Telegram released a new version of its encrypted messaging app today that allows for account signups using purchasable blockchain-based identities instead of real phone numbers. In addition, version 9.2 includes the ability to auto-delete messages on a timer for new chats, and there's an upgrade to the forum-like Topics feature.

Users had been required to use their mobile phone number to sign up for Telegram, similar to other end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp. While Telegram maintains that your phone number is never visible to unknown people, it's still an identifier that inherently stops you short of full anonymi …

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Ramesh Balwani has been sentenced to 155 months, or just under 13 years, in prison, according to The New York Times. Like his former business partner, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, he's due another three years of supervised release after he gets out. Balwani will have to surrender to custody on March 15th.

In July, Balwani, also known as Sunny, was convicted on 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his actions while he was president and COO of Theranos. Unlike Holmes, who was found guilty of only defrauding investors, Balwani was found guilty of deceiving both investors and patients.

Part of Bal …

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It's a dangerous endeavor to boot up Elden Ring right now. There's a short lull in the holiday release season, so it would be very, very easy for me to be lured back to the Lands Between, where I spent over 100 hours mastering katanas and the art of glintstone pebbling things to death from a great distance. In fact, Elden Ring wasted no time reminding me why it will likely be named Game of the Year tomorrow at the Game Awards because the second I loaded in after months of neglect, I almost got myself killed in the dumbest, funniest way. As I was reacclimating myself to the controls, I accidentally aggro'd one of those Ohioan T-rex dogs off-s …

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Want to stream She-Hulk: Attorney at Law or Andor? Then you might want to quickly sign up for a Disney Plus subscription. On Thursday, December 8th, Disney will debut a new ad-supported tier that’ll cost $7.99 / month. The existing ad-free plan, meanwhile, will increase from $7.99 / month to $10.99.

However, the good news is that you can avoid the price hike so long as you subscribe to an annual ad-free plan before the end of today, December 7th. Even better, you don’t need to be a new subscriber, either. Right now, in fact, both new and returning customers can still subscribe to a year of Disney Plus for $79.99 before it increases to $109.99 on Thursday.

In case you’re wondering, the ad-free annual plan offers a few extra perks, like the ability to download content so you can stream Pixar movies or Star Wars and Marvel shows without an internet connection. That could come in handy when, say, you need to keep the kids (or yourself) entertained during the long car ride back home to visit family this holiday season.

No worries if purchasing an annual plan outright is out of your budget, though. By the look of things, the ads in the $7.99 / month plan may not be as distracting as they sound. Earlier this year, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the ad-supported tier will have a “lower ad load and frequency to ensure a great experience for viewers.” Plus, ads won’t run on kids profiles, either, so you won’t need to upgrade to the ad-free monthly plan if you’re subscribing to Disney Plus just for your children.