All posts tagged: alternative

Voting rights ruling leaves limited alternative protections : NPR

Voting rights ruling leaves limited alternative protections : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A demonstrator holds a sign saying “PROTECT OUR VOTE!” at a May 16 rally in Montgomery, Ala., responding to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakens Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination in redistricting. Mike Stewart/AP hide caption toggle caption Mike Stewart/AP Minority voters are left with limited alternatives for combatting racial discrimination in redistricting, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest undermining of the federal Voting Rights Act. Remaining options for protecting the collective power of racial-minority voters include state-level voting rights acts and map-drawing strategies, likely in Democratic-controlled states, yet they cannot fully replace the nationwide provisions under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act that many legal experts say are now practically impossible to enforce. This week, the high court decided to allow Alabama to use a congressional map that a lower court found intentionally discriminates against Black voters. That ruling has also heightened concerns about the future of racial-minority representation in government — particularly in Southern states where voting is polarized between a white, Republican-leaning majority and a Black, Democratic-leaning …

New trendy protein supplement is low-calorie alternative to traditional whey powder

New trendy protein supplement is low-calorie alternative to traditional whey powder

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Whey protein, a powdered supplement that can lead to muscle recovery and growth, is all the rage in the world of wellness right now. However, many of these protein-packed, creamy drinks actually come with a chalky texture, making them difficult to enjoy. Now, a different supplement has stepped in as a popular lactose-free alternative: clear protein, a powder that dissolves in any glass of still or sparkling water. It can offer a fruity and juicy taste, which is why Americans have used it to keep their daily protein intake on track. Here’s exactly what clear protein is and how it differs from whey protein. What is clear protein? Just like whey protein, clear protein is sold as a powder. However, it can easily be …

Apple’s New Ad Pitches Safari as a More Private Alternative to Chrome

Apple’s New Ad Pitches Safari as a More Private Alternative to Chrome

Published by skeptic

Apple has published a new ad to appeal to customers who prioritize privacy when browsing, suggesting that Safari is the one you should use if you want to “Keep data trackers off your back.” In a new Privacy on iPhone segment titled “Safari helps block data trackers,” the ad shows users of rival phones in everyday situations having to live with data trackers as they browse. The trackers are depicted as people in chrome-colored suits (get it?) who generally follow them around wherever they go to look at their screen – and in some cases literally sit on their shoulders to get a better view. Apple on its website calls privacy a “fundamental human right,” and highlights several features that Chrome doesn’t come with out of the box. Safari blocks third-party cookies by default, uses machine learning to combat tracking, removes tracking parameters from URLs in Private Browsing, hides your IP address from known trackers, prevents web extensions from accessing your browsing activity by default, and blocks known trackers in Private Browsing. Popular Stories Apple …

An almost wild camping trip: alternative family fun in the Peak District | Peak District holidays

An almost wild camping trip: alternative family fun in the Peak District | Peak District holidays

Published by Sam Flores

The children were asleep in the little tent behind us, wrapped in two sleeping bags, each with an extra helping of wool blankets. Earlier, all I could see were their little faces half-lit by torchlight as I read them a book about rivers to the sound of rain on canvas. They fell asleep as fast and thick as the fog pooling in the valley below. My partner and I sat outside, huddled together under a waterproof coat, cheek to cheek, perched on our daughters’ foam swim vests because the ground was saturated. We were laughing. As parents, absurdity and beauty make for familiar bedfellows. Just a few days earlier, it had seemed impossible we would go anywhere; every affordable campsite, yurt and cottage was booked up for the early May bank holiday. Then I remembered how last year, tagging along with the Right to Roam crew, I ended up sleeping on the floor of the Beeches, a former Quaker residential community house in the village of Bamford, on the edge of Derbyshire’s upper Derwent valley. …

This Obsession Alternative Ending Would Have Totally Changed The Film

This Obsession Alternative Ending Would Have Totally Changed The Film

Published by Sam Flores

This article contains spoilers for Obsession. As word of mouth continues to spread, Obsession remains one of the most talked-about films of the year right now. The latest big-screen offering from former YouTuber Curry Barker centres around close friends Bear and Nikki, whose worlds are turned upside down when the former makes a wish for the latter to love him “more than anyone in the fucking world” – only for it to come true, with disastrous and tragic circumstances. By the end of the film, almost all of the main characters are dead, aside from Nikki, whose realisation about what has transpired comes only after Bear has taken his own life and the wish’s hold is released. However, it turns out this wasn’t the original ending that Curry had in mind. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly around the film’s release, the filmmaker revealed it had originally been his intention for Nikki to kill herself too, drawing comparisons between a Shakespearean tragedy. “I was really obsessed with this Romeo and Juliet ending, actually,” he claimed, revealing that …

Euro-Office, Europe’s open-source alternative to Microsoft Office and Google Docs, launches June 9

Euro-Office, Europe’s open-source alternative to Microsoft Office and Google Docs, launches June 9

Published by skeptic

The Euro-Office text editor in action. NextCloud Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Euro-Office provides a Europe-based alternative to Microsoft Office and Google Docs. Digital sovereignty is powering the demand for the open-source Euro-Office. The interface and document formats will be familiar to any Microsoft 365 user. Countries outside of the US are sick and tired of paying for what they see as untrustworthy American-dominated software-as-a-service (SaaS). As a result, many countries and companies — especially in Europe — are investing in digital sovereignty initiatives. The latest SaaS to address this need is Euro-Office. Also: France is ditching Windows for digital sovereignty – and its new Linux stack is taking shape Euro-Office’s 1.0 release, available June 9 for anyone to download from the project’s public GitHub repositories, will come with ready‑to‑use web editors for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that support real‑time collaboration.  The suite is designed to help public authorities, education systems, and regulated industries move away from US‑based productivity clouds while retaining a familiar, Microsoft Office-style workflow …

Kobo is the Kindle alternative that most people never consider

Kobo is the Kindle alternative that most people never consider

Published by skeptic

I have two Kobo e-readers on my nightstand right now, a Clara Colour and a Libra Colour, and I use them both more than I ever used my Kindle. I didn’t set out to switch ecosystems (though the less of my money goes to Amazon, the better), but Kobo does several things that matter to me as a reader that Amazon simply doesn’t. If you’ve been assuming Kindle is the default and Kobo is a niche alternative, that assumption is worth revisiting. The hardware: what Kindle doesn’t offer Two models, but one clear value The Kobo Libra Colour ($219.99) has a 7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 color display, 32GB of storage, IPX8 waterproofing, Bluetooth for audiobooks, physical page-turn buttons, and optional stylus support via the Kobo Stylus 2. The Kobo Clara Colour ($149.99) runs the same screen technology in a smaller 6-inch body with 16GB of storage and no buttons. The closest Kindle equivalents are the Kindle Paperwhite (2024), which starts at $159.99 with lockscreen ads and $179.99 without. The Kindle Colorsoft 16GB is $249.99 …

This AI-free Google alternative is surging in popularity – how to try it for yourself

This AI-free Google alternative is surging in popularity – how to try it for yourself

Published by skeptic

Lance Whitney/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google ZDNET’s key takeaways DuckDuckGo has seen a surge in users and installs. You can easily use DuckDuckGo without any AI. This makes it a good alternative to Google’s AI Overviews. Do you use Google for your searches but don’t want all the AI slop? There is an alternative that’s growing in popularity, and its name is DuckDuckGo. Like many companies, Google has been adding more AI to its products and services — and that includes its dominant search engine. Run a Google search, and instead of getting the traditional results, you’re likely to be hit with an AI overview that may or may not answer your question and may or may not be accurate. Also: I found an easy way to automatically keep AI out of my search results – and it works in nearly every browser At its recent 2026 I/O conference, Google unveiled a slew of AI upgrades to search. Among them are a new AI search box, agents that can …

Brussels watchdog moves to ban Alternative for Germany’s EU party – POLITICO

Brussels watchdog moves to ban Alternative for Germany’s EU party – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The ESN political group doesn’t face sanctions, and the only effect that AfD MEPs would feel would be the lack of a political party to provide support in future EU elections or to coordinate policy with like-minded factions. The ESN party and ESN group were founded by Alternative for Germany in the wake of the 2024 EU election, and include Bulgaria’s Revival, France’s Reconquest (led by Éric Zemmour), Poland’s Confederation, Czechia’s SPD, Hungary’s Our Homeland Movement, the Netherlands’ Forum for Democracy, and Slovakia’s Republic Movement. In 2026 it is slated to receive over €2 million in subsidies from the European Parliament. The watchdog — the Authority for European Political Parties and Foundations — said it had found evidence that “cast doubt on the compliance” of the ESN party with EU values, the director of the authority, Pascal Schonard, wrote in a letter. The missive was addressed to the Council of the EU — comprising representatives of national governments — and was seen by POLITICO on Wednesday. The watchdog’s process was launched on Friday. The watchdog monitors whether …

This HP laptop is a great MacBook alternative – and it’s 50% off for Memorial Day

This HP laptop is a great MacBook alternative – and it’s 50% off for Memorial Day

Published by skeptic

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET Memorial Day is tomorrow. There are great deals everywhere you look, and if you’re in the market for a new laptop, you’re in luck because I found one of the best. The HP OmniBook 5 is currently on sale at the brand’s official storefront for $530. That’s 40% off its original price.  Also: My favorite Memorial Day deals: Save big on laptops, tablets, and more This deal is for a specific configuration of the OmniBook 5. It houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. HP has multiple other discounted builds on its website. Another OmniBook 5 configuration that I recommend includes an Intel Core i5-1334U, 8GB of RAM, and a 512TB SSD for $460. While it costs a bit more, the second model’s more powerful hardware is perfect for users who plan on multitasking heavily. When I reviewed the OmniBook 5 last year, I called it one of the most compelling lightweight laptops of 2025, and that remains true even in 2026. It’s a great alternative to …