from the 1st-step dept

Progress may be slow, but it’s still progress. While I’ve been talking about the importance of video game preservation as a function of our own overall cultural preservation, very few people out there are actually trying to do something about it all. One of those doers has been Ross Scott and others involved in the Stop Killing Games movement. Scott, a YouTuber, started this whole thing in 2024 and really got it rolling on a second attempt in 2025. In that short period of time, the movement managed to secure some allies in the EU and British governments, ran a successful signature campaign to get the EU to open the discussion on legislative and enforcement remedies, and got that hearing on the schedule.

And that hearing has now been conducted in what many are assessing as a good first step in the process.

The Stop Killing Games initiative now faces increased legislative examination because of its current status as a proposed law. The Stop Killing Games movement brought its digital obsolescence battle to European Parliament this month because its members succeeded in establishing their first political presence. The hearing organized by Ross Scott and Moritz Katzner aimed to expose the harmful industry custom which enables companies to disable online games completely. The movement believes that publishers who stop supporting products which they sold as retail items engage in false advertising which violates consumer rights.

Advocates for the proposed legislation introduced an organized approach to guide lawmaking bodies during the proceeding. The main requirement of their proposal demands software firms to create offline functionality for their products or make their server code accessible as open source when games reach their end of life stage. Scott and Katzner maintained that these products serve as vital cultural heritage items which consumers own through their property rights. The commission members received evidence which showed that abrupt game terminations take away users’ financial resources and time investments while failing to provide proper solutions.

As a more direct reminder, below are the articulated goals of the movement.

• Games sold must be left in a functional state
• Games sold must require no further connection to the publisher or affiliated parties to function
• The above also applies to games that have sold microtransactions to customers
• The above cannot be superseded by end user license agreements

The hearing itself included witness testimony from consumer rights groups in the EU, which is really important. While cultural preservation clearly remains a primary goal of the movement, that goal was cleverly wrapped within claims that there are already laws on the books designed to protect customer rights and property when purchased that many game publishers appear to be pretty clearly violating. Within the hearing itself it was also revealed that the movement has gained even further support from other politicians and advocacy groups within the EU.

It was, by all accounts, a really positive hearing for those of us who care about game preservation. But we do need to temper our expectations as to the timeline for what comes next, because the EU is a big ol’ bureaucracy and this is all going to take a great deal of time.

The gaming community should not expect instant changes to policy according to advocates who received positive feedback from committee leaders. Moritz Katzner explained that the hearing served as an effective platform to present their case yet it stands as the first step in a lengthy administrative procedure. The campaign succeeded in establishing its primary objective by bringing the subject into official political debates but now needs to navigate ledge machinery to convert these consumer rights violations into legal protections which will be enforced across Europe.

And that may, or likely will, take years. But it’s a fight worth sticking out, if you care at all about art preservation and the rights of the public to retain ownership of the things they’ve paid for. And, frankly, if you care about the public domain, which you damned well should.

I’m going to keep coming back to this point, because I think it’s pretty much unassailable. In any copyright system in which the purpose of the limited monopoly granted to a publisher of art is to benefit the public through both the creation of more art as well as those creations ending up in the public domain for everyone’s benefit, then video games being designed such that publishers can disappear them on a whim breaks the copyright bargain. It seems to me that it goes unrecognized too often that if a work of art, including video games, isn’t guaranteed to end up in the public domain eventually, then it shouldn’t be granted a copyright in the first place.

But, for now, it’s nice to see the Stop Killing Games movement having taken the first legislative step. All that’s left now is a whole lot of waiting, advocacy, and combat to be done with adverse lobbying dollars.

Filed Under: consumer rights, eu, eu parliament, ross scott, stop killing games, video game preservation, video games

There’s something deeply relaxing about chucking on a solid pair of headphones, listening to some good music and cleaning muck off structures and vehicles. Not in real life, though. Heavens, no. PowerWash Simulator 2 lets you do that without having to deal with any actual muck — as long as you’re regularly cleaning your keyboard or controller, anyway.

You’ll soon be able to carry out powerwashing jobs in six more locations, all of which are in a galaxy far, far away. In the game’s upcoming Star Wars expansion, you can visit the likes of Tatooine and Hoth to clean the Lars homestead, an X-wing and a Star Destroyer bridge.

Developer FuturLab has created an exclusive powerwasher for these levels, in which you’ll play as a labor droid called P0-W2. You can take on the jobs with up to four friends. Expect a bunch of Easter eggs too.

FuturLab says the expansion is set during the original Star Wars trilogy. You’ll first be taking on work for the Galactic Empire before defecting to the Rebel Alliance (so you’ll literally be dealing with Rebel scum).

The studio has previously brought other franchises into the fold. Those who own the first PowerWash Simulator can snag the Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider expansions for free before they’re delisted at 10AM ET on May 19. There are also Back to the Future and Shrek expansions for the original game.

The Star Wars expansion is coming to PowerWash Simulator 2 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 this summer. It’ll cost $10. In the meantime, spare a thought for those poor contractors whose jobs the P0-W2 droids are taking:

If you regularly wear an Apple Watch, you’ve probably discovered the apps most useful to your daily life, like responding to emails and texts, checking the weather and using Apple Pay for contactless payments. But there are host of health apps and features that might not currently be on your radar, and they have the potential to be life-saving.

I spoke with Dr. Lauren Cheung, a doctor at Apple, who reviewed the hidden health features on the Apple Watch and why they were created.

1. The Vitals app for sleep and more

Using overnight health metrics, the Vitals app can reveal much about your health and how it changes day to day. From heart rate and wrist temperature (available on Apple Watch Series 8 or later and any Apple Watch Ultra model) to respiratory rate and sleep duration, you can get a thorough picture of your health from just one glance at your watch.

“When two or more of your metrics are out of range, we will notify you with information about why that might be,” Cheung explained. “How it works is just after you wake up, you might see a notification from the Vitals app. For example, maybe your heart rate and wrist temperature were high — this could be due to illness or alcohol consumption.”

With the health information from the Vitals app, you can make informed decisions about your health. If specific metrics are outside your normal range, you can choose to get extra rest that day or visit your doctor if you have particular symptoms. 

How to set up the Vitals app

To set up your typical range, you must wear your Apple Watch for at least seven days. Ensure your watch is not loose on your wrist; otherwise, it might not capture accurate readings. 

To set up notifications, go to Settings on your Apple Watch, tap Vitals and turn on notifications. 

For sleep specifically, make sure Track Sleep with Apple Watch is set up and Sleep Focus is enabled. To do so, open your iPhone’s Health app, tap Get Started under Set Up Sleep, tap Next and then follow the on-screen prompts. You can also use your Apple Watch’s Sleep app and follow the on-screen instructions. 

2. Noise notifications 

You can use the Noise app on your Apple Watch to measure the sound levels in your environment. You can also enable noise notifications, so your watch can tell you when you’re exposed to dangerously loud sounds. 

When asked why noise notifications were added to the Apple Watch, Cheung said, “The world can be loud, and we believe it’s important for you to be educated and empowered about how your environment, and the noise around you, can impact your hearing health over time. That way, you can take action; whether that’s moving to a quieter space or popping in AirPods Pro 2 with Hearing Protection.”

With the AirPods Pro 2 or 3, Apple also offers a Hearing Test that can give you a baseline for your hearing health and help you adjust accordingly. Or you can even use your AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid. 

How to set up Noise notifications

Simply go to the Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Noise, tap Noise Threshold and then pick a decibel level. Different limits are listed based on World Health Organization recommendations. 

3. Ovulation estimates 

“The technology is pretty remarkable,” Cheung said. “We created new temperature-sensing capabilities on Apple Watch that help you understand nightly changes from your baseline temperature, which can be caused by exercise, jet lag or even illness. The unique two-sensor design improves accuracy by reducing bias from the outside environment, detecting changes as small as 0.1 degrees Celsius.”

With the Apple Watch Series 8 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models, this technology allows the Cycle Tracking app to estimate when ovulation occurs. “The reason we can do that is because after you ovulate, there is a biphasic shift, or in other words, an increase in temperature in response to changing hormones,” Cheung said. This can also help improve the Cycle Tracking app’s period predictions.

How to set up ovulation estimates

First, set up Cycle Tracking with fertility predictions enabled and no ongoing cycle factors logged. To do so, open your iPhone or iPad’s Health app, tap Browse on the iPhone or open the iPad’s sidebar, tap Cycle Tracking, tap Get Started and follow the on-screen instructions. 

You will also want to ensure you set up Track Sleep with your Apple Watch and have Sleep Focus enabled for at least 4 hours per night for five nights. To set up Sleep, follow the instructions in your Apple Watch’s Sleep app. 

4. Fall detection 

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Many Apple Watch users have reported the benefits of fall detection, said Cheung. “For those who have an active lifestyle, they can choose to enable it during workouts — the feature is able to recognize the unique motion and impact of falls from a bike and other workout types,” she said.

If your watch detects a hard fall, it will sound an alarm, display an alert and tap you on the wrist. With the alert, you can either dismiss it by tapping “I’m OK” or contact emergency services. The watch automatically calls if you’ve been immobile for around a minute. After, it will message your emergency contacts with your location. If you don’t have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, Fall Detection may reach emergency services via the Emergency SOS via satellite system (if available). 

Note that Apple Watch can’t detect all falls and may mistake a high-impact activity as a fall. 

How to set up fall detection 

To enable it, on your iPhone, open the Watch app, tap My Watch, tap Emergency SOS and turn Fall Detection on or off. If enabled, you can choose whether you want it to always be on or only during workouts. This works for Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4 or later and Apple Watch Ultra or later, and if you inputted your age when you set up your Apple Watch or in the Health app, the Fall Detection feature turns on automatically if you’re 55 or older.

5. Heart health notifications for atrial fibrillation

For those with Apple Watch Series 1 or later and people aged 13 and over, you can have your Apple Watch alert you if your heart rate is high or low, or if it has an irregular rhythm.

“For the most part, you don’t have to do anything besides turn them on,” Cheung said. “They work passively in the background as you live your day. If your heart rate is unusually high or low, you can get a notification, so you can take action. And if your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation — an irregular heart rhythm — you’ll receive a notification.”

Cheung said atrial fibrillation as the most common type of arrhythmia among adults, which can have serious side effects on your health if not treated. “For instance, it’s the leading cause of stroke,” she said. “And some people with AFib can have little to no symptoms, so they may not even realize they’re experiencing episodes and ultimately may not seek attention.”

If you get an irregular rhythm notification, you can speak with your doctor and even share a PDF that includes information about your heart health notifications and, if you take one, your electrocardiogram. Available on Apple Watch Series 4 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models, the ECG app allows you to take a test that records the timing and strength of the electrical signals that make your heartbeat.

How to set up heart health notifications

To set up heart rate notifications, go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Heart, tap High Heart Rate and choose Beats Per Minute, tap Low Heart Rate and choose a BPM. For irregular rhythm notifications, open your iPhone’s Health app, tap Browse, tap Heart, tap Irregular Rhythm Notifications and enable them. 

6. Time in daylight

Your Apple Watch’s ambient light sensor can automatically estimate your time in daylight. If you manage a family member’s Apple Watch, you can also see how much time they spend in daylight. 

“There are a few reasons it’s important to be aware of how much time in daylight you’re getting,” Cheung said. “For adults, research shows that spending around 20 minutes outdoors every day has both physical and mental health benefits, including providing essential vitamin D and even boosting your mood.”

Time in daylight is crucial for kids’ vision health. “The International Myopia Institute recommends children spend 80-120 minutes outside each day to help lower their risk of myopia, or nearsightedness,” she said. 

How to set up time in daylight

Start by making sure that Motion Calibration & Distance is turned on. You can do so in the iPhone’s Settings app. Tap Privacy & Security, tap Location Services, turn on Location Services, tap System Services and ensure that Motion Calibration & Distance is on. 

To view your time in daylight, go to your iPhone’s Health app, tap Browse, tap Other Data and then tap Time in Daylight. 

7. State of mind to log your mood

You can log your emotions and daily moods in the Mindfulness app on your Apple Watch, which can help you identify your feelings and notice patterns in your mental health. From the app, you can also take time for a Reflect or Breathe session, which can tell you more about your heart rate once complete. 

“Emotional awareness and regulation is an important element of mental health and we’re happy to be introducing tools and resources for our users across the world,” Cheung said. “One of the tools we introduced is State of Mind, which can help tremendously in a few ways. First, the act of using it can create benefits for your mental well-being in and of itself. Second, it can help you identify important insights and trends on what might be contributing to your state of mind so you can take action. And third, it can encourage you to check in with yourself using depression or anxiety assessments in the Health app.”

Cheung added that taking the time to identify our feelings can help us control how we respond to our moods and emotions. This can positively affect our health and, over time, allow us to build resilience. 

How to set up State of Mind

In your Apple Watch’s Mindfulness app, tap State of Mind and then tap Get Started if it’s your first time using it. From here, you can log how you feel in the moment or how you’ve felt overall that day. To see your history and patterns over time, open your iPhone’s Health app, tap Browse, tap Mental Wellbeing, tap State of Mind and tap Show in Charts. From there, you can also view how your State of Mind relates to your sleep, exercise, time spent in daylight and mindful minutes.

8. Sleep apnea notifications 

“Sleep apnea is a prevalent disorder where breathing momentarily stops during sleep, preventing the body from getting enough oxygen,” Cheung said. “It’s estimated that sleep apnea impacts more than 1 billion people worldwide and, in most cases, goes undiagnosed. If left untreated, it can have important health consequences over time, including increased risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cardiac issues.”

If your Apple Watch detects elevated breathing disturbances while you sleep for over 30 days, you will receive a sleep apnea notification. From there, you can create a PDF that shows when sleep apnea may have occurred, along with three months of breathing disturbance data and more, which you can then share with your doctor to discuss the next steps. 

This feature is available on the Apple Watch Series 9 or later or Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later. Just make sure you have the latest version of WatchOS and iOS. Note that this feature is intended for people aged 18 or older who have not already been diagnosed with sleep apnea. 

How to set up sleep apnea notifications

Make sure Sleep is set up. On your iPhone, open the Health app, tap Get Started under Set Up Sleep, tap Next and follow the on-screen steps. Then, wear your Apple Watch to bed for at least 10 nights over 30 days. 

To turn on sleep apnea notifications, open the Health app on your iPhone, tap Browse, tap Respiratory, tap Set Up under Sleep Apnea Notifications, tap Next and then follow the on-screen instructions. Under Respiratory, you can also view your sleep apnea notifications and breathing disturbances.

9. Handwashing 

With Handwashing, the Apple Watch Series 4 and later can detect when you begin washing your hands and time you until you reach the recommended 20-second duration. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends this as the minimum amount of time. If you stop washing your hands before 20 seconds, your watch will encourage you to keep going. It can even remind you to wash your hands whenever you return home. 

“We wanted to find a way to help our users of all ages track their time spent washing their hands, especially during a time when it was particularly important early in the pandemic, so we introduced the feature in 2020,” Cheung said. “The approach uses machine learning models to determine motion which appears to be handwashing, and then uses audio to confirm the sound of running water or squishing soap on your hands.”

How to set up handwashing

On your Apple Watch, open Settings, tap Handwashing and turn on the Handwashing Timer. You can do the same on a managed Apple Watch and set up handwashing reminders. 

I won’t pretend I’m above it — I watch Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts like everyone else, and it usually starts small. A notification pops up, I unlock my phone, and I tell myself I’ll just check one thing. The next moment, I’m deep into a stream of random videos, with no idea how I got there or how much time has quietly slipped away. I’ve genuinely tried to fix it — I set app timers and convinced myself I’d follow them. I even removed Shorts from my YouTube feed, thinking that would finally solve it. I tried apps that promise to limit usage and keep you in check. For a day or two, it felt like I had things under control. Then slowly, almost without noticing, I’d fall right back into the same loop. This habit creeps in during moments of boredom, and suddenly I’m scrolling again.

At some point, I had to admit it — doomscrolling was no longer something I occasionally did; it was something I kept returning to without even thinking about it. Then, almost by accident, I found an app that actually made a difference. It didn’t completely fix everything overnight, but it did something more important. It made me pause and be aware of what I was doing in that moment. And that small interruption was enough to help me pull back before I went too far. It just gave me a bit of control, which was exactly what I needed.

This tiny drawing habit is my new escape route

I’ve been using Dudel Draw on my iPhone for the past few days, and it’s been a surprisingly refreshing change from how I usually spend time on my phone. The idea is simple, but it works — every day, the app gives you a new abstract shape to start with. It could be a random blob, a few odd lines, or something that makes no sense at first glance. And then it’s up to you to turn that into literally anything.

The closest way to describe it is that it feels like a drawing version of Wordle. You show up, you get your daily prompt, and you just go with it. Some days I turn those shapes into objects, other days into characters, and sometimes it’s just chaotic lines that somehow make sense by the end. It usually takes me five minutes, maybe a little more if I get carried away, but that short burst feels oddly satisfying.

What I like most is how effortless it is. There’s no pressure to be good at drawing, no right or wrong outcome. You can either pick the “shape of the day” challenge or just play around with random shapes whenever you feel like it. It doesn’t feel like a task or something you need to be consistent with. It just quietly fits into your day.

For me, it’s become a small ritual, especially when I hit a creative block while writing. Instead of staring at a blank screen, I open the app and start doodling whatever comes to mind. Half the time, I’m just sketching nonsense and humming songs in the background, but it helps clear the noise in my head. Somewhere in that process, ideas start to come back. And almost without trying, it’s also helped me cut down on doomscrolling. I still reach for my phone out of habit, but now there’s an alternative that doesn’t leave me feeling drained. If anything, I come out of it feeling a little more creative, a little more present, and, surprisingly, a lot less stuck.

My daily scroll finally has an exit door

I’m not going to claim that I’ve completely quit Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts — that would be unrealistic. The habit is still there, and I still fall into it sometimes. But what’s changed is this — I now have something that gently interrupts that loop before it goes too far. Dudel Draw doesn’t demand discipline or punish me for slipping. It simply gives me an alternative that feels much lighter.

And that’s really the difference. I’m not replacing one rigid rule with another. I’m just choosing, more often than before, to spend those few idle minutes creating something. Because for the first time in a while, reaching for my phone doesn’t always end with me feeling like I lost time. 

Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, appeared Monday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia to face federal charges stemming from Saturday night’s armed assault on a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ordered Allen held pending a detention hearing Thursday. The suspect, who appeared on a criminal complaint rather than an indictment, was not asked to enter a plea. He faces three federal counts: attempting to assassinate the president, transportation of a firearm in interstate commerce, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Allen, 31, is a Caltech-trained mechanical engineer with a recent master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills who tutored part-time at a Torrance test-prep company and built indie video games on the side, according to a WIRED review of public databases, which revealed a minimal online presence.

The Metropolitan Police Department claims that the suspect approached a Secret Service checkpoint at the Hilton on Saturday night armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. Agents intercepted the suspect before he could reach the ballroom, where President Donald Trump was preparing to speak.

Witnesses reported hearing several shots outside the room, and agents quickly moved Trump and Vice President JD Vance off the stage. One agent was hit but was protected by his bulletproof vest. Trump later told reporters the agent was unharmed.

MPD interim chief Jeffery Carroll characterized the suspect as a “lone actor” and said he was taken to a hospital for evaluation following his arrest.

Roughly 10 minutes before the shooting, the suspect allegedly emailed his family a “manifesto,” according to the New York Post, which cited two US officials and a copy of the document. In it, the author states they are “no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes”—language the Post read as a reference to Trump.

The writer reportedly said he planned to use buckshot rather than slugs to “minimize casualties” but would “go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary,” reasoning that guests who chose to attend were “complicit.” The document also mocks the Hilton hotel’s security: “I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.”

Within hours of the attack, Trump and a chorus of administration officials, GOP lawmakers, and right-wing influencers seized on the shooting to demand construction proceed unimpeded on a $400-million, 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom Trump is building on the demolished East Wing—a project mired in litigation from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argues he sidestepped Congress.

“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump posted to Truth Social Sunday morning.

The White House Correspondents’ Association, which hosts the dinner, is not a White House organization—it is an independent nonprofit of journalists who cover the administration—and there’s no indication it would agree to hold the event, which is billed as a celebration of press freedom, inside the executive mansion.

Americans lost $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, an eightfold increase since 2020, according to a report released Monday by the Federal Trade Commission. 

Nearly 30% of Americans who reported being a victim of a scam last year said the scam originated on social media, with Facebook most frequently being identified as the social media platform where the scam originated, according to the report. Fellow Meta-owned platforms WhatsApp and Instagram were ranked a distant second and third, the FTC said.

“In 2025, people reported losing far more money to scams on Facebook alone than they reported losing to text or email scams,” the commission said.

Scams originating on Facebook cost users $794 million in 2025, while WhatsApp and Instagram combined for $659 million in losses.

Representatives for Meta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: Crypto Scams and Senior Fraud Drive $21 Billion in 2025 Cyber Theft, FBI Reports

The FTC said social media scams largely fall into three categories: investment, shopping and romance. The greatest amount of money — $1.1 billion — was lost to investment scams often rooted in ads or posts offering a program to teach investment techniques. 

Shopping scams were the most reported social media scam in 2025, with more than 40% of social media scam victims reporting they got ripped off by ordering something they saw in a social media ad — “everything from clothes and makeup to car parts and even puppies,” the agency said.

Romance scams are also popular on social media. Nearly 60% of people who were victimized by a romance scam in 2025 said it originated on a social media platform. “Scammers often tailored their pitch based on people’s profiles, later inventing a crisis requiring money or casually offering investment advice to draw them onto a fake investment platform,” the FTC said.  

All age groups, except those 80 or older, reported losing more money to scams that began on social media than to any other method of contact.

To avoid being a victim of social media scams, the FTC advises consumers to limit who can see their posts and contacts on social media. Also, never let someone you have met only on social media make your investment decisions. 

And before buying something you’ve seen advertised on social media, do research on the company at the FTC.

If you suspect you have been a victim of a scam attempt, report it to authorities, such as the FTC’s website.