Twitter isn't limiting crypto fans to tipping with Bitcoin. The social network has expanded its tipping options to let creators add their Ethereum address. If you're sitting on a stash of that other major cryptocurrency, it should be easier to show your support.

The expansion also adds support for a trio of payment services, including Barter, Paga and Paytm. You can send tips by visiting the Tips icon in someone's Twitter profile. If you want to receive tips and are at least 18 years old, you can choose to edit your profile and enable tips.

Ethereum support is helpful if you aren't quite as enthusiastic about Bitcoin as former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey. In some ways, though, the payment service support is more useful. Barter, Paga and Paytm are useful in India, Nigeria and other countries where mobile payments thrive. Twitter's move not only lets more people tip, but makes it more practical for digital creators to operate in certain countries — they'll know their audiences can contribute.

As much as we like Bose's QuietComfort 45 headphones, they haven't been a tuner's delight — you had to trust the automatic EQ adjustments would deliver a pleasing sound. You'll have more control from now on, though. Bose told Engadget it has updated the QC45 firmware with an Adjustable EQ feature that, as the name implies, lets you tweak the output to your liking. You can customize the bass, mid-range and treble to suit your tastes, or pick from presets if you're in a hurry.

The new firmware (2.0.4) is available by launching the Bose Music app and choosing "Install Update" from the QC45 control screen.

You might not be in a rush to use Adjustable EQ. The QC45s already provided balanced audio in our experience, and it might involve more effort than it's worth if you listen to a wide variety of music genres. With that in mind, the update might be just what you need if you regularly listen to a particular genre (such as bass-heavy electronic music) or otherwise want to consistently override Bose's judgment.

Turmoil at CD Projekt Red appears to have an upside. Gamesindustry.biz and The Verge report former CDPR executive Konrad Tomaszkiewicz has formed a new studio, Rebel Wolves. The fledgling company has barely started work on its first title, but the company said it would be a dark fantasy role-playing game based on Unreal Engine 5. Tomaszkiewicz wants it to be the "holy grail" of digital RPGs, with the open-ended feel of a pen-and-paper game where decisions affect the world around you. The game is currently expected to launch in 2025 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Rebel Wolves plans to expand its 12-person roster to more than 80 people in the years ahead, but the goal is to keep the team relatively small, flexible and focused. Tomaszkiewicz also saw this as a chance to break free from CDPR's focus on licensed material — he told GI.biz the new development house offered the freedom to create an original universe that suited his team's preferences.

Tomaszkiewicz played a crucial role at CDPR, having directed the critically acclaimed The Witcher 3 and served as secondary director for the ambitious but flawed Cyberpunk 2077. Co-founder Jakub Szamałek also hails from these teams, while other staffers have worked on games like Shadow Warrior 2 and Thronebreaker. However, Bloombergnotes Tomaszkiewicz left CDPR in May 2021 over allegations he bullied coworkers. A commission found him not guilty, but CDPR was also accused of requiring crunch time to finish Cyberpunk despite promises to the contrary.

The industry figure has vowed not to repeat those mistakes, however. Tomaszkiewicz told The Verge Rebel Wolves wanted a supportive environment with collaborative input and transparent decision-making. He also acknowledged the challenges of hiring a diverse workforce when the first employees are veterans, and told GI.biz he hoped the studio would provide "many different voices and perspectives" in time. As with some other new studios from industry legends, this is as much about correcting the industry's bad habits as it is obtaining creative independence.

Senators are still concerned social networks aren't doing enough to protect children. The Washington Postreports Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have introduced a bill, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), that would give kids more control over their privacy and safety on social media while setting stricter guidelines for the companies in question.

Most notably, social media firms would have to give children under 16 tools to protect their data, turn off "addictive" features and bow out of algorithm-based recommendations. The "strongest settings" would have to be enabled by default, according to the bill. Parents would also get controls to help pinpoint harmful behavior, while both camps would receive a dedicated channel for reporting those harms affecting children.

Social networks, meanwhile, would have to "prevent and mitigate" exposure to inappropriate content, including self-harm, eating disorders, sexual exploitation and alcohol. They would also have to conduct yearly independent audits of their KOSA compliance and the risks to children. Similarly, the social sites would have to turn over "critical datasets" to academic and public interest researchers hoping to study child safety.

The bill is effectively a response to months of inquiries into tech giants' handling of child safety, with a particular focus on the testimony of Facebook (now Meta) whistleblower Frances Haugen. She called on the company to make multiple changes to protect children, including an end to algorithmic ranking, opening up its research and modifying the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 for more accountability. Senators also asked Instagram head Adam Mosseri to testify after concerns Meta might not have told the truth about hiding research into harmful effects on children.

We've asked Meta for comment. It has made changes in response to calls for greater child protections, including offers to share data and teen safety features like screen time tracking, break reminders and bulk content deletion.

There are no guarantees KOSA will pass the Senate, let alone become law. It would join existing legislation that includes COPPA, which protects internet privacy for children under 13. The bipartisan nature of the bill may help, though. Blumenthal is also tenacious in attempts to curb harmful online behavior. This is the second bill tackling Big Tech that Blumenthal has introduced in recent weeks, after reintroducing the controversial EARN IT Act.

San Francisco's wariness of Amazon might soon extend to the company's seemingly ubiquitous shipping network. Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton has introduced legislation that would impose an 18-month moratorium on new parcel delivery facilities in the city, whether from Amazon or others. Officials at the Board or the Planning Commission would use the pause to study the potential impact these locations have on the community, including health issues (like air pollution and traffic) and the overall public interest.

In a statement, the Teamsters and other unions backing the measure were concerned companies like Amazon would drag down pay, benefits and working conditions for the city. The proposed moratorium would help communities "set the standards" and decide if they want these facilities in the first place, Walton added.

The effort comes after San Francisco's Office of Economic and Workforce Development signed a January memorandum of understanding with Amazon to start negotiations for a Mission Creek delivery hub without informing or involving the community. These sorts of agreements are common, but Walton saw this as Amazon trying to enter the city without input from the very people its facility would affect.

There's no certainty the legislation will pass. It's also unclear how Walton and the Board would use any determination that Amazon and other delivery services' facilities would harm San Francisco residents.

We've asked Amazon for comment. The company has faced similar opposition in other parts of California, and backed out of plans for a second headquarters in New York City following criticism. Activists and politicians raised concerns about possible gentrification in New York, the city's $3 billion in proposed subsidies and Amazon's overall practices. Amazon has also been a staunch opponent of unionization, setting up a confrontation with increasingly pro-union workers and the politicians who support them.

Valve may have cautioned Steam Deck buyers about repairing the handheld themselves, but you might not have to be quite so wary in practice. iFixit (which provides official parts for Valve hardware) has torn down the production model Steam Deck and discovered that it's relatively easy to repair, with a few notable exceptions. It doesn't require much effort to get inside, with clear labels for "basically everything." The design is modular enough that you can repair many elements without replacing or dismantling more components than necessary.

You can replace the SSD with a similarly small equivalent using one screw, and removing the display doesn't require much more than a suction cup and some heat. Valve is also keenly aware that Steam Deck owners may be worried about thumbstick drift — you can replace both sticks just by removing three screws. While drift won't necessarily be a real problem, you won't have to send in your machine if that problem ever crops up.

This isn't quite a self-repair paradise. Battery replacements are "rough," according to iFixit, with elaborate procedures that include draining most of the pack for safety's sake. That's a problem when the battery can drain in as little as 90 minutes.You may also want to be gentle with the USB-C port and microSD slot, as both are soldered to the Steam Deck's custom motherboard.

Despite this, iFixit found the Steam Deck easier to repair than some modern laptops. That might be heartening if you either prefer to fix devices yourself or hope to upgrade the storage. You might only need to send the Deck away for service if there's a truly serious failure.

Ukraine is grappling with more cyberattacks as fears of an imminent Russian invasion reach their climax. Netblocks and Gizmodo report Ukraine's defense ministry and two state-owned banks, Oshchadbank and Privatbank, have suffered denial-of-service attacks flooding their sites with traffic. The country's armed forces website also appears to have suffered an attack. BuzzFeed's Christopher Miller described consequences for many Ukranians, including difficulties using some ATMs and other banking services.

The attacks weren't directly attributed to Russia, but they came a month after Ukraine blamed its neighbor for a campaign that played havoc with dozens of government websites. The perpetrators used purely destructive malware disguised as ransomware to inflict significant damage. Russia has previously been accused of relying on cyberwarfare to disrupt and influence political rivals like the European Union and the US, although it has repeatedly denied involvement.

The concern, as you might imagine, is that Russia might be using cyberattacks like these to cause havoc ahead of an invasion the US claimed could happen as soon as tomorrow (February 16th). In theory, it might be more difficult for Ukraine to mount an effective response. The January attacks came and went without military action, however, and these latest incidents wouldn't do much to thwart the Ukrainian military or its allies. If Russia is involved, the disruptions might represent pressure tactics to extract concessions, such as a promise not to join NATO.

It took several months after launch, but Microsoft is finally making Android apps available to most Windows 11 users. As promised in January, the company is rolling out its first major Windows 11 update with an Amazon Appstore "preview" for American users. The preliminary release offers roughly 1,000 apps, including Amazon's own Audible and Kindle apps as well as third-party titles like Lords Mobile and Khan Academy Kids. The selection won't compare to the Google Play Store, but it should create some harmony between your PC and phone.

The upgrade offers OS improvements beyond Android support. The Windows 11 taskbar now lets Teams users quickly mute calls or share any window. The date and time now show on a second monitor, too, while the weather widget's taskbar component shows live information. Microsoft has also revamped Media Player with a focus on a "full-featured" music library, while Notepad offers a reworked interface with a dark mode, simpler menus and features like multi-level undos.

These updates probably won't sway you to install Windows 11 if you weren't before. They do help Microsoft fulfill promises made when it unveiled the software last year, though, and they might provide an incentive to step up before the free upgrade period is over.

Meta is once again settling a privacy complaint, but this one reaches back — way back. As Varietyreports, the company has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a 2012 class action lawsuit accusing the company of violating users' privacy. Facebook allegedly overstepped its bounds in 2010 and 2011 by using tracking cookies that monitored browsing after users signed out, despite promises to the contrary.

The settlement is still pending approval in a Northern District of California court. Attorneys at DiCello Levitt Gutzler were confident, however, following a 2020 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion that turned the case in their favor. Facebook needed consent for the data collection, the appeals court said, and unlawful use of personal data created "economic harm" even when the data's value remained intact. Meta had succeeded three times in court before the 2020 opinion. The Supreme Court declined to hear Meta's appeal of the Ninth Circuit ruling.

A Meta spokesperson emphasized the age of the case in a statement to Variety, saying it was in the company's "best interest" to settle and "move past this issue." This is the seventh largest privacy- or breach-related in the US, according to the law firm, with another Facebook case (a $650 million payout over facial recognition) topping the chart.

The settlement won't materially affect your privacy when the issues are long in the past. You also shouldn't expect a significant reward if you can make a claim — class actions like this rarely lead to windfalls for affected users, especially when Facebook has so many members. With that said, the outcome is a reminder that Facebook's privacy issues have existed for a long time, and continue to this day.

The next PlayStation trophy you earn could provide more than just bragging rights. Sony has launched a "Play and Plant" program that will plant a tree when you earn a trophy in Horizon Forbidden West. Complete "Reached the Daunt" by March 25th and Sony will team with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree as part of reforestation efforts in California, Florida and Wisconsin. You can save the real Earth while you save the virtual one, to put it another way.

The project won't please every environmentalist. Sony and the Arbor Day Foundation will halt donations when they reach the estimated 288,000 trees needed to complete the reforestation efforts. Given that Horizon Forbidden West is Sony's tentpole game for early 2022, the company could hit that milestone very quickly. Wouldn't it be kinder to the planet (and latecomers) to plant as many trees as possible?

Still, the plant-a-tree program represents a unique tie-in, and an experiment in pairing in-game achievements with real-world outcomes. You now have a material incentive to make progress. We wouldn't expect initiatives like this to become commonplace, but it's easy to see more of them in the future — if just to keep people engrossed in a game beyond its first few hours.