
“Interestingly, what has happened now is that this kind of cinema is being seen as elitist and too artistic and out of touch with the normal people, with was Luca was referring to as ‘industrial taste,’ that is for the people.”
He said it was important to question “when we went from being anti-establishment to being part of the elitist establishment that is ‘conspiring to run the world’ and whatever, I think we need to look into this, and I think we all have that responsibility.”
Alluding to Trump’s reelection in the United States, Abbasi said it’s “easy to get knocked down by by these consecutive waves of MAGA wins in the U.S., Argentinian MAGA wave, and I can go on,” he said, adding “It’s easy to point fingers and say, ‘Oh, people are uneducated,’ but also at some point, I think we need to stop doing that (…) because whether we like it or not, they are legitimate enough for us to understand this is the majority of people in the world now so we need to talk to these people.”
Fellow Marrakech juror Patricia Arquette said “the only reason that this happens in the world is because each person doesn’t use their power the way that they can.”
“So don’t put it off on filmmakers. Put it off on your family. It’s your own responsibility. We all have to rise up and take our personal responsibility now,” she said.
The Marrakech Film Festival’s jury also comprises of Indian director Zoya Akhtar, Belgian actor Virginie Efira, Moroccan actor Nadia Kounda and Argentine director Santiago Mitre.
The festival kicked off Friday night with the premiere of Justin Kurzel’s “The Order” which the Australian filmmaker presented with his producer Stuart Ford.
4Earth Farms of Commerce, California, is recalling multiple brands of Organic Vegetable Medley, Conventional Vegetable Medley, and Organic Whole Carrots because it may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) O121:H19.
E. coli O121:H19 is a bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people, and those with a weakened immune system. Some infections can cause severe bloody diarrhea conditions, such as a hemolytic uremic syndrome, or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and neurologic problems. Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting. The incubation period for E. coli O121:H19 in humans can range from 24 hours to as much as ten days. The average incubation period is 3 to 4 days.
The recall was initiated after 4Earth Farms was notified by Grimmway Farms, Inc. that carrots used in the Vegetable Medleys and Whole Organic Carrots may have been contaminated with E. coli O121:H19.
No illnesses have been reported to 4Earth Farms to date.
4Earth Farms is voluntarily issuing this recall out of an abundance of caution and based on information received from Grimmway Farms Inc., regarding the possible contamination of its product. All 4Earth Farms items impacted by this announcement have been expired for more than 3 weeks.
The recalled product should no longer be available for purchase but may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. If consumers still have recalled products in your home, do not eat or use them, throw them away, and clean and sanitize surfaces they touched. Consumers concerned about an illness should contact a medical professional.
The Organic and Conventional Vegetable Medleys, and Organic Whole Carrots subject to recall by 4Earth Farms were distributed to the following states: NH, FL, CA, PA, MN, IL, and CO, through both retail stores and distributors.
Product can be identified with Best by dates of September 7, 2024 through November 02, 2024:
| Item Description | Brand | Distributed to |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Broccoli Medley Wild Harvest 6x12oz | Wild Harvest | Albert’s Organics |
| Organic Broccoli Medley MKS Bag 6x12oz | Marketside | Walmart |
| Broccoli Medley MKS Bag 4x32oz | Marketside | |
| Broccoli Medley MKS Bag 6x12oz | Marketside | |
| Broccoli Stir Fry Medley MKS 6x12oz | Marketside | |
| Organic Broccoli Medley 4Earth Bag 6x12oz | 4Earth Farms | O.K. Produce |
| Organic Broccoli Medley Wild Harvest 6x12oz | Wild Harvest | UNFI |
| Organic Carrots 48x1lb | Grimmway | Kennedy Produce |
| Broccoli Medley 4Earth Bag 6x12oz | 4Earth Farms | Sprouts Farmers Market |
This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Consumers who may still have product with Best by dates of September 7, 2024 through November 02, 2024 are urged to discard the product.
Link to pictures of product – https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/4earth-farms-llc-recalls-organic-and-conventional-vegetable-medleys-and-organic-whole-carrots
