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62 digital and subscription gifts you can buy and send instantly from your phone

Popular Science

It's too late to get a gift shipped and shopping in-store is a nightmare. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. OK, so you waited too long to order a present online . You don't want to brave the crowds. And you do't want to disappoint everyone during the holidays.


5 Best Monitors for the Mac Mini (2025), Tested and Reviewed

WIRED

The Mac Mini is a fantastic little computer, but you'll need one of these great monitors to complete the setup. The Mac Mini is unbeatable in value . But unlike an iMac or MacBook, you'll need to pair it with a monitor. Apple has a couple of options: the Apple Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, but both are incredibly expensive (not to mention a few years old at this point). Fortunately, there are tons of great monitors out there that fit well into the Apple ecosystem. Be sure to check our Best Apple Desktops, Best MacBooks, Best Monitors, and Best Gaming Monitors guides for more.


Scammers in China Are Using AI-Generated Images to Get Refunds

WIRED

From dead crabs to shredded bed sheets, fraudsters are using fake photos and videos to get their money back from ecommerce sites. I don't want to admit it, but I did spend a lot of money online this holiday shopping season. And unsurprisingly, some of those purchases didn't meet my expectations. A photobook I bought was damaged in transit, so I snapped a few pictures, emailed them to the merchant, and got a refund. Online shopping platforms have long depended on photos submitted by customers to confirm that refund requests are legitimate.


Can AI really help us discover new materials?

MIT Technology Review

Can AI really help us discover new materials? Judging from headlines and social media posts in recent years, one might reasonably assume that AI is going to fix the power grid, cure the world's diseases, and finish my holiday shopping for me. This week, we published a new package called Hype Correction . The collection of stories takes a look at how the world is starting to reckon with the reality of what AI can do, and what's just fluff. One of my favorite stories in that package comes from my colleague David Rotman, who took a hard look at AI for materials research . AI could transform the process of discovering new materials--innovation that could be especially useful in the world of climate tech, which needs new batteries, semiconductors, magnets, and more.


The fake refund scam: Why scammers love holiday shoppers

FOX News

Data brokers sell personal shopping information to scammers who craft convincing fake refund messages during peak holiday purchasing periods.


Amazon in talks to invest 10bn in developer of ChatGPT

The Guardian

OpenAI is planning to spend $1.4tn on AI infrastructure over the next eight years. OpenAI is planning to spend $1.4tn on AI infrastructure over the next eight years. Amazon is in talks to invest more than $10bn (ยฃ7.5bn) in OpenAI, in the latest funding deal being struck by the startup behind ChatGPT . If it goes ahead, the market valuation of OpenAI could rise above $500bn, according to The Information, a tech news site that revealed the negotiations . Amazon, which is best known as an online retailer, is also the world's largest datacentre provider and its investment would help OpenAI pay for its commitments to rent capacity from cloud computing companies - including Amazon .


Last-minute holiday gift guide: 29 editor-approved gadgets for everyone on your list

Popular Science

Is someone on your list hard to shop for? We've got a ton of great options for just about anyone. And grab a little something for yourself. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Some people get their holiday shopping done on a responsible schedule. They budget, strategize, and stay organized for a stress-free season. Last-minute holiday shopping is a time-honored tradition, and we're here to help make it a lot easier.


Amazon has Cricut machines, accessories, and supplies for their lowest prices of the year for a limited time

Popular Science

These are the lowest prices we have seen in months and they'll arrive in time to work as holiday gifts. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. If you're shopping for a crafty person or gearing up for your own last-minute project binge, Amazon has solid discounts on Cricut cutting machines, heat presses, and the supplies that ship in time for the holidays. I organized the best deals below so you can quickly grab a core machine, then stock up on the essential accessories and consumable stuff like mats, blades, and materials. What is a Cricut machine anyway?


Man with metal detector stumbles on perplexing Viking Age grave

Popular Science

The team found the deceased with scallop shelves partly covering the mouth. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It's been a good year for metal detectorists. And now there's yet another discovery to add to the list. Archaeologists in Norway have excavated a Viking Age grave of an individual bedecked in costume and jewelry, as reported by, an outlet that publishes research news from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the Scandinavian research group SINTEF.


A Holiday Gift Guide: Puzzles and Games Galore

The New Yorker

Our editor rounds up the best presents you can play. I'll start with a caveat: the games in this guide are mostly screenless. Video games are a rich cultural medium, I'm told, but one in which I have zero expertise; for my twelve-year-old nephew, the main video gamer in my life, I usually just buy a Nintendo gift card and call it a day. The suggestions below focus, instead, on puzzle books, brainteasers, and the sort of party games that require no higher tech than a couple of AA batteries. Such analog games are staples of holiday gift-giving, and for good reason.