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### Revamp Your Home with Govee Smart Bulbs

One element that can significantly transform the atmosphere of your home without the expensive investment of new furniture is the lighting you select. Govee smart bulbs are now offered at an incredible price, with a two-pack available for only $17 on Amazon, down from the regular $25. Plus, with an additional 10% discount using promo code IZVCRPT14KV7, enhancing your home’s lighting has never been more budget-friendly.

#### Main Features of Govee Smart Bulbs

– **Luminosity**: Each bulb provides 1000 lumens of brightness, comparable to traditional 75W incandescent bulbs, ensuring sufficient light for larger areas.
– **Color Variety**: With access to 16 million hues, you can tailor the lighting to suit any mood or event.
– **Adjustable White Light**: The bulbs offer a spectrum from warm 2700K to cool 6500K, meeting diverse lighting requirements from cozy ambient light to bright office illumination.
– **Connectivity**: Equipped with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, these bulbs can be easily managed through the Govee Home app or voice commands using Alexa or Google Assistant.

#### Improved Lighting Experience

The output of 1000 lumens is crucial for properly illuminating large spaces, especially in contrast to less expensive smart bulbs that usually provide between 600 to 800 lumens. This flexibility enables you to craft the ideal ambiance—dim for unwinding or bright for productivity. Utilizing a CRI90+ color rendering index guarantees that colors are vibrant and accurate instead of faded.

You can personalize your environment in numerous ways. For example, you might light up your living room in purple while keeping your kitchen lit with warm white, or set all bulbs to an invigorating blue-white for energetic mornings.

#### User-Friendly Features

The Govee Home app enriches your lighting experience by offering 54 pre-set scene modes. For music enthusiasts, the music sync mode alters colors based on sounds picked up by your phone’s microphone, crafting an engaging light display. The app also includes sunrise and sunset timers to gradually modify lighting, making daily routines of waking up and relaxing more natural.

Additionally, you can manage the bulbs from afar, ensuring you can turn them on before you arrive home or monitor them remotely. The dual connectivity means that if your Wi-Fi goes down, the Bluetooth feature still permits local control.

#### Simple Installation and Energy Efficiency

The bulbs fit into standard A19 sockets, making installation as straightforward as swapping out traditional bulbs. Consuming only 9 watts, these smart bulbs use less electricity while providing the same brightness as older 75-watt incandescent models.

At just $17 for two bulbs, using the promo code brings your effective cost down to about $7.65 per bulb. This pricing is not only lower than a lot of standard LED options but also includes a comprehensive range of features like color variety, remote control, scheduling, and music syncing.

#### Conclusion

Govee smart bulbs represent an excellent choice for anyone wanting to upgrade their home lighting without the financial burden of new furniture. With remarkable brightness, a wide array of colors, smart technology, and energy efficiency, enhancing your home’s atmosphere has never been so easy. Place your order today to ensure your new lighting arrives before the holiday season.

[See at Amazon](https://shop.kotaku.com/go/5338/)

He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice, he’s checking it thrice, he’s checking it four times, he’s checking it five times, he’s checking it Six times, he’s checking it Six times, he’s checking it Six times… Hello reader who is also a reader. We don’t have a game developer contact for the final Bookshelf of 2025. Instead, I’ve called upon my occult connections to secure a last-minute interview with the very Father of Christmas himself.

How jolly his manner! How red his attire! How curiously squelchy the bag thrown over one shoulder! How unidentifiable the appendage he slowly extends from the fissured green immensities of your Christmas tree! Cheers, Santa! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf?

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### Apple’s M5 MacBook Pro Models Now at Record Low Prices

Apple has unveiled its M5 MacBook Pro models, and while they maintain their full price on Apple’s official site, Amazon has chosen to provide substantial discounts for the holiday season. This offers a fantastic chance for prospective buyers to secure high-performance laptops at lowered prices.

#### Current Discounts

The 24GB/1TB variant is priced at $1,799, down from its original price of $1,999. Simultaneously, the 16GB/512GB variant is now available for $1,349, reduced from $1,599. Notably, this price reduction means the M5 series is actually less expensive than the M4 generation during its initial launch.

### Key Features of the M5 MacBook Pro

The latest M5 MacBook Pro boasts Apple’s robust M5 chip, delivering significant enhancements over its predecessor. The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display provides stunning visuals, reaching peak brightness of 1600 nits for HDR content while maintaining a steady brightness of 1000 nits for everyday use. This enriches the viewing experience, making it perfect for professional photography and video production.

#### Performance and Efficiency

The M5 chip integrates a 10-core CPU alongside a Neural Accelerator within each GPU core, markedly enhancing performance for intensive tasks. Activities such as video editing and software building are handled with great efficiency, while the unified memory architecture guarantees smooth interaction between RAM and the processor. This design effectively removes bottlenecks common in traditional laptop constructions.

A key benefit of the M5 architecture is its privacy-focused approach, which ensures that Apple Intelligence operations are conducted directly on the device without transmitting personal data to outside servers. This keeps the user’s information, including emails and creative projects, secure.

The promise of all-day battery life is substantiated by actual performance. Unlike numerous Windows laptops that reduce performance to conserve battery, the M5 retains full power for tasks even while unplugged. Users can anticipate extensive productivity without needing to recharge, making it ideal for on-the-go professionals.

### Seamless Integration with Apple Ecosystem

Another major advantage of the M5 MacBook Pro is its capability to effortlessly synchronize with other Apple devices. Features like iPhone Mirroring enable users to manage their iPhone from their Mac, respond to messages directly from the laptop, and transfer content between devices with ease. This interconnected ecosystem boosts productivity and provides a unified user experience.

### Conclusion

The M5 MacBook Pro models offer an appealing opportunity for both new and existing Apple users, particularly with the discounted prices reaching an unprecedented low. With impressive performance capabilities, an eye-catching display, and a focus on user privacy, these laptops are perfect for demanding tasks while also delivering an efficient and user-friendly experience.

For those interested, the 24GB/1TB model is offered at $1,799, and the 16GB/512GB model for $1,349, both lower than the launch prices of the earlier generation models.

#### [See at Amazon](https://shop.kotaku.com/go/6538/)

Clair Obscur gripped me within the first minutes of its dramatic prologue. A turn-based RPG with a Belle Époque, steampunky aesthetic and a bleak world of monsters and magic? I know they say not to put a hat on a hat, but when that hat’s a beret… magnifique. The story opens with the people of Lumière celebrating its annual get-together where the Paintress, a sobbing giant beyond the city’s shores, etches a number into a cliff, and hundreds of onlookers immediately evaporate into petals and smoke.

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Sundays are for crossing all your fingers and toes that you’ve not picked up a cold while travelling across the country in a packed train. I will be collecting precautionary supplies of Lemsip, Olbas Oil, and sage (you can never be too careful around this time of year, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future are working overtime).

When you are armed with your sickness supplies, Sundays are for getting truly familiar with a comfy spot on the safe, ensconcing yourself in blankets, and losing yourself in some good reading for a few hours.

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# The Significance of Identity Safeguarding During the Holiday Shopping Surge

The final shopping surge preceding Christmas not only ushers in festive joy but also escalates the risks associated with cybercrime. With a rise in online transactions, rapid purchases, and shoppers distracted by holiday preparations, this time frame constitutes a prime opportunity for identity thieves. Acknowledging this, NordProtect has reduced the cost of its identity protection service to an unprecedented low of $4.49 per month, down from the usual $14.99. This seasonal offer highlights the necessity of protecting personal information during a period marked by an uptick in identity theft incidents.

## The Magnitude of the Issue

Identity theft poses a major challenge in the United States, with alarming statistics illustrating the breadth of the problem. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states that consumers lost around $12.5 billion to fraud in the last year, showing a 25% increase from the prior year. In 2024 alone, the FTC processed over 1.1 million identity theft complaints, leading to a new victim every 22 seconds.

### Identity Theft by the Statistics
– **Every 22 seconds:** A new identity theft incident occurs in the United States.
– **1.1 million:** Identity theft complaints submitted to the FTC in 2024.
– **$12.5 billion:** Total losses experienced by consumers due to fraud within the last year.
– **44%:** Proportion of identity theft cases that involve credit card fraud.

The probability of identity theft increases during the holiday season, as the influx of online shopping creates more opportunities for cybercriminals. With a rise in legitimate transactions, it becomes progressively harder to differentiate between authentic purchases and fraudulent charges. Additionally, phishing schemes disguised as shipping notifications or holiday deals see a surge, while retailers often endure infrastructure pressures, making them more susceptible to breaches.

## How Protection Functions Effectively

NordProtect utilizes ongoing automated surveillance to manage identity risks proficiently, rather than depending on sporadic manual checks. The service observes credit reports from all three major bureaus, investigates dark web marketplaces for personal data, and monitors associated financial accounts for any unusual activity.

Keeping an eye on the dark web is especially vital, as this segment of the internet generally acts as a trading ground for stolen identities. When personal details surface here, it typically signifies a security breach in the accounts the victim utilizes. Swift detection and response are essential for securing accounts before criminals can take advantage of the information.

Furthermore, TransUnion’s credit monitoring service can instantly alert users to unauthorized financial activities, like new loan requests or alterations to credit limits. By also observing bank accounts, individuals can detect questionable transactions and reduce potential losses early.

## Financial Coverage That Extends Beyond Monitoring

The financial burden of recovering from identity theft can be overwhelming, often requiring legal fees, lost earnings, and countless hours devoted to rectifying the matter. NordProtect alleviates part of this strain by providing coverage of up to $1 million for expenses related to identity theft recovery, which includes legal costs and any documented expenses associated with reinstating one’s identity.

In addition, NordProtect offers tailored protections for less common risks—up to $50,000 for cyber extortion cases and up to $10,000 for direct theft from bank accounts or credit cards due to digital fraud. This broad coverage highlights the significant financial implications linked to advanced cyber dangers.

Access to specialized case management is another notable advantage. If identity theft occurs, a U.S.-based expert will support the victim throughout the recovery journey, coordinating with credit bureaus, banks, and law enforcement to guarantee a swift resolution.

## The Expense of Prevention

Presently, NordProtect is offered for just $4.49 per month, a 71% decrease from its regular pricing, making extensive identity protection more budget-friendly than many streaming services or routine coffee outings. The service includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, enabling users to take advantage of its benefits without any financial obligations.

When evaluating the potential costs tied to identity recovery, prevention stands out as a more cost-effective approach. The Identity Theft Resource Center estimates that individuals dealing with identity theft spend, on average, 200 hours resolving the situation. This considerable time commitment equates to significant lost income and extra expenses for legal aid and the purchase of monitoring services afterward.

### Conclusion

In conclusion, the holiday shopping period represents a peak time for identity theft, making robust protection essential. With NordProtect’s available offer of $4.49 per month, consumers are presented with a chance to protect their identities at an unparalleled value while alleviating the possible financial and emotional repercussions of identity theft.

Every game has its limitations, there is only so many actions you can take, narrative threads to unspool, buttons to press. What about a game that you can only play one round of every day? A game where you “take up the sword against an NPC or another girl-esque thing irl and fight until one of you is holding the lifeless, bloodstained hand of the other.” This is the description of a tiny, visceral Yuri Game Jam game called Everyday Sororicide.

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The thing about Big Business these days is that when you get Big Numbers, that normally leads to Bigger Business, right up to the point the well has not only dried up, but turned to dust. So, when you have a game like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, now winner of many Geoff Keighleys and seller of many copies, you might assume that developer Sandfall Interactive would increase the size of their operations. Apparently, you would be wrong!

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The end of a very short era is here! I guess, if you care about the life cycles of tech products made by multi-billion dollar companies. It appears that the days of the original LCD model of the Steam Deck is coming to an end, as a quiet notice from Valve suggests their focus will be with the slightly newer, shinier OLED line of handheld gaming devices.

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I’ve always found PowerWash Simulator‘s Big Brand Collabs slightly odd, if a touch humorous. They don’t always make much sense to me, like the SpongeBob one, though I will admit that the Shrek one does feel like a good fit, even if I am loath to look at intellectual property. And now here we are with its sequel, PowerWash Simulator 2, with its first bit of DLC freshly announced, sending prospective powerwashers off to a distant land called Ooo from the seminal Adventure Time.

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