State Champ Radio technology
Elsa / About This Account
In news that shouldn’t surprise a soul, it turns out those MAGA troll accounts on X, formerly Twitter, are not even based in the United States.
Before Elon Musk reluctantly purchased Twitter and stupidly changed the name to X, it wasn’t a secret that the social media platform was a hotbed for foreign influence campaigns meddling in American politics.
Russian troll farms, for example, were the focus of numerous credible reports and targeted by the United States government.
After X rolled out a new feature called “About This Account,” it became even clearer that trolls are busier than ever on the platform and are probably making money from the political madness going on between Democrats and MAGA Republicans.
Per The Verge:
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Almost immediately after the feature launched, people started noticing that many rage-bait accounts focused on US politics appeared to be based outside of the US. Profiles with names like ULTRAMAGA🇺🇸TRUMP🇺🇸2028 were revealed to be based in Nigeria. A verified account posing as border czar Tom Homan was traced to Eastern Europe. And America_First0? Apparently from Bangladesh. An entire network of “Trump-supporting independent women” claiming to be from America was really located in Thailand.
Social Media Began Sniffing Out Sketchy Accounts
It didn’t take long for users on the platform to start sniffing out other pro-MAGA accounts and exposing them as foreign influencers.
Of course, the right-wing influencers are doing the same by pulling up left-leaning/progressive accounts as foreign agents. The back-and-forth is only adding to the political vitriol currently in this country.
Hilariously, as soon as X rolled out the feature, they promptly pulled it back, noting that locations could be inaccurate due to travel, VPNs, and proxies.
While that could be true, it’s also unlikely to be the case for so many accounts.
You can see more reactions to this eye-opening development below.
SOPA Images / Trump Mobile
We all knew Trump Mobile was the jig when it was first announced, and one tech writer for The Verge learned that likely remains to be the case.
Allison Johnson, a senior reviewer for The Verge, shared her experience after signing up for Trump Mobile, the Donald Trump and his family’s latest grift.
Johnson reports she ordered a Trump Mobile SIM card to test the service, since the website can’t seem to lock down a device for testing.
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That doesn’t come as a surprise because we previously reported that Spigen, a mobile accessory company, threatened to sue Trump Mobile after it was caught using photoshopped images of a gold-plated Samsung S25 Ultra with a T logo slapped on the back of a Spigen phone case.
Anyway, Johnson detailed her attempt to secure a SIM card, and that also was a failure becuase it failed to show up even after the company said it would be shipping via next business day via First Class USPS mail.
Per The Verge:
Let’s say I don’t fully trust the Trump Organization to be great stewards of my credit card information, so I used a virtual number provided by my bank. Once I’d handed over the virtual money, I got this message: “Thank you for your order of a Physical SIM, we’ll ship next business day via First Class USPS mail, no separate tracking number will be sent.” Just what I was looking for with my wireless service: a sense of mystery! Fast-forward two weeks, and that SIM card is still on its way.
The Extremely Nice Customer Service Kept Her From Feeling Salty
Johnson’s experience with Trump Mobile wasn’t all bad, thanks to the extremely pleasant customer service she received.
A shocker coming from a Trump-family-owned company.
Anyway, two weeks passed, and, no surprise, she didn’t receive her SIM card, so she called customer service, and they agreed she should have received it already.
Later that afternoon, Johnson received an email from [email protected] informing her that her SIM card would be shipped via two-day FedEx.
The shipping company emailed her to confirm she would be receiving her SIM card from Liberty Mobile, the MVNO behind Trump Mobile.
The representative from Trump Mobile customer service named “Kh,” reached out to her to inform her that she would be receiving a refund and that her package would be “arriving soon.”
She did get her refund the same day, but the wait for the SIM card is still ongoing, and Johnson claims it could arrive any day.
We shall see.
NurPhoto / Cloudflare
Another day, another massive service outage affected the internet. This time, it was the networking company Cloudflare.
Millions of internet users woke up to find their favorite websites, including X, ChatGPT, and even the website-tracking site DownDetector, not working due to a massive outage at Cloudflare, a company that provides DDoS protection and internet content delivery services.
Instead of the standard web page, internet users were greeted by a page telling them, “Please unblock challenges.cloudflare.com to proceed.”
Our website was also affected by the outage.
Around 9:42 am, Cloudflare issued an update on its status page claiming, “A fix has been implemented and we believe the incident is now resolved. We are continuing to monitor for errors to ensure all services are back to normal.”
Cloudflare’s CTO Says The Outage Was Not The Result of An Attack
With any major service outage lately, many wondered if it was the result of an attack, but Cloudflare’s CTO, Dane Knect, shut that down in a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“I won’t mince words: earlier today we failed our customers and the broader Internet when a problem in @Cloudflare network impacted large amounts of traffic that rely on us,” Knecht wrote.
He continued, “A latent bug in a service underpinning our bot mitigation capability started to crash after a routine configuration change we made. That cascaded into a broad degradation to our network and other services. This was not an attack.”
The Verge reports that the outage affected online services such as Indeed, Grindr, Uber, Canva, Spotify, NJ Transit, League of Legends, and Archive of Our Own. Websites like Axios, Politico, and The Information were also down.
The Cloudflare outage followed the Amazon Web Services outage that brought the internet to a standstill less than a month ago.
You can see more reactions to Cloudflare failing its customers below.
Apple / Digital ID
Apple is always looking for ways to make life easier through your iPhone, of course. The company’s latest idea, Digital IDs, isn’t going over as well as Apple hoped.
Apple has officially rolled out a Digital IDs feature that will allow users to create and add an ID to their Apple Wallet using their US passport.
The tech giant says the Digital ID acceptance will “roll out first” at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel in over 250 airports.
Apple says Digital ID can serve as an alternative for travelers who have yet to upgrade to a Real ID, and you can present it at TSA checkpoints using your iPhone or Apple Watch.
However, you’ll still need to hold on to your passport for international travel, as a Digital ID cannot be used for traveling abroad or for border crossings.
Apple Has Already Pushed The Idea of Putting Your ID on Your Smartphone
The Digital ID isn’t the first time Apple has toyed around with the IDs. Apple is already allowing users in 12 states, including Puerto Rico, to store their driver’s licenses/IDs, but Digital ID gives those outside those states an alternative to Real ID.
Social Media Is Skeptical
The announcement of the Digital ID isn’t going over well with everyone, sparking major privacy concerns, especially among those who already feel “big brother” is watching them through their phones.
“Well, Apple just rolled out “Digital ID.” The surrender of privacy is about to hit warp speed. This is step one of your digital leash, gift-wrapped as convenience. Once it’s “normalized,” it’s irreversible. Then it’s “optional.” Until it’s not,” one post on X, formerly Twitter, read.
Others are stressing that this is even more reason for you not to hand over your smartphones to law enforcement.
Well, it’s entirely up to you whether you want to participate in this feature. We can recall a time when it was frowned upon to put your credit cards in your phone, but now tap-to-pay is one of the most widely used features on smartphones and smartwatches.
It’s entirely plausible that Digital IDs will become popular over time.
Until then, you can see more reactions below.
Apple / iPhone Air
Apple tried something different with the iPhone Air, and according to reports, the company’s latest smartphone flopped.
Spotted on MacRumors, via The Information, the ultra-thin and very light iPhone Air sold poorly. It did so badly that Apple is delaying the next version of the iPhone Air that was supposed to be announced alongside the iPhone 18.
The website notes there have been numerous reports of poor sales and cuts in manufacturing.
Per MacRumors:
Apple’s supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has reportedly dismantled all but one and a half of its production lines for the iPhone Air, and all production is expected to be stopped at the end of the month. Luxshare, another supplier, stopped production at the end of October.
The company Steve Jobs built was counting on the iPhone Air’s unique design to spark excitement among Apple smartphone enthusiasts.
It appears to have accomplished the exact opposite, and that could be due to many design choices.
Due to its very slim design, many compromises had to be made, such as a smaller battery and a single rear camera. Yet the smartphone still had a hefty $999 price tag, which was definitely a turnoff for Apple smartphone users.
It seems like Apple fans felt it didn’t make sense to buy the iPhone Air when they could get the iPhone 17 Pro for $1,099, which offers a better triple-camera system and longer battery life.
The iPhone Air Is Looking Like Another Flop For Apple
It’s looking like the iPhone Air will sit right next to the iPhone Mini, Apple’s other attempt at selling a fourth model alongside the iPhone and iPhone Pro models, as an apparent failure.
According to MacRumors, Apple is still pushing to drop its first foldable smartphone alongside the iPhone 18 and iPhone Pro 18 in 2026.
We will be interested to see how well the foldable sells for Apple.
You can see reactions about the iPhone Air reportedly flopping below.
The Washington Post / Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s heada** behaivor, which has sunk Tesla’s sales, didn’t stop shareholders from making him the world’s first trillionaire.
Tesla shareholders approved Phony Stark’s ridiculous pay package that will retain his leadership, fearing they might lose him.
Tesla shareholders approved the payout despite his poor job of leading the company since his foray into MAGA politics and his leadership of DOGE, which saw the slashing of government jobs while not saving the country anywhere near the ridiculous amount of money he claimed the temporary agency would.
The Verge reports that over 75% of shareholders voted in favor of the proposal.
Per The Verge:
The vote gives Musk enormous sway over his electric vehicle company, as well as awards him with the largest corporate payout in history. The final tally is expected to be disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in a few days.
Musk took the stage at the shareholder meeting in Austin to chants of “Elon! Elon!” and flanked by dancing Optimus robots. “What we’re about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla, but a whole new book,” he said.
According to the website, the board first pitched the pay package in September, giving him 423 million additional shares, pushing his stake to about 25 percent, up from 15 percent.
Musk Must Meet A Series of Milestones To Get The Full Payout
But for Musk to receive full compensation, he would have to meet a series of milestones, which include raising Tesla’s market capitalization from its current $1.5 trillion to $8.5 trillion in 10 years.
He must also get 1 million robotaxis put into service and sell 12 million more cars, 10 million Full Self-Driving subscriptions, and 1 million humanoid robots.
Not all of the shareholders were on board with the idea; Norges Bank Investment Management, one of Tesla’s largest shareholders, voted no.
Major proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis also said nah to the pay proposal.
We shall see if Musk will be able to hit those achievements because he continues to nosedive in popularity, which only hurts Tesla’s standings as a company.
There is also the fact that the Trump administration has done away with the EV credits, another blow to his once budding electric car business.
Social media has also been ripping the decision to make Phony Stark a trillionaire; you can see those reactions below.
Google / Google Pixel
Pixel fans, Google is allegedly allowing you to get your hands on the next smartphone EARLY!
Google is among the giants—besides Apple and Samsung — that release a new smartphone annually, thanks to its solid Pixel lineup.
To help spread the word about the devices, Google has long enlisted the help of “Superfans” and now, reportedly, the tech giant is allowing a select few of them to get their hands on new Pixel devices before the general public can experience them.
Bloomberg reports that Google is running a contest among its “Superfans” that will see only 15 non-employees selected to test in-development hardware.
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According to a document reviewed by the new website, the company describes the contest/program as an opportunity to “provide feedback and help shape a Pixel phone currently in development.”
That totally makes sense, because what better way to know if your new smartphone is a hit than letting actual smartphone users take it for a spin, especially those who primarily use Pixel phones. But that begs the question, will they only get high praise, or constructive criticism?
How Do You Become A Pixel Superfan?
So how do you sign up? ArsTechnia reports that “interested Superfans have to prove they are more super than the rest. They must demonstrate deep knowledge of the Pixel product family and suggest ways the phones can be improved.”
Giving Superfans access to unreleased smartphones is the latest perk. Those already in the program enjoy benefits like freebies and other special perks.
If you’re interested in becoming a Superfan, you can head here to sign up, and hopefully, you will be selected to test the upcoming Pixel phone. Of course, if you are selected, you will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement, because for whatever reason, details about Google’s Pixel smartphone always seem to leak on the internet.
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
$599 for a pair of gaming headphones is an astronomical ask, especially in Donald Trump’s economy. But if you got the coins, are serious about your video games, and how you immerse yourself in the world during your gaming sessions, then you definitely need the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite headset.
I’m not a serious audiophile, but I do appreciate a good gaming headset, and no one right now is making better headsets than SteelSeries. I’ve been a fan of the brand since I got my hands on the Arctis Nova Pro; it’s been my go-to head ever since, but that all changed once I got my hands on the Arctis Nova Elite.
With the arrival of the $599 Nova Elite headset, SteelSeries introduces a new category of luxury gaming headsets that could change the game. SteelSeries is hoping that the allure of the headset’s premium design, introduction of hi-res wireless audio, carbon fiber speaker drivers, a metal frame, and the ability to stream audio simultaneously from your PC, Xbox, PS5, and smartphone will convince you to swipe your card for the gaming headset that costs as much as a gaming console.
Based on my time with the headset, I believe they have accomplished that goal.
Premium Comfort & Design
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez
While the Arctis Nova Pro ($290.99) and Arctis Nova Elite headsets share some similarities, the latter definitely sets itself apart from its predecessor in a number of ways.
The Nova Elite ditches the plastic, now featuring a metal frame and control wheel, and a fantastic sage-and-gold finish that helps the headset pull off a $599 look.
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez
The memory foam cups on the Nova Pro were already comfy. Still, somehow SteelSeries made them even more comfortable on the Nova Elite, allowing me to remain cool and comfortable during extended gaming sessions.
I have pretty large ears, and wearing headsets can become cumbersome after a while, so that’s why I’m a buds person. But the Arctis Nova Pro fit perfectly over my ears, and I never felt the need to take them off to give my head and ears a break.
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez
The fit on the Nova Elite is also improved thanks to SteelSeries’s use of aluminum and stainless steel, which give the headset a sturdier feel.
First Gaming Headset To Offer Hi-Res Wireless Audio
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez
What really puts the Arctis Nova Elite headset in a class all by itself is that it’s the first gaming headset to offer hi-res wireless audio, allowing the wearer to stream 96kHz/24-bit audio over 2.4GHz via the GameHub DAC or the headset’s impressive Bluetooth with LC3+.
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez
Ahead of my review, SteelSeries told me that Hi-Res audio is something I can only experience on the latest Google smartphone, the Pixel 10, or on PC, with consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X capped at 48k/16bit.
Still, the sound quality while playing games with rich audio, like Alien: Rogue Incursion, Silent Hill, or Call of Duty, was vastly improved while wearing the Nova Elite headset.
Through the Arctis smartphone companion app or Sonar on the PC, you can quickly change the sound profiles with any of the preloaded EQ Presets. For example, there is a preset designed explicitly for Armored Core IV: Fires of Rubicon, and one already loaded for Battlefield 6.
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez
I did most of my tweaking through the Arctis app because dealing with Windows and Sonar wasn’t seamless for me, but I’ll stop short of saying it was a headache.
Omniplay Is Something I Didn’t Know I Needed
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez
Another game-changing feature that the Nova Elite boasts that I didn’t know I needed until I experienced it is Ominplay.
What is Omniplay, you ask? Well, it allows the wearer to connect to four audio sources simultaneously. So I can be connected to my smartphone via Bluetooth, while still being connected to my PS5 and Xbox Series X via USB-C at the same time.
Unlike the previous GameHub DAC model, the one that comes with the Nova Elite features three line-in inputs instead of just two.
Omniplay lets you mix audio from four sources, so you can be in a Discord chat on your phone or PC and mix in audio from whatever console you’re playing on.
Final Verdict
Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez
I’m not going to hop on here and tell you to run out and buy a pair of $599 headphones, but I will say these bad boys are worth every single penny if you do intend to swipe the card on them.
SteelSeries has cemented its position in the luxury gaming headset space, and we won’t be surprised if other companies follow suit.
The Arctis Nova Elite checks all the boxes and then some, offering a sturdy headset built from premium materials that provide comfort, superior ANC (active noise cancellation), fully customizable and superb sound, hi-res wireless audio, and the ability to sync with up to 4 devices at once.
They can also serve as your everyday headset because they make the transition from your gaming station to the streets easy, thanks to they unique design.
SteelSeries has delivered, dare I say, the best gaming headset on the market right now. Whether you can afford a pair is another question.
If you can’t you can always scoop up a pair of Arctis Nova 7 Wireless Gen 2 which are only $199 or the very much still relevant Arctis Nova Pro which are currently on sale.
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Source: Bernards Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez / SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
NurPhoto / Amazon Web Service
The world found out just how reliant the internet is on Amazon Web Services, and it’s honestly quite worrisome.
While you were in your second dream, the internet suddenly crashed after AWS (Amazon Web Services), a cloud service many companies use, went down early this morning.
According to Tom’s Guide, the AWS outage began around 12:11am PDT (3:11am ET, 8:11am BST), and it showed immediately how much of a bad idea it is for one company to be the “backbone” of the internet, as hundreds of websites suddenly went down.
Popular apps like Snapchat, Venmo, Ring, and Amazon, as well as services like Alexa, reported outages. Even the gaming world was affected by Fortnite, and Pokémon GO also saw massive outages.
Apple, which is also a prominent user of AWS, and according to AppleInsider, spends a whopping $30 million a month, saw all of its services, like Apple Pay, Apple Music, and AppleTV+, also suffer outages.
Tom’s Guide reports that despite AWS rolling out fixes, it has to play “whack-a-mole” as more websites continue to suffer outages as Amazon struggles to resolve the issue.
Social media began sounding off on just how problematic having AWS run everything is.
“The AWS outage should be evidence that running half the internet on a single company’s servers is a terrible idea but i fear nothing will change,” one person wrote on Bluesky.
Another Bluesky user wrote, “The AWS outage today is a good reminder that there is no “cloud”, there’s just somebody else’s computer.”
No lies detected here.
You can see more reactions below.
VCG / TikTok / Donald Trump
US TikTok users, you still have time to make your dance videos after Donald Trump extended the deadline for a third time, allowing the platform to divest from its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, or face a US ban.
Notorious liar, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Felon 47 will sign an executive order allowing for another 90-day extension, pushing the new deadline to mid-September.
Leavitt said the Trump administration will be “working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.”
When Trump signed the first extension, it provided TikTok’s US service providers, which are subject to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, with protection from the hundreds of billions in penalties they would face if they continued to operate the app online and in US app stores.
According to The Verge’s reporting, that legal cover wasn’t rock solid because Trump’s extensions are not codified into law, which was passed overwhelmingly by a bipartisan vote in Congress and subsequently upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court.
There Was A Tentative Agreement In Place Before Trump’s Tariffs Killed It
The website previously reported that ByteDance and a coalition led by Oracle were close to a deal in April, but thanks to Trump’s abuse of tariffs, which sank the tentative agreement.
Even though the “trade war” between China and the US has cooled down, there is still no word on whether the old deal is back on the table or if a new agreement is being discussed.
Additionally, it wasn’t guaranteed that ByteDance would be willing to include TikTok’s algorithm, which powers its video recommendations.
Additionally, several lawmakers, including critics of the “divest or ban law,” are sounding the alarm over Trump’s repeated extensions, calling them “untenable and illegal.”
We remain curious to see how this drama unfolds, as it appears there is no deal in sight.
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