Tech
What George Washington Can Teach Us About Grace in the Wake of Violence
This year, Americans are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. That statement of foundational political principles and national identity in the summer of 1776 capped off a year of armed conflict marked by the first shots at Lexington and Concord, the shocking British casualties at Bunker’s Hill, and the ensuing siege of Boston in the spring and summer of 1775. Those conflicts saw the ascent of George Washington to the office of Commander in Chief of the Continental Army — the first national office held by the man who would earn the right to be called the father of our country. Like the greatest of statesmen, Washington proved equally capable of defending his country in war and of governing it in peace.
On Sept. 10, 2025, tragedy struck Utah Valley University, where I teach. At the time, my colleagues and I were hosting Junior ROTC cadets from around the state for the first of a series of Constitution Day events on the theme of George Washington’s constitutional legacy. Washington’s example of courage, moderation, wisdom and civic charity are always relevant models for American students. But that day, the importance of virtuous civic leadership in the face of threats to American prosperity and freedom was visceral and poignant.
For teachers, navigating Americans’ deep disagreements in the classroom feels risky. Early survey evidence suggests that the assassination of Charlie Kirk has only increased the tension. Rather than sparking a renewed commitment to open dialogue, Kirk’s killing has intensified the silence.
According to an October 2025 survey of college students from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a notable portion of students have become less comfortable expressing their views on controversial topics in class (45 percent), in common campus spaces (43 percent), and on social media (48 percent), after what happened to Kirk.
A general might seem like an odd model for civil discourse following such a tragic event, but in the American experience, our greatest military leaders furnish helpful examples. With Washington, this is not difficult to see.
At the most basic level, Washington’s steady devotion to the rule of law and constitutional self-government is foundational to Americans’ ability to navigate our political differences. We all operate under the same framework — the Constitution — and must adhere to it as our common bond, even as we seek to improve it and navigate our differences and disagreements about the common good.
Washington lived out this commitment in his conduct at Newburgh in 1783 when he put down a budding coup by his own disgruntled officers and later when he twice laid aside unparalleled executive power, first as commander in chief and later as president of the United States.
In his farewell address at the end of his long public service he pressed home the importance of constitutional fidelity as the bedrock of American citizenship.
“The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government,” he wrote. “But the Constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all.”
Navigating Disagreement With Respect
At a more practical level, Washington navigated constant opposition to his command of the Continental army with grace. As president, he presided over a cabinet riven by political division, and even personal animosity. He spoke to his fellow citizens across important differences in a way that reminded them of their common American citizenship and their common humanity. His letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport is a model.
But even more important than Washington’s ability to communicate what he held in common with his fellow citizens was his ability to do that while disagreeing with them fundamentally. While famously skeptical of political parties, Washington was not one to dodge controversy. He would not sacrifice his view of the common good for the sake of avoiding an argument.
Washington’s willingness to contend for his principles serves as an important lesson to students and teachers of civic education: civil discourse does not mean avoiding disagreement. It does not mean giving up or surrendering our convictions. It does not mean hiding or concealing our objections to laws or policies or ideas simply for the sake of maintaining the appearance of agreement and civility.
It’s easy to lament our fractured discourse. But as teachers and educators, we must work to repair it. School leaders and administrators should actively support civil discourse and defend the educators who teach it, as well as provide a forum for students who want to express their views. Fostering this courage isn’t about asking students to be martyrs for their beliefs. It’s about creating a positive environment for productive disagreement.
For robust civil discourse, it is important to cultivate courage, humility and civic charity. To foster courage, teachers can scaffold robust debate by starting with discussion topics that lower the social risk of speaking and then building up to more challenging questions, so that each student has a chance to be heard. To instill humility, the first object of discourse should be on understanding a problem from all sides rather than settling a debate. Humility requires a recognition that we may be wrong, or at the very least that we certainly have something more to learn. Human beings are finite and rarely have a complete understanding of the question at hand.
Nurturing Humility and Reasoning Skills
Teachers can nurture civic charity by framing classroom debates as a collaborative, not confrontational, approach to a solution. The parliamentary model of addressing the chair rather than individuals in a debate can help students to see their peers not as enemies but as partners working towards a common goal.
Students should always be pressed to “steel man” arguments, even for positions they don’t hold. This builds intellectual humility, sharpens reasoning skills, and detaches contentious ideas from the people who hold them. Intellectually serious and fact-based comparisons between our present and the past are indispensable. Flippant dismissals of opposing views as fascist and communist will not advance the truth-seeking enterprise.
In other words, we can teach them to be like Washington, who used civil disagreement among his cabinet members to formulate compromises where possible and to proceed with decisions on controversial matters having treated all sides with due respect where compromise is not possible.
I have so far suggested means of supporting civil discourse in the midst of our present divisions and about those issues that divide Americans. But perhaps the most important thing we do for students as civic educators is to help them step outside our current political divisions. Our founding principles and institutions form a pre-partisan constitutional inheritance that was crafted long before the left-right ideological frameworks and red-blue partisan divides we ham-handedly use to put ourselves in political tribes came into fashion.
Examining our country’s historical debates over how best to live up to our constitutional principles engages students with scenarios and questions for which their current partisan frameworks do not provide a clear answer. It reminds them, as Washington sought to do in his farewell address, of the inheritance they hold in common with each other as Americans.
For families living with neurodegenerative disease, the hardest part is not always the diagnosis. It is the slow erosion that follows: memory fading, personality shifting, independence shrinking. It unfolds quietly. First, forgotten appointments. Then repeated questions. Then moments when a familiar face no longer feels familiar. The illness does not isolate itself to one body. It rearranges the lives around it. Partners become caregivers. Children become decision-makers. Conversations grow shorter. Patience grows thinner. Guilt creeps in, for being tired, for wishing things were easier, for missing the person who is still physically there. Neurodegeneration is rarely a single patient story.…
This story continues at The Next Web
Compare Top 9 Budget Laptops
Other Budget Laptops to Consider
HP OmniBook 5 16 for $630: The HP OmniBook 5 16 shares a lot in common with the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 16. It has right around the same size chassis and comes with the same Intel processor. It’s also dinged by a similar budget display that isn’t very color-accurate. It’s decent, but the discount on the $550 IdeaPad 5i above makes it the better option. I haven’t tested the Snapdragon X Plus version of the OmniBook 5 16, but based on my other reviews, I have a feeling that its current selling price of $550 is a crazy-good deal.
Lenovo LOQ 15 for $779: I tested the RTX 5060 model of the LOQ 15, which is an incredible deal. The RTX 5050 model is also a solid option. It’s not quite as cheap as the Acer Nitro V 16, but it doesn’t have the power adapter issue and has a better design. The LOQ 15 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) isn’t covered in RGB or harsh edges, meaning it also makes for a decent budget-oriented content-creation machine. That discrete graphics card will not only let you play modern games, it’ll also speed up other GPU-dependent workflows like video rendering or 3D modeling.
Acer Aspire Go 14 for $290: The Acer Aspire Go 14 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) won’t win any style or performance awards, but it holds up well as an incredibly affordable Windows laptop. The one major thing it has going for it is fantastic battery life. I was able to hit upwards of 14 hours on a charge, which could make this a decent budget option for students who need something that’ll last a whole day on campus. Just keep in mind this is a $300 laptop (occasionally less on sale), so the screen quality, sound, and webcam are far from great.
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook for $490: Chromebooks have a reputation for being underpowered. To change that, Google launched Chromebook Plus in 2023, an umbrella category for a new class of devices from various manufacturers. The “Plus” stands for better performance—faster processors, more memory, more storage, and better video cameras. One of my favorites is Lenovo’s Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s among the fastest Chromebooks we’ve tested at this price, featuring an Intel Core i3-1315U CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of flash storage.
Acer Chromebook Plus 515 for $380: This is one modest step up from the Asus Chromebook CX15 mentioned above in terms of performance, thanks to the Intel Core i3-1305U chip inside. So, if you need a cheap Chromebook that won’t slow down under your dozens of Chrome tabs or need to connect to an external monitor, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 will do the trick.
Asus Zenbook 14 for $749: Asus’ Zenbook 14 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) offers good performance, great battery life, and an OLED display—all for a little over $1,000. Now, you might think that sounds a little expensive to be considered a “cheap laptop.” And it is. But Asus also sells a cheaper, Intel-powered model called the Zenbook 14 Q415. It’s selling for around $650, if you can believe it, as it’s a couple of years old. That model comes with less memory but otherwise offers the same portability, port selection, and comfortable keyboard
What Are Important Specs in a Cheap Laptop?
Read our How to Choose the Right Laptop guide if you want all the details on specs and what to look for. In short, your budget is the most important factor, as it determines what you can expect out of the device you’re purchasing. But you should consider display size, chassis thickness, CPU, memory, storage, and port selection. While appropriate specs can vary wildly when you’re considering laptops ranging from $200 to $800, there are a few hard lines I don’t recommend crossing.
For example, don’t buy a laptop if it doesn’t have a display resolution of at least 1920 x 1080. In 2025, there’s just no excuse for anything less than that. You should also never buy a laptop without at least 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Even in Chromebooks, these specs are becoming the new standard. You’re selling yourself short by getting anything less. Another rule is to avoid a Windows laptop with an Intel Celeron processor—leave those for Chromebooks only.
Specs are only half the battle, though. Based on our years of testing, laptop manufacturers tend to make compromises in display quality and touchpad quality. You can’t tell from the photos or listed specs online, but once you get the laptop in your hands, you may notice that the colors of the screen look a bit off or that the touchpad feels choppy to use. It’s nearly impossible to find laptops under $500 that don’t compromise in these areas, but this is where our reviewers and testers can help.
How Much RAM Do You Need in a Cheap Laptop?
The simple answer? You need at least 8 GB of RAM. These days, there are even some Windows laptops at around $700 or $800 that come with 16 GB of RAM standard, as part of the Copilot+ PC marketing push. That’s a great value, and ensures you’ll get the best performance out of your laptop, especially when running heavier applications or multitasking. Either way, it’s important to factor in the price of the RAM, because manufacturers will often charge $100 or even $200 to double the memory.
On Chromebooks, there are some rare occasions where 4 GB of RAM is acceptable, but only on the very cheapest models that are under $200. Even budget Chromebooks like the Asus Chromebook CX15 now start with 8 GB of RAM.
Are There Any Good Laptops Under $300?
Yes, but you need to be careful. Don’t just go buy a random laptop on Amazon under $300, as you’ll likely end up with an outdated, slow device you’ll regret purchasing. You might be tempted by something like this or this, but trust me—there are better options, some of which you’ll find in this guide.
For starters, you shouldn’t buy a Windows laptop under $300. That price puts you solidly in cheap Chromebook territory. While these are still budget-level in terms of quality, they’re better in almost every way than their Windows counterparts of a similar price. A good example is the Asus Chromebook CX15.
If you want a Windows laptop that won’t give you instant buyer’s remorse, you’ll need to spend at least a few hundred more. Once you hit $500 or $600, there are some more solid Windows laptops available, such as the Acer Aspire Go 14, though even there, you’re making some significant compromises in performance and storage capacity. These days, Windows laptops really start to get better in the $600-plus range.
Should You Buy a Chromebook or a Cheap Windows Laptop?
The eternal question. If you’re looking for a laptop under $500, I highly recommend that you opt for a Chromebook. I know that won’t be a possibility for everyone, as some have certain applications that require a Windows laptop or MacBook. If you do aim to get a Chromebook, make sure all your connected accessories and other devices are compatible.
Chromebooks give you access to a full desktop Chrome browser, as well as Android apps. While that leaves some gaps for apps that some may need, you might be surprised by how much you can get done without the need to install any software. Most applications have web versions that are every bit as useful.
While Chromebooks are most well-known as junky student laptops, the recent “Chromebook Plus” designation has filled in the gap between dirt-cheap Chromebooks and $800 Windows laptops. You’ll find some great Chromebook Plus options in the $400 to $600 range that have better performance and displays, while also looking a bit more like a modern laptop. The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is a great example of this. You can read more about the differences between Windows laptops and Chromebooks here.
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Tech
Sen. Blackburn Gets Shitty Because Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Attended An Awards Show Where ICE Was Criticized
from the clown-ass-GOP dept
I don’t understand sycophancy. Never have. I don’t know what it gets you in the long run other than a reputation for subservience. That’s worth nearly nothing in the open market. The only people who will hire you are people most people would never want to work for.
And yet, that is pretty much the entirety of the GOP under Trump: a massive collection of doormats the current president won’t even remember stepping on moments later. Sucking up to a goldfish brain like Trump makes you a fool, rather than the savvy pol you imagine yourself to be.
Welcome to the dom side of the sub/dom equation, Senator Marsha Blackburn. While she’s most famous here for trying to turn the internet into whatever the current iteration of the GOP wishes it to be (at least here at Techdirt), she’s stepped out of her comfort zone recently to publicly complain about a Supreme Court justice who attended an awards show where multiple people publicly criticized Trump’s anti-migrant actions.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called for an investigation Thursday into Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for attending the Grammy Awards, where various artists criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
[…]
“Americans deserve a Supreme Court that is impartial and above political influence,” Blackburn wrote on social platform X. “When a Justice participates in such a highly politicized event, it raises ethical questions. We need an investigation into Justice Jackson’s ability to remain impartial.”
First things fucking last, Justice Jackson was not a presenter, nor was she a “participant” in any of the ICE criticism delivered by Grammy-nominated artists like Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, and Justin Vernon. She was also not involved in any way with the production of the Grammy Awards ceremony, further removing her from anything that might be deemed “impartial.”
But beyond any of that is the fact that Justice Jackson had a perfectly legitimate, non-political reason to be there:
Jackson was nominated in the Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording category for her memoir “Lovely One.”
Jackson didn’t win (she lost to the Dalai Lama which, if you’re going to lose, is probably a loss you’ll never complain about publicly) but she was nominated. That alone gave her a reason to be there. The anti-ICE content may have been personally enjoyable, but she wasn’t there to soak up the stuff being said by others.
Not that it matters to the performative doormats currently employed as GOP politicians. Sen. Blackburn immediately started banging away on her keyboard and decided to take her disgruntled Grammy Awards forum comments to the next level by sending them off to Chief Justice John Roberts:
I write today regarding recent reporting about Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s attendance at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, February 1, and the ethical questions raised by her attendance at such a highly politicized event. For the following
reasons, I urge you to conduct a thorough investigation into Justice Jackson’s attendance at this event and whether her presence at such an event complies with the obligation that a Supreme Court justice “act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”While it is by no means unheard of or unusual for a Supreme Court justice to attend a public function, very rarely—if ever—have justices of our nation’s highest Court been present at an event at which attendees have amplified such far-left rhetoric. Many of the attendees wore lapel pins that read “ICE OUT,” an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) adage. One Grammy winner that evening opened his acceptance speech by stating, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ‘ICE out,’” which was received with thunderous applause by the crowd. Another award recipient that evening noted in her acceptance speech that “No one is illegal on stolen land,” going on to say that “we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting . . . And f*** ICE, that’s all I’m gonna say.” These statements were just two of many polarized, highly charged anti-law enforcement sentiments from that evening. It is important to note that Justice Jackson was present in the audience throughout the event.
Wow. Harsh words from someone who couldn’t be bothered to speak up while Justice Clarence Thomas received millions of dollars’ worth of gifts from right-wing benefactors over the past two decades. She was oddly quiet when it was revealed Justice Thomas’s wife was pushing election conspiracy theories. Truly an unexpected amount of yelling from someone who had nothing to say when Justice Alito’s wife was flying pro-Trump flags at Alito’s home.
Oh. Wait. Blackburn has something to say about both of those things in this letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court:
Unlike these meritless claims against Justice Alito and Justice Thomas, there are serious questions regarding Justice Jackson’s participation in such a brazenly political, anti-law enforcement event and her ability to remain an impartial member of the Supreme Court.
It was a Grammy Awards ceremony, not an anti-ICE protest. That people had negative things to say about ICE is completely expected, given how many people are opposed to how this administration is handling immigration enforcement. Blackburn absolutely knows she’s comparing apples to precision-machined aftermarket car parts. But like everyone else in this despicable political party, she doesn’t care and she knows it’s going to cause at least a small percentage of the converted to pretend to be offended on her behalf.
I assume John Roberts knows this as well. Let’s hope he’ll just roll his eyes and go back to binge-watching the kind of television I assume he enjoys: the no-one-asked-for-this 2023 reboot of Night Court.
Filed Under: grammys, ice, ketanji brown jackson, marsha blackburn, mass deportation, scotus, trump administration
Singapore’s appetite for alternative meat seems to be waning, with yet another lab-grown meat company biting the dust.
Cultivated meat company Avant Proteins is shutting down its Singapore operations, reported a notice on Singapore’s Government Gazette.
The seafood cell research company declared on Jan 30 that it was voluntarily winding up its business here due to its liabilities.
Alternative proteins are foods that have the same taste, texture, and experience of animal products that consumers love–just made in different ways. They comprise plant-based food, cultivated (lab-grown) meat or fungi-based derivatives from fermentation.
Avant Proteins is a research firm founded in 2018 by Hong Kong-based Avant, which calls itself Asia’s first cultivated fish company. The former had goals of producing fish meat without killing them.
As of Feb 10, the firm’s Hong Kong entity, Avant Meats Company, remains a private company limited by shares, according to the Hong Kong Companies Registry.
Avant Proteins’ departure from Singapore is the latest of at least three lab-grown meat companies that have struggled to scale operations in the Republic, years after it hit global headlines in 2020 as the first country to approve the commercial sale of cultured meat.
Cultivated meat is made by growing animal cells in bioreactors, a process similar to brewing beer.
This approach is considered more humane and sustainable than traditional farming, using far less land and labour.
However, the sector has faced hurdles since 2023, struggling to scale up due to difficulties in commercialising the technology, high costs, and uncertain consumer demand.
Avant’s co-founder Carrie Chan told The Straits Times in 2024 that investors had become “more conservative” due to economic conditions.
“Some are thinking (this sector) is more challenging, and they should not be investing in anything at the pre-revenue stage as the tech involved can be difficult to scale up quickly,” Chan said back then.
Checks on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority’s database found that Avant Biotechnology was still live, while Avant Proteins is in liquidation, as at Feb 11.
Short life span in Singapore
After establishing itself in Hong Kong in 2018, Avant revealed plans in 2021 to expand into Singapore by opening a research lab in collaboration with A*STAR’s Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI).
The lab was launched to scale up production of food-grade cultivated fish fillets and fish maw.
A*STAR stated that the collaboration concluded as scheduled two years later, with Avant establishing its own pilot facility in Woodlands.
“Through this work, A*STAR BTI and Avant Meats gained valuable insights into upstream bioprocessing, production challenges and scale-up considerations,” it said.
According to its latest LinkedIn post, Avant subsequently ramped up operations at its Woodlands pilot facility, noting that it had contributed to public education on the future of animal proteins.
The post also highlighted that the company had commercialised skincare technology using cultivated fish cells and continued to advance its cultivated fish products toward approval by the Singapore Food Agency.
However, as of Feb 11, Avant Meats’ website—which showcased both its skincare line and lab-grown meat—went offline, though the site for its skincare technology remains active.
Restaurants are axing plant-based meat from their menus due to high costs and low demand
Once a prominent menu feature, plant-based meat dishes have quietly disappeared from several restaurants, while others have reduced their selections or moved them to optional add-ons at an extra charge, said a Channel News Asia report.
The global appetite for plant-based meat saw the sharpest rise between 2018 and 2020. During this period, numerous casual dining chains, even Asian restaurants, jumped on the trend, incorporating plant-based “Impossible” meat options into their menus.
Experts linked the surge to a combination of factors: aggressive marketing, rising consumer interest in health-conscious and sustainable eating, and, in Singapore, the government’s focus on alternative proteins to bolster food security.
They’ve also noted that the appeal of plant-based meats has declined once the novelty faded. Improvements in taste and texture still lagged behind expectations and struggled to justify their high prices.
Instead of imitating meat, some restaurants are shifting their focus to whole-food, plant-based options.
For example, vegan burger eatery Veganburg has emphasized whole-food vegan patties over highly processed meat substitutes. Its operations director, Blessed Chee, noted that the store discontinued Impossible plant-based meat due to cost considerations.
A 340g packet of minced Impossible beef retails for S$12.12 while 1kg of real minced beef costs S$11.35 on Fairprice’s website.
Is cultivated meat heading in the same direction to becoming a flop?
Previously, California-based Eat Just had suspended its cultivated meat production in Singapore, while local company Shiok Meats merged with Singapore-based Umami Bioworks, a specialist in marine cell cultivation.
For years, companies have promised that commercially-viable lab-grown meat was right around the corner, but repeated missed product launches and setbacks have eroded investor confidence in the space. From 2024 to 2025, total investment in the cultivated meat industry dipped by 74%, from US$139 million to US$36 million.
Only time will tell if lab-grown meat will follow in plant-based meat’s footsteps or carve a direction of sustaining a presence here in Singapore.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Avant Proteins
from the good-deals-on-cool-stuff dept
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Note: The Techdirt Deals Store is powered and curated by StackCommerce. A portion of all sales from Techdirt Deals helps support Techdirt. The products featured do not reflect endorsements by our editorial team.
Filed Under: daily deal
This story originally appeared on Real Estate News.
Despite all of the headlines Zillow faced last year involving various court cases, the company continued to outperform investor expectations in the fourth quarter.
Zillow’s revenue was up 18% for Q4 of 2025 and up 16% for the full year, according to its Feb. 10 earnings report. Zillow’s quarterly revenue, which came in at $654 million, was at the upper end of Zillow’s guidance and was slightly higher than what investors had projected.
The biggest percentage increases in revenue came from Zillow’s mortgage and rental divisions, which are both the focus of lawsuits that were filed last year. Revenue from the company’s mortgage division was up 39% to $57 million, while rental revenue was up 45% to $168 million.
And even though 2025 was a slow year for home sales nationally, traffic to Zillow’s websites and apps were up 8% in Q4 and visits were up 2% for the entire year.
“We delivered strong results in the fourth quarter and throughout 2025, achieving all our reported full-year financial targets, including positive net income, while continuing to gain share in both For Sale and Rentals,” Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman said in a news release.
“As we celebrate 20 years of Zillow, our results demonstrate our disciplined and consistent execution of our strategy,” Wacksman added.
Key numbers
Revenue: $654 million in Q4, up 18% year-over-year. Residential revenue increased 8% to $418 million, mortgage revenue was up 39% to $57 million, and rentals revenue climbed 45% to $168 million.
For the full year, revenue was $2.6 billion, up 16% compared to 2024.
Cash and investments: $1.3 billion at the end of 2025, down from $1.4 billion at the end of September.
Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization): $149 million in Q4, up from $112 million a year earlier.
Net income/loss: A gain of $3 million in Q4, up from a $52 million loss a year ago. Zillow reported a net income gain of $23 million for the full year compared to a $112 million loss in 2024.
Traffic and visits: Traffic across all Zillow Group websites and apps totaled 221 million average monthly unique users in Q4, up 8% year-over-year, the company said. Visits were up 2% year-over-year to 2.1 billion.
Q1 outlook: For the first quarter, Zillow estimates revenue will be in the $700 million to $710 million range.
Tech
Stoke Space adds $350M to funding round as it gets ready for the first launch of its reusable rocket
Kent, Wash.-based Stoke Space Technologies says it has added another $350 million to its previously announced Series D financing round, bringing the amount raised in the round to $860 million.
The fresh funding will go toward completing activation of the company’s Florida launch complex and expanding production capacity for its fully reusable Nova launch vehicle. Additional capital will be used to accelerate future elements on Stoke’s product road map.
Terms of the round were not disclosed. With the extension of the Series D round, Stoke has raised $1.34 billion to date.
The medium-lift Nova rocket is currently under development. First liftoff from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is expected sometime this year.
“We’re extremely grateful for our investors’ continued support,” Andy Lapsa, Stoke’s co-founder and CEO, said today in a news release. “We’re executing with urgency to bring Nova to market and deliver for our customers. It’s a special vehicle, and there’s more in the pipeline — we look forward to sharing those developments as they mature.”
Nova’s first-stage booster is designed to fly itself back to a landing pad, following a procedure similar to that used by SpaceX for its Falcon 9 rocket. The second stage would use an actively cooled heatshield to ease its descent through the atmosphere, and then touch down on its own set of landing legs.
While SpaceX and Blue Origin are focusing on heavy-lift rockets such as Starship and New Glenn, Stoke is targeting the medium-lift launch market. Even though Stoke Space hasn’t yet launched a rocket to orbit, it was added to the U.S. Space Force’s list of providers for national security launches last year.
Whether you’re interested in background music for your next party or you’re looking to upgrade a stereo system, there’s a speaker set ready for you. Speakers tend to be designed with a specific purpose in mind. For example, you might need speakers for your TV, computer speakers or a set for a specific room. Or perhaps you need portable Bluetooth speakers to take on a trip. There’s a speaker for every situation.
BLUETOOTH SPEAKER DEALS OF THE WEEK
Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.
Not all speakers are created equal
I’ve highlighted the best wired and wireless speakers I’ve tested costing between $50 and $1,000. While most of the included systems are powered speakers, you’ll also find passive bookshelf speakers, such as the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2, which just need to be paired with a great AV receiver.
From smart speakers to outdoor speakers to immersive home theater systems, every model I’ve chosen boasts great sound quality and is the best speaker in its particular category. I’ll update this list periodically as we review new products, so you can take your audio setup to the next level.
Read more: Best Soundbar for 2025
With great sound, a compact size and the Alexa voice assistant built-in, the Sonos Era 100 packs a lot of punch, making it the best smart speaker for the money.
Elac has been belting out classic, affordable designs ever since its, er, debut in 2015. The Debut 2.0 exemplifies the brand’s appeal to both the budget-conscious and audiophiles. It offers a lively, insightful sound and attractive looks for around $400.
Pros
- Big, generously proportioned speakers
- Excellent sound quality perfect for long binge sessions
- Nothing holds a candle to it for the money
Cons
- Could be smoother, especially with its lower register
- Dustcaps didn’t quite line up
Want the biggest sound? You’ll need big speakers. The fit and finish of the large Fluance XL8 towers is unmatched by other speakers at its price. The sound of the XL8F is open and thrilling, but never shrill, and when fed a movie soundtrack these speakers simply zing. They’re no slouch with music either. If you truly want the maximum speaker for your money, the huge Fluance XL8F has no equal.
Pros
- Very compact (pocket-friendly)
- More bass and volume than most speakers this small
- Waterproof and dustproof (IP67)
- Integrated strap
- Can be linked to another StormBox Micro for stereo mode
- USB-C charging
- 8 hours of battery life
Cons
- Not as durable as Bose SoundLink Micro
- Distorts slightly at higher volumes with certain tracks
Budget Bluetooth speakers are seemingly a dime a dozen, but among the countless options there do lie some gems. The $50 Tribit Stormbox Micro is a compact, portable speaker that offers both waterproofing and excellent bass for its size.
Pros
- Compact, easy to set up and affordable
- Excellent dialogue reproduction
- Tried and true Roku experience
Cons
- Lacks bass in movies and music
The $130 Roku Streambar is a hybrid soundbar-4K video streamer and the most welcome surprise is that it’s able to perform both tasks well. Pair it with a bedroom TV and the optional Onn Wireless Sub for a killer home theater setup.
If there was ever a bargain in home theater it was this — for around the same price as the Elac speakers above you can get a full Dolby Atmos setup. With a sub! Sound quality is excellent and the Klipsch kit includes all of the cables you need in the box.
The Edifier R1280DB offers almost everything you could want in a PC speaker — excellent sound, a range of connections including Bluetooth and a compact footprint — and all for a reasonable $150. It doesn’t offer USB, though, so connect the headphone/line out of your PC to it instead.
Pros
- Excellent sound in a compact size
- Amazon Alexa onboard
- DTS Virtual:X
- Articulate subwoofer
The Yamaha YAS-209 is one of the most fully featured soundbars the company has ever offered — especially at the price. With Alexa, HDMI connectivity and a wireless subwoofer, this soundbar doesn’t want for anything. The sound quality is great, too.
Pros
- Motorized speakers work well.
- Excellent sound for movies and music.
- Plenty of connections
- Includes rears and wireless sub.
Cons
- Not as easy to use as Sonos Arc
- No Apple AirPlay support
- Somewhat short surround cables
The Vizio Elevate may have one big gimmick at the core of it, that revolving height speaker, but it also offers sound quality to back up the gee-whizzery. This is a 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbar, with a hefty subwoofer, and its performance is equally thrilling in both movies and music. Add in a bunch of streaming features and you have the best surround system under a grand.
from the taking-an-interest dept
In the last few years, the Supreme Court has been paying a lot more attention to the internet than it ever has before, and the cases keep on coming. This is already having a big impact on how the internet functions, and it doesn’t look likely to stop any time soon. Given all that, this week our own Cathy Gellis joins the podcast for a discussion all about the past, present, and future of SCOTUS and the internet.
You can also download this episode directly in MP3 format.
Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.
Filed Under: podcast, scotus, supreme court
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