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Windows 11 hides a Windows 7 folder that beats the Settings app, and I use it every day
Winsage
October 11, 2026

Windows 11 hides a Windows 7 folder that beats the Settings app, and I use it every day

The "God Mode" folder in Windows is a hidden feature that provides a streamlined solution to navigating settings by offering an organized index within a single folder. Users can create this folder by right-clicking on the desktop, creating a new folder, and renaming it to "GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}". This transforms the folder icon to resemble the Control Panel, allowing quick access to various settings. The folder can be pinned to the Start menu or Quick Access for easier accessibility. It serves as a useful tool for users who frequently adjust settings, making tasks like managing USB settings or adjusting processor state limits more efficient.
silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
October 11, 2026

Deadlock’s City Never Sleeps update makes Valve’s MOBA my favorite videogame setting in years

Deadlock is a game currently accessible through beta invites distributed by Valve. The recent update, City Never Sleeps, features a transformed map with new neutral monsters and a redesign that enhances its landscapes. The update introduces new characters, including Deadman Danny, Nurse Harrow, Rat King, Solomon, and Baba, each with unique designs and voice lines. The update also expands the existing cast with new conversations and lore, contributing to the game's depth. The author has invested over 350 hours into Deadlock and recommends it for its captivating atmosphere, despite it being in the MOBA genre.
The developer of an AI-powered driving instruction simulator is spending $1,000 per month just to keep its demo running
AppWizard
October 11, 2026

The developer of an AI-powered driving instruction simulator is spending $1,000 per month just to keep its demo running

Artificial intelligence, particularly through large language models (LLMs), is expected to significantly impact the gaming industry by enhancing non-player characters (NPCs). However, practical implementation has been limited, with few titles like Where Winds Meet exploring this technology. A case study from the developers of Teach My Little Sister How To Drive highlights the financial challenges of integrating LLMs, as daily operational costs have exceeded ,000 due to high player interactions. The developers, Easy Fox, have taken out a bank loan to sustain the demo but are uncertain about its long-term viability. They are considering alternatives like local AI models for players with powerful GPUs, though this would limit accessibility. The game’s reliance on a premium LLM raises questions about its necessity, especially given existing design challenges such as artificial dialogue and misinterpreted commands. The full release of the game is scheduled for January next year.
Steam Machine Verified vs Steam Deck: 47 vs 38 Games [2026]
AppWizard
October 11, 2026

Steam Machine Verified vs Steam Deck: 47 vs 38 Games [2026]

Valve has revealed that as of October 5, 2026, the Steam Machine has 47 verified games, surpassing the Steam Deck's 38 verified games. Three games—Dragon’s Dogma 2, Control Resonant, and The Blood of Dawnwalker—were upgraded from Unsupported on the Steam Deck to Verified on the Steam Machine. The Steam Machine's verification standard requires a resolution of 1080p at 30 frames per second, while the Steam Deck requires 800p at 30 frames per second. The Steam Machine is powered by hardware comparable to an AMD Radeon RX 7600M, while the Steam Deck uses a custom RDNA 2 APU. The analysis of the top 100 best-sellers shows that 38 games are Verified on Steam Deck and 47 on Steam Machine, with 28 playable on Steam Deck and 23 on Steam Machine. There are 19 Unsupported titles on Steam Deck and 15 on Steam Machine. Valve's compatibility documentation states that any game verified on Steam Deck is also guaranteed to be verified on Steam Machine.
Microsoft design boss on why Windows 11 can’t please all 1 billion users: “Everyone has different preferences”
Winsage
October 11, 2026

Microsoft design boss on why Windows 11 can’t please all 1 billion users: “Everyone has different preferences”

Microsoft is planning a significant transformation of Windows 11, focusing on modernizing its user interface and legacy features while addressing diverse user preferences. The new Windows Search capabilities allow users to perform actions like toggling settings directly from search results, which has led to discussions about the relevance of the Start menu. Diego Baca, Vice President of Design at Windows, emphasized the challenge of designing for over a billion users while aiming to improve performance and customization. The Recommended/Recent section of the Start menu has received mixed feedback, with many users expressing discontent despite Microsoft viewing it as a valuable feature intended to enhance productivity. Scenarios for its use include displaying missed meeting recordings and suggesting frequently used apps. In March 2026, Microsoft acknowledged past oversights with Windows and committed to revitalizing the operating system, aiming to modernize interfaces and integrate more WinUI-based features. The company plans to deliver 100% native applications on the platform and is focused on providing greater customization options for users.
Android Malware Caught by Teaching AI to Read Apps as Pictures
AppWizard
October 11, 2026

Android Malware Caught by Teaching AI to Read Apps as Pictures

A research team from Turkey, led by Erdal Başaran and Ömer Okucu of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, along with Yusuf Alaca from Hitit University, has developed an innovative detection framework for Android malware that utilizes a visual approach. This framework transforms key features of Android applications into images, allowing a Vision Transformer to differentiate between benign software and malware. The researchers created two types of images from static and dynamic analysis features: a conventional 2D grayscale image and a QR code image. Separate Vision Transformer models were trained on each image type, and spatial pooling features were extracted from deeper layers to create a comprehensive representation of application behavior. To refine the fused feature vector, Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) was employed, enhancing classification clarity and reducing computational load. The final classification utilized a majority-voting ensemble strategy, achieving a detection accuracy of 98.72 percent, surpassing standalone models. The study demonstrates that the multimodal system outperforms individual grayscale or QR code pathways. The dataset used is publicly available, promoting reproducibility. The framework's reliance on static and dynamic analysis features allows it to adapt to new threats, and the novel QR code representation offers distinctive visual signatures of malicious behavior. However, challenges remain regarding feature extraction quality and computational demands.
A practical guide to cost optimization with Lakebase Postgres
Tech Optimizer
October 11, 2026

A practical guide to cost optimization with Lakebase Postgres

Lakebase is a fully managed Postgres database designed for modern application development, featuring an architecture that separates storage and compute with a serverless compute layer. This design allows for cost efficiencies through various mechanisms: 1. **Branching**: Developers can create isolated environments for development, testing, or experimentation without duplicating storage costs, as branches share the same underlying storage. 2. **Autoscaling**: Lakebase adjusts compute resources based on activity levels, allowing users to pay only for the compute they use. It can scale down during low activity and can be suspended entirely after inactivity, reducing costs to zero. 3. **Read Replicas and High Availability**: The separation of storage and compute allows for adding read replicas and high availability without incurring additional storage costs, as these instances utilize the same storage layer. 4. **Synced Tables**: Integration with the Databricks Intelligence Platform enables efficient data syncing, allowing users to sync only the necessary working set of data, which helps avoid unnecessary storage and sync costs. 5. **Sync Modes**: There are three sync modes (Snapshot, Triggered, Continuous) for transferring data from the Lakehouse to Lakebase, each with different cost implications based on data freshness requirements. 6. **Right-sizing Compute**: Users can set the initial compute range during project provisioning to avoid over-provisioning and unnecessary costs. 7. **Monitoring and Metrics**: The Lakebase Metrics dashboard provides insights into working set size and cache utilization, helping users optimize their compute sizing and performance. 8. **Point-in-Time Restore (PITR) and Snapshots**: PITR maintains history for recovery within a configurable window, while snapshots offer discrete recovery points. Both are priced lower than standard storage, making them cost-effective options for data recovery. Lakebase costs are categorized into compute, storage, and serverless pipeline compute for syncing data. Compute is measured by CU usage, while storage includes branch storage, PITR history, and snapshot storage, all tracked separately. Users can access detailed usage and cost information through system billing tables.
silver Android smartphone
AppWizard
October 10, 2026

Nivalis Nights might not have any combat, “but that doesn’t mean it’s a cosy game,” so says its lead writer

The game Nivalis Nights is designed to be intentionally overwhelming at the start, reflecting the stress of a cyberpunk world without traditional elements like player death or boss fights. Players navigate a chaotic environment where every app demands attention, mirroring modern life's pace. The game allows for various paths to success, including unconventional achievements, and emphasizes the complexity of relationships through its dating mechanics, aiming for authenticity and unpredictability. The game's narrative explores themes of technological advancement and societal pressures, inviting players to actively engage rather than passively receive rewards.
Asus Googlebook 14 Review: For Android, By Android
AppWizard
October 10, 2026

Asus Googlebook 14 Review: For Android, By Android

Googlebook 14 features Googlebook OS, which is based on Android and incorporates elements from ChromeOS, offering a familiar user experience for Android users. The interface resembles that of Android devices, with home screens, quick settings, and app access similar to smartphones. Integration with Android phones allows users to access apps, notifications, and files directly from the laptop. The "Continue On" feature enables users to pin phone apps to the Googlebook taskbar for easy transitions between devices. However, Googlebook OS lacks support for traditional desktop software, limiting the functionality of Android apps available through Google Play. Google is addressing compatibility issues by labeling apps for desktop use in the Play Store. New features like Magic Pointer, Proactive Suggestions, and Rambler are introduced, but the OS still requires significant improvements in app compatibility and desktop interface optimization. Google has faced challenges in developer support for optimizing applications for Googlebook OS.
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