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A capable everyday laptop doesn't have to cost the earth. I've found a great deal on the 2026 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i at Best Buy. It combines a 15.3-inch touchscreen with an Intel Core 7 350 processor, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 512GB SSD in a relatively light 3.5lb chassis.
• Best for: Remote workers and students wanting a portable Windows laptop for productivity, streaming, and general everyday use without requiring a dedicated graphics card.
• The deal: The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i (2026) is now $680 (was $1300) at Best Buy.
• Why it matters: You get a Core 7 350 processor, 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and a 512GB SSD in a 3.5lb chassis, along with a 15.3-inch 120Hz touchscreen and a good selection of ports. We've reviewed previous editions of the IdeaPad 3i and appreciated its attractive design, affordability, and performance for day-to-day tasks.
Ideapad Slim 3i 15.3" 2k Touchscreen Laptop: was $1299.99 now $679.99
This 15.3-inch touchscreen laptop features an Intel Core 7 350 processor, 16GB DDR5-5600 memory, a 512GB SSD, 120Hz IPS display, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C, HDMI, SD card reader, and Windows 11 Home.View Deal
The IdeaPad Slim 3i is powered by a Core 7 350 six-core processor that can reach 4.8GHz. It's accompanied by integrated Intel graphics and an NPU rated at up to 17 TOPS.
It comes with 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory, which can be expanded to 32GB, alongside a 512GB SSD. The 15.3-inch touchscreen has a 120Hz refresh rate and reaches 400 nits of brightness. Lenovo claims up to 18 hours of battery life.
Connectivity includes two USB-A 3.2 ports, USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, an SD card reader, and a headphone/microphone connection. There's also a 720p webcam with a privacy shutter, Dolby Audio, and a numeric keypad.
Price context & historical valueBest Buy has cut the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i from $1,299.99 to $679.99, knocking $620 off the listed price. I've seen it selling for this amount a couple of times in the past, but not any cheaper.
At first, I suspected the list price was inflated - perhaps partly due to the component crisis that's sending prices skyrocketing - but an 8GB IdeaPad Intel Core 3 is currently listed at $900 direct from Lenovo, and $1000 for the Intel Core 5 model.
That makes this Best Buy deal the better pick by miles, with double the memory and a faster processor.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i if...
You want a thin general-purpose Windows laptop with a large touchscreen, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and enough processing power for work, study, and everyday tasks.
❌ Skip the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i if...
You perform demanding workloads that need a dedicated GPU for graphics work, or you specifically want a laptop with a backlit keyboard.
User research plays a valuable role in the development process for products and services, helping identify points of friction earlier on when removing them costs significantly less than addressing an issue further down the line. Research suggests that companies investing in improved UX during a project’s concept phase end up cutting product development timelines by 33 to 50%.
However, user research is dependent on the assumption that participants are engaging with the process in good faith, with disingenuous participation potentially polluting data and ultimately having a negative effect on the final product.
Non-genuine participants are not a new challenge for our field. Several years ago, I ran two separate focus groups in close succession for two different clients where the same person turned up to both groups, recruited by different agencies under different names. What’s changed over the last few years is the sheer scale and sophistication of the problem.
AI and imposters in remote researchDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, online recruitment and data collection became essential for maintaining physical distance while doing user research. Remote methods have since stayed popular for a few reasons, like reducing travel and logistical costs, as well as allowing researchers to reach participants across a broader geographical spread.
Unfortunately, the same characteristics that make remote research appealing have also opened the door to a cottage industry of “professional participants” who take advantage of digital anonymity and low barriers for identity verification to use incentivized participation as a source of supplementary income.
This, combined with increasingly accessible AI tools, has created a fertile environment for fraudulent participation in user research. Data from the Market Research Society's Global Data Quality initiative found that 95% of surveyed qualitative researchers reported experiencing participant fraud during the last 12 months.
Non-genuine participants can distort the themes of a study, obscure real user needs, and end up leading teams towards conclusions that are out of step with their target market. A 2025 case study reported that the proportion of usable responses fell from approximately 75% to around 10% after fraudulent submissions entered the sample.
Keeping non-genuine participants out of research recruitment (without compromising accessibility and sensitivity)There’s real temptation in the current climate to treat any participant who won’t turn on their camera, or who constantly experiences audio issues, as a potential fraudster. Nevertheless, vigilance cannot come at the expense of sensitivity to individual needs and accessibility issues.
Users may well have a legitimate reason they prefer not to use video, communicate briefly, or have difficulty articulating their experiences. It’s why researchers need to take an approach geared towards identifying patterns of suspicious behavior rather than leaping upon one piece of evidence and writing off a participant as inauthentic.
Red flags can initially be raised during the application and screening process. An unexpected influx of applications from people who belong to minority groups that are normally difficult to reach can be a stroke of luck, but should also be examined more closely.
A study of imposters in online focus groups published in the International Journal of Social Research Methodology noted that receiving a majority of applications from male parents in a study which previously saw overwhelmingly female participation was an early warning sign.
Similar and unusual email addresses are another common early warning sign. Email addresses comprising common names and a string of numbers (like john.doe1172@gmail.com, for example) aren’t hard evidence of fraud, but are a useful data point when establishing a pattern of suspicious behavior.
One of the more common indicators of non-genuine participation is inconsistency between what a participant says during screening and the session itself. Some claim to use a product every day, for example, but then struggle to name basic features or describe a recent interaction with it. Open-ended questions about recent, personal experiences can help unpick these discrepancies. Participants may struggle to describe specific events, timelines, or terminology associated with the research subject.
Some questionable participants appear distracted or disengaged during interviews, providing one-word responses, failing to follow questions, or resisting attempts by the researcher to establish repartee. This is not evidence of fraud in isolation. Participants can be nervous, tired, uncomfortable or unfamiliar with qualitative research, but such behavior should raise suspicions when it occurs alongside other signifiers.
Screening, responding to suspected imposter participation, and what to do when non-genuine participants are suspected mid-studyResearchers should be aware of potential fraud throughout all the stages of the process, including when carrying out the research itself.
Data from a participant who has demonstrably misrepresented their eligibility should be excluded from analysis. Researchers should also review what happened with the wider team. Each incident can reveal weaknesses in the recruitment or screening process that may affect other participants in the study.
A solid framework for practical responses can be broken down into five steps:
- Pause and clarify the apparent discrepancy.
- End the session if eligibility cannot be established.
- Document and report the incident through the appropriate research or recruitment process.
- Exclude unreliable data from analysis.
- Review the process and strengthen screening where necessary.
User research is still and will remain a valuable tool for companies looking to refine and develop their products. Conducting this research remotely has expanded geographic reach, reduced logistical barriers, and made participation possible for people who might otherwise be excluded. It would be naive, however, to assume that the current trend in AI-powered non-genuine participation is going anywhere anytime soon.
AI is contributing to the problem, but it can also support efforts to address it. Pattern recognition can help researchers identify repeated participants and clusters of suspicious responses or other unusual recruitment behavior.
As companies ramp up user research to build and roll out new digital products and services, imposters are jeopardizing user research in increasingly meaningful ways. Finding effective countermeasures will therefore be essential to maintaining the validity and value of user research efforts.
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- Operation KillSwitch dismantled KillSec, seizing infrastructure, cryptocurrency, and 110TB data
- Investigation identified core members; several arrests made, including key operators
- KillSec claimed 1,000 attacks, targeting healthcare, finance, government, and SMBs
The infamous ransomware group KillSec is no more after Europol, together with multiple national law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity companies, seized the group’s infrastructure and data, made a few arrests, and even identified the group’s leader.
On September 30, law enforcement kicked off Operation KillSwitch. It was led by German authorities, with assistance from numerous other agencies: Europol, Eurojust, as well as authorities from Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Private cybersecurity companies such as Group-IB also participated with vital intelligence, having labeled KillSec one of the most active ransomware groups in 2025 in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Operation KillSwitchKillSec emerged as a serious threat actor some time in 2024, Europol said. Over the next two years, it made roughly 1,000 attacks worldwide, at least half of which were, most likely, successful. KillSec primarily targeted small-to-midsize organizations, often in professional services, technology, healthcare, or financial services.
They targeted mostly organizations with valuable or otherwise sensitive data, and potentially weakly secured internet and cloud infrastructure. Large enterprise and government organizations also appeared, but company size does not seem to have been the primary selection criterion.
Law enforcement started investigating the group in 2025, Europol said, and quickly determined that it comprised at least four people: the ringleader, the developer, the negotiator, and an affiliate. The ringleader’s identity was not publicly disclosed because the person is 16 years old. The main developer recently turned 18, but many of the crimes he did were done when he was a minor. There is also a possibility the group was even bigger - the investigation is still ongoing.
Group-IB analysts had identified at least 274 victim organizations, most of which (35%) were from the United States.
These are followed by India (17%), Brazil, the UK, Australia, and Colombia (3% each). It primarily targeted financial services and healthcare firms, but did not shy away from government organizations and large enterprises. Among its victims, Group-IB claims, is a “major insurer, investment firms, and a consumer app with millions of users.”
Multiple arrestsDuring the operation, three people seem to have been arrested. Europol’s wording is somewhat vague, but it seems the ringleader is not among them. The police confiscated 110 terabytes of data as well as “the group’s criminal proceeds” (cryptocurrency extorted from victim organizations, mostly). They seized five central servers as well as the infrastructure used to manage the group’s activities and store stolen data. Multiple domains used by KillSec were nabbed, as well, and now show the usual seizure notice.
The police carried out eight house searches across Europe, in Spain; Greece, Romania, and the United Kingdom.
Initially, KillSec focused on the Windows platform. However, in late 2024 it released its KillSec 2.0 affiliate platform which soon expanded into VMware ESXi virtualization hosts that were capable of shutting down virtual machines, delete snapshots, erase logs, and more. By January 2025, the group was openly recruiting “skilled pentesters”, requiring a forum reputation or a USD 1,000 deposit.
It demanded 20% of each ransom from its affiliates.
“KillSec's affiliates went after the organizations people depend on most: hospitals, government bodies, and financial institutions. Closing the gaps these groups exploit is essential, but it does not end an operation like this. Servers can be replaced in weeks; the people who build the platform and approve every attack cannot. Identifying them and supporting law enforcement in bringing them to justice is what turns a takedown from a pause into an end. We are proud to have contributed to Operation KillSwitch, and will continue to support Europol and our law enforcement partners in the fight against cybercrime,” said Dmitry Volkov, CEO of Group-IB.
- Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko says he typically finds his inspiration by looking at Remedy's "gorgeous" concept art
- He reveals that he has synesthesia, which allows him to "hear" music by looking at these pictures
- Alanko says there's a "transparency culture" at Remedy, which helps prepare the team for a new project
Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko has revealed that he has synesthesia, which allows him to find much of his inspiration by looking at Remedy's concept art.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Alanko, who also composed music for the first Control game and other Remedy titles, shared his process for creating the music fans hear in Remedy's sequel.
"You wouldn’t believe, but quite often everything starts a little like that old Simpson yelling at a cloud meme, but in my case it’s more staring at the clouds instead," Alanko joked, adding that it's really about thinking and trying to find an interesting approach.
The composer went on to talk about the "transparency culture" at Remedy, revealing that every time the studio births a new game concept, it "has a habit of telling the whole company about it" in the form of a well-rehearsed presentation, and Control Resonant's was no different.
"That, by the way, separates Remedy from many others; the amount of detail and level of depth is unparalleled," Alanko said. "Very unique. One would think they already have everything ready, albeit we’re only taking the first steps."
When discussing what helps his composer mind come up with ideas, he explained that he typically leans toward Remedy's concept art, because they "tell a story, and they usually are really, really beautiful."
Alanko shared that he has synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon that causes sensory crossovers, such as tasting colors or feeling sounds, and in his case enables him to hear sounds when looking at pictures.
"Those pictures have a 'sound' in my head, and following those intuitional sources often bring me a few melodies, harmonies… a feeling, actually," the composer explained. "To be able to hear music requires the background concept story as well as a presentation, and the pictures. I rely heavily on that. Plus, as a composer, I’ve always been an outsider and felt like I’m just watching everything from a distance, an observer, if you like.
"That feeling combined with the ability to 'hear' pictures - synesthesia, to be exact - are my go-to tools at the ground zero point."
Control Resonant is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.
- Windows 11 26H2 is reportedly improving RAM consumption
- Some users say that they are seeing memory usage of between 1GB to 3GB less after applying the update
- Others see no change, mind, and we have to be cautious around these reports – although Microsoft is working to optimize RAM use in Windows 11
There's some evidence emerging that Windows 11's 26H2 update improves performance for some people, although we need to treat that idea with some caution at this stage.
Wccftech flagged up a post on Reddit where a Window 11 user observed: "Before the [26H2] Update, the On Boot RAM utilization was around 6.9GB (nice!), and after the update it is around 4.8-5GB. I guess there is some RAM utilization improvement after all!"
A number of other Redditors chip in with similar tales, such as: "I looked at mine and it is indeed lower than it used to [be] by around 3GB. Nice."
Another user says: "I noticed this as well. RAM utilization went down by about a gigabyte on my machine. Pretty good stuff."
Wccftech also points to a post on X from SoyITPro whose baseline RAM usage went from 9.1GB to 7.5GB, and again there are several other users who chip in to note that theirs has dropped by 1GB (or slightly more) after installing 26H2.
Before we get carried away with any positivity, though, there are those who've installed version 26H2 and are posting to say that there's no difference with their RAM usage compared to what it was before the update.
Notably some of those who are observing bigger drops in memory usage have larger RAM pools, so that's something to bear in mind if you have a lean 8GB loadout and are hoping for the best here.
Analysis: caution first(Image credit: Getty Images)Of course, we need to be very careful about jumping to conclusions based a cluster of posts which are effectively anecdotal observations. And as noted, there's an equal amount of folks who are saying they don't see any difference with 26H2.
However, Microsoft let us know that it's working on making Windows 11 use less RAM at the start of August, so some of that effort may well have made its way into the OS – with installing the 26H2 update acting as a switch to flick that into action for more users. (As I discussed previously, while the 26H2 update doesn't do much, it will act as a trigger for the rollout of features that haven't yet reached some PCs).
There's a comment in the above Reddit thread from a user who notes that after installing 26H2 they find that "File Explorer responds immediately and it doesn't take its usual 5 seconds to respond" – and again, File Explorer is something that Microsoft has been honing. So, what's likely happened is that this work has been ushered through by the installation of the 26H2 update, which is why it's an upgrade worth having. Especially given that Microsoft has been doing a lot to Windows 11 this year as part of the major drive to fix the OS.
I'd still advise waiting a little while on installing version 26H2 of Windows 11, mind, just to see if any bugs are going to come crawling out of the woodwork. However, the upgrade seems clean enough thus far based on the initial lack of any major complaints around glitches.
Finally, as Windows Latest reports, it's worth noting that Microsoft is also busy shoring up memory issues with WinUI, which is the contemporary framework for the interface of Windows 11. This should help with overall performance not just for the desktop OS itself, but also apps which use WinUI.
- Stream Mayday free on Tubi in US (geo-restricted)
- Unblock Tubi now with NordVPN + save 75%
- S1-22 including S22 FlyDubai episode
You can watch Mayday: Air Disaster for free on Tubi in the US, with plenty of episodes ready for take-off without paying a cent.
Tubi has multiple seasons of the hit aviation disaster series, which is going viral after Flydubai passenger Yaniv Hayun, told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that the show helped him correct the aircraft's nosedive.
Crucially, Tubi US has season 22 and the FlyDubai Flight 981 episode, “Holding Pattern”. So if you’re ready to buckle up for another Mayday marathon, Tubi is the easiest ways to get your binge off the ground.
But can you watch Mayday on Tubi outside the US? Is it free in the UK and Australia too? And which seasons and episodes are actually available?
Here’s our full (and quick) guide to how to watch Mayday: Air Disaster on Tubi for free, wherever you are...
How to watch Mayday: Air Crash on Tubi and the Tubi appFree, ad-supported streaming service Tubi broadcasts Mayday: Air Crash – also known as Air Crash Investigation in some territories – including season 22.
To watch Tubi: visit the Tubi.tv website or download the Tubi app (iOS, Android).
Tubi is free – but you will need to register to watch Mayday episodes.
Register – sign up with your Gmail (we did and were streaming Tubi's free Mayday episodes within seconds).
OUTSIDE THE USA? ACCESS TUBI FROM ANYWHERE WITH NORDVPN
How to watch Mayday: Air Crash on Tubi from anywhereAlthough Tubi is available in 11 countries around the world, it's only broadcasting Mayday: Air Crash for free in the US.
Aviation fans traveling or working outside the US will need to use a VPN to access Tubi's free Mayday streams.
There are lots of VPN but NordVPNis the one you can rely on to unblock Tubi.... and you can save 75% below!
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Looking to access Tubi from outside the States? If you're traveling abroad, use NordVPN to access Tubi as if you were back home in the States. We test all the providers and we rate Nord as the best VPN. There's 24/7 support available, a money-back guarantee and, best of all, there's currently over 75% off with this deal.View Deal
It's really easy to use a VPN to watch Mayday: Air Crash on Tubi.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is the best choice.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting the UK and want to watch your free U.S. Tubi stream, you'd select 'New York'.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to the Tubi website, sign in, and watch Mayday TV show for free.
Can I watch Mayday: Air Crash in the UK? (Image credit: Mayday on tubi)Yes – but not for free on Tubi.
In the UK, you can watch the first 11 seasons of Mayday: Air Crash on Amazon Prime Video (rated 8.8/10).
But note that it does NOT include later seasons, including the viral FlyDubai episode (S22E01 "Holding Pattern").
Can I watch Mayday: Air Crash in Australia?Yes – there are 3 seasons of Mayday on Disney+ and 11 seasons on Amazon Prime Video in Australia.
Disney+ has 10 episodes of season 22, including “Holding Pattern”, the Flydubai Flight 981 episode.
Which devices can I watch Mayday free on Tubi with?You can use Tubi on all of the following devices and platforms:
Amazon Fire TV/Stick and Kindle Fire tablets (Tablets must be 2013 or later)
FireTV (newer than 7.1.1000)
Amazon Echo Show
Android mobile devices (smartphones/tablets)
Android TV (newer than 7.1.1000)
Apple TV 4th Generation
Chromecast
Comcast Xfinity X1
Cox Contour
Google Nest Hub
Hisense Smart TVs
iOS devices (iPhones/iPads)
LG Smart TVs
Nvidia Shield
Playstation 4 and 5
Roku platforms
Samsung Smart TVs
Sony Smart TVs & Blu-ray disc devices
TiVo
Vizio Smart TVs
Web - tubitv.com
Xbox One, Series S, Series X
Flydubai Flight 981 was a Boeing 737-800 flying from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on March 19, 2016. After aborting a second landing attempt in poor weather, the aircraft entered a rapid descent and crashed near the runway. All 62 people on board — 55 passengers and seven crew members — were killed. The accident and subsequent investigation are reconstructed in the Mayday episode “Holding Pattern.”
Is Mayday: Air Disaster the same show as Air Crash Investigation and Air Disasters?Broadly, yes. The documentary series is known by different titles in different countries and on different broadcasters. It is commonly called Mayday or Air Crash Investigation, while US viewers may encounter episodes under the title Air Disasters. Season and episode numbering can consequently differ between streaming platforms.
Where can I watch Mayday S22E01 Holding Pattern for free in the US?Tubi's current US catalogue contains Seasons 1–5, 7, 9, 11, 13–19 and 22, and its S22E01 "Holding Pattern" page describes the Flydubai 981 episode, which is going viral after the recent Flydubai attack that was foiled by Indian Captain Smit Machchhar and some plucky passengers.
- How to watch Tubi from anywhere – FREE movies, TV shows and live sports
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.