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recommendations

TikTok is tagging videos from Gaza with product recommendations

by admin September 22, 2025

TikTok has been tagging videos from war-ravaged Gaza with product recommendations, as reported by The Verge. The publication detailed a scenario in which footage of a Palestinian woman walking amidst rubble presented TikTok shop recommendations that matched what she wore in the video.

The algorithm suggested products with names like “Dubai Middle East Turkish Elegant Lace-Up Dress” and “Women’s Solid Color Knot Front Long Sleeve Dress.” The original footage showed the woman searching for lost family members.

This is thanks to a new addition to the TikTok app that uses AI to identify objects in posts. When a user pauses a video, the shop will automatically recommend products that resemble those objects. Today’s reporting indicates that the company didn’t give much forethought as to which types of videos this technology should be applied to.

The new tool isn’t available to everyone just yet, as it’s rolling out on a limited basis. To check if your app has been updated, simply pause a video and look for the “Find Similar” pop-up. We reached out to TikTok to ask about how this technology is being used and will update this post when we hear back.

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September 22, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

CDC Panel Votes to Nix Current Covid Vaccine Recommendations

by admin September 20, 2025

On Friday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to drop its recommendation that U.S. adults should generally receive the covid-19 vaccine, instead endorsing an individualized approach.

In a unanimous decision, the ACIP members agreed that adults 65 and older should decide on their own or with their doctor whether to get vaccinated for covid-19. The ACIP also recommended that people between the ages of 6 months and 64 years make an individual decision about covid-19 vaccination (yes, you read that correctly), while being informed that the benefits of vaccination are most apparent in those at higher risk of severe illness.

A screencap of ACIP blurbage articulating the new recommendations. © ACIP

The ACIP narrowly avoided recommending that Americans should require a prescription to get the covid-19 shot, however, though only barely.

A chaotic ACIP meeting

The votes capped off a chaotic and disorganized discussion held Friday over the safety and effectiveness of the covid-19 mRNA vaccines.

Retsef Levi, a longtime skeptic of the covid-19 vaccines and a professor of operations management at MIT Sloan School of Management, led the ACIP discussion, as well as the working group on covid-19 vaccines. Levi is one of several ACIP members handpicked by Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. who has a long history of misrepresenting vaccine research.

CDC staff presented reams of evidence that covid-19 vaccines, even today, still reliably prevent serious outcomes like hospitalization and death, including in very young children. Many outside experts also testified in support of maintaining widespread access to these vaccines for every American who wants them. But ACIP members often questioned the findings or made their own poorly evidenced attempts to attack the safety of the vaccines.

At one point, for instance, ACIP members argued in support of a paper claiming to show extensive DNA contamination of the vaccines—a study that outside experts have criticized for glaring flaws and that is now being reviewed over potential concerns by its publisher. At another point, members argued that the covid-19 vaccines could possibly raise the risk of cancer, a claim widely refuted by most experts (mRNA vaccine technology is actively being studied as a way to prevent and treat certain cancers).

What this vote means for covid vaccine access

The language of the ACIP votes today was not disclosed until the very last minute, and it’s not entirely clear how they will impact vaccine access.

Late last month, the Food and Drug Administration limited its explicit approval of the updated covid-19 boosters to people over 65 or those with a higher risk of severe illness. The ACIP’s recommendation to move to an individualized approach, assuming it’s adopted by the CDC, may further delay or prevent people from obtaining a covid-19 booster if they so choose.

That said, several states like New York have already taken steps to ensure continued vaccine access and public coverage of the vaccine to all their residents. This week, the country’s largest health insurance association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, also announced that its members will rely on the previous ACIP recommendations to determine their coverage of the covid-19 vaccine for the time being. It additionally stated that patients covered by these plans would not experience cost-sharing through the end of 2026.

In a 6 to 6 vote, the ACIP declined to endorse a recommendation calling for people to require a prescription for the covid-19 vaccines—ACIP chairman Martin Kulldorff issued the tiebreaker, voting “no.”

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September 20, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Is Borderlands 4 the new Crysis? Official GPU setting recommendations peg 4K performance with the RTX 5090 at 60 FPS, with DLSS and frame generation enabled

by admin September 16, 2025

Video game publisher 2K Games has released an extensive list of recommended graphics settings for Borderlands 4 across Nvidia and AMD GPUs at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. These presets are said to offer players a reliable baseline, something that many found missing right after the game’s launch last week.

The official requirements for Borderlands 4 highlight just how demanding the game is across GPU generations, and the results aren’t flattering by any means. If we look at Nvidia, the minimum requirements list the RTX 2070, which can barely scrape by at 1080p, managing just 30 FPS with DLSS upscaling, along with low settings for textures, shadows, and foliage. A smoother 60 FPS gaming experience at 1080p requires an RTX 3060 Ti. If you want to play the game smoothly at 1440p with 60 FPS, the RTX 3080 12GB is the minimum requirement, but not without DLSS and demanding texture features set to medium.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyRecommended graphics settings for Borderlands 4 at 1080pRow 0 – Cell 0

RTX 2070 (30 FPS)

RTX 2080 Ti (30 FPS)

RTX 3050 8GB (30 FPS)

RTX 3060 Ti (60 FPS)

RTX 3070 Ti (60 FPS)

RTX 3080 12GB (60 FPS)

RTX 3090 Ti (60 FPS)

RTX 4060 Ti (60 FPS)

RTX 4070 Ti Super (60 FPS)

RTX 4080 Super (60 FPS)

RTX 4090 (60 FPS)

RTX 5050 (60 FPS)

RTX 5060 (60 FPS)

RTX 5060 Ti (60 FPS)

RTX 5070 (60 FPS)

RTX 5070 Ti (60 FPS)

RTX 5080 (60 FPS)

RTX 5090 (60 FPS)

Display mode

Full-screen

V-Sync

Off

Anti-aliasing

Disabled

Upscaling method

DLSS

Upscaling quality

Quality

DLSS FG

–

DLSS MFG

–

Nvidia Reflex

HLOD loading range

Near

Medium

Near

Far

Medium

Far

Geometry quality

Low

Medium

Low

High

Medium

High

Texture quality

Low

Medium

Low

High

Very high

High

Very high

Medium

High

Very high

Textures streaming speed

Medium

High

Medium

Very high

High

Very high

Anisotropic filtering quality

Off

x16

Foliage density

Off

Very low

Off

Low

Medium

Very high

Low

Very high

Very low

Low

Medium

Very high

Volumetric fog

Low

Medium

Very high

Low

Very high

Low

Medium

Very high

Volumetric cloud

Low

Medium

Very high

Low

Very high

Low

Medium

Very high

Shadow quality

Low

Medium

Very high

Low

Very high

Low

Medium

Very high

Directional shadow quality

Low

Medium

High

Very high

Low

Very high

Low

Medium

High

Very high

Volumetric cloud shadows

Disabled

Enabled

Disabled

Enabled

Disabled

Enabled

Lighting quality

Low

Medium

High

Medium

High

Very high

Low

Medium

High

Very high

Reflections quality

Low

High

Very high

Low

Very high

Low

High

Very high

Shading quality

Low

Medium

Low

Medium

High

Medium

High

Medium

High

Post-process quality

Low

Medium

High

Very high

Medium

Very high

Low

Medium

High

Very high

More settings have been listed by 2K Games for Nvidia GPUs and AMD GPUs.

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On paper, the RTX 5090 stands out as the most powerful gaming graphics card available, and Borderlands 4 puts that muscle to good use. According to 2K’s recommendations, it’s the only GPU positioned to run Borderlands 4 at 4K (with DLSS and frame generation enabled) while pushing nearly every visual setting to the max. Notably, these recommendations only target a minimum of 60 FPS, which feels less than impressive for a flagship-grade GPU that costs upwards of $3,000.

On the other hand, the Radeon RX 5700 XT from AMD serves as an entry point for 1080p, although this can only be achieved using FSR and reduced settings for shadows and lighting to maintain frame rates at 60 FPS and above. As for mid-range GPUs like the RX 6700 XT and RX 7700 XT, they should be good enough at 1440p while maintaining much of the game’s visual quality. At the higher end, the RX 6950 XT and RX 7900 XTX push into 4K territory, but still rely on FSR in Balanced or Performance mode to deliver consistent performance.

AMD’s latest Radeon 9000 series is also part of the recommended list, with the latest RDNA 4 GPUs offering the best experience for Borderlands 4. The lineup benefits from FSR 4 and improved frame generation support, thus making the Radeon RX 9060 and 9060 XT suitable for 1440p, while the RX 9070 and 9070 XT are recommended to run the game at 4K / 60.

The release of these preset settings comes in the wake of Borderlands 4 drawing criticism for severe performance issues. Players have reportedly been running into all sorts of issues, ranging from low frame rates, stuttering, and crashes, even on top-tier graphics cards like the RTX 5090. While a 2.7GB day-one patch improved stability and fixed some crashes and errors, reports of inconsistent performance continue to surface. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford acknowledged the situation, noting that players with systems below spec or without SSDs would likely struggle.

The recommended settings also highlight just how demanding the game truly is. Even with Nvidia’s latest RTX 50-series and AMD’s Radeon 9000-series GPUs, players are expected to lean on upscaling and frame generation to achieve smooth performance at higher resolutions. That in itself speaks volumes about the game’s hardware demands, underlying optimization issues, or likely both.

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September 16, 2025 0 comments