My New Site

I travel at any opportunity – anywhere. I love jumping in the car and heading to the coast for the weekend just as much as I do flying off to exotic destinations – and do both as much as my time and finances will allow.

I holiday regularly in the UK with my young family, and am also very lucky to travel abroad solo for work sometimes too. Both types of trip require careful consideration when deciding what to take, but over the years I have perfected the art of packing, and now have a collection of travel essentials I won’t leave without – no matter where I’m going.

Nicușor Dan și Mirabela Grădinaru formează un cuplu de ani întregi, dar atunci când era student în Franța, cu ani în urmă, acesta a trăit o poveste de dragoste cu altă femeie.

Nicușor Dan și partenera sa de viață formează un cuplu de peste 20 de ani și au doi copii împreună: o fată de 9 ani și un băiat în vârstă de 3 ani. Chiar dacă președintele nu și-a expus foarte tare viața privată, un membru din familia sa a dat detalii despre fosta iubită a acestuia.

Citește și: VIDEO Marcel Ciolacu s-a ales cu plângere penală. Liderul partidului DREPT: „România este în criză din cauza ticăloşiei şi minciunii lui”

Ioan Barbu, unchiul lui Nicușor Dan din partea mamei, locuiește în satul Ileni, lângă Făgăraș, și i-a fost alături președintelui în special în adolescență, atunci când Dan era membru al lotului național de matematică, cu care a participat la două Olimpiade internaționale.

„Când Nicușor a plecat la o olimpiadă, ultima dată, i-am adus eu hainele de aici, de la Făgăraș. Era cazat undeva în București, la un liceu tehnologic, cum era pe timpul ăla.

Apoi a făcut Facultatea de Matematică, după care l-au luat militar, la Bacău, a făcut 9 luni, cu termen redus”, a mărturisit unchiul lui Nicușor Dan, notează FANATIK.

Unchiul a precizat că Dan a fost împreună cu o tânără în perioada în care studia în afara țării, între anii între 1992 și 1998. Acesta a dat câteva detalii despre povestea de dragoste dintre Nicușor Dan și femeia din Franța.

„După aceea a plecat cu bursă în Franța, dar acolo nu avea de gând să rămână, își dorea să-și facă o familie aici, în România. Nu era pe atunci cu Mirabela. Atunci discuta cu o altă fată, care e în America acum.

Era o colegă de-a lui din Franța, de la facultate de la Paris, tot o româncă. A fost cu ea toată perioada aceea.
Se vizitează și acum, au rămas prieteni. Ea e căsătorită acum cu un olandez, are trei fete. Deci a ținut așa o relație de prietenie peste timp. Pe Mirabela a cunoscut-o la București după ce a venit din Franța”, a mai declarat nea Ioan.

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CHULA VISTA, Calif. (CNS) — Authorities today continued investigating a crash that killed a motorcyclist and involved a Chula Vista Police Department officer and vehicle.

The crash was reported around 6:14 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Olympic Parkway and Windingwalk Street, according to Chula Vista Police Department Public Information Officer and Sergeant Anthony Molina.

According to Molina, the officer involved was responding to a call to assist other officers at the time of the crash. The officer was traveling westbound on Olympic Parkway and was turning left to travel south on Windingwalk Street when the motorcyclist, who was traveling eastbound on Olympic Parkway allegedly crashed onto the side of police car.

Both the motorcyclist and the officer were transported to a hospital; the motorcyclist was suffering from critical injuries, but the extent of the officer’s injuries was unknown, according to Molina.

The motorcyclist, who was described as a man from Chula Vista, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. His name and age were not disclosed.

The Californina Highway Patrol was investigating the crash due to the seriousness of the crash, according to Molina.

It was unknown if the police car’s sirens were on at the time of the crash, and it was unknown if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.

The officer was the sole occupant of the police car.

Copyright 2025, City News Service, Inc.

Table of Contents

Everyone knows that Apple products tend to cost a pretty penny, and MacBooks and iMacs are no exception.

If you’d rather avoid spending $1,100 on entry-level specs, we have great news: you can save hundreds on an Apple laptop or computer multiple times a year. That means if your laptop is on its last leg, you don’t have to hold out until November to make an upgrade that won’t hurt your bank account. (And tbh, Apple’s annual gift card incentive around Black Friday isn’t anything to write home about anyway.)

We’ve been tracking Apple deals weekly for over two years, so we know what tends to go on sale and when. Plus, we know what MacBook deals are actually worth jumping on, and which “markdowns” are basically the regular price. Check out this list of the top three times of year to find the best prices on a MacBook or iMac, based on our historical deals knowledge:

Time No. 1 to get a deal on a Mac: Black Friday and Prime Day seasons

Months: Early to mid-July, October through November

We know, shopping holidays are a great time to save money, groundbreaking. However, we’re not talking about Apple’s annual Black Friday deal, which is the same every year: Buy a laptop or iMac, get a free gift card to use on a future purchase. It’s a little lackluster and not all that great for saving money upfront.

If you want real savings during shopping holidays, you’ll want to look to retailers like Amazon and Best Buy during Black Friday and Prime Day seasons. At first glance, that may seem like you have to keep your eye on the calendar for a few select days throughout the year, but these retailers have decided that time is meaningless when it comes to sales. That means you’ll start to see Black Friday savings as early as October, and Prime Day savings for a week or so around July.

Despite hitting the market only weeks prior, the M3 MacBook Pros saw good discounts last Black Friday.
Credit: Apple

Traditionally, Prime Day has spanned over two days, but Amazon features deals in the weeks leading up to it. For Prime Day 2025, Prime Day itself will span four days, from July 8 to 11, and great deals have already dropped beforehand.

During both sales, it’s not uncommon to see MacBooks from the cheapest Airs to the most souped-up Pros on sale for $150 off or more. For Prime Day 2025, we’ve seen this happen with the $849 M4 MacBook Air. However, our resident laptop expert, Haley Henschel, recommends waiting to see further price drops on other models, as they’re not quite matching up to record-low prices just yet.

They’re worthwhile deals, but they can also be harder to score because the general public knows these are the times to shop for a Mac. If you see a good deal, don’t hesitate too much. Our advice? Know what models you’re interested in before these sale events kick off, and keep your eye on them.

As a final note, Black Friday season is a reliable time to catch the initial sales on any fall Mac releases. In the fall of 2023, M3 and M3 Pro MacBook Pros dropped in October, and by November, they were already on sale for $150 off. These likely won’t be the steepest deals you’ll see in the year or so lifespan before a newer chipset and Mac come out, but they can be impressive considering how recent the releases are.

Time No. 2 to get a deal on a Mac: Back-to-school season

Months: June through early October

Apple offers educational pricing year-round for current or newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and homeschool teachers of all grade levels. These prices knock $100 off the price of their laptops and computers. It’s not a massive markdown, but it beats full price.

However, if you fall into one of the above demographics, that’s not your only chance to save directly through Apple. They also run a special back-to-school sale from the summer to the early fall. In 2023, it ran from June 5 to Oct. 2, so you’ll have plenty of time to decide which Mac model to pick. The major downside is that, similar to the Black Friday sale, Apple’s BTS offer isn’t an off-the-face price cut — you’ll receive an Apple gift card proportional to the value of the product you’re buying for use on future purchases. In 2023, this is how the pricing broke down:

• 24-inch iMac: receive a $150 Apple gift card

• MacBook Air: receive a $150 Apple gift card

• MacBook Pro: receive a $150 Apple gift card

• Mac mini: receive a $100 Apple gift card

Also like Black Friday, Apple doesn’t tend to adjust gift card values drastically, if at all, from year to year, so we expect to see essentially the same offer this year. Considering MacBooks are some of our favorite laptops for students, we see this as a deal worth a second look, but with stipulations.

If you’re not planning on making another Apple purchase (gift cards can be used on App Store purchases, in-app purchases, more Apple tech, and subscriptions like iCloud+ or Apple TV+), you might want to wait for a sale at another retailer. Chances are, places like Amazon and Best Buy will also want to draw in the back-to-school crowd, so there might be greater markdowns there — but you likely won’t a ton of flexibility on specs. A MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD, for instance, might be $150 off, but a model with 16GB of RAM might not be on sale at all.

The gift card incentive is also good for anyone who has a pair of AirPods or a paid note-taking app on their back-to-school list, too.

Time No. 3 to get a deal on a Mac: After new releases are announced

Months: Can vary

This tip isn’t unique to Apple products, but it doesn’t make it any less useful for grabbing a Mac for a little less cash. Typically, after Apple announces the latest models, it drops the prices on older generations.

Technically, this isn’t a deal in the strictest sense of the word, but it’ll still save you money. Take, for instance, last year’s announcement of the 13-inch and 15-inch M3 MacBook Air. On March 4, Apple put it up for preorder on its online store, and right alongside the new laptop was a $100 price drop on the 13-inch M2 Air.

The price of the M2 MacBook Air has dropped twice following releases of upgraded MacBooks.
Credit: Apple

The price only fell from $1,099 to $999, so it’s not a drastic difference, but if you were already planning on grabbing the M2 Air, waiting for this newer gen saved you at least $100. Plus, a new list price means future sales will net you even more bang for your buck.

You don’t necessarily need to wait for the exact same model to get a newer counterpart to see a price drop. Allow us to explain, again with the M2 MacBook Air. June 2023, Apple announced the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air at a starting price of $1,299. At the time, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air had been out for just under a year, and cost $1,199. The larger model brought a price cut to the smaller and slightly older model.

Price cuts aren’t always determined by Apple itself. A new Mac usually means the discontinuation of an older one. In the case of the M3 Air release, Apple discontinued the 15-inch M2 Air and M1 Air from 2020. Though you could no longer buy either at the Apple Store, they were available at steep discounts at Amazon and Best Buy.

And if you’re sensing a theme here, yes, it’s better, more often than not, to skip the Apple Store in favor of other retailers if you’re looking to save some serious dough.

Final tips for saving money on a Mac

1. Keep an eye out for random sales

While the whole point of this guide is that there are ideal times to grab a Mac on sale, we’re going to be honest: sometimes, there are very random, very good sales on Macs for seemingly no reason.

Obviously, this is a bit trickier to plan for, but rest assured, if there is a Mac sale worth knowing about, we’re writing about it, so we recommend following our deals coverage.

2. Some Macs go on sale more frequently than others

This tip likely goes without saying, but some models rarely go on sale. General trends we’ve seen are that iMacs tend not to go on sale as frequently as MacBooks, and anything above the starting specs on a MacBook, especially if you’re looking for upgraded memory, is much trickier to find on sale regularly.

We say this just to encourage a little healthy expectation setting as you embark on your search for a discounted Mac.

Read my review of the Eufy E20 3-in-1.

Most of us know, deep down, that the ideal home cleaning setup involves both the daily hands-off convenience of a robot vacuum and the detail-oriented freedom of an upright vacuum. If you’re having trouble choosing between them, the Eufy E20 3-in-1 is a really strategic way to maximize space and a mid-range budget. It’ll get serious daily use if your idea of a clean home goes past the floors to crevices like windowsills, car seats, staircases, and couch cushions.

The Eufy E20 is a robot vacuum that doesn’t mop, so the target buyer should consider the number of high-traffic hard floors in their home. If it’s mostly carpeting and rugs, you might settle for skipping mopping to secure the self-emptying robot-turned-stick vacuum setup.

The package Eufy brought to the CES 2025 table has turned out to be the most underrated robot vacuum of 2025 so far. At $649.99, the Eufy E20 3-in-1 is several hundred dollars less than most of its mid-tier competitors coming out this year — and less than half the price of the high-end Dreame and Roborock models released alongside it at CES. That price would be decent for any self-emptying robot vacuum with smart mapping by itself, let alone the fact that it’s technically also a self-emptying cordless stick vacuum. No Dyson vacuum can say that.

Switching between them just involves pulling the motor out of the robot vacuum body and clicking it onto one of the included attachments. After the robot vac returns from a cleaning or the motor is secured back into the vacuum after handheld use, the dock automatically empties the dust bin for up to 75 days before you need to step in. I appreciate the fact that the dustbin is transparent and that every cleaning run is started with a clean slate — it provides unequivocal proof of how much either vacuum was able to scrounge up off my floors.

No one’s claiming that the Eufy E20 in robot vacuum mode or cordless stick mode will be the most powerful that you can buy. We already know that its real power lies in the range of cleaning it offers. But for the price, its suction specs aren’t too shabby: At 8,000 Pa, it vacuums with the same amount of suction power as the 2024 Eufy X10 Pro Omni that thoroughly impressed me during testing. Pickup rate of fine debris along edges and long hairs on rugs could be better, but the E20 reliably took care of all visible crumbs, rocks, and loose dust bunnies on my flat rugs, hardwood, and tile. I tended to switch to the upright cleaning head and its 30,000 Pa of suction power to tackle rugs with heavy layers of cat hair.

On the smart mapping front, the Eufy E20 excels at getting to the right spot. It created a near-perfect map of my three-bedroom, three-bath apartment on the first try. After I added an extra border or two in the app, the E20 accurately made its way to selected spots on a daily basis without getting stuck on a bath mat or under a bed.

Amazon has cornered the market on inexpensive and easy-to-use smart home devices with its Echo lineup. Two of its tiniest (yet still feature-packed) offerings are the Echo Dot, now on its 5th generation, and the Echo Pop, which debuted in 2023. Both Alexa smart speakers cost under $50 and regularly go on sale during Prime Day events. Speaking of which, Amazon Prime Day 2025 is next up, and we predict to see both devices receive worthwhile discounts when the event takes place from July 8 through 11.

While the two smart speakers are remarkably similar, there are some key differences you should know before you pick one. Here’s how the Echo Dot (5th gen) and the Echo Pop compare, based on my first-hand insights using them both.

Echo Dot vs. Echo Pop: Specs

Credit: Chart: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

Design: We like color options

The Echo Dot and the Echo Pop are nearly the same size, but while the Echo Dot is round, the Echo Pop has a flat face. It basically looks like a cross-section of the Dot.

The Echo Dot (left) and Echo Pop (right) — as you can see, the Dot has been graced by toddler spaghetti fingers.
Credit: SaVanna Shoemaker / Mashable

The Echo Dot also comes in three fairly muted colors (gray, white, and blue), but the Echo Pop is available in some, well, poppier colors (lavender and teal in addition to gray and white).

Overall, I like the appearance of the Echo Pop a little better. The brighter colors add a cute splash of color to a corner shelf. The Pop can serve as a more discreet Alexa assistant than the Echo Dot (which is fairly universally recognized as a smart home gadget).

Both have a modern, sleek appearance that can easily complement or blend into your home decor.

Winner: Echo Pop

Setup and ease of use

Amazon has made setting up these devices extremely easy. You’ll need the Alexa app on your phone, and it walks you through setup step-by-step. The app is also where you’ll connect other apps like Spotify or Audible to stream them on your Echo devices using Alexa voice commands.

The devices themselves are also very straightforward. The physical buttons on them allow you to mute and unmute the microphone and adjust the volume. Everything else is done through voice commands or through the Alexa app. I had no problems setting up either device and both were highly responsive to my “Hey, Alexa’s.”

Winner: Tie

Sound quality is almost identical

Amazon describes the Echo Pop’s sound as a “full sound” that’s a good fit for bedrooms and small spaces and the Echo Dot’s sound as a “bigger vibrant sound” for any room.

In my side-by-side comparisons of the Echo Dot and the Echo Pop, I couldn’t detect a difference in sound quality between the two devices. Both devices were excellent for playing background music in my office or listening to podcasts while doing housework, providing fuller, clearer sound and increased volume compared to my smartphone.

The Echo Pop does have an ever-so-slightly larger speaker. However, the Dot’s round shape can help it to fill a space with sound no matter where it’s placed.

Winner: Echo Dot

Alexa integration and smart home connectivity

Both the Echo Dot and the Echo Pop integrate with Alexa through the Amazon Alexa app. You can use Alexa to ask questions, check the weather, set timers and alarms, and open connected apps (like music or streaming apps including Spotify, Pandora, Audible, and Amazon Music). 

Personally, I have always found Alexa devices most handy in the office and in the kitchen. They provide a hands-free, screen-free way to set timers (for productivity or pizza) or to stream audio. A centrally-located Echo device is also a great way to free up space in your brain. I’ve used Alexa to remind me to water my plants, put birthday cards in the mail, and check the water level in the pool at regular intervals when filling it up for the season.

However, the Echo Dot edges out the Echo Pop here in two key ways: temperature sensing and motion detection. So your Echo Dot can execute Alexa Routines that involve temperature or motion, while the Echo Pop can’t. Some examples: 

Winner: Echo Dot

Considering additional features

The Echo Dot and the Echo Pop can both serve as WiFi extenders if you have an existing Amazon Eero network, adding up to 1,000 square feet of additional WiFi coverage.

However, once again the Echo Dot edges out the Echo Pop in terms of extra features. As mentioned above, the Dot comes equipped with motion and temperature detection capabilities. 

Winner: Echo Dot

Our winner: Echo Dot vs. Echo Pop

The Echo Dot and the Echo Pop are more similar than they are different. The Echo Pop is about $10 less expensive and a little bit cuter (and available in more fun colors). However, it lacks the motion detection and temperature sensing that would allow it to execute some of the most helpful and practical Alexa commands and routines.

If you’re just looking for an easy-to-use speaker to play music or set alarms in your home, the Echo Pop is a fine choice. For a more functional smart home assistant, pay the extra $10 and purchase the Echo Dot. 

London, UK , July 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Against the backdrop of accelerating integration between artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, AI computing platform AIMaster has officially launched the world’s first income-generating contract product focused on AI model training participation. 

This groundbreaking initiative injects new momentum into the digital economy by offering a hardware-free, maintenance-free, and stable-profit path for global users, opening the door to a new model of accessible, quantifiable, and sustainable participation in AI-based computing power sharing.

AI Training Becomes a New Income Stream for the Masses

Unlike traditional “mining” or standard cloud computing services, AIMaster’s newly released training contract product is directly tied to the training of large-scale foundational AI models—such as image generation, natural language processing, and predictive algorithms—all of which require intensive GPU resources. By purchasing cloud computing contracts through the platform, users can indirectly contribute to these training tasks and earn daily returns based on task execution and completion.
This model represents a direct transformation from “technology” to “profit,” converting computing power—once monopolized by tech giants—into a digital asset accessible to users around the world.

Key Features of the Contract Model

• Zero Entry Barrier, No Hardware Required: Users do not need to purchase graphics cards or understand AI technologies. Simply register and activate a contract with one click to participate.

• Daily Earnings Release with Principal Returned at Contract Maturity: The platform offers multiple contract options with flexible durations, ensuring daily income payout and full return of principal upon contract expiry.

• Real and Verifiable Tasks: All training tasks are connected to real-time computing resource scheduling systems, with visible progress tracking to ensure full transparency and eliminate virtualization risks.

Leading the Trend Toward “Yield-Anchored” Digital Logic

As global AI development accelerates—with demand surging from OpenAI to NVIDIA, and from Sora to multimodal generation models—AI training resources are facing exponential growth in demand. AIMaster is at the forefront of this trend, transforming “high-density computing demand” into an “investable income scenario.”

In contrast to the high-risk and high-volatility nature of token speculation, AIMaster’s AI training contracts offer a stable and clearly defined path to returns—potentially becoming the “value-anchored asset” that drives the next bull market.

“We provide the fuel for the AI world through computing power—empowering everyone to participate in this technological revolution.” — The AIMaster Team

Limited-Time Global New User Benefits

To celebrate the launch, AIMaster is offering a special limited-time promotion for global users:

• Get a $10 AI computing bonus upon registration, which can be used to activate contracts
• Earn extra income boosts through daily logins
• Enjoy 24-hour double earnings for first-time contract activations

Visit our official website now to start your AI training contract journey

About AIMaster

AIMaster is an innovative technology platform focused on AI computing power services. The company is dedicated to transforming complex AI training tasks into cloud-based contract products that everyday users can participate in and benefit from. Backed by a team of seasoned professionals from the fields of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and financial technology, AIMaster is committed to building a global “technology-as-an-asset” value network, promoting accessibility and assetization of AI capabilities worldwide.

For more information, media inquiries, or business partnerships, please contact:
Name: John Ace
Position: Advertising Manager
Phone: +44 7441 424573
Email: info@aimaster.vip
Website: https://aimaster.vip

Company Address: 60-62 Margaret Street, London, England, W1W 8TF, UK