Technology

Maxis says single-player PC and console experiences will remain part of The Sims' future and that more than half of its global team is dedicated to The Sims 4 and a 'next evolution.' The company also states that Project Rene has been repositioned as a social, mobile-first game rather than a successor to The Sims 4.

Samsung said its fourth-quarter operating profit likely tripled to 20 trillion won ($13.81 billion) as higher memory-chip prices lifted results, and it forecast record quarterly revenue of about 93 trillion won.

The author used a Thunderbolt-connected 2TB SSD to make a fast Time Machine backup of an ~800GB MacBook before a clean macOS reinstall, then moved smaller or frequently used files to a home NAS for network access. The SSD backup finished in a few hours while the NAS is planned as the long-term Time Machine target for multiple household Macs.

Both Russia and Ukraine use drones along with a range of cruise and ballistic missiles; Ukraine has developed some domestically made long-range systems and also uses Western-supplied strike and air-defense equipment. Reporting notes Russia continues to deploy long-range and hypersonic-capable weapons while maintaining layered air defenses.

NASA's Artemis 2 will carry four astronauts on a roughly 10-day trip circling the moon and could launch as early as Feb. 6, with the mission testing Orion and SLS systems ahead of later lunar landings.

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center says La Niña will continue to influence U.S. weather through this winter, with a 75% chance of a shift to ENSO‑neutral by March and a 61% chance of El Niño developing by late summer.

Karen Bennett of Stone Mountain resigned from the Georgia House while facing a federal charge alleging she made false statements to collect $13,940 in pandemic unemployment benefits; she pleaded not guilty and was released on $10,000 bail.

A class action complaint was filed on January 8, 2026, alleging WWE misled fans about access to Premium Live Events on ESPN's streaming service; WWE is named as the sole defendant and plaintiffs say more than $5 million is at issue.

Several Minnesota districts canceled in-person classes following protests after an ICE-involved shooting that killed a woman; the teachers union and some officials called for ICE to leave Minneapolis.

The Obama Presidential Center is hiring for about 150 roles and its careers pages emphasize a commitment to being an "anti-racist" organization; the center is scheduled to open in June.

Andreessen Horowitz said it has raised more than $15 billion, bringing assets under management to over $90 billion. The firm plans to allocate large sums to artificial intelligence, defense and biotech, with nearly half of the new capital going to a growth fund and its AI application and infrastructure funds each boosted to $1.7 billion.

Russia said it used its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in an attack on Ukraine, and framed the strike as a response to an alleged attempted drone attack on a presidential residence; Ukraine has denied the claim and U.S. officials expressed doubt.

A House discharge petition to revive Affordable Care Act subsidies passed 230–196 with 17 Republicans joining Democrats, and the Senate passed a war-powers resolution on Venezuela with five Republicans voting with Democrats; both measures now move to the other chamber for further consideration.

The iOS 26.3 beta adds a 'Transfer to Android' option to move photos, messages, apps and other data to an Android device and a notification-forwarding setting for non‑Apple accessories; the beta is available to developers and public testers and Apple has not announced a public release date.

Two people on a British Airways flight from Los Angeles to London suffered broken ankles after the aircraft encountered severe turbulence on December 6; the flight landed safely at Heathrow and injured passengers were taken to hospital.

U.S. officials said the oil tanker Olina was seized in the Caribbean without incident and that it is the fifth Venezuela-linked vessel targeted in recent weeks. How authorities will proceed with other tankers was reported as undetermined.

Hilton canceled a Minneapolis franchise after it reportedly refused rooms to ICE; Marriott fired an employee accused of doxxing ICE agents, and McDonald's said an unauthorized notice barring ICE was posted and has been removed.

Deglace’s Fraction is a cordless stick vacuum shown at CES 2026 that is designed so every major component can be replaced by hand. It is listed for preorder on Indiegogo at $500 and is expected to begin shipping in 2026.

France's Ministry of the Armed Forces has notified a framework agreement with Mistral, giving the armed forces and related public institutions access to the startup's AI models, software and services on French-controlled infrastructure. The ministry said the partnership aims to strengthen France's technological sovereignty.

A Fox News roundup highlights 10 standout devices shown at CES 2026, noting products that range from shipping hardware to concept prototypes; examples include LG’s 9mm Wallpaper OLED TV and LG CLOiD, a home robot shown as research-stage technology.

Microsoft is rolling out Copilot Checkout in the US to let users browse, compare, and buy products without leaving the Copilot chat, partnering with Shopify, PayPal, and Stripe; the company also announced Brand Agents, AI shopping assistants for merchant sites.

At CES, Nvidia, cloud providers and auto suppliers announced partnerships and product plans aimed at advancing AI-powered self-driving and autonomous-trucking systems, while automakers continue to raise questions about costs, scalability and customer demand.

iOS 26 introduces a call screening feature for iPhones that offers three options—Never, Ask Reason for Calling, and Silence—to manage calls from unsaved numbers; the article reports fewer spam rings after the author enabled the feature.

Starlink is offering free broadband service in Venezuela through February 3 after reported damage to the country's communications infrastructure, and existing Starlink customers may receive service credits while owners of Starlink hardware can select a Roam plan to use service there.

The article reports that Angi and Tailwind have announced layoffs in early 2026, and more than 100 companies have filed WARN notices about planned job cuts.

Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter told Business Insider that Atlas must be able to learn a new task in a day or two for factory use, and the company aims to reach deployment milestones within two years while working with Google DeepMind and Hyundai's planned 2028 rollout.

Late-night hosts reacted after a woman, Renee Nicole Good, was shot during an ICE operation in Minneapolis; federal officials described the agent's actions as defensive while local leaders disputed that account. Undetermined at this time.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting extreme to catastrophic fire danger across all parts of Victoria on Friday as a severe heat wave moves east; thunderstorms with dry lightning and strong gusts are expected to raise the fire risk.

The New York Times reports John Ternus, Apple's hardware engineering chief, is the leading internal candidate to replace Tim Cook; Cook has not announced a retirement date.

Wearable devices now track sleep and many other health metrics for millions of people, and experts say the same data that can detect serious issues can also increase stress or anxiety for some users.