London’s W1 is somewhere to go if you’ve got too much money to spend on something. Within minutes of each other, you can visit the city’s priciest private doctor, buy a Steinway and a pair of designer glasses that cost more than my mortgage. Wigmore Street is also where the ultra rich go to buy a kitchen that Thorstein Veblen would weep at the sight of. It’s also the new home of Moley Robotics, a company selling luxury kitchens and the robot arm that’ll kinda/sorta do all of the cooking for you, too.

Moley is the brainchild of Dr. Mark Oleynik and is one part kitchen showroom and one part robot lab. It’s a spartan space with three demo kitchens, a wide dining table and some display units showing you the different types of artisan marble you can have for your countertop. The point of interest is the working X-AiR robot just behind the front window that acts as a lure for would-be consumers. It’s got its own cooktop, shelves, oils and utensils and, with the proper help, can even whip up a meal.

Moley

Oleynik explained he wanted to create something to help people eat better food with less reliance on preservatives. His dislike of reheated and processed food sent him looking for alternatives, which led him to finding a way to automate fresh cooking. If you’re coming back late from work, the obvious temptations are microwave meals or delivery food. He believes people would much rather healthy recipes where you just prep the raw ingredients and let the robot do the rest. The focus on health extends to the database of potential meals, many of which have been created by the SHA Wellness Clinic.

Moley has its own in-house chef, James Taylor, who adapts each recipe so it can be made by a one-armed robot. The company says it hopes to add two or three new recipes each month, and that if you have a family dish you’d love to see automated, you can send it in. Oleynik said the movements are mapped onto the robot after watching a human chef prepare the same meal. And that, once it had learned what to do, the robot would be far less error-prone than its human counterpart.

The initial demonstration of Moley’s vision (above) used a two-armed chef that ran on overhead tracks that earned the company so many plaudits initially. Unfortunately, Oleynik admitted the cost for such a robot would have likely reached north of £250,000 (Around $330,000). Which is probably too rich even for the sort of people who frequent Wigmore Street for their kitchen appliances. To reduce the price, the company stripped down the project from a mobile, two-armed version to a single arm. The robot that Moley is actually selling is bought off-the-shelf from Universal Robots, an industrial robotics company.

The robot

The one-armed version that’s currently up for pre-order is known as the X-AiR, which is what sits in the front of Moley’s showroom. If you want one for yourself, you’ll need to buy a new countertop, two custom shelving units, a cooktop, control tablet and the robot itself. The prices are in the “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” range but the price to get in the door is £80,000 (around $105,000). So far, Moley hasn’t installed a single robot, but expects the process to begin in the next three to six months. But there are people who have already laid down cash to get one of these in their homes, and the kitchen that goes around it.

X-AiR has no built-in vision or sensing technology enabling it to perceive or engage with its environment. The system does come with a camera, embedded in one of the shelves, that I understand is more for technical support than to aid cooking. Instead, the robot arm moves around its space from memory, knowing where all of the ingredients, oils and tools should be. The saucepans are held in place over the jobs on the cooktop to keep the environment as controlled as possible.

I was present to witness Moley’s now standard demonstration using an SHA Clinic recipe for Asian Tofu Saute. Staff members had pre-prepared the ingredients and placed them in the pots necessary for the robot to grab. In order to start the process, the user needs to tell the system which ingredients are in which sections. There’s even a little diagram of the shelf layout, so you can tap “Bean Sprouts” and tap that the pot with them is seated in position A1, for instance. Once you’ve done that, you can set the machine going and theoretically leave it be until it’s time to eat.

The system is set up to call out every instruction from the recipe so it’s easy to follow along with it. In the video, you should be able to see why it’s an interesting thing to watch as the arm starts its ballet to start cooking your food. It almost theatrically turns on the cooktop before pouring a liberal quantity of oil into the pan to begin warming. After that, it begins adding the ingredients as and when commanded to, and stirring the mixture in between. The stirring is more of a back and forth pushing of the mix, which is obviously less thorough than a human would be. After each stir, the robot scrapes its spatula on the side of the pan before returning it to its hook.

There are similar touches when the robot adds the next ingredient from its dedicated bin, double tapping the pot on the side to ensure everything falls out. I noticed, however, that there were a few ingredients still attached to the spatula and the pots when they were returned to the shelf. This is the big issue with a robot that lacks any sort of vision to perceive its local environment. During my demonstration, a few strips of leek clung to the spatula and fell off, onto the cooktop itself, while in motion. It was quickly wiped away, but I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if it’d landed a millimeter closer to the burner and pan and started burning.

What it can’t do

I’m much happier tending to a pan and actually cooking than I am peeling carrots and trying to dice onions. The obvious question, then, is why Moley sought to automate the ostensibly fun part of cooking rather than the bit people dislike? Oleynik said it might be possible in a far-flung future but there are just too many variables to make a carrot-peeling robot work. Not to mention, he added, the safety risks inherent in giving a robot a bladed instrument to wield.

Moley’s first-generation robots are also limited by the volume of food they can cook in a single session. Depending on the meal, they can make between eight and ten portions, enough for a dinner party but nothing more extravagant. Not to mention the robots can’t make much of any adjustment if you don’t have exactly the right ingredients ready for use. You can remove any you don’t have, naturally, but there’s no ability to improvise beyond that, or to variate its program to take into account seasonal differences in ingredient quality.

The food

When I was told the robot was making me tofu, I had to work hard to keep myself standing upright. If they could have seen my soul, they’d have watched my shoulders droop so hard they fell through the floor, through the basement, and into the subway line below. Friends, I cannot stand tofu and grimace my way through it whenever my vegan chums insist we go to a meat-free restaurant. Even when they insist I’m eating “really good” tofu, it just tastes like stringy matter, devoid of any inherent flavor as I try to mash it in my mouth. So bear that in mind when I say that the tofu the robot cooked me was actually delicious. It had a nice texture and tasted pretty delicious, meshing beautifully with the vegetables.

The future

Oleynik believes his robots will find a variety of niches to fill, first with money-rich, time-poor folks in London and beyond. The internet tells me that a private chef would set you back around £300 a day, so you’d burn through that £80,000 in less than a year. Naturally, it’s likely anyone who can drop £80,000 on a cooking robot can probably afford to buy their ingredients pre-prepared, so they could just dump them in the bins and set things going.

After that, Oleynik believes the technology could be used to prepare fresh meals for business and first-class airline passengers. Or in small kitchens where one employee supervises a production line of robots all making fresh dishes. His vision stretches to any situation where there may be a desire for fresh-cooked food, but the economics of a trained chef won’t allow it.

He cited the example of a hotel with 24/7 room service, where people are paid to wait around on the off-chance someone wants food. Or service stations in remote areas where there’s potential demand for meals but no need to hire a professional chef. Similarly, Oleynik cited care homes where there’s a similar conflict between a desire to produce good food but limited budgets.

Of course, it’s not clear, given there would need to be a human preparing the raw ingredients and dishing up, how much labor is being saved. And anyone who is involved with food would likely need to be trained and paid accordingly, which may eliminate any potential savings. But Oleynik is certain that a business can expect to see a return on its investment within its first year of service.

As for the price, Oleynik believes the technology will refine to the point that the cost will fall quite far. He gestured to one of the demo kitchens in the showroom, which had a Miele-branded oven and fridge, saying each model cost £5,000 (around $6,500) each. He hopes he’ll be able to sell a cooking robot for £10,000 to the sort of people who don’t blink when spending £5,000 on an oven and another £5,000 on a fridge. But, if nothing else, it’s entirely in keeping with everything else you can buy on Wigmore Street.

Star Trek: Section 31 will premiere as a direct-to-streaming movie on January 24th on Paramount Plus, which revealed the date during a Trek panel at the New York Comic Con. Fans will finally see Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Discovery character, Emperor Philippa Georgiou, put her Mirrorverse skills to use as a super secret space spy.

When we last saw Emperor Georgiou (an alternate dimension version of Captain Georgiou Discovery’s first season) she was flung back in time by a being called the Guardian of Forever. Before that, though, she had been recruited as a member of Section 31, the clandestine organization that the Trek franchise often uses to illustrate that even the glossy Federation has a shady side.

The film, originally announced as a TV series in 2019 before being reintroduced as a movie, will follow her time as a Section 31 operative who “must face the sins of her past.” In addition to Yeoh, Section 31 will also star Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Omari Hardwick, Robert Kazinsky, and Miku Martineau, who plays “a young Philippa Georgiou.” Paramount Plus subscribers can stream it anywhere the service is available on January 24th.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

With so many excellent streaming services out there, finding the perfect fit for you can be more difficult than anticipated. This only gets more complicated if you’re cutting the cord with cable, but still want to stream live TV. If your household lives for sports, then one of the best options available is Fubo (formerly Fubo TV). It features plenty of sports, along with related content to inhale in between games. It also has access to plenty of great new movies and TV shows. You’ll even be able to record them, thanks to the integrated cloud DVR feature.

There’s still plenty to learn about Fubo though, so we’ve put together this guide to teach you everything you need to know about it; including pricing, device compatibility, and what some of the channels are you’ll be able to enjoy. There’s also a decent handful of competitive platforms to choose from, including Hulu Plus Live TV and Sling TV. 

Fubo price and plans

Fubo channels

There may also be local channels available in your location, so check the website for the most up-to-date channels.

Fubo Elite with Sports Plus adds another 106 channels. Those channels include:

Africa News English, ACCN ESPN, Alien Nation, At Home Family Handyman, Bloomberg Originals, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET Her, Buzzr, Baywatch, Cheddar News, CNBC World, CL Sports, Court Sports Network, Circle Country, Classic TV, Cheaters, Chess TV, Crime and Punishment, Curiosity Now,Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, Documentary Plus, Euro News, ESPN U, ESPN News, ESports Television, Fight Network, Fuel TV, FXM, Family Feud, Game Plus Network, Great American Faith & Living, Great American Adventures,  Horse & Country, Hello Inspo, i24 News, InWonder, InTravel, Justice Central TV, Judge Nosy, Lego, MLB Network, MLB Strike Zone, MTV2, MTV U, MTV Live, MTV Classic, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Mysteria, NFL RedZone, NBA TV, NHL Network, Next Level Sports & Entertainment, NickToons, NickMusic, Nat Geo Wild, Nosey, Non-Stop 90s, Outside TV, Pickle TV, Poker GO, People are Awesome, Revry News, ROI, Racing America, Revry, Retro Crush, Rig TV, Stadium, SEC ESPN Network, Sports Grid, Strongman Champions League, Sony Movie Channel, Shout TV, Sensical Makers, Supermarket Sweep, Sensical Gaming, Sensical Jr, The Washington Post Television, TYT, Tennis Channel, TNA Wrestling, Teen Nick, True Crime Now, Weather Spy, Whoa That Was Wild, Western, The Jami Oliver Channel, Unbeaten, WPT, World’s Wildest Police Videos, & Zona Futbol

Other Fubo add-ons

The channels above are just the base plans. There are a number of other options as well.

You’ll find a few premium movie options, which include multiple channels. Those include:

• Paramount Plus with Showtime for $11 a month
• Starz for $11 a month
• Epix for $6 a month
• Pantaya for $6 a month
• MGM+ for $6 a month

Or you can get Showtime, Starz and MGM+ bundled together for $20 a month, saving you $8 a month.

There are a number of additional sports and news packages, too. Some of it is in addition to what you’d get with Fubo Pro or Fubo Elite, but there also is some overlap. Here’s how it all breaks down:

• Sports Plus with NFL RedZone ($11 a month): This gets you NFL RedZone, which flips through the games as teams are about to score. It also has NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, MLB Strike Zone, Stadium, Tennis Channel, Zone Futbol, ESPNU, PAC-12 Networks, ESPNews, VSIN, Game Plus, Fight Network, and TVG2.
• International Sports Plus ($7): A great option for international sports fans, it features Fubo Latino Network, Fox Deportes, Zone Futbol, ESPN HD Deportes, GolTV English, GolTV Spanish, TyC Sports, Fox Soccer Plus, Tico Sports, NXTLVL Sports, and Real Madrid TV.
• News Plus ($3): i24 News, NewsNet, BBC World News, Law & Crime, Africa News, Ticker News, Bloomberg TV+, Cheddar News, CNBC World, and Euro News.
• NBA League Pass ($17): Watch up to 40 out-of-market games each week.
• Sports Lite ($10): Additional sports channels, including NBA TV, MLB Network, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNU, and ESPNews.
• Latino Plus ($20): This gets you the best of Spanish-language live sports, including Fox Deportes, Zone Futbol, ESPN HD Deportes, GolTV Spanish, TyC Sports, Sony Cine, El Gourmet, Nat Geo Mundo, Nuestra Tele, Telefe, Familia Discovery, Discovery en Espanol, tr3s, Baby TV, WAPA America, Cine Latino, Television Dominicana, CATV, and Passions.
• TV5Monde ($10): All things French, including live Ligue 1 football, Rugby Top 14, films, news, and more. Includes on-demand content.
• Portuguese Plus ($15): Portuguese-language news and sports, including GolTV Spanish.
• Portuguese ($15):Portuguese-language coverage of sports, news, and entertainment. Also includes GolTV Spanish.
• Fox Nation ($8): Everything to do with Fox News, this includes a library of 180-plus shows and thousands of original shows, series, and exclusives.
• RAI Italia ($9): Italian cover of Coppa Italia.
• Entretenimiento Plus ($10): Music and movies from Spain, Mexico, and other countries.
• MLB.TV ($30): Catch every out-of-market MLB game, live or on demand.
• Fubo Extra ($8): Access additional channels like MLB Network, NHL TV & more.
• Entretenimiento Plus ($10): Movies, music and more from Spain, Mexico, and other spanish speaking countries.
• Fubo Select ($7): Enjoy big shows, movies and documentaries from the worlds of science, history, culture and beyond.

Fubo and 4K

Fubo, at one point, was the only live TV streaming service in the U.S. to offer up anything in 4K. (Yes, upscaled 4K, not native.) That was and remains limited to live sports, and it’s still better than nothing. But events remain fairly few and far between, with maybe a game or race a day. (Here’s the full Fubo 4K schedule.)

And Fubo isn’t the only 4K game in town anymore — YouTube TV also offers up pretty much the same events from the likes of NBC Sports and Fox. One major change from 2022, however, is that Fubo no longer throws in 4K content for free anymore on the Pro plan. Like with YouTube TV, you’ll have to pay up if you want any sort of show in 4K resolution. That means you’ll have to eschew the $80-a-month Pro plan and skip straight to the $100-a-month Elite with Sports Plus package, or the $110-a-month Deluxe plan.

And the usual caveats still apply. You’ll need to have a TV with a 4K panel, and any other device you’re using to actually stream Fubo TV will need to support 4K resolution.

Fubo devices

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is the most premium model in Google’s latest smartphone lineup. There’s also the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but foldable devices have their own category. Pixel 9 series buyers have already been able to enjoy all the new features and improvements for a few weeks. However, a Pixel 9 Pro XL owner had a difficult time due to a problem with the device’s rear camera bar.

There could be a problem with the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s camera bar

A Google Pixel 9 Pro XL user reported on Reddit that the phone’s rear camera bar just came off, for no apparent reason. According to the post, the device had not suffered any rough use or drops that could cause the problem. The user first noticed the issue when the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s camera glass became fogged up internally. After removing the protective case, the user noticed that there was a gap between the camera bar and the body of the phone. Then, a light tug was enough for the piece to fall.

Currently, there’s only one report about the problem, so it could be a case of defective unit. It is normal for there to be a small percentage of defective units in production batches of new tech products. However, it is still a frustrating situation for those who have to deal with it.

Google revamped the design of the camera module on the Pixel 9 series

Since the Pixel 6 series, Google has used a bar-shaped camera module design. The edges of the bar meet the sides of the device in a curve. However, this year, the company decided to change the design slightly. The Pixel 9 series retains the module placement and horizontal distribution of sensors, but the bar adopts an elongated pill shape. The new design implies that the edges of the module are no longer “fused” to the sides of the phone.

The new design could be the source of the problem, although there’s no confirmation on that yet. Now that the camera module doesn’t blend with the sides of the phone, Google needs to make sure it’s well integrated with the rear area in other ways. Remember, the Pixel 9 series boasts an IP68 rating, so the build must be solid.

Fortunately, the affected user was able to obtain a replacement unit through their warranty. However, their post expresses concern about the possibility of facing the problem again. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

2K and developer 31st Union just unveiled Project: Ethos, a free-to-play 3rd-person hero shooter. It’s entering a crowded and fraught marketplace, but the publisher says this is an “exciting evolution” of the genre.

That evolution seems to take the form of some light roguelike mechanics. The playable characters evolve throughout each match, via semi-randomized upgrades unique to each hero. The publisher gives an example of evolving a sniper into a “close-range skirmisher” or a “support role into a powerful lone wolf.”

The “abilities, stakes and challenges” change from match to match and players can eventually unlock powerful Augments to further enhance runs. It remains to be seen if these mechanics can set it apart from the pack, but you can find that out for yourself. There’s a community playtest .

Players can test out the game’s signature Trials mode, which is an “ongoing, persistent fight” or check out the Gauntlet. This is your standard head-to-head tournament mode, with teams and brackets.

This community playtest goes until October 20 in the US, Canada, Mexico and much of Europe. There is a fairly annoying hurdle to jump through to access the early build. You have to complete a Twitch Drop and stream 30 minutes of content from . There’s no information yet regarding an actual release date for people who don’t want to sit through a 30-minute stream.