We've all been there: You need a new monitor, and the curved ones look really cool, but do you really need that curve? Isn't it better to just get a flat one? You sit there in front of your (old) monitor, with 20 browser tabs open, unable to make the decision between flat or curved display.

Corsair's got a solution for such (admittedly completely fabricated) troubles. The company's new monitor has a name that's hard to remember — Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 — so we'll just call it "the monitor that bends" (via The Verge).

The Corsair Xeneon Flex is bent manually. Which could be annoying or satisfying, depending on the kind of person you are. Credit: Corsair

The 45-inch monitor uses an LG Display-manufactured, W-OLED display that doesn't mind bending. The fun (or possibly annoying) part is that you do the bending manually, with your hands. It could be a cool party trick, and it probably reduces costs (as there's no need for a motor and a bending mechanism), so we'll take it.

In terms of specs, the Xeneon Flex has a 3,440 x 1,440 pixel resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate, 1,000 nit peak brightness, 1,350,000:1 contrast ratio, and a super quick 0.01ms pixel on/off time. As any gaming-oriented monitor should be, it's compatible with both the NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium standards.

The only problem with the Xeneon Flex is that it's not yet quite something you can buy. It will be demonstrated at Gamescom 2022, which kicked off yesterday and ends on Aug. 28. Then, Corsair will share final specifications and details on availability "later in 2022."

Your new best friends are right around the corner.

Meet Maggie (Emma Appleton), Birdy (Bel Powley) Amara (Aliyah Odoffin), and Nell (Marli Siu) — four best mates living in a flat share in Camden, London, in the height of their twenties. Together they share the euphoric ups and rock-bottom downs that come hand in hand with being this age — dreadful dates, raucous nights out, awful hangovers, terrible decisions, heaps of sex and drugs, and relationships with people who don't treat you the way you deserve.

Created and adapted for television by Dolly Alderton, and based on her best-selling memoir of the same name, this show is about the almighty learning curve many of us embark upon in this formative decade of our lives. Don't be fooled by the title, this show is not just about romantic love — its most important arc is a story of friendship between best friends Maggie and Birdy, who've known each other since childhood, and are now navigating a perilous path as their romantic partners and sexual exploits pose a threat to the platonic love they share. Can their lifelong friendship survive?

If you happen to be in your thirties, and grew up in the nineties and early 2000s, then this show will have a very special place in your heart, most notably because of the cultural references that'll take you way back to your Tween era and the days of Tammy Girl, school discos, and putting dance routines together in your parents' living room. It's got a seriously banging soundtrack to match the heavy nostalgia too — Sugababes' "Overload," Whigfield's "Saturday Night," S Club 7's "Don't Stop Movin,'" Kylie Minogue's "Love at First Sight," and B*Witched's "C'est La Vie," to name a few.

BFFs: Birdy (Bel Powley) and Maggie (Emma Appleton). Credit: Matt Squire / Working Title / Universal International Studios Limited

The central friendship between Maggie and Birdy is deeply relatable. Maggie is a kind of Millennial Keith Richards with a penchant for bad boys and wild nights that never end. Birdy is a sweet-natured innocent who finds herself in a relationship with the most boring and stiffly conventional man known to humankind. His presence puts an almighty strain on the bond between these two BFFs, making Maggie feel abandoned and alone while Birdy enjoys the high of being in love with her first boyfriend. We've all been there — I know I certainly have.

Meanwhile, Maggie begins a dalliance with fuckboy supreme Street (Connor Finch) who's in a band (of course), doesn't have a smartphone (naturally), and refuses to travel to Camden for moral reasons not quite clear to any of us (lol OK). It's all fine for a while because, well, he's sexy and cool. Red flags are omnipresent, but — as many of us can relate — Maggie looks past them because she thinks she's in love with him.

*waves red flag frantically* Maggie (Emma Appleton) and Street (Connor Finch). Credit: Matt Squire / Working Title / Universal International Studios Limited

There are moments in Everything I Know About Love that'll make you cackle so loud you'll feel bad for your neighbours, like Maggie's statement that she's "pretty sure the only I got from that relationship are technicolour strains of HPV." But in a true highlight, found in episode 1 of the series, viewers will note a dance scene that will rival Hugh Grant's epic Love Actually boogie to the Pointer Sisters' "Jump (For My Love)". Maggie goes one extra, dancing in nothing but a thong to "Brothers on the Slide" by Cymande with a cigarette in her mouth the whole time. It's fantastic.

But there are also deep lows that are real markers of this decade, like witnessing Maggie eating a block of Cathedral City cheddar in bed as she wallows in glumness, feeling like her friendship might be ending.

There's wonderfully sex-positive moments, like a montage of dating app hookups, in which Amara pulls out a vibrator and uses it during doggy-style sex, while her partner says, "Fuck, that's hot." It feels like a breakaway from previous iterations of onscreen heterosexual sex involving sex toys, which have typically framed the introduction of a device as a threat to masculinity in the bedroom.

There are also lovely flashbacks to Maggie and Birdy's teenage years together, as they trammeled the tumultuous time of crushes on boys and glittery makeovers in the school playground. Directed by China Moo-Young and Julia Ford, and produced by Surian Fletcher-Jones, this show will make you laugh, cry, and pick up the phone to text your mates. It will fill the voids in your life left by Derry Girls, Sex and the City, Girls, and every other girl gang show you've ever loved.

Alderton wrote the screenplay during the third national lockdown in the UK — a time when seeing friends was pretty much banned, and having a house party (outside of 10 Downing Street) would have landed you in real police trouble. There's something delicious about seeing a group of friends partying like there's no tomorrow, like there are zero consequences to their actions, like they don't have a care in the world.

It's a heartwarming and at times heartbreaking show that'll feel like you're rewatching your twenties unfold.

Everything I Know About Love is now on Peacock.

UPDATE: Aug. 25, 2022, 9:07 a.m. EDT This review originally ran for the show's premiere on BBC on June 7, 2022. It has been republished for its Peacock debut.

Alison Brie and Jeff Baena, the writers of "Spin Me Round," choose their ultimate romantic thriller squad. Then they gave us the title and logline for their ideal film.

The first time 28-year-old Tammy — who is going by her first name only — used a strap-on five years ago, she "felt a bit silly." As she set it on the floor, popped her feet into the holes and slipped the straps around her crotch to fix the strap-on in place, she wondered if she was doing everything right. "There weren’t a lot of resources around at the time and gay sex came with a lot of guesswork," she tells Mashable. "I was fumbling around with the thing while my girlfriend just sat awkwardly on the bed, waiting for me to be done," she laughs.

"But now, strap-ons are a big part of our sex life and its hard to imagine having difficulty with one," she adds. "Strap-ons themselves have got so much better — the designs, the availability, the choices — and they're so much easier to use. It also seems to be a lot easier to find information about strap-on sex online that isn’t porn, these days."

With the help of some strap-on aficionados, we’re getting into the nitty gritty of how to choose them, use them, and look after them. 

What is a strap-on?

A strap-on, put simply, is a dildo which attaches to straps or a pair of knickers and is then used for sexual stimulation — normally in partnered sex. 

Strap-ons and dildos are defined as phallic-like instruments for sexual stimulation and are often viewed as replacements for a penis when the real thing isn’t around. But while that’s the reason dildos gained popularity in the 1930s (during a time when strict religious guidelines in Europe prevented unmarried women from shagging, resulting in the creation of penetrative instruments, used for masturbation), since then, we’ve come a long way. 

Why use a strap-on for sex? 

Dildos and strap-ons alike are used by, well, anyone and everyone who fancies it. 

They’re mostly associated with lesbians, and that’s probably thanks to good old porn. But while people with vaginas may well use them to have sex with other people with vaginas, they can be used in hetero relationships for pegging, by men who struggle with erectile dysfunction, and in many other contexts. 

Annabelle Knight, sex educator from sex toy shop Lovehoney tells Mashable that strap-ons are most commonly used for penetrative sex by people who otherwise wouldn't be able to (i.e. people without a penis). "This allows people to experience penetrative sex, and explore new ways to give pleasure to a sexual partner," she explains. 

"They are also commonly used by straight couples so that the women can have penetrative anal sex with a male partner; this can be satisfying for the woman as they get to ‘dominate’ their partner, while the penetration can stimulate the male prostate."

25-year-old Zoe, who is just going by her first name, uses them to feel powerful and to help with their gender dysphoria. "I’m non-binary and I do get a bit of penis envy sometimes. Wearing a strap-on helps me to feel more confident in those moments. Sometimes I just wear it when I’m alone so I can feel good, it’s not even always for sex."

But when Zoe does have sex, the strap-on comes in handy. "My girlfriend enjoys the feeling of penetration and I love the feeling of stroking and the power I get from having the strap-on, so we use it in our sex a lot. Some couples switch with strap-ons but I’m always the giver and her the receiver. That’s the way we love it though," they tell Mashable.

Finding (and getting to know) your strap-on 

First things first, you want to make sure you have the right equipment. "Which strap-on you use can make or break your experience," Knight warns. "Both from a comfort standpoint and from how easy it is to use."

Glenise Kinard-Moore, founder and creator of a new dildo that goes from flaccid to erect with the click of a button The V Dom, tells Mashable, "You need to pay attention to what your strap-on is made of. You want to choose products that are aligned with your body, in terms of knowing what types of materials you may have a sensitivity or irritation to," says Kinard-Moore. Not everything will work for everyone.

She adds that strap-on searchers should ensure they find a strap-on that works for them, "not just one that has been suggested by someone else or the first one you see on the shelf."

"Take your time to make sure the type of harness offered works for your body type and the material used doesn’t cause an irritation for you or your partner."

If you’ve been irritated by certain materials when using other sex toys in the past, steer clear of strap-ons made of the same stuff. If you’re totally in doubt and this is your first toy, silicone is your safest bet as it’s a body-safe material. Just pay attention to any issues and if it’s uncomfortable or irritable, don’t ignore it. Stop using it.

Keeping your dildo squeaky-clean

And speaking of materials… if your dildo is dirty, it’s not going to do you any good. It might not sound so sexy, but your toys should be kept clean before and after both solo and partnered sex so both you and your partner (or partners) are safe. Sex with dirty sex toys can result in thrush, UTI, and other issues.

Like Tammy, many wearers find strap-ons a little odd or intimidating at first, but there are a few simple ways to get comfortable with your strap-on so it can soon feel like an extension of yourself, and bring some extra fun into your sex. 

"It sounds odd, but I recommend just sitting around wearing your strap on by yourself," says Tammy. "This helped me go from feeling ridiculous to feeling really powerful. I got to know my strap-on so well in privacy — just hanging around the house wearing it and even practicing positions in my room with it - that I felt much more confident the first time I brought it to my girlfriend’s house for sex," she tells Mashable. 

The need-to-knows of strap-on sex 

No matter how you plan to use your strap-on, lube is always a good idea. In general, lube should always be part of your sex life. It’s great stuff. "Just make sure your lube is compatible with your dildo of choice — silicone lube degrades silicone toys, and oil-based lube can damage latex condoms, so water-based lube is likely a safe bet," Knight advises. 

Kinard-Moore notes that if you’re the person wearing the strap-on, you have a responsibility to ensure your partner is comfortable and happy. "Make sure you take your time and confirm that your partner is comfortable with the positioning at the time of penetration." With strap-ons, the wearer can't feel what the receiver is feeling, so it’s important to communicate, not assume things are feeling good for them, to check in with them so you can adjust, change positions or take a break if needed.

Communication, as always, is integral. Talk to your partner prior to using the strap-on about what you both want to get out of the experience, what you’re hoping for, and discuss your boundaries. What do you really not want to happen? What are you up for trying but you’re not quite sure? All of this needs to be discussed beforehand, so you can keep each other safe while you’re having sex.

Knight adds that you should be keeping the communication going during and after sex too. After all, that’s what consent is all about. "Ask your partner how what you’re doing feels, as it’s way more difficult to tell what’s going on down there than if you’re using a mouth or a hand. Don’t just rely on body language to tell you if you’re making a mistake," she says.

"The first time me and my girlfriend used a strap-on, we didn’t just jump in at the deep end," Zoe says. "We made a really big deal of it and while that can seem scary to some, I think it was important. We almost made it like a date night. After floating the idea of using them, we got some pizza and drinks and had a night in just chatting about what we wanted to do, and then we bought our first one together on that same night. Consent can be really romantic, and it was good to know what she was looking for, how I could provide that, and understand more about my own desires too."

After sex, try having a debrief too. This is simply a way of extending consent and communication, reflecting on the sex you just had together and talking about what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d like to do differently next time. Debriefs are especially welcome when you’ve tried something completely new. 

Turning things up a notch 

Once you’ve got into the groove with strap-on sex and that you feel like a master of the dildo, you might fancy upping the ante. Thanks to the abundance of dildos, sex positions, other sex toys, and lubes out there in the world, there are plenty of ways to explore. 

"Explore the different types of uses of your strap-on. Try different positions, incorporate other toys when using your strap-on, or try different lubes, such as heat sensitive or flavoured," says Glenise. 

If and when you feel ready, you can buy strap-ons that vibrate and pulsate that come equipped with a remote control (so the receiver could control it if they like), there's longer, thicker dildos for a different sensation, or you can bring another sex toy into the mix too. Who doesn’t like a little bullet vibrator against the clitoris during penetrative sex, for instance?

Remember that there is no right or ‘best’ way to use a strap-on. The best way to use one is your way. Focus on which products excite you, what movements and techniques work for you and your partner, and try new things organically in the bedroom, responding to what you and your partner like best just as you would with non-strap-on sex. Take things slow, find what works well for you, and take good care of your new schlong.

Let me cut to the chase: If you’ve been waiting four or five years to upgrade your MacBook Air, go ahead and do it now. 

That’s because the new 2022 MacBook Air, powered by Apple’s in-house M2 silicon, is just about the ideal work-from-home (or work-from-wherever, really) companion. For a starting price of $1,200, this new M2 Air delivers everything you need any job centered around using a computer: Rock-solid battery life, a larger 13.6-inch display than previous models, a keyboard that’s to die for, and enough horsepower to handle everyday tasks with ease.

Is it perfect? Absolutely not. The new M2 MacBook Air is still in dire need of upgrades to things like refresh rate and the port selection. But if you’re like me and you’ve spent way too much time working on an older MacBook Air, this upgrade is a no-brainer.

Bigger, but still slim

No tapering here. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

Apple’s latest MacBook Air is a direct successor to the M1-powered MacBook Air from late 2020, so I’ll use that model as a baseline for most comparisons. Its physical appearance is actually one of the areas in which the two models differ the most.

This new M2 Air model comes with a redesign that won’t mean much to the layperson but might be noticeable to more tech-savvy individuals. Previous MacBook Air laptops have come with a bottom half that tapers down in size from one end to the next. In other words, while using the laptop, the end of the keyboard and trackpad portion of the body was thinner than the part that connects to the display. 

That staple of MacBook Air design is a thing of the past now. Apple instead went with an all-around uniform thickness of 1.13 cm, while the 2020 model bottomed out at 0.41 cm but went up to 1.61 cm at its thickest. As someone who appreciates symmetry and consistency, this pleases me; I want my laptop to be the same size on one end as it is on the other. Its peak thinness may not be the same as before, but overall, this is still a very slim machine.

And that’s impressive because Apple upgraded the display from its former 13.3-inch size to a new 13.6-inch size. A third of an inch may not sound like a lot, but in ultra-portable laptop terms, it can make a big difference. I’ve spent the last three and a half years working on a 2016 MacBook Pro with a 13.3-inch display and immediately felt the difference here, so trust me on this.

The camera notch isn't great. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

That Apple was able to size up the display while maintaining a respectable level of thinness and actually cutting down the weight (2.7 lbs. versus 2.8 lbs. on the 2020 Air model) is certainly impressive. One thing I find less impressive is the new camera notch, a holdover from the 2021 MacBook Pro. This is something I can tolerate on a phone screen (though I don’t much care for it there, either) because it’s smaller. But I do find the notch a touch distracting on a larger laptop display. 

To Apple’s credit, the notch doesn’t actually get in the way when streaming videos (everything from YouTube to Sling has black bars where the notch would be anyway), but it just looks bad to me. 

That said, the notch contains one major upgrade in the form of a 1080p camera, rather than the lowly 720p lens from the last go-round. Simply put, your video calls will look much better if you decide to pull the trigger on the new M2 MacBook Air, and not just because of increased resolution. I’ve had to carefully position myself in front of an overhead light behind me for every work call for years because, if I didn’t, that light would drown out my own face. With the new M2 MacBook Air, that overbearing glare becomes a glowing circle in the corner while my face remains visible.

That light made the webcam on my older MacBook Pro unusable. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

The last big physical change is the addition of a MagSafe charging port alongside the two previously existing Thunderbolt / USB-C ports on the MacBook Air’s left side. This, of course, allows you to charge the laptop while keeping two Thunderbolt / USB-C ports open. Still, I would’ve liked one or two more of these ports to keep parity with the crappy old 2016 model I’ve used, which has four in total. One thing I won’t complain about, though: This bad boy comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack on the right side. 

Before moving on to how it feels to actually use the thing, here’s a more detailed look at the M2 MacBook Air’s specs:

• Four colors: space grey, starlight, midnight, silver

• 13.6-inch display with 60Hz refresh rate

• 1080p front-facing camera

• 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB RAM

• 256GB to 2TB storage

• MagSafe 3 port, two Thunderbolt / USB-C ports, 3.5mm headphone jack

Kingly keyboard

This keyboard is the best. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

From the perspective of someone who’s been stuck on one of Apple’s horrendous old butterfly keyboards for years, switching to the M2 MacBook Air was roughly what I imagine it feels like to go to heaven. This is a fantastic keyboard — one that should be a selling point for anyone stuck on a butterfly keyboard.

Key presses feel substantial but hardly make any noise. Merely pushing the keys in while typing feels good, man. It actually feels like pressing a real button, unlike the butterfly keyboard, which felt like pushing down on something that was stuck in molasses. That said, this keyboard seems nearly identical in feel to the 2020 M1 MacBook Air, so it’s not some revolutionary vanguard of keyboard design. Rather, it’s a continuation of a positive trend.

There is one major change, which is that the function row along the top has been extended so the keys are full-sized rather than half-sized like they were on the 2020 Air. In practice, this mostly means the escape key feels huge, coming in at the same form factor as the tab key. I gotta say, I dig it. I have somewhat big fingers so more size is always better, in my view. There’s still a Touch ID key on the upper right corner of the keyboard, too, and it works flawlessly as a means to log into the machine rather than type out a password every time. 

Needless to say, this keyboard is the best reason to upgrade if you’re still on a somewhat older MacBook. I wish I could say the same for the display.

Needs more hertz

The display is great, but could be better. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

To be clear, this new M2 MacBook Air’s display is, broadly speaking, a good one. Its 2560x1664 resolution keeps images, videos, websites, and what have you looking sharp as can be on a display this size. At 500 nits of max brightness, it’s 25 percent brighter than the 400-nit-max 2020 Air model. You will not run into any problems with this display when using it for almost any everyday task.

I just have one big beef with it: The refresh rate tops out at 60Hz. For a laptop that costs a minimum of $1,200, that’s just not good enough. It’s adequate for streaming, as that just happens to be the max refresh rate on just about every streaming site, but basic web browsing looks and feels so much better at 120Hz. I want that smoothness, folks. I need it.

Still, don’t let the display be a reason not to get the new M2 MacBook Air. Like I said, it’s more than good enough in every other respect, and I quite enjoyed using it as a second screen for watching baseball while I used my main TV for other things. The refresh rate may not be as fast as possible, but its overall performance profile paints a more pleasant picture.

Fast and quiet

You'll charge up with MagSafe this time around. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

The M2 processor, just like its M1 and M1 Pro predecessors, keeps this new MacBook Air running real fast. This isn’t terribly surprising, as top-of-the-line performance is one of the reasons people are so willing to pay the exorbitant "Apple tax" on every device the company makes. We expect greatness from Apple products and that’s what this new MacBook Air provides.

In my testing, I primarily used it as an everyday work-and-web-browsing machine. That means chatting with my boss on Slack, participating in video calls with dozens of coworkers, browsing Twitter, writing articles, streaming aforementioned baseball games, and bulk-deleting emails to get down to that sweet, sweet “inbox-zero” feeling. 

These are all things that, in one way or another, would slow down my 2016 MacBook Pro. They’re also all things that, in no way at all, hindered the 2022 M2 MacBook Air.

The entire experience is speedy and fluid, backed up by GeekBench benchmarking scores that put it near or above the more expensive 2021 MacBook Pro in some respects. And while Apple doesn’t rate the battery life any differently than the 2020 Air (i.e., 15 hours of web browsing / 18 hours of video playback), that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I was able to get 24 hours of real-time usage between charges, which is more than acceptable for a laptop like this.

And the best part is that it’s totally, 100 percent silent the entire time. No fan, no problem.

An easy decision, either way

There is no debating that the new M2 MacBook Air is about as good as you can hope for from the Air line. The only thing that’s worth discussing is how necessary of an upgrade it is for you.

Thankfully, I don’t think it’s that difficult of a call to make. If you still have a butterfly keyboard or a MacBook from before Apple switched to its homemade M-series silicon (and you can afford $1,200+ for a new laptop), go ahead and make the switch. Whether you commute to and from an office, or work from home full-time, the new MacBook Air is an ideal job companion with excellent performance and one of the best keyboards around.

With that in mind, however, the M1 MacBook Air from 2020 is slightly cheaper, starting at $1,000. It has a slightly different design, but is only a tiny bit heavier and may be slightly more compact thanks to a smaller display. Its keyboard is also excellent, though not quite as much since it doesn’t have a full-sized function row. But the M1 processor, older as it may be, is no slouch, and if you already have one of those machines, there’s no reason to upgrade right now. And if you feel like saving a bit of money, you can buy the older M1 Air without losing too much.

A 90Hz to 120Hz display would’ve made the M1 model more obsolete, but for now, there are good reasons to stick to that one.

Either way, Apple’s new MacBook Air is an excellent machine that is a light at the end of a long, winding tunnel for someone who’s been using one of those awful old keyboards for years.

In April, social messaging app WhatsApp announced it was working on a new 'Communities' feature, a way for separate groups to come "under one umbrella," in what sounded like a hopeful competitor to Slack. Now, the feature is available for beta users.

The Meta-owned messaging platform has been slowly rolling out incremental updates over the last few months: groups sizes doubled to 512 people, 32-person video calls, an increased 2GB file-sharing limit, emoji reactions, "last seen" statuses that let you hide it from certain people, and now, Communities.

According to WhatsApp, Communities is now available in "limited countries." If you have the feature available to you already, you can add up to 10 groups under one community. Communities also gives group admins more power; they can remove messages they deem "errant or problematic" and can send announcement messages to everyone in the group. Members can also break off into smaller discussion groups within that Community.

According to WABetaInfo, Communities will appear in a separate tab on the app. The website also published a screenshot showing the Communities tab sitting where the camera icon would ordinarily be on the app.

WhatsApp confirmed to Mashable in April that end-to-end encryption will be extended to the Communities feature — but keep in mind that whole mess with WhatsApp's updated privacy policy last year.

WhatsApp is working on even more features up ahead: you could soon exit group chats silently (without the fuss that inevitably occurs when you leave).

If you’ve been dealing with a decrepit, dying iPhone all year, your time is almost here — Sept. 7 to be exact.

Yes, Apple's keynote iPhone event is locked in for early September, which means it’s just about time for the company to announce a boatload of new products, chief among them being this year’s lineup of new iPhones. As always, the rumor mill has been swirling around this hotly anticipated iPhone 14 line, so let’s take a few minutes to brush up on what Apple will probably show off next month.

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RIP iPhone mini

There were four iPhones 13 and there shall be four iPhones 14. Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It’s an annual tradition in the tech world to turn to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman for trustworthy iPhone leaks, and that hasn’t changed in 2022. Gurman has a handy guide for what to expect from the iPhone 14 line and possibly the biggest change this year is a shakeup to Apple’s phone sizing conventions.

The expectation is that Apple will launch four new iPhones this year — same as last year but without a sub-6-inch mini model like the one we loved. Instead, there will be two 6.1-inch and two 6.7-inch models, one of each for the regular iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro lines. Here's how we expect it to shake out:

• 6.1-inch iPhone 14

• 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro

• 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max

• 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max

Yes, that means there could be an iPhone 14 Max with a giant 6.7-inch screen and no Pro-level price point. Excited yet?

See ya never, notch!

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 14 Pro models will replace the much-loathed notch with a hole-punch front-facing camera. The Pro models are also said to feature a new pill-shaped cutout, per Gurman, that will house the iPhone 14 Pro's Face ID sensors.

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You may be wondering why anyone would shell out for a 14 Pro if the 14 Max exists. Well, according to Gurman and Kuo, that's because the iPhone 14 Pro will come with a 48-megapixel main rear lens, a sizable upgrade over the 12-megapixel lens said to be included on the iPhone 14. It’ll also come with Apple's new A16 chip on the inside, while the non-Pro iPhone 14 models will be powered by last year’s A15. Of course, the normal Pro upgrades like a telephoto lens and upgraded battery will also be present in the more expensive models.

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As for design changes, Gurman says to expect something broadly similar to the iPhone 13. The Pro phones may have a new notch replacement, but aside from that, a more substantial redesign may have to wait for 2023. 

Regarding pricing, we won't know for sure how much these phones cost until Apple tells us on Sept. 7, but Kuo said in August he expects iPhone 14 Pro pricing to rise about 15 percent above the $1,000 starting price of the iPhone 13 Pro.

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Apple Watch could go 'Pro'

The underside of the Apple Watch Series 8 (Series 7 pictured) might measure your body temperature. Credit: Neil Godwin/Future Publishing via Getty Images

To no one’s surprise, Gurman is also a reliable source on the other new product we expect to see during the Sept. 7 Apple event: the Apple Watch Series 8. In a July edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Gurman laid out the three new versions of the Apple Watch that he expects will be shown at the event.

To start, we could see a default Apple Watch Series 8 in 41mm and 45mm sizes with a new S8 chip powering its performance and, as Kuo also reported, a body temperature sensor to add even more health tracking functionality, including specific features for women's health. According to Gurman, expect around a $400 starting price for that one.

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There may also be a new $280 Apple Watch SE, which would replace the current SE model that already sits at that price point. The SE would likely include the new S8 chip for improved performance, but per Gurman, it won’t include the body temperature sensor.

The really interesting one is the third Apple Watch model, which, for all intents and purposes, we can call Apple Watch "Pro" for now. This one is aimed squarely at outdoors enthusiasts who need a durable watch that can handle more health measurement metrics, so it would have a bigger display and a titanium casing. Improvements to battery life and tracking for hikes and swims were also noted in the newsletter.

Sounds great, right? Well, that’s until we get to pricing. Gurman said it could start for as much as $900 to $1,000 or, in other words, as much as some iPhone models. For a watch. Hopefully anyone who spends that much gets what they paid for.

Given that Apple has recently taken to doing a later fall event for iPads and Macs, most rumors point to this one being all about the iPhone and Apple Watch.

James Corden loves a rap recap, whether it's end of year roundups, TV recaps, or — as in this case — a run-through of the summer's biggest headlines.

In the video above the Late Late Show host covers everything from politics to Batgirl being cancelled and Minions-inspired TikTok trends.

Did all that really happen over the past few months?

Warning: Extremely big spoilers ahead for not only Stranger Things Season 4 but the immersive experience. If you want to bail, as our guy Eddie Munson put it, "Don’t try to be heroes. There is no shame in running."

Look, I'm aware it's been weeks. You can lower both of those eyebrows. But frankly, I'm not over the Stranger Things Season 4 finale for one big, legitimate reason: I need to know what's going to happen to Max Mayfield. 

We're slowly making peace with losing our beloved Eddie Munson…well, we're getting there. Baby steps. But as longtime consumers of fine Hawkins punch-in-the-heart chaos, we’ve been left with one of the biggest cliffhangers for one of the best characters in the entire Netflix series. It's Hopper over-the-edge all over again — but Max's emotional journey through Season 4 hit me hard for various reasons. Viewers spent a season running up that hill of guilt, trauma, and grief with Max, outrunning psychological demons, embracing vulnerability, and letting our friends in — and now this? 

Luckily, there's a soothing balm for my apparently fierce investment in the wellbeing of a fictional character: Stranger Things: The Experience. Finally opened in London in August after runs in New York and San Francisco, the event produced by Netflix and Fever has taken over Troubadour Brent Cross Studios and my weirdly dedicated heart.

London's 'Stranger Things' experience opened in August. Credit: Shannon Connellan / Mashable

The storyline of the immersive experience is thematically linked to Stranger Things, though not something you’ve seen in the Duffer Brothers' series. You’ve been summoned to the creepy Hawkins National Laboratory, where you've signed up as a test subject in a sleep experiment. This means very '80s introductory VHS tapes to watch in faux wood-panelled rooms, flanked with bleak corporate coffee stations and general sense of unease.

When pandemonium ensues, as it tends to at Hawkins Lab, you discover your own power in more ways than one, meet the cast in pre-recorded segments, escape into the Upside Down, and strut into the afterparty, a neon paradise of real Surfer Boy Pizza and Scoops Ahoy treats to inhale and a veritable shitload of merch to spend big on.

If you've read this far, and still want to go the Stranger Things: The Experience unspoiled, this is your last warning before you're surrounded by 🚨spoilers🚨 faster than Eddie Munson was surrounded by...wow, still too soon. But safe to say you might enjoy this more than the ending of Season 4.

Before you reach the neon-emblazoned fun zone, the production's finale gives one of the better fan experiences I've had, in terms of comparison to the onscreen finale we just lived through.

Cast your mind back into Max's mind. Credit: Netflix

A quick reminder of the agony you just went through: In the Stranger Things Season 4 finale, when Vecna attacks Max in her school-dance memory, Eleven beams in from her pizza-kitchen bathtub and uses her powers to battle him. Vecna drags them both back to his "red soup mind world" and restrains both Max and Eleven with mind tentacles. With Mike's encouragement, El frees herself from the tentacles and sends Vecna flying, but not before he begins his fatal bone-breaking process on Max. Watching our favourite Kate Bush fan reach this horrifying point of Vecna's signature murder procedure was a distressing moment of the finale. It couldn't be happening.

In the Creel House attic, Max wakes up in Lucas' arms unable to feel or see anything, terrified, and slowly fading. One thing is clear in this scene: Max wants to live. But it's too late. The performances from Caleb McLaughlin (including his heart-stopper of an improvised line), Sadie Sink, and Millie Bobby Brown in this moment are truly devastating. Max's death scene is tragic and enraging — hadn't she won? Max had outrun her psychological captor before, fighting her way through a scene that Mashable's Rebecca Ruiz expertly unpacked as resonant with people who've experienced mental health crises and depression, particularly navigating grief. In this moment, we all lost. Vecna won.

Devastating. Credit: Netflix

When Eleven decides that Max isn't going anywhere, she digs into her happy memories to somehow use her powers to bring her back — but Max’s heart had stopped for over a minute, so she remains in a coma as the season ends. 

If all of this left you in a state of despair more destroyed than the town of Hawkins, you’re in good company. Luckily, the immersive experience offers an alternate version of events that left me with the catharsis I craved. 

At the finale of Stranger Things: The Experience, after you've battled Demodogs running amok in the Hawkins Lab (with a little help from Eleven, Lucas, Dustin, Erica, Will, and Mike), been tested for telekinetic powers in a very familiar rainbow covered observation room, your group escapes by opening a portal to the Upside Down. In here, you encounter Max, alive and well, and way more friendly than you've ever experienced this character — she seems genuinely happy to see a group of strangers wearing dorky 3D glasses (extremely easy burn fodder for the Hawkins burn queen). As the Demodogs close in, the Demogorgon emerges, and Vecna shows up, Eleven arrives just in time. Max is tied to a tree with mind tentacles by Vecna — like in the Season 4 finale — and it seems we're going to have to watch it all go down again.

But instead, the audience is invited to use your newfound telekinetic powers (literally holding your hand out El-style while the production team 'move' objects with the click of a button) to blast that slimy bastard outta here. Max is saved, El closes the portal, and the gang gathers to celebrate. Here she was! Safe and sound, ready to fight in the Upside Down another day, smiling with her friends, and thanking the bespectacled audience for doing such a great job. I almost lost it. Moving toward the exit and the looming wave of merch awaiting beyond, I dropped my glasses in the bucket and punched the air, Breakfast Club-style.

We did it! Now, can I work here please... Credit: Shannon Connellan / Mashable

Sure, I'd make my way to the experience's neon-sprayed hangout area, The Mix-Up; over to the Family Video store, where the counter heaved with old Milk Duds and VHS copies of Back to the Future; then the Hellfire Lounge, where I'd strongly consider paying an exorbitant amount for a denim vest emblazoned with an outstandingly muscular homage to Eddie Munson. I'd wolf down Surfer Boy Pizza reading a copy of The Hawkins Post, inhale a sundae from Scoops Ahoy, and wash it all down with a "Yuri Gonna Love This" cocktail.

We need two "Friends Don't Lie" and one "Demogorgon" please. Credit: Shannon Connellan / Mashable

Yes, I may be semi-sloshed trying on a Thinking Cap and about to drop more ridiculous coin on a Rink-O-Mania bomber jacket — but folks, we saved her. Max was OK! Not only OK, but free of Vecna's curse and back with her pals, not lying in a hospital bed.

Ranting about this to my partner over a bucket of Stranger Things scrunchies, I realised that beyond the photo opps and the merch hauls, a pop culture themed experience like this is meant to generate this kind of ownership and satisfaction for fans, satiating an often fierce choose-your-own-ending viewership that demands things turn out differently. There are always things we want to change. In Secret Cinema's wonderful 2019 Stranger Things experience, based on Season 1-3's narrative, the production stuck like glue to the show's story, using actors and impressive special effects to recreate some of the Netflix series' biggest moments — all while letting you freely roam a fully immersive environment recreating Hawkins locations. But in Netflix and Fever's event, it's a thematically linked, parallel story entirely that includes this change of ending.

Where we left Max in Season 4. Credit: Netflix

We don't know if Max will be OK in Season 5, and not even Sadie Sink has said anything about that. For now, she's in her hospital bed, with her friends reading Stephen King books to her, and little chance of recovery according to the doctors — we're going to have to rely on El to find her, it seems. But there's at least one place where Max is probably off having a Scoops Ahoy sundae, having watched a bunch of strangers kick the crap out of Vecna. 

Stranger Things: The Experience is running in New York, San Francisco, and London.

All smartphone makers promise to help us get things done faster. As a result, there are a ton of competing flagship smartphones on the market — the iPhone 13, the Galaxy S22, and the Pixel 6, to name a few — that ensure a brisk mobile experience housed in an elegant design. The OnePlus 10T strays only slightly from that formula. Straddling both the premium and midrange markets, it combines the fastest available Android processor and the best default screen refresh rate with superior battery performance and charging speed. 

However, with a starting price of $649, the 10T also falls squarely in the more affordable mid-range spectrum of smartphones. Will that budget-friendly price, in combination with its topnotch processor, screen, and battery be enough to push the OnePlus 10T past its flagship competition when pre-orders start on September 1st? Let’s find out.

Built to last

When I took the OnePlus 10T out of the box, I was surprised it didn’t weigh as much as I thought it would. My daily driver is the thicc iPhone 13 Pro Max at 8.46 ounces. So the 7.2 ounce weight of the OnePlus 10T made it feel more like a smartphone that’s meant to be used as opposed to a smartphone that should live in a trophy case. Its weight, or relative lack thereof, could be a good thing for anyone who’s looking for a larger phone that won’t weigh down their pockets... or force them to keep the drawstring on their jogger pants tied tight. (Ask me how I know.)

The OnePlus 10T, which features Gorilla Glass 5 protection on front and back, has a 6.7-inch OLED display that blends perfectly with its bezel. At 2412 x 1080p, its screen resolution may not offer the clarity of more premium smartphones with 1440p displays, but the 120 Hz refresh rate more than makes up for it. As a result, there’s a noticeable speed and smoothness to scrolling, transition effects, and animations on the device.

Oh and symmetry-minded users will be pleased to know that the OnePlus 10T’s hole-punch, 16-megapixel selfie camera is centered at the top of the screen and just below the barely visible speaker grille.

It's nothing special to look at, but it looks like it can take a beating. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

On the right side of the 10T, you’ll find the power/sleep button while the volume rocker occupies the opposite edge. It’s worth noting that the phone doesn’t have an additional “alert slider” like its sibling, the OnePlus 10 Pro — but that shouldn’t be a big issue. Sure, having to press the volume rocker up or down to display additional on-screen volume options, then tapping the ‘music note’ button to mute the volume is an extra step. But that isn’t on my nitpick list when it comes to increased productivity in a smartphone — to each their own.

The choice of trim/bezel material is another area where the OnePlus 10T makes its mid-range roots clear. I was expecting a “shiny” metal bezel around the device that would compare to other flagship devices like the Google Pixel 6 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Ultra 22. Instead, you get a plastic frame. 

As for the OnePlus 10T’s rear, its symmetrical and bump-minimizing camera/flash array is a very nice touch for anyone who appreciates a minimalist aesthetic. The phone’s textured glass back is another one of those unexpected, but appreciated design features. And if you don’t feel like using a case, you likely won’t have to worry much about scratching or scuffing the rear panel when you put the phone down on…anything. Unfortunately, you won’t get much choice in color options for the OnePlus 10T: It’s only available in moonstone black and jade green.

Another feature that keeps the OnePlus 10T just out of premium range is its IP54 rating, which means it can withstand dust and a splash or two of water but will be in trouble if submerged. Which on its face sounds okay so long as you don’t compare it to other flagship devices, like Google’s Pixel 6 line or Samsung’s Galaxy S22, which offer more robust IP68 dust- and water-proofing.

Speedy performance and big battery life

The battery life on the OnePlus 10T is substantial. As a self-described heavy smartphone user, I can confidently state that the 4,800mAh battery held up like a champ in my hands. I was able to use the phone for a full day and still had a 30 percent charge leftover before going to bed. 

For this review, I performed the typical daily functions to drain the battery. Basically, I did what any normal smartphone user would do: I watched a heavy amount of YouTube and TikTok videos throughout the day, in addition to using Google Chrome for web browsing and Google Drive to manage cloud documents.

No wireless charging here. But what do you expect for the price? Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

When the OnePlus 10T needed charging, I was able to charge it to over 50 percent in under 30 minutes using the supplied USB-C Cable and 160W SuperVOOC power adapter. Tweaking battery settings like high performance mode, optimize battery use, sleep standby optimization, and optimized night charging could produce even better battery/charging performance results. The OnePlus 10T is, however, missing wireless charging. Its inclusion would have been a nice touch but maybe next time.

The OnePlus 10T’s fingerprint and face unlock features are also surprisingly fast. In fact, getting into the phone using face unlock was so speedy that I wonder if there is any decrease in security when using it as the primary method of accessing the phone. At any rate, the safest measure is to use either the fingerprint or PIN unlock if you’re uber-concerned about device security.

For this review, I had the privilege of testing the 16GB RAM/128GB storage OnePlus 10T variant which, in combination with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, made everything I did on this device move fast. From having tons of apps (and browser tabs) open to downloading and streaming media, and interacting on Twitter and Instagram, the OnePlus 10T did not miss a step when it comes to brisk performance. 

Good but not great cameras

You won't find that Hasselblad photo magic here. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

Much like other current flagships, the One Plus 10T has three rear-facing cameras. The main 50-megapixel camera is capable of producing solid low-light images, but tops out at 10X optical zoom as compared to 30X optical zoom on the similarly priced Samsung Galaxy S22. 

There’s also an 8-megapixel ultra-wide and a 2-megapixel macro camera that gets the job done, but that’s it. After taking several pictures and comparing them with other smartphones I own (i.e., iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 Pro Max), it’s clear that the OnePlus 10T produces high-quality images that are bright and sharp. However, similar shots taken with the iPhone appear richer in color and more detailed.

The One Plus 10T has a respectful 16-megapixel front-facing camera that works well in natural and low-light situations. I actually preferred the image quality of the front-facing camera images over similar ones taken with my iPhone 13 Pro Max as more details (and less shadows) were evident in the shots.

Taken with OnePlus 10T in natural outdoor lighting Credit: Terrance Gaines / Mashable

Taken with iPhone 13 Pro Max in natural outdoor lighting Credit: Terrance Gaines / Mashable

The OnePlus 10T does have some camera tricks not present in other devices. There’s the “Dirty lens warning” setting that can detect whether a fingerprint smudge or other particles might prohibit a clear shot. Plus, there is a Dual-View Video feature that lets you record from both the rear and front-facing camera at the same time. 

Even though the OnePlus 10T has some slick camera settings, it is missing the Hasselblad partnership found on the OnePlus 10 Pro. That feature bump would’ve given this smartphone even more of a premium flagship feel with additional professional-level camera settings and modes.

The Android competition

The One Plus 10T starts at $649. But for just $799, you can opt for its “bigger brother,” the OnePlus 10 Pro, which has a better 3216 X 1440 resolution display, wireless charging, and Hasselblad camera system. Are nicer cameras and the privilege of wireless charging worth an extra $150? Folks looking for a higher-end smartphone at a budget price might not think so. 

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 is another go-to Android brand if you don’t want to be subjected to the Apple ecosystem. At $849, the Galaxy S22 offers multiple color options (vs. just two for the OnePlus 10T), and also has better camera specs: 50MP rear camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, and 10MP telephoto lens. That said, it does have only 8GB RAM and a comparatively smaller 6.1-inch screen but you still get a 120Hz refresh rate. 

For a true Android experience, there’s always Google's Pixel 6, priced at $599 ($50 cheaper than the 10T), with its 6.4-inch screen to consider. One of the Pixel 6’s best features is its Real Tone camera feature that accurately captures different skin tones and other color differences. Although, Real Tone alone might not be enough of a value-add to make you choose it over the 10T. Plus, the Pixel 6 only offers a two-camera system on back with wide and ultra-wide lenses and 8GB RAM. So, given that, the One Plus 10T still makes a case to be considered.

The bottom line

The focus of the OnePlus 10T is speed and, in that respect, it delivers. Its processing power, in combination with solid battery life and fast charging, push it well above other mid-range competitors for the price. However, the 10T’s cameras and overall design aesthetic still keep the device with one foot in the “average” bucket —at least when compared to rival Android flagship devices. 

To use a basketball term, the OnePlus 10T’s makes outnumber the misses. If ultra-fast performance at a reasonable $649 starting price is important to you, the just-above-midrange (but just below flagship) OnePlus 10T is a worthy smartphone to consider.

TL;DR: As of August 25, you can get the Refurbished 5th-generation Apple iPad in Space Gray for just $319.99 instead of $499 — that's a 35% discount.

Buying refurbished tech isn't just a great way to lower your carbon footprint. It could still get you decent devices that hold up well in terms of performance, durability, and longevity. For example, this refurbished 5th-generation iPad still has plenty that it could do, and it's only $319.99 (Reg. $499). 

A refurbished iPad is still an iPad 

Stream, browse, work, or play on this refurbished iPad. Though it's not the most recent model, this iPad's Apple A9 processor should offer adequate performance for checking emails and general web browsing. This model also has a 128GB SSD for local file storage and apps, an 8MP iSight camera, and a 1.2MP FaceTime HD front camera. 

Recent iPads may have higher specs, but this one could still comfortably run apps for productivity and pleasure. Plus, you can use this iPad as a portable workstation when paired with a compatible Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. It could also be an excellent way to join video conferences while using your work computer, so you don't have to give up any of your laptop's or desktop monitor's screen space. This iPad lets you accomplish these and more for up to 10 hours before you have to charge it again. 

If you have any trouble filling those 10 hours, the 9.7-inch LED-backlit Retina Display could look great with your favorite streaming service open on it. Or you could use the multi-touch interface for gaming. 

Though it's refurbished, this iPad has been given a "B" rating, meaning you might encounter some surface-level scrapes and dents. The meat of the machine should function just fine. 

A great deal on a multi-purpose tablet 

Though the specs are pretty nice, the most impressive part of this tablet might be the price. Get a refurbished 5th-generation Apple iPad in Space Gray for $319.99 (Reg. $499). 

Prices subject to change.

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TL;DR: As of August 25, you can get 10,000 LongTailPro Keyword Lookup Credits for just $49.99 instead of $598 — that's a 91% discount.

Keyword research can be exhausting, but it’s just one part of getting your content noticed on the internet. With so much competition on the popular search engines, getting onto the first page could take a lot of work, depending on your topic. That work might be a bit easier with a keyword research software like LongTailPro that could help you find keywords that relate to your precise niche. 

Using Longtail keywords for your SEO ranking 

General keywords may provide volume, but they’re harder to rank for, especially if you’re writing about something very specific. LongTailPro could help you find longtail keywords that are better tailored toward your particular niche, and they’re often a lot easier to compete for. With LongTailPro, there are three ways to get keyword suggestions and metrics. First, you could use the related keyword feature to search for one word, then find related keywords that could also work for your topic. You could also see what your competitors are ranking for and use that to inform your own strategy. Finally, you can use the manual keywords feature to go through your search process for a more analog approach. 

LongTailPro works a little differently than some keyword research tools. Rather than getting a lifetime subscription, you can pay in advance for how much you want to research. This package gives you 10,000 keyword lookup credits, Competitiveness Score Calculations, and SERP Lookups. That also includes daily rank updates and custom keyword recommendations for your domain after using the Domain Analysis tool.

A keyword research tool that pays as you go

Instead of getting stuck with a hefty bill for a long-term subscription to a keyword research tool you might not use that often, get one that’s more catered to your needs. For a limited time, you can purchase 10,000 LongTailPro Keyword Lookup Credits on sale for $49.99 (Reg. $598). 

Prices subject to change.

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TL;DR: As of August 25, you can get the VH-80 Bilateral Laser Distance Measurer for just $144.30 with code VH80 — that's a 27% discount.

Whether you're hanging a painting, sticking a curtain rod above a window, or just trying to see for sure if an ad for a new home told the truth about the square footage of your potential "walk-in" closet, there's a lot of reasons you might want an easy way to measure things. And sometimes, it might be a little tiring to pull out the old tape measure. However, there may be something that could do the job a little faster, smarter, and with zero risk of 45 inches of metal tape shooting back at you.

The VH-80 is a bilateral laser distance measurer that can evaluate the distance between two points without the hassle of a traditional measuring tape. With the press of a button, the VH-80 can perform quick measurements at the job site or around the home, and it's on sale for $144.30 (Reg. $199) with code VH80. 

The measure of a good tool 

Successfully funded on Kickstarter, the VH-80 has a variety of functions that could be useful in many of the same creative, home improvement, and bare necessity niches that a tape measure or ruler normally fills. You can take a distance measurement by placing the VH-80 between two points so long as they are up to 80 meters apart. Then, press a button, and you'll receive three values: the distance to the left, right, and the sum of the two. As valuable as that may be, it's not the only measurement the VH-80 can take. 

The VH-80 lets you set up continuous measurements to measure at a time interval and check the live change in distance as you move. You can also calculate the area or volume of space with a few twists of the wrist or identify the length of the third side of a triangle using the Pythagorean theorem. 

A versatile tool for fast measurements

Make fast, accurate measurements using a laser from a device that could likely fit in your pocket. Get the VH-80 Bilateral Laser Distance Measurer for $144.30 (Reg. $199) with code VH80. 

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TL;DR: Between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18, you can get the Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription for just $199 instead of $499 — that's a 60% discount.

Speaking a second or third language may be cool, but it also could do something more for you. Beyond making it easier to find the non-touristy spots when you travel, there’s evidence to suggest another huge benefit to being multilingual: keeping your memory sharp, among other important brain functions. 

The benefits don’t change the fact that learning a language as an adult can be hard. However, it might be easier with an intuitive language learning app, one that has smart voice recognition and practice sessions that could fit in the small gaps of your busy day. A lifetime subscription to the Babbel Language Learning app is on sale for $199 (Reg. $499) from Aug. 24 through Sept. 18, and this might be your last chance to get it at this price for a while. 

An affordable way to learn 14 languages

Learning a new language might be hard, but it also may help keep you sharp as you get older. A 2017 study found that bilingual speakers showed slowed signs of mental decline with age. In short, learning and using a second language could keep your brain sharp for longer, and Babbel could get you started. 

With 14 languages to learn, you’ve got a lot of options. Those include French, Spanish, German, Swedish, Italian, and a bunch more. How you go about learning your chosen language also has some room for flexibility. Choose from 10-15 minute reading, writing, and multiple choice activities that you could work in throughout the day, or try verbal lessons using Babbel’s advanced speech-recognition software. You could even set up personalized review sessions to help solidify what you’ve learned. 

This lifetime subscription also lets you access Babbel on multiple devices, and it’s compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. 

A limited-time chance for a lifetime of language learning 

Fluency isn’t achieved overnight, but with a lifetime subscription to Babbel, you could learn 14 languages at your own pace for as long as you’d like. Between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18, new customers can get a lifetime subscription to Babbel Language Learning for only $199 (Reg. $499). No coupon code needed. 

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Once upon a time, reading smut was a private endeavor. Your Archive of Our Own (AO3) bookmarks were something kept in the recesses of your internet browsers and erotic fiction was read under the covers. You only shared your current recommendations behind the anonymity of a Tumblr username. Now, however, young people are embracing their smut on TikTok and going public with their horniness. 

Videos with the tag "smut" have a total 3.5 billion views, with more specific terms like #SmutRecs, #SmutBookRecs, and #WattpadSmutRecs accumulating more than 138 million. But it doesn’t end there, "spicy" has become a part of TikTok's lexicon, referring to any media with explicit adult content. Videos under the #SpicyBookRecs tag have gathered 808.7 million views, and accounts feature "spicy", or the associated pepper emoji, in their bios or display names as a form of semi-coded language guiding fellow romance and erotica readers to their pages.

Those creators also all seem to be young, predominantly women and queer people, and are shockingly comfortable sharing the sometimes extremely kinky or taboo content they consume — or, at the very least, comfortable sharing their reactions to graphic scenes and romantic fiction tropes. This side of TikTok utilizes the same memes and viral sounds as everyone else farming-out content, albeit in NSFW ways, to accumulate views and gain followers. 

They post memes about reading smut in public areas or around their parents. Others use popular sounds to recommend a wide array of fics and books in under a minute, even linking long spreadsheets. There's even the classic TikTok nostalgia content for readers who got into this genre years ago. 

At the same time, the rise of smut and erotica on TikTok coincides with recent reporting on the so-called "sex recession" among Gen Z youth, as The Guardian reported in Feb. 2020, or a move away from casual intimacy. 

Clearly, however, young people aren't fully abandoning sex. Many are instead exploring their sexualities online through works of fiction. Seeking out this content is a natural impulse, part of sexual discovery, and posting about it is a form of validation for their consumption of erotic media — and their own sexuality. 

When you post a video about your latest smut-based kink discovery and are met with thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, most of which are positive, it just simply feels good. It's an instant affirmation. TikTok, as the latest online gathering place for younger people (as well as publishers, advertisers, and even sex workers), is now the go-to hotspot for that digital nod of approval. 

As a viewer, the videos are another entertaining part of a diverse algorithm streamlining instant laughs, relatability, and gratification. As a creator, it's a little more complex. 

TikTok is the new smut landing site, for better or for worse 🥵

Smut creators have to speak in coded language to circumvent TikTok's community guidelines that prohibit sexually explicit content on the platform. Tags related to porn, as well as "erotica," and "omegaverse," a smutty fanfiction trope, have been banned, causing the smut and erotica community to get creative. "Instead of putting 'virgin' on the screen, we put 'virginia,'" explained Alexandra Soto, a 23-year-old who posts to BookTok as @Hopeless__Romantique. "We also replace letters with symbols, like using the plus sign as the letter 't' in smut." Other examples of their created language include referring to porn as "corn" (or just using the corn emoji) and replacing the "i" in kink with an exclamation point. 

YouTube, another platform where book recommendation videos thrive, is more lenient with the kinds of content you can post, thanks to creators' ability to mark their video as "not for kids" before posting. Despite YouTube being better suited for this kind of content, creators continue to flock to TikTok. 

Madison, a 24-year-old New Yorker who posts spicy book and manga recommendations to TikTok under the username @PrincessOfPaperback, first started on BookTube in 2018 (she requested just her first name be used for privacy). In January 2021, she started posting on TikTok as well and has since amassed over 200,000 followers on the app. "It's a more viral platform, so there is more of a chance that more people are going to see it," she told Mashable. 

On TikTok the content is shorter, allowing users to be served many more recommendations and opening the doors to more and more people discovering smut and erotica. Romance, smut, and erotica all lend themselves to short form recommendation content thanks to its utilization of tropes and kink. "The reason why romance works so well on TikTok is because it’s easy to get someone into a romance in a very short clip. You can say the top three tropes in that romance and everyone’s like, 'Oh I love that,'" explained Madison.

"Kink is one of the hardest things to say on TikTok, which kind of sucks because it’s what everyone is looking for," she said. "A lot of creators will keep posting on TikTok because that's where everyone is. It's where all the publishers and authors are going and it’s where any kind of brand deal is."

With young people using the the platform as a search engine, TikTok is increasingly becoming the app to find everything. And it isn't just a NSFW discovery tool for smut and erotica, as OnlyFans creators also use the platform to promote their work and grow their audiences.

Young people are willing, and eager, to talk about smut 🌶️

Veterans of peak Tumblr, and those who bore witness to the transition from FanFiction.net to AO3, are familiar with this side of the internet. Fandoms have created explicit fanfiction for literal decades, while readers of erotic fiction are part of an old literature legacy dating back centuries, but the new smut age offers up a uniquely non-anonymous form of community building. Whereas creators used to post behind pen and screen names or unaffiliated blogs, younger people (or new "spicy" BookTok creators) are confidently attaching their personal social accounts to adult literature. 

But why are young people willing to put face to smut on one of the world's most popular social media apps?

Smut-posting as a form of self-discovery and exploration 🔥

Soto explained that she joined TikTok early-pandemic, first as a form entertainment, then as a part of the curvy fashion community, and finally as a member of spicy BookTok. Always a romance reader, she started in Young Adult — authors like Sara Dessen, John Green, and Jennifer Niven — later moving to books like the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, in high school. Then, like many other burnt-out college kids, Soto stopped reading almost entirely. 

Stumbling upon romance BookTok was a way back to her former passions, a sentiment which is repeated among other smut creators, as well as a way to build confidence. "Books have always been a really huge part of who I am and what my interests are. But I've never had that creative outlet to share my passion for it," she said. "It's a really wonderful turn of events to find that I did it and, you know, I have all these people that actually care about my opinion."

Sexual discovery is a part of it, too. Madison explained that erotica is not only a way to uncover unknown sexual desires, but also to revisit or "rewrite" negative sexual experiences. "You're able to kind of take yourself out of things if you've been in negative situations before," she said, a way to cope with reality through fiction. Other readers have expressed similar experiences using erotica to process their own PTSD and sexual trauma, latching onto books in the genre that feature enthusiastic consent or involving them in calming nighttime rituals. 

Sydney Ritter, the 23-year-old co-creator of fanfiction-based podcast Canonically Incorrect and its associated TikTok account, explained that smutty fanfiction frequently operates in the same way, allowing readers to insert themselves into hypothetical scenarios to both explore and cope with tenuous relationships. She thinks it's also a way people are processing increasing attacks on their sexual and reproductive rights. "We're saying, 'Fuck it. I enjoy these things,'" she reflected. "That's self-acceptance  — we are allowed to have fun in these spaces." 

Ritter's TikTok feed is a kind of classroom, a history of things like erotic tags, fiction kinks, and fansites, much like other popular creators. It's almost a kind of sex education, although Ritter is hesitant to take on that descriptor, especially given the amount of sexual misinformation on TikTok. "I guess it would be a form of sexual education, trying to teach people about the different in's and out's of what could go on in the bedroom and what other people are into. I think people are so nervous about the things that they're actually into in fanfic and in their smutty books." 

The U.S. has notoriously poor sex education, abstinence only programs, and a lack of LGBTQ sex education, making smutty fanfiction and erotica some teens' first introduction to portrayals of sex. However, many creators aren't trained sex educators and these stories are designed to entertain, not educate. 

Ritter and Madison think that talking about your preferences, especially on viral platforms like TikTok, has at least helped build confidence among peers. "I want more people to feel comfortable talking about it," Madison said. "Kids in high school, that's when they start having sex. If you expose them to it — to an extent — they are at least starting to learn what's going on. And if you do that via a book, then at least they're being taught certain things, etiquette, and learning what's right and wrong." 

Ritter added that it's been especially important for those exploring their place in LGBTQ communities, challenging their sexualities, and perceived gender identities, to use smutty self-insert fanfiction as a part of that journey.

A (sort of) barrier between younger readers and the porn stigma 🌽

While TikTok and the rest of the internet, notably Twitter, has embraced "horniness" as a meme — a "thirst tweet economy" leading to celebrities proclaiming "slut eras", and an entire series of BuzzFeed videos encouraging celebs to read graphic tweets sent by fans — porn has remained taboo. 

Madison thinks the visual element of porn might put hesitant viewers too close to the sexual acts themselves and steer them towards smut instead. "With reading words that are explicit, you kind of have this barrier between you," she said. 

Ritter argues smut is sometimes more about opening up conversations than actually consuming or being aroused by the content. 

Younger social media users seem to have drawn a line in the sand, then: Porn is still a bit too much, but posting about generic horniness (which, in its overuse in viral tweets, has become a bit meaningless, removed from the physical reality of being horny) is cool. Talking about your smut is okay, and in fact encouraged in growing online spaces — especially fandom.

That's not necessarily bad, and it's basically the law of the land. "We live in a time where anybody with access to the internet is exposed to a lot of things — and if they're looking for it, they will find it," Soto reflected.

Real world shift or an online fad? 💦

Openly sharing about smut on TikTok also opens up a very specific, and embracing, TikTok community. "I feel that the difference in the BookTok community, that I was not getting when I was in the curvy fashion community, was support," Soto explained. "No matter what I post, I have a core group of people that will always like videos, and always comment, and I've been able to build really great friendships through BookTok." 

Ritter uses it to connect with fellow writers, fandom members, and expand her own library all at once. Before TikTok, attempts at joining this online community hadn't been as successful. "I was just trying to find any sense of community, trying to find other people who enjoyed the same things as me, but I wasn't finding them, and I was too afraid to go look for that in my real life." But over the last year she saw a shift in being open about fic online, she says, and she finally found camaraderie.

Looking forward, it's unclear exactly how public smut posting will transition into real world relationships, but some creators are already bridging that gap. "As uncomfortable as it may seem, at this point it's out in the open," Soto said. "A lot of people in my inner circle know, and it's becoming a bit easier to talk about it outside of TikTok."

Starlink is getting significantly cheaper for many users around the world.

SpaceX offered no official announcement about the price reductions, but users have been getting emails saying their monthly Starlink fee has been reduced. In Croatia, the price reduction has been drastic, from 799 HRK ($106) to 370HRK ($49) per month.

"The price reduction factors in your local market conditions and is meant to reflect parity in purchasing power across our customers," the email from SpaceX to one user in Croatia said.

According to The Verge, the price has been lowered from €124 ($124) to €105 ($105) in the Netherlands (if you're wondering why the prices are the same in euros and dollars, it's because the dollar recently hit parity with the euro), and pricing has been similarly reduced in the UK, Mexico, and Germany. In the U.S., some users got the notifications about the price reductions, but some haven't.

The emails say that the price reduction is effective immediately, Aug. 24, and that no action is required from the customers.

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

The timing of the price reductions is interesting. Later today, at 7 p.m. ET Aug. 25, SpaceX is hosting a joint event with T-Mobile, where the two companies will announce plans to "increase connectivity. In a tweet, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said this will be "something special."

We're now in the last week of August, which means we're on the verge of crisp air, fall leaves, and pumpkin spiced this and that. But how can you be expected to enjoy the changing seasons when today's Quordle is such torture?

Fortunately, all four Quordle answers for today are down below. But if you've got time, check out our strategy guide. Become a Quordle champ by summer's end, instead of jumping to the answer. I have a feeling you'll want games like this to keep you company as the weather gets colder, so don't just spoil this one for yourself! (Unless you want to, because, again, the answers are all down there).

What is Quordle?

Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.

Is Quordle harder than Wordle?

Yes, though not diabolically so.

Where did Quordle come from?

Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30. Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running. 

How is Quordle pronounced?

“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.”

Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?

Yes and no.

Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you.

After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle.

What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?

Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times. 

Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset.

Is there a way to get the answer faster?

In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses:

Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. We've had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.”

Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses.

If strategy isn't helping, and you're still stumped, here are some hints:

A semi-useful hint about today’s puzzle

Synonyms for all four words are in the following sentence (in no particular order).

After twisting my ankle in my attempt to hunt the deer, I had to remove the splint I made with a stick of bamboo and some cloth bandage when it started to cause a rash.

Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?

No.

Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?

I spy a Z.

What do today’s Quordle words start with?

S, G, T, and C.

What are the answers for today’s Quordle?

Are you sure you want to know?

There’s still time to turn back.

Okay, you asked for it. The answers are:

1. STALK

2. GAUZE

3. TRACK

4. CHAFE

TL;DR: The 2022 Complete Python Certification Bootcamp Bundle is on sale for £29.03, saving you 98% on list price.

Want to start coding but don't know what language to start with? Python could be a useful first language to have under your belt. Often recommended by programmers as a primer because of its accessibility and the many different ways you can use it, Python is also still the most popular coding language in the world. 

And if you’re looking for a way to start learning Python, then the 2022 Complete Python Certification Bootcamp Bundle could be well worth your time. This 12-course Python training bundle could help you learn Python, even if you’re starting out as a complete beginner, and it’s on sale for £29.03. 

If Python will be your first coding language, then this bundle offers two courses to get you started: Python Foundations and Intro to Coding with Python Turtle. Between these two courses, you could study two hours of material and start learning the basics of programming overall and programming with Python. Learn to write code that could manage data, execute programs, and get familiar with the absolute basics. These include writing commands for a “turtle” to follow, showing you how to structure commands for an algorithm, and more. 

Once you have the basics down (or if you already did), you could move into more advanced courses that continue to cultivate foundational concepts and habits while also showing you more advanced skills. Python Hands-On with 46 hours, 210 exercises, five projects, five assignments, and two exams is a huge course that operates almost like its own independent training marathon. Study, practice, and test your mastery in a course taught by Musa Arda. Arda is a Software Engineer with more than 14 years of experience using Python, among other programming languages and tools. 

Python could be an excellent first coding language for a new programmer, and it could be a functional addition for those with some experience. If you want to start learning to use Python, check out this Python Certification Bootcamp Bundle on sale for £29.03.

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2022 Complete Python Certification Bootcamp Bundle (opens in a new tab)

£29.03 at the Mashable Shop

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It's a new day and it's time to set out on a puzzle adventure: There's a new Wordle to solve! Take our daily Wordle hints and tips — it's not dangerous to go alone, but it will certainly be harder.

The answer to the August 25 Wordle, puzzle #432, can be found at the end of this article. Before you get there, though, there are a couple of subtle clues to help you narrow it down, and as you scroll down, you'll see we've gathered a selection of the best tips and strategies from our previous reporting to help you every day.

Where did Wordle come from?

Former Reddit engineer Josh Wardle came up with the game in 2021 as a bit of fun for him and his word game-loving partner. It eventually became a staple of their family WhatsApp messaging, and that's when Wardle started to suspect he might have something special enough to merit a wider release.

Thousands of people around the globe now play this game each day, and fans have even created alternatives to Wordle inspired by the original format. This includes music identification game Heardle, Hollywood nerd faves Actorle and Framed, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.

Not the day you're after? You'll find the Wordle answer for August 24 here.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

We have some ideas to help you pick the perfect first move. Such tips include choosing a word with at least two different vowels to rule those building blocks in or out, plus a few common consonants such as S, T, R, or N.

Also, even if you're attached to your mathematically sound starter, once it's been the answer on any given day it won't be the answer again for a few years — so if you happen to get the elusive 1/6 result, celebrate by swapping out your starting five.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

While you could once play the entire archive of past puzzles, the archive was taken down at the request of the New York Times, according to the site's creator.

Is Wordle getting harder?

If you've been finding Wordle too easy, there is a Hard Mode you can enable to give yourself more of a challenge. But unless you activate this mode, we can assure you that Wordle isn't getting harder. 

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

The whole point of Wordle is that everyone's solving the same puzzle, with the same answer, no matter where you are in the world. However, occasionally the puzzle game will accept two different correct solutions on the same day. This aberration is due to changes the New York Times began making after it acquired Wordle earlier this year, excising words from Wardle's original list that the team considers obscure or potentially offensive.

To make sure you're always getting the same puzzle as everyone else, refresh your browser before you play — don't worry, the site will keep your streak.

A subtle hint for the Wordle answer on August 25

Might be funny. Might be scary. Might just be an insult.

Wordle today is a 5-letter word that ends with...

...the letter N!

Does today's Wordle word have a double letter?

Not today!

Wordle today: What's the answer?

Ready?

It's time to reveal the solution.

It's...

CLOWN.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a photograph shot on a smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform is worth at least a billion. Thanks to Snapdragon Sight’s innovative features, your smartphone is transformed into a DSLR-quality camera. As a Creative Director at Mashable, I recently had the chance to try it out for myself in a photographer’s dream location.

Let me back up for a sec. My best friends and I have lived in New York City for over a decade. After a months-long search, they closed on the most picturesque property in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. Now, I get to reap the rewards of their hard-earned purchase, without the responsibility of mowing the lawn or paying the mortgage. We’ve driven up there practically every weekend — hiking, swimming, and living our best summer lives.

After our morning coffee, we walk through the ferns and into the forest with our three dogs. We geek out over clusters of vibrant orange mushrooms, crouch down to examine frogs, and marvel at squishy beds of moss. We are city folk, after all!

My personal smartphone camera couldn’t capture the enchanting detail, vibrancy, or incredible light that defines the forests of upstate New York. What I needed was a pocket-sized phone with an incredible camera. Enter the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, powered by Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. I hit the road for the Catskills on a Friday afternoon to see what I could capture over the weekend.

Design

The camera on this phone is big, bold, and unique. It has a Leica professional optical lens, which mimics the weight and heft of shooting with a real camera. But it’s the tiny chip inside of the smartphone that’s responsible for such amazing photo capabilities. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform powers the camera with a 1-inch image sensor — the largest ever in a smartphone to date. Snapdragon Sight features an 18-bit Triple ISP that’s capable of capturing photos or videos from 3 cameras simultaneously and 4,096x more color and light data compared to the 14-bit triple ISP in the previous Snapdragon generation. Capturing such huge amounts of data requires a lightning-fast processor that can keep up, and this baby sprints.

Credit: Lindsay Harrison. Shot on a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 powered smartphone

Lifestyle fit

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform is optimized for close ups, portraits, nature shots, night shots, you name it. Whatever catches your eye, you’ll be able to display on your Instagram feed as richly as what you actually saw. Even if you’re not a professional photographer with knowledge of aperture and shutter speeds, the preset shooting modes make your photos look seriously legit. If you are a pro, you can shoot in 12-bit RAW and then have fun playing with all the data captured, allowing you to make pixel-perfect edits.

Credit: Lindsay Harrison. Shot on a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 powered smartphone

Standout tech specs

The zoom capabilities on this camera are insane. 50 MP photo capture means you can take massive images and zoom in really close while staying incredibly sharp. The 8K HDR video capability captures 33MP per frame in over a billion shades of color. You can upload and share on Google Photos and YouTube in 8K HDR. Play around with the premium HDR10+ format, too – it’s a premium HDR video capturing format used in the movie industry.

Credit: Lindsay Harrison. Shot on a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 powered smartphone

Be on the lookout for the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform powering an array of smartphones, including Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and Z Fold4, ASUS ROG 6 / 6 Pro, and OnePlus10T, with more devices launching throughout the rest of the year and next year. .  Learn more about the amazing capabilities that Snapdragon Sight  is bringing to mobile phones and get your hands on one ASAP — because your next weekend adventure awaits!

UPDATE: Aug. 24, 2022, 5:20 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with the latest 4K and 8K TV deals.

• The Samsung 85-inch Q900A QLED TV is a huge Neo QLED masterpiece that's super affordable compared to its competition — $2,599.99 $4,999.99 (save $2,400)

• The LG 65-inch NanoCell 90 4K TV has double the pixels of a 4K TV and utilizes smaller-than-usual LEDs for more precise contrast — $879.99 $1,399.99 (save $520)

• The Toshiba 65-inch C350 4K Fire TV offers crisp details on a big screen (and on a budget) — $429.99 $599.99 (save $170)

Large 4K TVs no longer have to cost an exorbitant amount of money. These high-quality TVs featuring punchy colors, decipherable shadows, and smooth transitions are actually affordable for regular consumers. And to make them even more budget-friendly, we've gathered up the best deals on 4K and QLED TVs from top brands like Samsung, LG, Sony, and more.

Samsung TV deals

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Credit: Samsung

Our pick: Samsung 85-inch QN90A Neo QLED TV (opens in a new tab)

$2,599.99 at Samsung (save $2,400)

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Why we love it

A massive TV that was once $5,000 is barely over $2,500 for a limited time. The "Neo" part of its name represents an upgrade to Samsung's QLED technology, which is made up of thousands of sand-sized LED particles that light themselves. Now, the bright and colorful quantum dot display is even more vivid with even more precise brightness.

More Samsung TVs on sale

• Samsung 32-inch The Frame QLED TV — $499.99 $599.99 (save $100)

• Samsung 43-inch The Sero Rotating QLED TV — $1,099.99 $1,999.99 (save $900)

• Samsung 55-inch Q60A Series QLED TV — $699.99 $849.99 (save $150)

• Samsung 55-inch Q80A Series QLED TV — $999.99 $1,299.99 (save $300)

• Samsung 65-inch TU8300 Curved 4K TV — $647.99 $799.99 (save $152)

• Samsung 65-inch The Frame QLED TV — $1,599.99 $1,999.99 (save $400)

• Samsung 65-inch QN90B Neo QLED TV — $1,897.99 $2,297.99 (save $400)

• Samsung 65-inch QN900A 8K TV — $2,999.99 $4,999.99 (save $2,000)

• Samsung 75-inch Q70A Series QLED TV — $1,599.99 $2,299.99 (save $700)

• Samsung 75-inch QN90B Neo QLED TV — $2,999.99 $3,499.99 (save $500)

• Samsung 85-inch Q60B Series QLED TV — $1,897.99 $2,297.99 (save $400)

• Samsung 85-inch Q70A Series QLED TV — $2,199.99 $3,299.99 (save $1,100)

• Samsung 85-inch Q900A Neo QLED TV — $4,999.99 $8,999.99 (save $4,000)

LG TV deals

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Credit: LG

Our pick: LG 65-inch NanoCell 90 4K TV (opens in a new tab)

$879.99 at Amazon (save $520)

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Why we love it

In 2021, LG dropped a mid-range line of 4K TVs featuring its NanoCell technology, which amps up color depth and contrast using an extra light filter of nanoparticles. In 2022, that line is becoming more affordable. The 90 Series features full-array local dimming.

More LG TVs on sale

• LG 55-inch 8- Series QNED TV — $849.99 $999.99 (save $150)

• LG 55-inch C2 Series OLED TV — $1,499.99 $1,999.99 (save $500)

• LG 65-inch 80 Series QNED TV — $999.99 $1,299.99 (save $300)

• LG 65-inch C1 Series OLED TV — $1,596.99 $2,499.99 (save $903)

• LG 65-inch A2 Series OLED TV — $1,699.99 $1,999.99 (save $300)

• LG 65-inch B2 Series OLED TV — $1,899.99 $2,299.99 (save $400)

• LG 77-inch G2 Gallery Series OLED TV — $3,799.99 $4,199.99 (save $400)

• LG 75-inch UQ9000 Series 4K TV — $896.99 $1,099.99 (save $203)

• LG 83-inch C1 Series OLED TV — $3,999.99 $4,499.99 (save $500)

Sony TV deals

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Credit: Sony

Our pick: Sony 65-inch A80K OLED TV (opens in a new tab)

$1,799.99 at Best Buy (save $700)

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Why we love it

The A80K, Sony's 2022 mid-range OLED drop, is a perfect example of why OLED is worth the splurge. Zippy response times, detailed blacks, and makeshift surround sound with Acoustic Surface+ full-screen speakers make it a great investment for sports fans — just in time for football season.

More Sony TVs on sale

• Sony 50-inch X80K 4K TV — $599.99 $699.99 (save $100)

• Sony 55-inch X80K 4K TV — $629.99 $749.99 (save $120)

• Sony 55-inch X90K 4K TV — $1,099.99 $1,399.99 (save $300)

• Sony 65-inch X80K 4K TV — $749.99 $899.99 (save $150)

• Sony 65-inch A90J OLED TV — $2,599.99 $2,999.99 (save $400)

• Sony 75-inch X85K 4K TV — $1,399.99 $1,899.99 (save $500)

• Sony 77-inch XR A80K OLED TV — $2,999.99 $3,799.99 (save $800)

• Sony 85-inch X80K 4K TV — $1,799.99 $2,299.99 (save $500)

Other TV deals from TCL, Vizio, and more

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Credit: Toshiba

Our pick: Toshiba 65-inch C350 4K Fire TV (opens in a new tab)

$429.99 at Amazon (save $170)

Get Deal (opens in a new tab)

Why we love it

Make the move to a bigger screen just in time for football season. Toshiba's Regza Engine 4K offers a crisper look at details that regular full HD typically blurs, like tiny scores or the ball itself. Plus, you can log into your Amazon account and see all your apps — just the way you arranged them on another Fire TV or Fire Stick.

More TVs from TCL, Vizio, and more on sale

• Insignia 43-inch F30 Series 4K Fire TV — $229.99 $299.99 (save $70)

• Insignia 50-inch F30 Series 4K Fire TV — $279.99 $399.99 (save $120)

• Hisense 50-inch A6 Series 4K TV — $269.99 $499.99 (save $230)

• Insignia 50-inch F50 Series QLED TV — $279.99 $429.99 (save $150)

• Hisense 55-inch U6G ULED TV — $378 $448 (save $70)

• Hisense 55-inch U6GR ULED TV — $429.99 $699.99 (save $270)

• Toshiba 65-inch C350 Series 4K Fire TV — $429.99 $569.99 (save $170)

• Hisense 65-inch U7G ULED TV — $798 $1,099.99 (save $301.99)

• Toshiba 75-inch C350 4K TV — $629.99 $899.99 (save $270)

• Toshiba 75-inch MM50 4K TV — $729.99 $849.99 (save $120)

Summer may be coming to an end, but Netflix's collection of movies and TV shows will still be around should you need an escape.

September sees the return of several Netflix series, including Season 5 of Cobra Kai and Season 4 of Fate: The Winx Saga. This coming month also marks the release of films like teen comedy Do Revenge and rom-com Love in the Villa, as well as the highly anticipated Blonde, which stars Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe.

There's even more where that came from. Here's everything coming to Netflix in September 2022.

Top pick: Drifting Home

A group of kids get lost at sea in an apartment building in "Drifting Home." Credit: Netflix

The anime film Drifting Home tells the story of strained friendships and summer goodbyes, all set in a floating apartment building.

Sixth-graders Kosuke and Natsume are good friends who grew up in the same apartment complex. Now, the building is set to be demolished, and Kosuke, Natsume, and their friends play in it one last time over summer break. However, things take a turn for the bizarre when they realize the building is drifting alone at sea. Will they be able to make it back? And will Kosuke and Natsume's friendship survive? Based on the trailer alone, Drifting Home looks to be a beautifully animated journey with heaping amounts of mystery and sentiment.

How to watch: Drifting Home is streaming on Netflix Sept. 16.

Movies

A Cinderella Story (9/1)

A Clockwork Orange (9/1)

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (9/1)

A Jazzman's Blues (9/23)

A Knight's Tale (9/1)

A Little Princess (9/1)

A Trip to Infinity (9/26)

American Beauty (9/1)

Anikulapo (9/30)

ATHENA (9/23)

Austin Powers in Goldmember (9/1)

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (9/1)

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (9/1)

Barbie Mermaid Power (9/1)

Blonde (9/28)

The Brave Ones (9/16)

The Bridges of Madison County (9/1)

Broad Peak (9/14)

The Catholic School (9/14)

Clueless (9/1)

Colette (9/13)

Despicable Me (9/1)

Despicable Me 2 (9/1)

Diorama (9/8)

Do Revenge (9/16)

Dolphin Tale 2 (9/1)

The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone (9/22)

Drifting Home (9/16)

Elysium (9/27)

End of the Road (9/9)

Fenced In (9/1)

The Festival of Troubadours (9/2)

Friday After Next (9/1)

Fullmetal Alchemist The Final Alchemy (9/24)

Get Smart With Money (9/6)

He's Just Not That Into You (9/1)

I Used to Be Famous (9/16)

If Beale Street Could Talk (9/1)

Inheritance (9/28)

The Italian Job (9/1)

Ivy + Bean (9/2)

Ivy + Bean: The Ghost That Had to Go (9/2)

Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance (9/2)

Jogi (9/16)

John Q (9/1)

Just Friends (9/1)

Little Nicky (9/1)

Lou (9/23)

Love in the Villa (9/1)

Mirror, Mirror (9/16)

Morphle Halloween Candy Magic Pet (9/1)

The Munsters (9/27)

My Little Pony: Make Your Mark: Chapter 2 (9/26)

Next Friday (9/1)

No Limit (9/8)

The Notebook (9/1)

Off the Hook (9/1)

Plan A Plan B (TBD)

The Perfumier (9/21)

Rainbow (9/30)

Resident Evil (9/1)

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (9/1)

Resident Evil: Retribution (9/1)

Road House (9/1)

Save the Last Dance (9/1)

Scarface (9/1)

Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard (9/16)

Snow White & the Huntsman (9/1)

Terim (9/15)

This Is 40 (9/1)

This Is the End (9/16)

Vampire Academy (9/5)

What We Leave Behind (9/30)

TV shows

Ada Twist, Scientist Season 3 (9/12)

Bee and PuppyCat (9/6)

Buy My House (9/2)

Call the Midwife Series 11 (9/5)

Chef's Table: Pizza (9/7)

Cobra Kai Season 5 (9/9)

Cocomelon Season 6 (9/5)

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (TBD)

Dated and Related (9/2)

Devil in Ohio (9/2)

Designing Miami (9/21)

Dogs in Space Season 2 (9/15)

Dynasty Season 5 (9/24)

Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga (9/28)

El Rey, Vicente Fernández (9/14)

The Empress (9/29)

Entergalactic (9/30)

Entrapped (9/8)

Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives Season 2 (9/2)

Fakes (9/2)

Fate: The Winx Saga Season 2 (9/16)

Floor is Lava Season 3 (9/29)

Fortune Seller: A TV Scam (9/21)

Go Dog Go Season 3 (9/19)

The Girls at the Back (9/23)

The Great British British Baking Show Collection 10 (TBD)

Gymnastics Academy: A Second Chance (9/16)

Heartbreak High (9/14)

Human Playground (9/30)

I Survived a Crime Season 1 (9/1)

In the Dark Season 4 (9/13)

Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer (9/7)

Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons Season 6 (9/28)

Intervention Season 21 (9/15)

Iron Chef Mexico (9/21)

Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega Season 2 (9/23)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure STONE OCEAN Episodes 13-24 (9/1)

Karma's World Season 4 (9/22)

Little Women (9/3)

The Lørenskog Disappearance (9/14)

Love Is Blind: After the Altar Season 2 (9/16)

Merlí. Sapere Aude Season 2 (9/9)

Narco-Saints (9/9)

Once Upon a Small Town (9/5)

Phantom Pups (9/30)

Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles (9/23)

The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist (9/21)

Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles Season 2 (9/1)

Santo (9/16)

Sins of Our Mother (9/14)

Snabba Cash Season 2 (9/22)

Story Time Book: Read-Along Season 1 (9/1)

Too Hot to Handle: Brazil (9/28)

Thai Cave Rescue (9/22)

Who Likes My Follower? (TBD)

You're Nothing Special (9/2)

Specials

Jo Koy: Live from the Los Angeles Forum (9/13)

Liss Pereira: Adulting (9/1)

Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy (9/27)

Patton Oswalt: We All Scream (9/20)

Rodrigo Marques: King of Uncouth (9/6)

Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy (9/6)

The Merge, the most anticipated crypto event of the year, finally has an official date: Sept. 6, along with an estimated time of 7:34 a.m. ET, according to an update on the official Ethereum Foundation blog.

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The announcement initiates a countdown to the long-anticipated transition in the Ethereum blockchain from the greenhouse-gas-spewing proof-of-work protocol, to relatively greener proof-of-stake. At its inception this changeover called for a giant, ambitious change in Ethereum’s computerized infrastructure — specifically the combining of the Ethereum Mainnet with the Beacon Chain, which allows for ETH transactions and Ethereum-based NFT verifications to happen via the new protocol. 

That theoretical giant change is finally becoming a reality in, as of this writing, about 12 days and 19 hours. 

While there are many issues at play here, the main takeaway of The Merge is that one of the two major cryptocurrencies (the one that isn’t Bitcoin) will shed most of its well-earned reputation for lol-nothing-matters eco-destruction, as will most NFTs. This is because the new proof-of-stake model, unlike proof-of-work, doesn’t involve powerful GPUs endlessly performing hellacious mathematical computations by sucking down mass quantities of dirty grid energy. Just what does proof of stake involve? It’s complicated, but you can read more about it here.

The event on Sept. 6 is actually just the start of the operation, which begins with an upgrade called "Bellatrix" occurring on the new blockchain, after which, important Merge-related activities (an operation known as The Kiln testnet) will cease. A second update, called Paris, will occur a few days later, sometime between Sept. 10 and Sept. 20. 

Then, if all goes according to plan, most people using the Ethereum blockchain will be automatically using the new system without having to change anything.

And the Ethereum Foundation really wants everything to go according to plan. Those who can find merge-related bugs are being offered four times the usual amount in "bug bounties" according to the blog post, meaning "critical" vulnerabilities can earn eagle-eyed coders up to $1 million.

UPDATE: Aug. 24, 2022, 1:00 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to include the best deals on robot vacuums from iRobot, Shark, Roborock, and more.

We've compiled the best deals on robot vacuums from brands like iRobot, Shark, and Ecovacs. Here are the ones to grab as of Aug. 24:

• BEST BUDGET DEAL: The Ionvac SmartClean 2000 is a no-frills, efficient daily cleaner — $95 $179.98 (save $84.88)

• BEST SELF-EMPTYING DEAL: The Roomba j7+ self empties and won't eat your phone charger — $599 $799.99 (save $200.99)

• BEST ROBOT VACUUM/MOP DEAL: The Roborock S6 Pure can sweep and scrub the whole house or specific zones — $359.99 $459.99 (save $100)

Only three things are certain in life: Death, taxes, and a few days each month when you need to vacuum but just don't have time. Whether you detest the chore or get a little bummed when you can't have that satisfying dance with your Dyson, a robot vacuum is a lifesaver. Shop models on sale below.

Robot vacuums under $200

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Credit: Tzumi

Our pick: Ionvac SmartClean 2000 (opens in a new tab)

$95 at Walmart (save $84.88)

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Why we like it

Multiple robot vacuums under $100 exist — they're just not necessary reliable. But Tzumi's Ionvac SmartClean 2000 is an outlier. Tons of Walmart reviewers have used it, noting how though it's not a deep-reaching carpet cleaner, it's a clutch low-stakes purchase for daily upkeep of hard floors.

More robot vacuums under $200

• Eufy 30C Max – $159.90 $259.90 (save $100)

• Yeedi Vac X — $159.99 $299.99 (save $140)

• Neato Robotics D6 — $199.99 $499.99 (save $300)

• iRobot Roomba 694 — $199 $274 (save $75)

• iRobot Roomba i1 — $199 $329.99 (save $130.99)

Robot vacuums under $500

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Credit: iRobot

Our pick: iRobot Roomba i3+ Evo (opens in a new tab)

$399 at Amazon (save $150.99)

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Why we like it

One of iRobot's cheapest self emptiers is now equipped with Imprint Smart Map technology, which it uses to learn the layout of your home and conquer whichever rooms you select through the app. Its dock holds at least 60 days of debris at a time.

More robot vacuums under $500

• Shark AI AV2001 — $226.99 $429.99 (save $203)

• iRobot Roomba i3 Evo — $249 $349.99 (save $100.99)

• Shark EZ RV913S — $285 $549.99 (save $264.99)

• Roborock Q5 — $329.99 $429.99 (save $100)

• iRobot Rooma i1+ — $349 $529.99 (save $180.99)

• Shark IQ UR1005AE XL — $349.99 $499.99 (save $150)

• iRobot Roomba j7 — $399 $599.99 (save $200.99)

• Shark AI AV2501S — $417 $549.99 (save $132.99)

• Dreametech L10 Pro — $367.49 $489.99 (save $122.50)

• Shark IQ RV1001AE XL — $399.95 $599.99 (save $200.05)

• iRobot Roomba i4+ — $513 $649.99 (save $136.99)

Robot vacuums under $800

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Credit: iRobot

Our pick: iRobot Roomba j7+ (opens in a new tab)

$599 at Amazon (save $200.99)

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Why we like it

The Roomba j7+, iRobot’s most recent release, is the only Roomba to use Genius Technology and PrecisionVision Navigation to avoid obstacles that were previously problem-causers, like pet waste and cords. The j7+ also self-empties.

More robot vacuums under $800

• Neato Robotics D10 — $449.99 $599.99 (save $150)

• Samsung JetBot+ — $519.99 $799 (save $279.01)

• Roborock Q5+ — $599.99 $699.99 (save $100)

• iRobot Roomba s9+ — $799 $999 (save $200)

Robot vacuum and mop hybrids and dedicated robot mops

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Credit: Roborock

Our pick: Roborock S6 Pure (opens in a new tab)

$359.99 at Amazon (save $100)

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Why we like it:

If your home has an even split of carpeting and hard floors, this hybrid from Roborock is a serious bang for your buck. The S6 Pure can sweep or scrub specific rooms and automatically boosts suction on carpet.

More hybrids and robot mops on sale

• Dreamtech D9 — $219.99 $299.99 (save $80)

• iHome AutoVac Eclipse Pro — $299.99 $499.99 (save $200)

• Ecovacs Deebot T8 — $349.99 $549.99 (save $200)

• Yeedi Vac Station — $399.98 $549.99 (save $150)

• Roborock S7+ (renewed) — $759.99 $949.98 (save $189.99)

Are robot vacuums worth it?

The control of an upright vacuum comes with its own type of satisfaction. But if you're not one to classify cleaning as cathartic, a robot vacuum could erase that huge, agonizing task from of your chore list. (And did we mention the joy of having "first day clean" floors all the time?)

But whether robot vacuums are worth it or not comes with a caveat: It can't be just any robot vacuum. A cheap robot vac that doesn't do the job right — scattering dust, bumping into walls, getting stuck on area rugs — might actually create more work for you.

What to consider when buying a robot vacuum

• Suction power: A vacuum is the one purchase that you hope sucks a lot. Suction power is typically measured in Pascals (Pa), with most current vacs ranging between 1,500 Pa and 3,000 Pa. Stronger sucking will be needed to pick up heavier pieces of debris (be sure to set a no-go zone around Legos) and to pull matted-down pet hair from rugs.

• Floor type: Carpeting and high pile rugs will probably require stronger suction than hard floors, as well as special features like an extra-wide or self-cleaning brush roll to prevent hair from wrapping and clogging. Folks in homes with multiple floor types might consider a bigger, sturdier robot vacuum that can hurl itself and its wheels over mats, rugs, and transitions from carpet to hard floors.

• Automatic emptying: Because robot vacuums are typically under four inches tall, their onboard dust bins are also small — which means they frequently require emptying. (Dustbins fill up particularly quickly in homes with pets.) A self-emptying vacuum takes that job out of your hands, emptying itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock. These larger bins can typically hold weeks of dirt without needing to be cleaned or dumped out.

• Home layout: Every robot vacuum is equipped with sensors and drop detection. But if your home has lots of rooms, lots of turns, or lots of close-together furniture, you'll have fewer navigation issues with an advanced model that uses intelligent mapping to remember exactly how your home is laid out, including labeling of specific rooms, mental notes of staircases, and ability to deploy zone cleaning.

• Low-profile furniture: No one should have to be scared about what's accumulated under their couch over the past year. A robot vacuum measuring three inches or less in height should be able to scoot under most low-hanging couches and beds.

• Battery life and square footage: One of the main complaints people have about their robot vacuum is that it craps out in the middle of the floor. Larger spaces require more time to clean, and it all depends on how annoyed you'll be if it only finishes a few rooms at a time. Average run times for the list below range between 90 and 200 minutes, which translate to about 500 and 2,800 square feet covered on one charge.

• App control: WiFi-enabled robot vacuums can be synced with a smartphone app to control scheduling, manual start, cleaning settings, as well as telling your vac to make its rounds when you're not home. Low-end models that don't connect to WiFi will usually come with a separate remote. If you're used to asking Alexa or Google to turn off the lights or tell you the weather, a model with voice integration will blend in nicely.

It's confirmed: The next Apple iPhone event will take place on Sept. 7.

Invitations went out today, solidifying what has been the rumored date for Apple's flagship event. Insiders expect to see the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8. And, like previous Apple events that always feature some kind of theme, this year's invitation says "Far Out" with a starry nighttime aesthetic. So... something to do with space? Or, maybe it's something to do with a light-field camera system? Hrmmm...

The event, as has been the case for the past few years, will be streamed live from Apple Park at the company's Cupertino, CA headquarters and will be open to a limited number of in-person attendees like the last Apple event.

While the tech giant's iconic event typically takes place on the second Tuesday in September, this year's will be a week earlier and on a Wednesday. As Bloomberg's Mark Gurman speculated, this might be to give press an extra day to travel after the Labor Day long weekend. But why is it taking place a week earlier than usual? Perhaps for more time to juice sales before the end of the fiscal fourth quarter, according to Gurman.

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Apple experts anticipate big changes to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, including an always-on display and the long-awaited death of the dreaded notch. Plus, the Apple Watch Series 8 could come with a rugged "Pro" model for athletes. Also, pour one out for the iPhone mini, which underperformed last year and might not be coming back.

Will this year's Apple event really be that far out? Let the speculation begin.

TL;DR: As of August 24, you can get a Refurbished MacBook Air for just $290.99 instead of $1,399 — that's a 79% discount.

The newest, flashiest computers have some great bells and whistles, but you probably don't need the latest hardware if you’re just checking emails or running Google Docs. And while 5TB of hard drive space could be great, you could get more with good cloud storage without worrying about losing everything to a wayward cup of coffee.

It may make more sense to consider a beater computer that can run your basic, everyday programs than an expensive computer that usually runs essential software. This refurbished MacBook Air is on sale for just $290.99, and it could be an excellent machine for simple computing that has to get done daily. 

An affordable alternative to a brand-new computer

If you spend a lot of your computer time in Google Suite, Microsoft Office, or other lightweight productivity programs, then you may not need a high-cost, top-spec machine. This refurbished MacBook has an Intel Core i5 processor, a 256GB SSD, and 4GB of RAM. It isn't the most powerful computer, but it could be an affordable workhorse if your typical workflow doesn't involve demanding apps like 4K video editing, 3D modeling, or testing games. This one even comes with a wireless mouse.

You could also use this little computer as an excellent streaming machine. Want to enjoy a documentary on a wider screen than your phone's while still being able to move around the house? Throw it onto your MacBook Air. You could even connect a wireless speaker or headphones via Bluetooth for more immersive sound. 

Though this is a refurbished computer, it has a “B” rating, meaning it may only have some light scuffing, dings, or dents on the body of the computer. Of course, those could also be covered up by the snap-on black case that’s included with this bundle. 

Delegate some of your computing to an affordable laptop

You may not need a brand new computer for the work you’re doing. Instead, get this refurbished MacBook Air for $290.99 (Reg. $1,399). 

Prices subject to change.

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Credit: Apple

Refurbished MacBook Air (opens in a new tab)

$290.99 at the Mashable Shop

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SAVE $20: As of Aug. 24, you can pick up a Yeti Nano streaming microphone and save $20 at GameStop (just $79.99), and as a bonus, you'll receive a $10 discount towards a Game Pass membership.

If you want to be a streamer, podcaster, YouTube commentator, or any other online profession that involves speaking to an audience, there's one thing you're definitely going to need: a good microphone.

The Yeti Nano is a great place to start, and it's $20 off at GameStop. To sweeten the deal, you'll also get a $10 discount to apply to an Xbox Game Pass membership when you check out.

The Yeti Nano has fantastic sound quality and a compact design. Plus, it's USB-compatible, which makes setup a breeze. The microphone also features no-latency monitoring — so you won't hear that annoying echo while you record — and allows you to switch between multiple pickup patterns like cardioid mode (which only picks up sound that is directly in front of the mic) and omnidirectional mode (which picks up sound from all around the mic).

And the Game Pass discount is a nice bonus for all the future streamers out there. Signing up for the service will get you access to a massive library of games to get your Twitch career started.

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Credit: Yeti

Yeti Nano streaming microphone (opens in a new tab)

Save $20 at GameStop (and get a $10 Game Pass discount)

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SAVE $66: As of August 24, the Galaxy Buds 2 (in lavender only) are just $84 at Walmart. That's 44% off their MSRP of $149.99.

If you like the color purple (as Samsung very much seems to) and are looking for a solid pair of earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 2 have reached a new all-time low price. There's just one catch — the price drop is only available in lavender.

As of August 24, the lavender Galaxy Buds 2 are on sale for just $84 at Walmart. That's $66 in savings and 44% off their MSRP of $149.99. That's also $5 less than than their previous all-time low price.

We love the Buds 2 for their egg-shaped design, impressive comfort, better active noise cancellation than their Pro or Live siblings, and robust app-based sound customization for Android users. They're compatible with iPhones as well and work decently. You just won't get the ability to dive deeper into sound customization (bass boost, adjustable ANC, etc.) on the Android-only app.

Overall sound performance is just OK, as is battery life, but as Mashable's Alex Perry wrote in his review, "If you're an Android phone owner who's been on the lookout for a good pair of wireless earbuds without melting your bank account — don't overthink this."

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Credit: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 (Lavender) (opens in a new tab)

$84 at Walmart (save 44%)

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In April, we wrote about #BookTok, describing it as "the "last wholesome place" on the internet. We then asked: can it stay that way?

Depending on how you see the platform — and how you view Amazon — the answer may be here. Amazon has now decided to sponsor the TikTok Book Club, in an effort towards "connecting more readers with books and sharing the experience and joy of reading".

According to a statement by the pair of companies, the collaboration is an offshoot of Amazon's campaign called "That Reading Feeling Awaits". The global campaign aims to inspire a deeper love of reading, much like TikTok's book community already has.

The partnership, then, may be natural but it's coming at an interesting time. Amazon is currently being boycotted by a slew of prominent TikTokkers. In a campaign entitled #PeopleOverPrime, 70 creators have vowed to "prevent Amazon from monetizing one of the largest social media platforms in the world".

Amazon, meanwhile, appears intent on cementing a presence on TikTok, with this collab being yet another example of their (ahem) perseverance.

There's not much information about how tangible this sponsorship will be. So far, it appears that Amazon's involvement comes in the form of free, reading-themed emojis on TikTok, by searching for @amazonbooks in Stickers. These stickers can be placed on #BookTok-themed videos. The TikTok Book Club logo and in-app hubs are now also stamped with "Presented by Amazon Books" written underneath.

The TikTok Book Club read for the month, Bolu Babalola's Honey and Spice, was also selected for Amazon's Editors’ Pick earlier this summer, as a part of their Feel-good fiction round-up. Babalola also shared her own summer reading picks on the Amazon Editor's Choice blog yesterday, another facet of the crossover between Amazon and TikTok.

Lisa De Meyer, UK country manager at Amazon Books, said, "At Amazon, our team's mission is to inspire reading, celebrate books of all genres and all ways of reading. We’re excited to support the #BookTok community’s love of reading and offer new visual ways of expressing that reading feeling."

The company's focus on TikTok Book Club is a strong move, especially in light of their current standing with some TikTokkers. The book club came to fruition this summer, and has already gained significant traction across the platform and the wider publishing community.

Off you pop to Slumberland, Netflix's new film about a magical realm filled with dreams and nightmares but not the one you're thinking of.

Marlow Barkey stars as Flip, who lives happily in a lighthouse island with her dad, Peter (Kyle Chandler), who spins seemingly tall tales of lands beyond her wildest imaginations. When he's lost at sea, Flip finds herself living with her less exciting uncle Phillip (Chris O'Dowd). Navigating her new city life, Flip finds a map to Slumberland, where she meets Flip (Jason Momoa), who can show her the ropes of this dream world.

Directed by I Am Legend and The Hunger Games' Francis Lawrence, the film hopefully doesn't feature the trials and tribulations of those two films.

Slumberland comes to Netflix on Nov. 18.

Go full screen for the best viewing experience!

Students, parents, and lifelong learners: Check out our interactive Gearbook, just in time for back-to-school season. Part yearbook fun, part expert advice for making this school year your best ever. Mashable staffers share some of the best product recs for breaking into their career field.

Explore Gearbook by clicking on a professional to hear their story and expert tech recs. Each staffer in this interactive experience shares some sage advice, what product they wish they had when they in school, and why it would have made a world of difference. See something you like? Just click on the product links to shop directly from the video.

Cinema loves cinema about cinema, and this movie is exactly that, but with added Micheal Ward and Olivia Colman.

The teaser trailer for Empire of Light promises a tale about The Empire, a cinema sitting on the beachfront in England during the '80s, still boasting all the bells and whistles we love, like red velvet seats for one.

Colman plays front-of-house employee Hilary, who meets new cinema employee Stephen (Ward), who the trailer shows is dealing with the violent racism in Britain in the 1980s. You'll spy Colin Firth and Toby Jones working in the Empire cinema too.

Written and directed by Skyfall and Spectre's Sam Mendes, with cinematography by Roger Deakins, the film promises to be one for lovers of the movies.

Empire of Light will premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival in September before a global release.

Here's a hot take that's actually ice cold: dating apps are not a lesser way to meet people.

We do get that on some level, there is a certain appeal to the coffee shop meet-cute or fun situation-ship that gradually and naturally turns into something more. But frankly, we are tired of everyone ignoring the fact that dating apps give you the chance to meet a whole group of people you might not have otherwise. And once you find someone you click with, how your relationship develops in-person is pretty much indistinguishable from non-app origin stories.

Sentiments aside, we have some hard data to back our reasoning for Why Online Dating Is Worthwhile™: Statista predicted that the online dating audience will grow to 53.3 million by 2025, compared to 44.2 million users in 2020. A study from Stanford released in 2019 asserted that online dating is officially the most common way for U.S. couples to meet, rounding out at nearly 40 percent of couples having first met online.

This pre-pandemic prediction could be shown up if the surge of COVID-era dating app sign-ups stays afloat. Whether people decided they wanted a relationship during isolation or are just looking to get nasty again, dating apps are a great place to find a partner.

And yes, though there are algorithms that dictate what profiles pop up on your screen, we firmly believe that some stars aligning still comes into play. After all, the person who signs up on the app and is looking for love at exactly the same time you are is up to fate and the universe, proving that online dating romance is very much alive and well.

Because it's not 2007 anymore, the need for mobile-friendly online dating isn't just a millennial thing — people over 40 don't have time to sit around at their home desktop, either. Dating sites that are older than most members of Gen-Z (like Match and eharmony) have been forced to give serious attention to their smartphone counterparts if they don't want to be outgrown.

However, that statistical promise still requires patience and a game plan, the game plan being choosing the dating app with features that best fit your lifestyle — and the lifestyle of the type of person you're looking for. Are you looking for an app strictly for sex or an app more serious than Tinder but less serious than eharmony? Or maybe, you'd just really love to find an app where queer women aren't relentlessly sexualized by creeps and pestered by unicorn hunters.

Feeling weird about dating post-Covid restrictions? Yeah, everyone is.

Despite restaurant capacities returning to normal, the idea of swiping just for the hell of it isn't feeling so normal. While covid (and now monkeypox?) are still real issues, there's definitely a collective Fear of Dating Again.

And, despite the risks on places like college campuses, there are still lots of people that desire a connection beyond frat parties. Whether you're looking for love on campus or just looking for the next hookup, make sure to approach it safely.

But this invisible hump may play to the advantage of people looking for a connection past a booty call. After a year of watching budding relationships stay stagnant in the "It's a match!" phase, time feels more valuable. The pent-up energy it takes to go on a date feels like it'd be better spent on someone you actually see potential with. Even the horniest of them all may be more closely considering the authenticity and personality of prospects — because as we all learned, seeing humans in real life isn't something to take for granted.

FWIW, communication skills may have gotten better during the pandemic. Hashing out COVID-related issues with strangers required getting comfortable with personal boundaries and learning how to discuss anxieties with someone new. Tinder thinks the honesty will carry over when things are back to normal, which means you can feel comfortable knowing more people are comfortable saying exactly what they want, even if they quite don't know what that is. You can even tell if someone is vaccinated based on their profile on some dating apps, so that saves you from any awkward anti-vax conversations.

Which dating apps are actually good?

Remember that not all apps are good just because they're, well, new. Every year, a slew of trendy apps try to set themselves apart from Tinder and Bumble: In 2017, apps like Hater (which matched people based on things they disliked, like slow walkers or Donald Trump), and The League (a snooty, members-only matchmaker with a ridiculous waitlist) were expected to be game-changers. Hater has since disappeared from the App Store while The League's reviews have gotten increasingly questionable.

It's hard to pinpoint the exact reason as to why such promising ideas didn't make the cut — but whether they were too exclusive, too niche, or begging for catfish, it's clear that there's a very special ingredient that makes apps like Hinge pop off.

Choosing the apps that are good for you

One app's secret ingredient might not be the one you necessarily want to include in your dating recipe. If you already live in a large metropolitan area, Tinder's pull of its large user base is a little less strong, since likely, more niche apps will have a decent number of profiles near you.

Some people are dedicated to keeping their search for love free of cost, so sites like Match or eharmony, where most if not all features live behind a paywall, will likely not be your first pick. For others, behind that paywall is where they find the reassurance that users are likely not dropping cash to mess around or not go on actual dates.

Of course, knowing exactly what you want isn't always easy to say, especially when pulling from the abstract. There's nothing wrong with flying free from the Tinder nest and trying out a few apps or sites you wouldn't usually. Overall, we say embrace the messy ride that is dating.

To get you started, this handy guide breaks down the most popular dating apps and why people like them, plus some (actually good) up-and-coming apps that offer a more tailored experience:

Developed by Sea Wave Energy Limited (SWEL), the ‘Waveline Magnet’ is a low cost, climate-friendly alternative to non-renewable power sources. The spine-shaped floating device converts wave power into electricity. While the device is still in its early stages, a prototype was taken to Larnaca Bay in Cyprus for open-sea trials in November 2021.

If you've seen the 2014 Austrian horror film Goodnight Mommy, you're already outta here with a big ol' nooooooooope.

For those who remain, welcome! You're about to enjoy the absolute nightmare that is a remake of a terrifying film about twin brothers who aren't quite sure if their mother is exactly the person she was when she left earlier for cosmetic surgery.

Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti star as Elias and Lukas, who arrive at the country house of their mother (well-proven horror lead Naomi Watts) to find her recovering from surgery with bandages on her face. But she's being real weird. Increasingly showing strange and erratic behaviour, the boys seem to suspect the person underneath might not be their dear mom at all.

Brand New Cherry Flavor director Matt Sobel is behind the helm of this Prime Video remake, so if you think it won't make you squirm...lol.

Goodnight Mommy is streaming on Prime Video Sept. 16.

Google’s brand of health and fitness tracking watches is about to level up.

Fitbit announced Wednesday that three of its wrist-worn exercise trackers would get new product refreshes this year. Ranging in price from $100 to $300, the three new Fitbit watches offer a wide range of health-sensing features and new enhancements to help you do everything from improve your sleep to identify stress triggers throughout the day.

Here's what's on the way:

• Fitbit Inspire 3 for $100, launching September 2022

• Fitbit Versa 4 for $230, launching fall 2022

• Fitbit Sense 2 for $300, launching fall 2022

The Sense 2 in action. Credit: Fitbit

Generally speaking, each more expensive Fitbit model adds a bigger display and more health-tracking features, culminating in the most premium model, the Fitbit Sense 2.

With a square display, the Sense 2 vaguely resembles an Apple Watch, at least from a distance. A new “Body Response sensor” will give you more detailed looks at what causes stress in your body, so you can plan around that and adapt to those triggers over time. It can also measure skin temperature and heart rate, and detect signs of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rate condition.

Combine all of that with a smaller, thinner body than the original Sense, a tile-based UI, and a battery life that supposedly lasts six days, and you’ve got most of the health tracking you could ask for in one smartwatch. 

However, $300 is a lot of money, so the other models are worth considering if you're cost-conscious.

The $230 Versa 4 is meant to be a workout companion with more than 40 exercise modes and heart-rate tracking. Plus, it’s got Google Maps support and the ability to show phone notifications, so it has plenty of smartwatch bonafides, too. Best of all, Fitbit is promising users the same six-day battery life as the Sense 2.

Finally, the $100 Inspire 3 brings a color touch display to the budget-friendly Inspire line for the first time. It has the same vertical rectangular display shape as before, so the screen can’t hold as much information, but plenty of health data will still be tracked. The Inspire 3 can measure heart rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen. One bonus that this more pared-down device has over its brethren is a 10-day battery life rating, so budget-conscious buyers will have bragging rights about that.

Last but not least, it should be noted that all three of these devices come with six months of Fitbit Premium, a $10/mo service that adds a bunch of bells and whistles to the Fitbit experience. Those include a daily readiness score that gives recommendations each day, depending on your activity and sleep levels, as well as more sleep stats and access to meditation sessions from Calm.

All in all, Fitbit’s new lineup will give you even more ways to track information about your body that you didn’t even realize existed before. Those of us who stress out easily will definitely put the Sense 2 through its paces.

If you're just about ready to shove into overdrive and zoom right into the danger zone, we're with you.

Top Gun: Maverick is now available to buy and play on your own TV or laptop loud enough for your neighbours' windows to rattle. While streaming details are yet to be confirmed for Paramount+, you can now buy the film on a variety of platforms detailed below. Since opening in cinemas in May, the Top Gun sequel raked in a casual $1.35 billion at the global box office. That warrants a "GREAT BAAAALLS OF FIIIRE!" at any rate.

The film, set 30 years after the original, sees Tom Cruise returning to his famous role of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. He's now training the latest batch of unruly, elite naval aviators, including Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his best friend, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, who died during an op in the first film. Also returning is Val Kilmer as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, who gets one of the most poignant scenes in the film.

Mav spends his time trying to make it up to Rooster, while accidentally buying rounds for everyone at Penny's (Jennifer Connelly) bar, annoying his commander VADM Beau "Cyclone" Simpson (Jon Hamm), and preparing for a dangerous mission with the young aviators. But if you really feel the need for speed, the stunts in Top Gun: Maverick are some of the best, most ambitious, and most expensive you'll see in an action movie.

How do I watch Top Gun: Maverick online?

Top Gun: Maverick is now available to buy from Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, and other video on demand platforms.

It's also expected to stream on Paramount+, but a release date hasn't been announced.

Is Top Gun: Maverick worth watching?

Reviews have been mixed but mainly positive about director Joseph Kosinski's film — and viewers seem to love it, according to its 99 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It depends on whether you're into how the film uses throwbacks or not, and how you feel about nostalgia.

Here's a snippet from our review by Mashable's deputy entertainment editor, Kristy Puchko:

In the moment, Top Gun: Maverick is a fun action movie that leans heavily on an audience's love of the original to carry it through. It's not only callbacks and returning characters, but repeated beats and soundtrack rehashing that make this not so much a sequel as a victory lap for the character and Cruise too. And honestly, that's pretty comforting entertainment. But should a movie about a life-or-death mission play it so safe?

Nostalgia is one thing, but rerunning the same plotlines, resuscitating the same archetypes, and coasting on the relics of pop culture past makes for a movie that feels sanitized instead of sensational, safe instead of sexy. Essentially, this franchise has lost that loving feeling. And with it gone (gone, gone), so too is a bit of the thrill. 

You can watch the high-flying trailer on Mashable. It's one of the best trailers of the year (so far).

Anything else?

Yes, here's the one thing missing from Top Gun: Maverick: Kenny Loggins' "Playing With the Boys," featured in the original, in that volleyball scene. This is not that scene. But there's a lot of volleyball and Loggins' jumping into frame with his guitar. You're welcome.

Hi, my name is Cecily, and I'm a jaded millennial who feels pushed out of her comfort zone by Samsung's latest influencer-friendly folding phone, the Z Flip 4.

As an "old" person whose first mobile phone experiences included painstaking T9 text entry, ringback tones, and lots of snake, I mostly just care about a phone that's speedy and reliable. But that's every smartphone now, even the budget ones: You get powerful chips, tons of storage, state-of-the-art cameras, and high-res displays. So all that's left to innovate on are... aesthetics?

From the looks of the Z Flip 4 (and its BTS-focused marketing), that seems to be the case. Unlike the Z Fold 4 which aims to replace the tablet as a 2-in-1 foldable (and does it well!), the Z Flip 4, with its clamshell design reminiscent of early cellphones, provides a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. It's innovation by way of nostalgia. And it's adorable.

I had a lot of fun with the Z Flip 4 and I enjoyed playing around with shooting and editing features, tailor-made for Gen Z creators, that make posting content to social media significantly easier. But with a $999 price tag, it all comes down to whether its novelty and flashy colorways appeal to your aesthetic. 

First, here's what you're getting:

• 6.7-inch dynamic AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate; 1.9-inch Super AMOLED cover display

• Dual-lens 12-megapixel main and 12-megapixel ultra-wide rear cameras; 10-megapixel selfie camera

• 3,700mAh battery with wireless charging

• 8GB RAM on all models

• 128, 256, 512GB internal storage

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor

Nostalgia is a helluva drug

The Z Flip 4 had me reminiscing about Paris Hilton's heydays. Credit: Kyle Cobian / Mashable

Gather 'round children for a tale from ye olden days. It was the early 2000s and Paris Hilton was on top of the world as well as the cover the US Weekly almost every week. Permanently in her grasp was the cellphone du jour. Sometimes, it was a hot pink Motorola Razr. Other times, it was a bedazzled LG 8700 Shine. There was even a nifty device called the T-Mobile Sidekick, which had you turn your phone horizontally to type. The message was clear: Phones were the new status symbol. 

And that seems to be the case again. With the recent resurgence of Y2K trends, Samsung now has Gen Z, who are obsessed with this period and the millennials who lived through it the first time, in the palm of its hand. As Mashable culture editor Crystal Bell noted: "There's a reason Samsung unveiled the device with a special music video starring international superstars BTS."

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

There are some trends from the early 2000s — e.g., low-rise jeans, chunky highlights, so much ruching — I'd care not to relive. But bringing back colorful flip phones is kind of delightful. The Z Flip 4 model I tested is outfitted in a playful pastel shade called bora purple, but the device also comes in graphite, pink, gold, and blue. Purple isn't really my color of choice, but it immediately reminded me of the days when Hilton would coordinate her phone with her outfit. That's not really my style, but I respect the commitment to a lewk, so I get the appeal.

From here, it looks like a regular phone... Credit: Kyle Cobian / Mashable

... but really it's a vessel for Y2K nostalgia. Credit: Kyle Cobian / Mashable

The Z Flip 4's 6.7-inch inner AMOLED folding display, which is the same size as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, isn't anything new — this is now Samsung's fourth iteration of the Flip. But thanks to a wider array of useful cover display widgets and features plus the ability to do more with the dual screen form factor, switching over to the compact Z Flip 4 is now a much more compelling choice.

Paris Hilton never met a flip phone she didn't promote. Credit: Getty Images

The next phase of Y2K nostalgia should be bringing back the Sidekick. Credit: Getty Images

When I first received the phone, one of the first things I did was try to snap it shut with one hand. I craved the thrill of dramatically ending a call like we all did in the flip phone days. But, unfortunately, the Z Flip 4 doesn't really allow for that. Due to its size, the Z Flip 4 is hard to close with one hand. It's not impossible, but you have to kind of bear-claw it on the sides to snap it shut.

Hey, Samsung, some unsolicited advice: If you're going to lean into the nostalgic flip phone design, maybe make the Z Flip 4 even smaller and more compact.

You can keep it closed

That being said, a smaller Z Flip 4 would probably hinder some of the cover screen features, which are among my favorite aspects of the phone. The cover screen has always been a key selling point of the Flip, but previous models hadn't quite perfected it. 

Now, with an option to use the cover screen camera with true aspect ratio and a new portrait mode feature, it's actually a practical way to shoot photos and video. It still has the same 12-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel ultra-wide rear cameras (as well as the same 10-megapixel front-facing camera) as the Flip 3. But a better pixel sensor and enhanced stabilization makes photos and videos look smoother and crisper. 

The cover screen makes taking photos and video stupid fun. Credit: Cecily Mauran / Mashable

Actual ratio mode is a critical addition for anyone who doesn't want to see themselves that close up. Credit: Cecily Mauran / Mashable

The Flip 4 also has enhanced widget features, namely, the ability to access and respond to messages straight from the cover screen using quick suggested replies (which can include voice messages and emoji.) This might even make some people check their phone less, by diminishing the need to pick up and unfold the phone. Typically, I have to put my iPhone face down to avoid distracting notifications, but the Z Flip 4's cover screen is subtle enough that I didn't get sucked into checking endless alerts while working or grabbing dinner with friends. If it was an important message, I could shoot off a quick reply in a few swipes without even opening my phone. 

Missed TikTok opp

With a heavier focus on Reels and more video content, it's no secret Meta is desperately trying to be more like TikTok. And to further that pivot, Instagram head Adam Mosseri made a guest appearance at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked earlier this month to announce the app's compatibility with the Flip 4's FlexCam, aka hands-free photo and video capture, and Flex Mode, or dual-screen multitasking.

Facebook really, really wants you to use Reels. Credit: Cecily Mauran / Mashable

When either Facebook or Instagram are open on the device, folding the phone to a 90-degree angle will activate hands-free recording for Stories or Reels. You can also make hands-free video calls with WhatsApp and Messenger, too.

Similar to FlexCam, Flex Mode is another dual-screen feature that allows you to use the bottom half of the screen as a touchpad. Essentially, this mode turns the Z Flip 4 into a mini-laptop. Flex Mode was already available on the Z Flip 3, but the native UX has been improved thanks to better integration with third-party apps like YouTube and Google Meet, and enhanced touchpad settings. 

FlexCam and Flex Mode are truly innovative features that make the most of the Z Flip 4's foldable design, but it feels like a missed opportunity to capture its full potential. Since the Z Flip 4 is marketed as the ultimate influencer smartphone, Samsung should have pursued a native integration partnership with the current content king, TikTok, rather than the flailing Facebook/Instagram. 

Plus, Flex Mode isn't fully optimized for TikTok or other apps like Hulu. And it doesn't even work with Netflix. What's more, TikTok is slow to launch when accessed via Flex Mode and all of its icons appear bunched up on the top screen, with some of them so close to the crease that it's awkward to maneuver. Some of the icons even overlap on the right side. By contrast, when I tried Flex Mode with Instagram, the feature switched on almost instantaneously and made perfect use of the available screen space.

Flex Mode on TikTok feels a bit cramped and clunky. Credit: Cecily Mauran / Mashable

Whereas, Flex Mode on Instagram is fully optimized. Credit: Cecily Mauran / Mashable

In general, the Z Flip 4's dual-screen features work well in a pinch if you're a jet-setting influencer who doesn't have time to edit content on a laptop, but it feels a little cramped. However, if you're in the market for a true multitasking powerhouse, you're better off with Samsung's Z Fold 4, which Mashable's Alex Perry raved about. 

Like looking in a mirror

Recently, tech companies have been pushing the idea that smartphones are an extension of our bodies and should be customized as such. We wear jewelry and paint our nails, so why shouldn't our phones reflect our style and taste, too? The latest Pixel 6 line doubled down on this last fall with its eye-catching device colors and UI palettes to match your wallpaper. Even Apple jumped on the bandwagon this past spring by announcing a customizable lock screen with iOS 16. 

But Samsung takes the cake for its freedom of expression approach. With the Z Flip 4, you can customize almost everything. From the device's four different colorways to customizing your cover screen with different clock designs, photos, videos, GIFs, or even your own AR emoji, Samsung wants to make sure you're bringing your whole self to your phone.

Customize your cover screen with a little animal friend. Credit: Samsung

Thanks to these cover screen widgets, I definitely unfolded the Z Flip 4 less. Credit: Samsung

There's even a bespoke program where users can customize the Flip 4's design even more. For an additional $40 you can change the Z Flip 4's frame to silver, black, or gold and the body to yellow, white, navy, khaki, or red. But, as someone who struggles with basic decisions like what to eat for lunch, this is simply too many choices for me.

Don't get me wrong, I fully support expressing oneself. But I'm definitely wondering if Samsung should've spent a little less time on the Z Flip 4's color customization and a little more time improving on the essentials like paring down the crease and improving the battery life. Otherwise, it just feels smoke and mirrors.

About the crease and the battery life

To be fair, the crease has gotten much better. Compared to earlier versions of the Z Flip, it's more refined and less noticeable. But it's still there. It doesn't bother me so much when viewing content, but I notice it every time scroll and it sends shivers down my spine, like when something brushes up against your leg in the ocean.

The Z Flip 4's battery life has also gotten better since earlier versions, but there's definitely room for improvement. After two hours of downloading and then browsing Slack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, I noticed the 3,700mAh battery had already dwindled from a full charge to 67 percent. As for a typical full day of usage, I'd normally be left with about a 20 percent charge at night. So I was ultimately surprised by its longevity. It's a smaller phone than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which reportedly last for 16 hours and 18 hours, respectively, so it makes sense. That being said, a battery life that spars with the heavyweights would make the Z Flip 4 unstoppable.

The bottom line 

Does this mean I'm a member of the BTS Army now? Credit: Kyle Cobian / Mashable

Overall, the Samsung Z Flip 4 feels like the most compelling compact foldable yet. For $999, the price is the same as the iPhone 13 Pro and offers similar specs (except for the shorter battery life.) It's also a bargain compared to its foldable sibling, the Z Fold 4, which starts at $1,799 and arguably offers much more.

The Z Flip 4's hands-free tech, useful cover display, multitasking features, and customizable everything are fun and exciting to explore, but they're more of a bonus than a necessity for my humble "geriatric" millennial lifestyle. However that's not a ding against the Flip 4. Just because those features don't hugely entice me, it doesn't mean they won't woo a lot of other people. Don't believe me? Just ask the 70mm strong BTS Army.

At first glance, The Bear is a show about a gifted chef who comes home to save his family's Italian sandwich shop in Chicago, following his brother's death. The intense dramedy, a summer hit on Hulu, is many things at once: a meditation on the grind and joy of cooking, a portrayal of bittersweet relationships, and an unflinching look at both tender and violent masculinity. Surprisingly,The Bear is also about what it means to be a suicide loss survivor. 

This last part isn't advertised. Coverage of the show tends to focus on its authentic take on restaurant life. But nearly every major character is grappling with the grief of losing someone they loved to suicide. That would be Mike (Jon Bernthal), who ran the Original Beef of Chicagoland and left the restaurant to his brother Carmy (Jeremy Allen White). 

Stunned by his brother's suicide, Carmy slowly unravels what he can about the tragedy. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Mike's best friend and his lieutenant at The Beef, mentions addiction. Sorting through Mike's mess of paperwork, Carmy confronts a mountain of debt. (Both substance use disorders and financial strain are risk factors for suicide.) Throughout the show's eight-episode debut season, Carmy moves through different registers of grief and guilt familiar to suicide loss survivors. 

When Corrie first started watching The Bear, she had no clue it would be about suicide loss. She remembers a review promising a fast-paced tour of a tumultuous kitchen that doubled as a "microcosm of society."

Corrie, who is using her first name to protect her family's privacy, lost her 20-year-old son to suicide two years ago. When the nature of Mike's death was revealed in the first episode, she had to pause. She is judicious about which portrayals of suicide she views.

"It does matter when it's handled well," says Corrie, who appreciated The Bear's sensitive treatment of suicide. "When it's depicted in a way that isn't so shaming and stigmatizing…I watch it, and I don't feel so alone, or I don't feel like my kid was so messed up." 

The Bear isn't the only TV show to incorporate major storylines about suicide loss. The miniseries Mare of Easttown rooted much of the title character's anguish in the unaddressed grief of her son's suicide. The second season of Ted Lasso revealed that the title character's father died by suicide, a turn that brought new complexity to Ted's insistence on kindness as a way of life. Reservation Dogs, a show about a close-knit group of Native teenagers living on an Oklahoma reservation, is about grief of all kinds, but particularly the sort that affects a community when a young person dies by suicide. 

These shows don't make suicide loss simply a dramatic catalyst for another character's growth. Instead, they offer textured, empathetic portrayals of surviving a suicide loss. An estimated 5.5. million people are exposed to suicide loss annually in the U.S. Careful storytelling on the topic has the power to reduce stigma for loss survivors, who may encounter judgmental responses or lose friends and family after their loved one dies by suicide. 

Brett Wean, director of writing and entertainment outreach at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said that he's excited by the number of shows taking on the subject of suicide loss. 

"Survivors of suicide loss experience different emotions and have their own ways of coping — and these shows have their own unique artistic voices, allowing them to explore this issue in different ways," Wean wrote in an email. 

He particularly appreciates when storylines about suicide aren't relegated to a single "special" episode only to be forgotten just as quickly. Instead, some of these shows "weave suicide loss and mental health into the ongoing fabric of the characters' lives."

Going beyond shame and grief

When the Native writers of Reservation Dogs decided to tell the story of a youth suicide, they brought to the table their own personal experiences of loss, says co-executive producer Tazbah Chavez. The suicide rate for Indigenous people in the U.S. is the highest of any ethnic or racial group. Chavez says the writers signaled certain risk factors, including mental illness, family violence, and historical trauma, but intentionally chose not to assign a single cause for the character Daniel's death. 

"It is intergenerational pain that that boy is dealing with, it is colonization that that boy is dealing with," says Chavez. "For so many of us, we sort of walk around with this deep pit of pain for what has happened to our people and our communities."

Daniel (Dalton Cramer) is mourned by his friends, who assemble a shrine with some of his belongings. They plan a trip to California in his honor. Daniel's cousin, Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), talks to a portrait of him on the wall in her family's home. Some characters think they were the last to see Daniel, and express guilt over what they wished to have done differently. Over time, these characters find solace and support in each other, and no one blames Daniel for taking his own life. 

"I guess we just don't want anyone to feel shamed on either side of it," says Chavez.

In the second season, now streaming on Hulu, Daniel's friend Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) has an unexpectedly humorous exchange in a portable toilet with a Spirit (Dallas Goldtooth) about needing to move on from his grief. 

"Get over it? Shit. You haven't even gone through it, Cvpon," says the Spirit, using a Muscogee term of affection for "boy". "We cry for those that we lost. We mourn them, we cut our hair. We cut ourselves. We go through all the feels. We tear ourselves to pieces so that we can build ourselves new on the other side. You go through all of it so that they know that they can go, that we'll miss them, but that we'll be okay without them."

There may be a universal sentiment of sorrow in this exchange, but it's a much different context than the therapists' offices where the title characters of Mare of Easttown and Ted Lasso confront their buried grief, or the Al-Anon meeting in The Bear where Carmy gives a wrenching seven-minute monologue about losing his brother first to an unexplained rift and then to suicide.

"Reservation Dogs shows how a whole community of people has been affected, and explores that with great, specific cultural nuance," Wean said.  

While grief drives storylines about suicide loss in Reservation Dogs and The Bear, the shows also make clear that the person who died was complex. This is no small thing for a loss survivor used to one-dimensional portrayals of the deceased. 

In both Reservation Dogs and The Bear, Daniel and Mike appear in flashbacks looking happy. Corrie was touched that the major flashback of Mike portrayed him as a joyful man who cooked and joked with his siblings. A tender exchange between Carmy and an Original Beef chef is a poignant reminder that Mike had caring relationships. 

"He was really well loved by everybody around him," says Corrie. "The focus was kind of on that, which I appreciated, and not on his death, which is just something that survivors are constantly battling."

Lena Heilmann, a suicide loss survivor who hasn't seen either show yet, would like fictional representations of suicide to incorporate the emotional complexity of what happens after the death. The grief persists, and there can be anger at the person or the circumstances that increased the person's suicide risk, but there may also be post-traumatic growth, rituals that honor the deceased in loving ways, and newfound happiness as a survivor rebuilds their life.

"One of the things I wish we did better at in all forms of media…is including the happy memories and the love that is part of the grieving process," says Heilmann.

Heilmann, who lost her sister a decade ago and now works in the Office of Suicide Prevention at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, says that by including the fond memories and enduring love that are integral to grieving, fictional depictions can help people who haven't experienced a suicide loss be more comfortable with and supportive of loss survivors.

Depicting suicide loss, not just suicide

While television writers are treating suicide loss with greater sensitivity, they're still wrestling with whether to show the death itself. Carmy mentions how his brother died twice, pantomiming it once. Ted Lasso shares with his therapist the memory of discovering his father's body. Neither series puts the death itself on screen. 

This mostly aligns with evidence-based guidelines not to show the death in an effort to reduce contagion that could heighten suicidal thinking and behavior for vulnerable viewers, though the preference is not to describe the method at all. Mare of Easttown and Reservation Dogs both include brief shots of the character's body. While neither are gratuitous, the method is still clear. (Graphic portrayals can also be hard for loss survivors, who may be at increased risk for suicide following a loss.) 

Chavez, who wrote and directed the episode in which Daniel dies, says that the writers wanted to avoid glamorizing or romanticizing the death, or give the impression that suicide would be a "painless…moment of release." Importantly, Daniel never appears to his loved ones as fully embodied in the current moment, a choice the writers made to avoid leaving young viewers feel like they can die by suicide but still somehow remain present. Yet, Chavez felt showing the death itself was critical to "land the impact" of losing Daniel. 

In a visual medium, it can be hard to persuade writers and producers that omitting the method is about responsible storytelling rather than shying away from difficult material, but Wean says it's possible to reduce contagion without sacrificing artistry. 

"If they're genuinely, deeply exploring the topic of suicide loss, the depth of that story isn't contained in the graphic moments — it's about what may have preceded them, and the effect they have," Wean wrote. 

He noted that Reservation Dogs' overarching sensitivity toward the subject helped balance the explicit albeit brief scene of Daniel's death, which appears in the seventh episode of the first season, and recurs as a quick flashback in the second season. 

In any episode about suicide, Wean recommends including a content warning at the outset and crisis support resources at the end. At the beginning of the episode about Daniel's death, the show warns about "sensitive material." The conclusion prompts viewers to "Take action for yourself and be there for others" and provides the number for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline). 

While TV series should follow research-based guidelines about reducing contagion, shows like The Bear, Reservation Dogs, Ted Lasso, and Mare of Easttown are doing critical work by including empathetic portrayals of people who've experienced suicide loss.

"These shows help model healthy, open conversations, and let viewers know there is support available for survivors of suicide loss," wrote Wean. 

If you’re feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988; the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860; or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “START” to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don’t like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat at crisischat.org. Here is a list of international resources.

James Corden may have had a relaxing six-week break from The Late Late Show, but there was at least one stressful element: His Twitter got hacked. Or, more specifically, he got phished.

"My Twitter got hacked over the summer," says Corden in the Tuesday night Late Late Show clip above. "I got this message from someone who works at Twitter saying there's been sensitive information on your account. I hadn't posted in a year, so I was like, 'OK, I should probably look at that.'"

Corden says he asked if the action was legitimate and was told it was, and that he just needed to fill out a form. He googled the form, and it seemed like the right one.

"So I go sure, put my information in, and then bang, gone," the host says. "Then I got a WhatsApp message from somebody saying, 'I've frozen your Twitter. You can buy your account back for $1,000.' And I just put, 'Bro, you can keep it.'"

Phishing attacks like this one have been on the rise in recent years, as have celebrity Twitter hacks. With Twitter suffering recent security vulnerabilities, there's never been a better time to take steps to keep your social media accounts safe.

Lining up all your favourite snacks and drinks, surrounding yourself with cushions and blankets, and then spending hours in front of a screen can be a truly therapeutic experience, but there is one big problem with this hobby: There is a limited amount of content out there to keep you satisfied.

Regular streamers can quickly get to a point when it feels like there's nothing left to watch, and what are you supposed to do then? Don't panic, because there is a simple solution to this problem.

If you've reached this point of saturation, you should consider investing in a VPN.

What is a VPN?

VPNs are security tools that provide protection for your information by creating a private network that hides your real IP address. All of your activity is untraceable and secure, because all of your online traffic passes through an encrypted tunnel. Nobody can see into the tunnel, and everything inside the tunnel is protected against online threats like hackers, viruses, and malware.

The act of hiding your real IP address is what can trick leading streaming sites into thinking you are based in another country.

Do you need a VPN?

First and foremost, VPNs are used to provide protection for your sensitive information. This is obviously important, but there's another reason that VPNs are so popular. These tools can be also be used to watch content that is normally blocked in your location.

By hiding your real IP address and connecting you to a server in another country, you can watch all your favourite content from that location. For example, you could watch all the extra films and shows on American Netflix that are not usually accessible outside of the U.S. There is so much content out there that can be accessed with the help of a VPN.

We're all in need of something that can bypass geo-restrictions to access all of this blocked entertainment, and that something is a VPN. These services are kind of like keys to the online world, granting you access to more of the shows and films you love.

How do you unblock American Netflix with a VPN?

If you think accessing American Netflix is going to be tricky with a VPN, think again. It's actually a really simple process that absolutely everyone can understand.

All you need to do is open up your preferred VPN, select an American server in order to spoof your IP to a U.S. address, and then head to Netflix. This quick and easy action makes Netflix think you're in the U.S. when you're actually in the UK, so you can watch all that great content that is normally unavailable. Not too complicated, right?

If you're worried that this whole thing sounds a bit illegal, then maybe we can reassure you. It's currently legal to watch Netflix while using a VPN, although we should point out that Netflix states in its terms of service that it may restrict your account without compensation or notice if you are engaged in "improper" use. We're not entirely sure what that means, but consider yourself warned.

We should make it very clear that you still need to be subscribed to Netflix for this trick to work. A VPN is not going to grant access to the streaming site for free. A VPN provides access to more libraries from around the world, once you're subscribed.

What is the best VPN for Netflix?

There are a lot of VPN services out there that can effectively unblock American Netflix, but which is the best? There are plenty of strong options for you to consider, but we wouldn't want you wasting your time checking everything out. To save you time, we've handpicked your best options. Each service has a different set of features that will suit some users better than others, and it's all about finding something that works for you.

It's tough to pick the best VPN for accessing American Netflix, but ExpressVPN does stand out from the competition for a number of reasons. It has a streaming-friendly interface, security focused features, and strong connection speeds. All of this provides users with a straightforward and speedy streaming experience. Speed is probably the most important feature to consider when it comes to picking a VPN for streaming. Using a VPN to connect to another country often affects your download speed, which can be devastating when you are trying to binge on your favourite show. We found that using ExpressVPN consistently results in the lowest buffering time when streaming Netflix in 4K. It is however a little pricey.

ExpressVPN is at the top of this list because it combines essential features with impressive results, but it isn’t the only option available to you. We have lined up all the best VPNs for unblocking Netflix, with something for everyone on this list. We've highlighted the best deals on the likes of Surfshark, PureVPN, CyberGhost VPN, NordVPN, and ZenMateVPN.

These are the best VPNs for Netflix in 2022.

The following contains spoilers for the finale of Only Murders in the Building Season 2.

Now that Only Murders in the Building Season 2 has ended, it's time to talk about the season's most disturbing moment.

No, I'm not talking about the tragic murder of Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell). I'm talking about the moment when podcast assistant Poppy White (Adina Verson) orders a liverwurst and marmalade sandwich at the Pickle Diner.

Hapless podcasters/amateur sleuths, Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short), are disgusted by the combination, prompting waiter Ivan (Ariel Shafir) to explain it is the owner's sister's favorite sandwich.

The late Bunny didn't care about the sentimental connection. She called it "freak food."

"Freak food" or not, this is no ordinary sandwich. It's a sandwich that helps catch a killer!

Bunny's last words were the clue that ultimately identifies her murderer. Mabel (Selena Gomez) thought she had said, "14 Savage," but actually it turned out to be "14 sandwich." Poppy's go-to sandwich, that liverwurst and marmalade monstrosity, is sandwich number 14 on the Pickle Diner menu. Consider the dots connected and the only murderer in the building caught!

Since this sandwich proved to so pivotal in Only Murders in the Building, I figured I had to try it.

Maybe Poppy and the Pickle Diner owner's sister were onto something. After all, wholesome king, Paddington Bear, loves marmalade sandwiches. How bad could the addition of liverwurst be? Is the combination of marmalade and liverwurst unfairly maligned by our Only Murders heroes? Or is it a sandwich only a killer could love?

Making the liverwurst and marmalade sandwich

Could this be a case of "don't knock it 'til you try it"? Credit: Screenshot: Hulu

First up in making the sandwich: Figuring out the ingredients. Obviously, liverwurst and marmalade are key. But what of the bread? And were there other fixings?

For this, I turned to the Pickle Diner menu, which we glimpse briefly in the finale. The #14 sandwich is simply described as:

"Liverwurst & Marmalade — A favorite in our family, but an acquired taste for sure! So... officially unofficially on the menu!"

While that description didn't tell me anything new, the panel next to it, titled "Sandwiches," gave a helpful hint. The Pickle Diner's sandwiches come on white bread, whole wheat, or sourdough. I decided to go with sourdough and limit the filling solely to liverwurst and marmalade. It wouldn't do to ruin the integrity of the sandwich with ingredients that weren't specified in the show.

A culinary crime in the making. Credit: Belen Edwards/Mashable

With the ingredients procured, I set about making the sandwich. I was apprehensive: When I'd ordered the liverwurst at a deli, the man behind me in line laughed and said, "I haven't had that in a long time." I replied, "Would you believe that this is for work?"

Inside, however, I was panicking. Had he not eaten liverwurst in a long time because he did not enjoy the taste? What was I, a liverwurst newbie, getting myself into?

Then I thought, if Charles, Oliver, and Mabel can solve multiple murders, you can face the #14 sandwich. So I squashed my doubts, slathered the sourdough with marmalade, heaped it high with liverwurst, and chowed down.

Eating Poppy's liverwurst and marmalade sandwich

I may have gone overboard with the liverwurst. Credit: Belen Edwards/Mashable

In the beginning, I didn't mind the combination of liverwurst and marmalade. There was a brief moment when I thought my sandwich tastes would align with Poppy's. The sweetness of the marmalade combined decently with the salty meatiness of the liverwurst.

That moment of "hmmm, not bad," passed quickly.

The marmalade's sweetness faded, and I was left only with liverwurst. That was when I discovered that I do not, in fact, enjoy liverwurst. It was far too salty, slightly slimy, and overall off-putting. It didn't help that I'd piled a ton on the sandwich because I assumed that's what any self-respecting diner cook would do. After that first bite (as well as a second to confirm my initial reaction), I had to step away from it.

Perhaps there is a secret to the Pickle Diner liverwurst and marmalade sandwich that makes it work. Maybe I used the wrong bread, or the wrong ratio of meat to spread, or maybe I'm just garbage at making sandwiches. For now, I must agree with the Pickle Diner in that this particular sandwich is an "acquired taste." And I don't think it's one that I, or many others, will ever acquire.

All episodes of Only Murders in the Building Season 2 are now streaming on Hulu.

TL;DR: As of August 24, you can get the Piano & Guitar Composition Bundle for just $34.99 instead of $1600 — that's a 97% discount.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn a new instrument, this could be your chance to pick up the foundational skills behind two of the most popular instruments to learn: guitar and piano. 

With the Complete Piano & Guitar For All Music Composition Bundle, you could start learning two complex instruments with one bundle. For a limited time, this music education course set is on sale for $34.99 (Reg. $1600). 

Learn piano and guitar with these lifetime courses

Whether you've tried to learn an instrument before or this is your first time playing music, this bundle should be a great place for you to start. Starting with piano, you'll get three courses and 22 hours of instruction. These lessons include the fundamentals and even methods for playing classical music. You might be listening to yourself playing some Beethoven before too long, though you may need a translator to read the composer’s notes on his sheet music. 

If you want to learn guitar, this bundle gives you five courses to choose from, including two introductory courses: Guitar Lessons for the Curious Guitarist and Beginner Guitar Lessons Crash Course. Once you finish practicing your chords and learning the basics of guitar theory, you could start exploring different genres of music to play. This bundle even has courses on Jazz or Blues guitar. 

All courses are available to you for life. Music may be constantly evolving, but the basic mechanics should remain the same, even as popular genres shift and grow. Each guitar course is taught by Dan Dresnok, a guitar teacher with over 50,000 students between his online and in-person teaching roles, and he even wrote a book on playing Jazz guitar as a beginner. 

Learn to play piano or guitar in this fundamentals bundle

Sharpen your musical skills and get this Piano & Guitar Composition Bundle for $34.99 (Reg. $1600). 

Prices subject to change.

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TL;DR: From August 24 through August 31, you can get the Kiru Knife™ Kitchen Master 8" Chef Knife for just $84.99 instead of $156.99 — that's a 45% discount.

Cooking isn’t just about having great ingredients or knowing how to make a flavor profile. Arguably one of the most important parts of cooking is your knives. Dull kitchen knives are dangerous and frustrating to use, so you probably want something that can keep an edge, maintain durability, and act as a precision instrument for all kinds of work at the counter. 

August 24 is National Knife Day, and to celebrate man’s oldest tool, we’ve got a great deal on a high-carbon precision-forged chef knife. The Kiru Knife™ Kitchen Master 8" Chef Knife has had its price pared down to $84.99 from $156. No coupon code needed. 

A multipurpose knife with an incredible edge 

Though it’s lightweight, the Kiru Knife™ has had some heavy work done on it to make it a great multi-purpose tool in the kitchen. The double bevel edge has been sharpened to eight to 12 degrees. That edge would normally dull quickly, but this blade was forged with 67 layers of high-carbon stainless steel cladding, then nitrogen cooled for better edge retention. 

There’s more to the blade than the edge. The feather pattern is unique and striking, making your chef knife as much of a statement piece as the (hopefully) delicious meals you could prepare with it. 

The blade isn’t the only thing that’s standout about this knife. The handle also looks pretty sharp. Made from G-10 Garolite, the handle is resistant to heat, cold, and moisture, and it should last quite a while too. 

Grab a chef knife that’s a slice above the competition

Celebrate National Knife Day with a blade that could make you love even the prep work in the kitchen. Get the Kiru Knife™ Kitchen Master 8" Chef Knife on sale for $84.99 (Reg. $156). No coupon code needed. 

This isn’t the only knife on sale during this event which runs from August 24 through August 31 — take a look at the rest of the collection for more. 

Prices subject to change.

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One of the most momentous tests in NASA history is about to blast off. And you can watch it live.

The space agency has slated the morning of August 29 — with backup dates of September 2 and 5 — for the first launch of its new 322-foot-tall moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). If successful, this critical demonstration mission, called Artemis l, will pave the way for NASA astronauts to return to the moon in late 2025. Ultimately, NASA plans to use this colossal rocket to establish a permanent U.S. presence on and around the moon.

After a 50-year lunar absence, SLS — though hugely expensive, delayed, and tangled in U.S. politics — will enable NASA to restart its human exploration of deep space.

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Watching the launch is easy

How to watch: NASA will livestream the launch on NASA TV, which you can watch on NASA's website, on NASA TV's YouTube Channel, or on NASA's livestream found just below.

When to watch: The space agency plans to launch the SLS rocket as early as 8:33 a.m. ET on August 29, 2022. This live coverage starts at 6:30 a.m. ET. NASA has a two-hour time window to blast the rocket into space. Weather often delays rocket launches, so we'll update this story if NASA is unable to launch on August 29.

What the Artemis l mission will do

1. The uncrewed mission will prove that the SLS rocket can lift the Orion spacecraft (which will eventually carry astronauts) into space and help propel it to the moon. If successful, the rocket will become the most powerful launch vehicle in the world.

2. NASA spaceflight engineers will scrutinize the performance of Orion as it travels through space, loops around the moon a number of times, and then returns to Earth. The mission will last 42 days.

3. Orion will plummet through Earth's atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific Ocean. This all has to go smoothly and safely: Astronauts will be on the next mission, Artemis ll.

Want more science and tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter today.

NASA testing the Orion capsule landing in a big pool at the agency's Langley Research Center. Credit: NASA Langley Research Center

TL;DR: As of August 24, you can get the Wave Maker 3 Barrel Waver for just $59.99 instead of $149.99 — that's a 60% discount.

If you're looking for a way to get those bouncy, fabulous waves in your hair, going to the salon can get expensive. Fortunately, there's an affordable way to achieve this look. This easy-to-use styling tool could help you get beautiful, healthy waves, and it has been marked all the way down to $59.99 from $149. 

Wave goodbye to straight hair whenever you want

Ride the waves with the Cortex International Wave Maker and leave home with a fresh, voluminous 'do. With three ceramic-coated barrels, you can start forming even, natural-looking waves in your hair. The ceramic coating heats evenly to help protect your hair from damage. It’s the same principle used for hair straighteners that use ceramic to reduce frizz and hair damage. 

The Wave Maker is designed to heat quickly at the touch of a button. Adjust the temperature based on your hair type, then get to work! It has a 360-degree swivel design to prevent cord tangling. Once you’re satisfied with your look, the Wave Maker should cool down quickly, or you can lean it back on its stand to prevent any countertop contact that could risk burns. 

Whether you’re a professional stylist looking for a simple tool to use on your clients or someone who wants a quick, fresh look they can manage at home, this discounted hair waver could be the perfect thing to add to your routine. 

Glam up your hair with one easy tool! 

If you want to add a little volume to your straight hair, there may be an easy way to do it. Get this super-affordable Wave Maker 3 Barrel Waver on sale for only $59.99 (Reg. $149). 

Prices subject to change.

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I am not what you think of when you think 'OnlyFans model.' My body is thicc, with large thighs, strong arms, and a doughy midsection. My hair is far from full and much of my wardrobe is Old Navy chic. I have a dick — and it’s not huge. No one sees me on the street and fantasizes about me when they get home. Or so I thought.

One of my first followers on OnlyFans — who I had affectionately labeled Foot Bitch — told me that we’d gone to college together. "I thought you were incredibly sexy and jerked off to your Facebook pictures so many times!" he shared in our first exchange. This was news to me; I spent my college years surprised at any sexual interest. My body image had been warped by countless bullies calling me a "fat fuck" every day for a decade. 'Foot Bitch’ proceeded to tip me for feet pictures and apologized for not having more money to send. "I’m drowning in NYU debt," he wrote. I hoped I was worth it. Many creators on ‘that platform’ are having a body image reawakening in the face of intergenerational fatphobia, filtered social media models, and gendered expectations.

"It’s funny. You start an OnlyFans page and everyone who’s wanted to have sex with you follows," says writer Ryn Pfeuffer, 49. "Someone I went on a date with in the mid-’90s crawled out of the woodwork. I wish I had known [he liked me then]!"

The rise of OnlyFans (and other independent, adult-friendly monetization platforms like Fansly, FanCentro, and LoyalFans) has seen an insurgence of everyday people trying their hand at home-made porn. In 2019, there were reportedly 120,000 creator accounts on the site. In 2022, that number is well over 1.5 million with more than 150 million registered users. OnlyFans is now fully part of the zeitgeist with many celebrities willing to show a nipple or some bushy root to their horniest fans. (Except Bella Thorne.)

I launched an OnlyFans in August 2020 after cultivating a very horny audience with The Manwhore Podcast (for example: we watch retro porn together in my Discord server each month). Like plenty of newbies, I wanted an ego boost. Other creators wanted to anonymously explore their sexuality. Many found themselves unemployed as the world ground to a halt during pandemic lockdowns and they turned to being hot as a way to pay the bills.

Haley, 26, launched her page @GetHumiliated in January 2021 to make ends meet while waiting to start a new job. In college, she used to "scam dudes on Twitter" for beer money by offering nude photos, accepting their payments, then ghosting them. But now, she was ready to actually follow through.

Haley found a niche as an internet Goddess specializing in Small Penis Humiliation (a fetish where a man requests degrading comments about the size of his wang). The savvy humiliatrix rakes in a comfortable $4,000 to $7,000 a month being praised by betas. Mrs. Humiliation, as she calls herself, has since quit her day job because she "was literally losing money by not being available for interactive stuff."

But money was not the only benefit. "My mom was always trying to lose weight," Haley says. She feels it was ingrained in her at a young age to always be smaller. "I’ve always had a little bit of extra belly fat." Like me, that soft squishy midsection was her least favorite part of her body. But on OnlyFans, Haley is flooded with men worshiping her stomach.

Another woman, a German creator who posts under @aafricanqueeeen, said she was also insecure about her belly for years. Through posting on OnlyFans, she found out "a lot of people love fupas!" (FUPA is an acronym for Fat Upper Pubic Area.) Each photoshoot presented an opportunity to discover new parts about her body that can be sexy — even if they don’t fit into conventional beauty standards. For example, the 24-year-old — who loves memes and dick ratings — never liked shaving but did it because of men’s expectations. After seeing the positive reactions to some unshaven content, she put the razor down altogether. "Sexuality was always linked to a boy, not for myself. [Now I realize that] my body — how it is — is beautiful. I don’t have to change it."

The body positivity movement often pushes people to ‘feel beautiful’ and to not rely on external validation. But when representation of your body type is lacking in pop culture and desire for someone like you is either fetishized or admitted in hushed tones, it can feel delusional to look in the mirror and see sexy. All the representation and affirmations feel empty if people are clapping for your bravery instead of openly drooling in your comments like they do for Megan Fox or Michael B. Jordan.

In college, one of my sisters told me, "If you just got a six pack, so many of my friends would want to date you." Woof. No wonder roughly 10 million men and boys in this country are affected by disordered eating. As a man whose definition of ‘abs’ will always be more relevant to ‘anti-lock braking system,’ I deduced I was going to have to get rich or get funny. When I was younger, I never saw women unabashedly desire chubby male actors on social media without also mentioning how hilarious he was in that one movie.

Flash forward to this week, one of my regulars — a 30-something married woman in the Midwest — tips me, saying how much she loves my arms, my chest hair, my thighs, my butt. And yes, my boyfriend-sized six inches too.

Body image isn’t only about weight, muscles, and the shape of your tits. For many trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming folks, there’s just something ‘not right’ about what they see in the mirror. "It didn’t feel good having that reminder that that’s what people saw when they looked at me," shares Eliza Casey, who started shooting adult content with her wife in 2016 "long before OnlyFans" blew up.

After transitioning, Casey, 30, drove out to the desert to shoot for a friend’s magazine. "[My friend] saw me more through the lens of the camera in that photoshoot than I see myself in the mirror some days." When she saw the photos, she was blown away by her own beauty — a shot of her long legs followed by her exposed body stepping out of the car in the Nevada sunlight. "It’s nice to have those moments where I’m like, 'Whoa. I’m kind of hot!'"

There’s less ambiguity in porn metrics than Instagram engagement. You don’t need to debate why people liked your thirst trap on OnlyFans. It’s not because you’re funny or brave or kind or people feel bad for you. Tips spent and view counts give a creator an idea of the number of orgasms they’ve caused. Those dollars mean just one thing: You are fucking hot. Now go pay your rent with your hotness.

For trans creators whose sexualities unfortunately attract both shame and violence, selling nudes can be affirming. "It’s definitely helpful to show people like me being desired and taking ownership of their pleasure," Casey admits. Meanwhile, older creators like Pfeuffer—who rakes in $1,000 a week on OnlyFans—hope to challenge the notion that there’s a "societal expiration on your body."

My first month on OnlyFans, I made $1,020 — that’s $30 shy of rent! The next month, I made even more. As an unknown comedian with a mildly successful dating podcast, I’ve made tens of thousands of dollars posting thirst traps and selling videos of my body in a variety of sexual scenarios. It was clear to me right away that I can hate my body if I want to — but I have to respect it. Because this body was paying some bills. Making between $500 and $2,000 per month forced me to accept: I’ve got a hot body.

"OnlyFans has helped me realize that people love different things," Haley reflects. "Something about myself that I hate, somebody else could think is the most beautiful thing in the world."

Facebook Feed is not itself this morning.

Early on Wednesday, many users (including several of us at Mashable) have noticed that their Facebook Feed is showing only posts completely unrelated to their interests, such as fan posts on popular Pages.

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It's not this way for everyone. For example, my wife has this issue on her Android smartphone, while desktop Facebook works normally for me. A Mashable colleague, meanwhile, is having issues on both her desktop computer and iOS.

We've sent a message to Facebook asking what's up, and will update this post when we hear back.

UPDATE: Aug. 24, 2022, 2:28 p.m. EDT A spokeseperson representing Facebook's parent company Meta says the issue has been fixed. "Earlier today, a configuration change caused some people to have trouble with their Facebook Feed. We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience,” - the spokesperson told Mashable in an e-mailed statement.

Tesla software update 2022.24.5 is rolling out, and it comes with a new feature called Tesla Profiles, allowing users to keep their settings in the cloud.

The feature was long in the making. It was promised by CEO Elon Musk in Nov. 2021, and first seen this July, but now it's actually being delivered widely, Electrek reported Tuesday.

Tesla Profiles allow users to keep their settings in the cloud and have them activate across multiple cars. Per Tesla's release notes, these settings include seat, mirror, and steering wheel adjustments, Autopilot, driving and climate control preferences, and navigation, media, and data sharing preferences.

This means that you'll be able to rent a Tesla and have it automatically adjust to your preferences. And if you change a setting in one car, it will be carried over to other cars you own or use.

Tesla Profiles are set up from the Driver Profile settings, and you can change your profile picture from the Tesla mobile app.

Other new features in this update include the ability to adjust the placement of your blind spot camera view on the display, as well as the possibility of disabling sounds in Sentry mode (while keeping mobile app notifications on).

Another interesting new feature is the ability to uninstall games from your car's computer. Tesla comes with a selection of pre-installed games, and by uninstalling them you can free the storage space in your Tesla's computer. Musk recently promised that Steam games are coming to Tesla cars, and this new feature could be a precursor for that update.

The problem with Wednesdays is that while the end of the day symbolizes the coming end of the workweek, if you're still at the start of the day, you're at the hardest part of the workweek — not yet over the hump, as it were. So if you're tackling this tough Quordle at this start of your Wednesday, you have my sympathy.

But the day's about to get better. Scroll down this page all the way and you'll find all four Quordle answers. Or, if you're just looking for hints, scroll a little more slowly. Peruse the strategy guide. Get better at Quordle, and finish the week a smarter person than when you started.

What is Quordle?

Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.

Is Quordle harder than Wordle?

Yes, though not diabolically so.

Where did Quordle come from?

Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30. Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running. 

How is Quordle pronounced?

“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.”

Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?

Yes and no.

Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you.

After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle.

What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?

Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times. 

Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset.

Is there a way to get the answer faster?

In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses:

Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. I’ve had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.”

Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses.

If you've already run out of strategy, though, and you're still stumped, here are some hints:

A semi-useful hint about today’s puzzle

Synonyms for all four words are in the following sentence (in no particular order).

According to the manual for new employees I should put the yellow and white flower sticker on my handbag to add panache. 

Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?

No.

Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?

No.

What do today’s Quordle words start with?

P, G, D, and F.

What are the answers for today’s Quordle?

Are you sure you want to know?

There’s still time to turn back.

Okay, you asked for it. The answers are:

1. PURSE

2. GUIDE

3. DAISY

4. FLAIR

Travel is a great way to explore new foods, try new experiences — and meet new people. The local dating pool can start to feel shallow once you've done a few laps, so checking out the local talent while traveling can be exciting. Dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge even make this easier, letting you scour your holiday destination for potential matches.

Of course, it's still important to be cautious and take safety measures while online dating, regardless of where in the world you are. You should also be responsible and indicate whether you're looking for one-night stands, a short-term fling, or are willing to invest in a long distance romance once you fly back home. Carelessly leaving a trail of broken hearts across Europe may seem romantic, but it isn't as glamorous as it sounds.

But if you're careful and open about your intentions, using dating apps while travelling can be a fun way to meet new people. As an extra travel hack, they'll probably know a ton of good local places to check out that aren't in the tourist brochures.

Here's how to change your location in your dating apps, including Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge.

How change your Tinder location

Tinder automatically detects your location in order to show you potential partners who were close by. As such, you shouldn't have to fiddle with any settings while travelling, though you can tap Settings and scroll to Discovery to adjust Tinder's search radius.

Alternatively, if you're the type of traveller that likes to organise potential hookups before you even arrive, you can do that by getting a paid Tinder subscription. Paying subscribers to Tinder get access to the app's Passport feature, which enables them to search different locations for matches without actually having to be there. 

Once subscribed to Tinder Plus, Tinder Gold, or Tinder Platinum, here's how to change your location:

1. Open Tinder.

2. Tap your profile icon in the top left corner.

3. Tap "Settings."

4. Scroll down to Discovery Settings and tap "Location."

5. Tap "Add a new location" and enter your destination.

(And if you don't need this feature once you're back home, here's how to cancel Tinder Gold.)

How to change your Bumble location

Like Tinder, Bumble uses your phone's GPS to determine where you are, and thus your local dating options. The app also locks its Travel mode feature behind a subscription, meaning you'll have to pay for Bumble Premium in order to change your location and match with people in other countries.

If you have a subscription to Bumble Premium, here's how you can change your location:

1. Open Bumble.

2. Tap your profile icon in the bottom left corner.

3. Tap the Settings cog icon in the top right corner.

4. Scroll down to Location and tap "Travel to…"

5. Search for your destination and select it.

How to change your Hinge location

Unlike Tinder and Bumble, Hinge lets you change your location without a paid subscription, because love is free and knows no borders. Hinge also doesn't track your location, which is a plus for privacy but may be a minor irritation for flirty singles on the move.

Fortunately, changing your location on Hinge isn't complicated.

1. Open Hinge.

2. Tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner.

3. Tap "Dating Preferences."

4. Under Basic Preferences, tap "My neighbourhood."

5. Reposition the map until the cursor is over your destination.

Hinge doesn't offer any indication to your potential paramours that you aren't actually local to the area, so you'll have to set those expectations yourself. Also remember to switch your location back once you arrive back home. That is, if you didn't meet someone who inspired you to delete Hinge altogether.

If you want to go all in, you could also try downloading dating apps that are more popular to locals at your destination. For example, Lovoo is a popular dating app in Germany, while singles in South Korea use Amanda. Just keep in mind that you may need to overcome a language barrier with any potential partners.

TL;DR: PDF Reader Pro For Mac is on sale for £33.17, saving you 33% on list price.

Have you ever met a teacher in the modern age who doesn’t use PDFs? Between readings, worksheets, and syllabi, there are plenty of opportunities for you to encounter this ubiquitous file type in school, and if you don’t have the right software, PDFs might get a little frustrating. 

But PDFs don’t have to be frustrating. Though you may not spend a ton of time ruminating on your feelings toward any specific file format, PDFs might become your favourite once you try PDF Reader Pro for Mac. This PDF-reading software gives you a whole host of tools for making this once-frustrating file type far more accessible, and during this Back to Education event, it’s only £33.17 now through August 24. 

PDFs are the third most common file type on the internet, so you likely aren’t going to get through school without needing an app that can deal with them. As a student, PDF Reader might become your favourite app on your Mac. Teacher sends you a reading to take notes on? You can annotate highlight, underline, and more directly onto the page with PDF Reader Pro. And if you’re tired of the glaring white borders around your reading, you can switch on Night Mode, which may be easier on the eyes. While filling out a form for financial aid, PDF Reader provides interactive fields for text, checkboxes, combo boxes, and more. 

PDF Reader could be an excellent tool for reading or writing assignments. Transform images imported from your iOS device into a PDF, or convert PDFs into iWork, Text, JPH, PNG, and HTML files. If you’re making a professional portfolio for a class, you could even add your own watermark. 

Stop worrying when you see a PDF attachment to an email from your teacher. Instead, get PDF Reader Pro For Mac while it’s only £33.17.

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Credit: PDF Technologies

PDF Reader Pro For Mac (opens in a new tab)

£33.17 at the Mashable Shop

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The Wordle has renewed itself once again, and the Wednesday puzzle cries out to be solved! To help you in your quest, our daily Wordle hints and tips are what you need in your mental inventory.

The answer to the August 24 Wordle, puzzle #431, can be found at the end of this article. Before you get there, though, there are a couple of subtle clues to help you narrow it down, and as you scroll down, you'll see we've gathered a selection of the best tips and strategies from our previous reporting to help you every day.

Where did Wordle come from?

Former Reddit engineer Josh Wardle came up with the game in 2021 as a bit of fun for him and his word game-loving partner. It eventually became a staple of their family WhatsApp messaging, and that's when Wardle started to suspect he might have something special enough to merit a wider release.

Thousands of people around the globe now play this game each day, and fans have even created alternatives to Wordle inspired by the original format. This includes music identification game Heardle, Hollywood nerd faves Actorle and Framed, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.

Not the day you're after? You'll find the Wordle answer for August 23 here.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

We have some ideas to help you pick the perfect first move. Such tips include choosing a word with at least two different vowels to rule those building blocks in or out, plus a few common consonants such as S, T, R, or N.

Also, even if you're attached to your mathematically sound starter, once it's been the answer on any given day it won't be the answer again for a few years — so if you happen to get the elusive 1/6 result, celebrate by swapping out your starting five.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

While you could once play the entire archive of past puzzles, the archive was taken down at the request of the New York Times, according to the site's creator.

Is Wordle getting harder?

If you've been finding Wordle too easy, there is a Hard Mode you can enable to give yourself more of a challenge. But unless you activate this mode, we can assure you that Wordle isn't getting harder. 

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

The whole point of Wordle is that everyone's solving the same puzzle, with the same answer, no matter where you are in the world. However, occasionally the puzzle game will accept two different correct solutions on the same day. This aberration is due to changes the New York Times began making after it acquired Wordle earlier this year, excising words from Wardle's original list that the team considers obscure or potentially offensive.

To make sure you're always getting the same puzzle as everyone else, refresh your browser before you play — don't worry, the site will keep your streak.

A subtle hint for the Wordle answer on August 24

Whether it's emotional or material, you don't want this adjective to apply to you.

Wordle today is a 5-letter word that starts with...

...the letter N!

Does today's Wordle word have a double letter?

You know what? It totally does.

Wordle today: What's the answer?

Ready?

It's time to reveal the solution.

It's...

NEEDY.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Yelp, the go-to site for publicly-generated reviews and business suggestions, announced it's expanding site features to help users get informed, medically-sound abortion care.

The new consumer notice alert notifies visitors when they have accessed a Yelp business page for a Crisis Pregnancy Center (also known as a CPC). Such centers are branded as so-called "women's health centers," and present themselves as inclusive medical facilities but actually shame, scare, or explicitly deter pregnant people from receiving abortions. These centers, which sometimes manifest as mobile health units, claim to provide free pregnancy tests, sexual health information, ultrasounds, or other services, but are not medically-licensed facilities, Planned Parenthood explains.

"As the fate of abortion rights hung in the balance, we’ve increased our efforts to protect our users and provide them with access to the information they’re looking for, which includes better matching them with reproductive health services that actually offer abortions when they are searching for abortion services and making it less likely they will see crisis pregnancy centers that don’t," the company wrote in its press release.

Corporate efforts like Yelp's join organizations and reproductive justice activists who've actively battled against the misinformation and dangerous care proliferated by Crisis Pregnancy Centers and Faith-based Centers both on-the-ground and in digital spaces.

The Crisis Pregnancy Center Map, created in 2018 by researchers Dr. Andrea Swartzendruber and Dr. Danielle Lambert of the epidemiology and biostatistics department in the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia, documents locations around the United States in a user-friendly, searchable database. Expose Fake Clinics, another online map of CPC's around the country, was created by the Abortion Access Hackathon and Abortion Access Front (and 60 other partner organizations) to help curb the flow of people seeking abortions to these locations. Many pro-abortion websites like these work in tandem with national networks of abortion care providers and abortion funds, like the National Network of Abortion Funds.

Yelp's update isn't the first time the review site has attempted to address the problem of these "health centers." In 2018, Yelp officially began recategorizing businesses that don't offer actual abortion services as either Crisis Pregnancy Centers or Faith-based Crisis Pregnancy Centers. As the company wrote in the update's press release, those recategorization efforts are still going strong in 2022, with 33,500 U.S. business pages evaluated for accurate information and 470 of them recategorized as CPC's.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers have risen in public consciousness since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the privacy protections enumerated in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Google came under fire earlier this year for its search algorithm's seeming prioritization of these centers when search engine users Googled abortion services, and that widespread problem is still happening in Google Maps searches. This is to the dismay of many, including Senate Democrats who called on Google to address the problem in June.

That same month, youth activists affiliated with digital organizing group Gen-Z for Change flooded the reviews sections of CPC and anti-abortion group pages on Google business profiles and Yelp listings — a part of the organization's S.A.F.E.R. (Spam, Assist, Fund, Educate, and Register) campaign. Both Yelp and Google temporarily disabled reviews on the business' page listings in response.

Yelp's Consumer Notice clearly labels businesses that may show up in searches for abortion providers. Credit: Yelp

With this latest in-app addition, Yelp is finally articulating, on the user-facing side, the main problem with CPC's and other centers like them: the harmful spread of misinformation and medically-inaccurate care that does nothing to support the reproductive rights of people on the ground.

Last month, Meta told us we'd soon need to make a Meta account to use its Quest virtual reality headsets and, folks, the day is here.

This morning, in an email you may have scrolled right past (like I did), Meta reminded us that new Quest users will need to create a Meta account, starting today. Existing users can stick with their current setup until Jan. 1, 2023, after which they'll be required to open a Meta account, too.

Previously, users were required to have or create a Facebook account to use the headsets. Now, you'll use your email address or Facebook account (Instagram is also an option for first-time users) to create a separate Meta account.

Any existing apps, achievements, and friends will be automatically migrated to this new account, but friends will be re-dubbed "Meta Horizon followers." Info from your Oculus profile will be migrated to a new Meta Horizon profile, which Meta describes as "your social profile in VR and other surfaces like the web."

To ensure account migration goes as smoothly as possible, Meta suggests you update your Quest headset to the latest software (R.I.P. my mods) or else you may need to do a factory reset.

The company posted a short overview of the changes in the video at this link. To get started on the update, you can visit the Meta website at this link or open the Oculus mobile app.

UPDATE: Aug. 23, 2022, 3:30 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to include the latest sale prices and availability on sex toys.

• The We-Vibe Touch exemplifies the cliché that good things come in small packages — $69 $99 (save $30)

• The Satisfyer Pro 2 is one of the best clit stimulators out there, with a budget-friendly price that just got even friendlier— $29.95 $69.95 (save $40 with code SUMMER)

• The Fleshlight Go Stamina Training Unit Lady Pack is an enticing offer from one of the best masturbation sleeve brands in the biz — $69.95 $81.85 (save $11.90)

We're not saying that treating yourself to some new sex toys will almost certainly improve your life, but we're also not not saying that. Spending some money on upping your solo sesh game or adding a little spice with a partner is well worth the investment. Though we do believe in springing for well-made toys since you'll be putting them in, on, and around your genitals, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to drop a ton of cash. Every week, we'll be rounding up the best deals directly from manufacturers and online sex shops alike, so you can find a toy you'll love, at prices you'll love (almost) as much. Check out our finds from this week below.

Vibrator deals

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Credit: We-Vibe

Our pick: We-Vibe Touch (opens in a new tab)

$69 at We-Vibe (save $30)

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Why we like it

The thing about We-Vibe is that they're going to make a good vibrator, and the Touch is no exception. Exemplifying the good things come in small packages cliché, this vibe is about four inches long, but is silky smooth, has two hours of run time, and has eight different vibration speeds and patterns. In other words, it's a great discreet vibe that packs a punch.

More vibrator deals:

• Pleasure Works Pirouette Waterproof Vibrator — $19.99 $27.99 (save $8)

• Satisfyer Magic Bunny Vibrator — $34.95 $79.99 (save $45.04 with code SUMMER)

• Adam & Eve Intimate Curves Rechargeable Wand — $38.47 $69.95 (save $31.48 with code AESAVE45)

• We-Vibe Touch — $69 $99 (save $30)

• Original Magic Wand — $69.95 $99.99 (save $30.04 with code SUMMER)

• Lelo Soraya Wave — $194 $259 (save $65)

• MysteryVibe Crescendo — $195 $229 (save $34)

Clitoral stimulator and suction toy deals

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Credit: Satisfyer

Our pick: Satisfyer Pro 2 (opens in a new tab)

$29.95 at Pink Cherry (save $40 with code SUMMER)

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Why we like it

Read more from Mashable about the Satisfyer Pro 2.

We'll be honest — clit stimulators are not everyone's cup of tea. But if you want to try some fun suction sensations without hurting your bank account, the Satisfyer Pro 2 is a great budget option that's sale price makes it even more enticing. It has 11 different settings, whisper-quiet modes, vibration-free settings, and it's waterproof, only adding to its allure.

More clitoral stimulator and suction toy deals:

• Womanizer The One — $5 $10 (save $5 with code SUMMER)

• Satisfyer Pro 2 — $29.95 $69.95 (save $40 with code SUMMER)

• Better Love Tap Dancer — $69.99 $175.99 (save $106)

• Lelo Sona Cruise — $90.99 $137.99 (save $47)

• We-Vibe Tango and Satisfyer Pro 2 bundle — $96.99 $148.99 (save $52)

• Womanizer Classic 2 — $103.20 $129 (save $25.80)

• Lelo Sona Cruise 2 — $109.99 $139 (save $29.01)

• Womanizer Premium Eco — $139.30 $199 (save $59.70)

• Womanizer Premium 2 — $159.20 $199 (save $39.80)

Dildo deals

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Credit: PinkCherry

Our pick: PinkCherry Lucky Dick 8.25-inch dildo (opens in a new tab)

$24.98 at PinkCherry (save $24.97 with code SUMMER)

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Why we like it

When it comes down to it, everyone will have their own preferences when it comes to dildos (or any sex toys, for that matter), but here's why this one is worth a second look. The silicone material gives the dildo some flex, so you can find those just-right angles (which can feel even better thanks to its approachable size). The circular base doubles as a suction cup too, making this dildo easy to hold, fit into a harness, or stick on to the non-porous surface of your choosing.

More dildo deals:

• Adam & Eve Cool Curve jelly dildo — $13.72 $24.95 (save $11.23 with code AESAVE45)

• Lifelike Lover Luxe 6-inch dildo — $20.99 $34.99 (save $14)

• Adam & Eve Twisted Love glass dildo — $21.97 $39.95 (save $17.98 with code AESAVE45)

• Colours 5-inch Silicone realistic dildo — $21.97 $39.95 (save $17.98 with code AESAVE45)

• PinkCherry Lucky Dick 8.25-inch dildo — $24.98 $49.95 (save $24.97 with code SUMMER)

• Lovehoney Beginner 6-inch Strap On harness kit — $29.99 $49.99 (save $20)

• Kingcock Strap-on Harness with 8-inch dildo — $49.47 $89.95 (save $40.48 with code AESAVE45)

• Tantus Strapless Strap On Slim — $68.99 $92 (save $23.01)

• Njoy Pure Wand — $96 $120 (save $24 with code DIL20)

• Velvet Co. Teddy Thruster Mini — $136.80 $166 (save $29.20 with code SPARKLER20)

• Velvet Co. Jackie Thruster — $199.99 $249.98 (save $49.99 with code SPARKLER20)

Deals on sex toys for penises

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Credit: Fleshlight

Our pick: Fleshlight Go Stamina Training Unit Lady Pack (opens in a new tab)

$69.95 at Fleshlight (save $11.90)

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Why we like it

When it comes to sex toys specifically for people with penises, Fleshlight might just be the most recognizable name out there, and for good reason — they're masters at the masturbation sleeve. Fleshlight's sleeves have made our favorites list before, and this bundle comes with a compact version of one of the brand's most popular sleeves, the Stamina Training Unit, as well as lube and cleaner.

More deals on sex toys for penises:

• Ass-Gasm Penis Ring Plug — $12.62 $22.95 (save $10.33 with code AESAVE45)

• Super Head Honcho Masturbator — $16.47 $29.95 (save $13.48 with code AESAVE45)

• Fleshlight Flight Pilot — $49.49 $54.99 (save $5.50)

• Satisfyer Men Vibration Masturbator — $49.95 $84.99 (save $35.04)

• Fleshlight Pink Lady Stamina Unit — $62.99 $69.99 (save $7)

• Fleshlight Turbo Thrust — $67.49 $74.99 (save $7.50)

• Fleshlight Go Stamina Training Unit Lady Pack — $69.95 $81.85 (save $11.90)

• Buy 2 Fleshlight sleeves, get one free — $99.90 $149.85 (save $49.95)

• MysteryVibe Tenuto 2 — $212 $249 (save $37)

Anal toy deals

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Credit: Vedo

Our pick: Bump rechargeable anal vibe (opens in a new tab)

$27.47 at Adam & Eve (save $22.48 with code AESAVE45)

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Why we like it

From a glance alone, this Bump pick looks like a pretty good plug — it's not too big, not too small, has a nice tapered edge and a wide end for keeping things where you want them, and is silicone-smooth so it slides right in without friction. Once you realize it has 10 different vibration modes and can be submerged safely in water, well, you may just feel like you've won the butt plug lotto.

More anal toy deals:

• Lovehoney Booty Buddy vibrating butt plug — $12.49 $24.99 (save $12.50)

• Kink Trainer Kit — $27.47 $49.95 (save $22.48 with code AESAVE45)

• Bump Rechargeable Anal Vibe — $27.47 $49.95 (save $22.48 with code AESAVE45)

• Satisfyer Lolli Plug — $27.99 $39.99 (save $12)

• Njoy Pure Plug — $76.49 $89.99 (save $13.50 with code VIBING)

• B-vibe Texture Plug — $53.99 $90 (save $36.01)

• Aneros Helix Syn Trident special edition — $74.79 $87.99 (save $13.20 with code BUZZING)

Even more sex toy deals:

• Sex! Card Game — $7.46 $12.99 (save $5.53 with code SUMMER)

• Temptasia Harness Strap-on Briefs — $16.99 $29.99 (save $13)

UPDATE: Aug. 23, 2022, 3:25 p.m. EDT We've updated this post with the best deals from across the Apple universe.

• BEST MAC DEAL: The 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is a powerhouse laptop built for creatives down to a record-low price — $2,199 $2,499 at Amazon (save $300)

• BEST IPAD DEAL: The 2021 iPad (WiFi, 64GB) is the best iPad for most people — $299 $329 at Amazon (save $30)

• BEST IPHONE DEAL: The iPhone 13 Mini (64GB) at Verizon is a mini phone with plenty of storage space and a battery life worth bragging about — $0 with an eligible trade-in on select 5G unlimited plans $699.99 (save up to $699.99)

• BEST APPLE WATCH DEAL: The Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm, GPS) is Apple's most up to date smartwatch with an extra big watch face— $319.99 $429 at Amazon (save $109.01 with coupon automatically applied at checkout)

• BEST ACCESSORIES DEAL: The AirPods Max are the stylish and functional over-the-ear headphones that most Apple users are sure to love — $479 $549 at Amazon (save $70)

You could really kill some time trying to dissect the iron grasp Apple has on the general population, but when it comes down to it, its products look good, work well, and stay cutting-edge — of course people like them. Whether your favorite day of the year is its annual September reveal event or you just want a solid computer no matter the brand, Apple's got you covered. Sure, it is a little notorious for its higher prices, but we've rounded up the best deals on iPads, AirPods, and more to help you out. Check them out below.

Mac and MacBook deals

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Credit: Apple

Our pick: 2021 MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) (opens in a new tab)

$2,199 at Amazon (save $300)

Get Deal (opens in a new tab)

Why we like it

Check out Mashable's official review of the 2021 MacBook Pro.

This is not an everyday laptop, so it doesn't come at an everyday price — but it is down to the lowest price we've ever seen it. For multitaskers who want room-filling speakers, a battery life that's built to last, and the workflow that only a 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display can provide, the 2021 MacBook Pro is the way to go.

More Mac and MacBook deals

2022 MacBook Pro

• MacBook Pro (M2, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,399 $1,499 at Amazon (save $100)

2021 MacBook Pro

• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,799 $1,999 at Amazon (save $200)

• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,799 $1,999 at Best Buy (save $200)

• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,199 $2,499 at Amazon (save $300)

• 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,199 $2,499 at Best Buy (save $300)

• 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,199 $2,499 at Amazon (save $300)

• 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,199 $2,499 at Best Buy (save $300)

• 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,399 $2,699 at Amazon (save $300)

• 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,399 $2,699 at Best Buy (save $300)

2020 MacBook Pro, 13-inch

• MacBook Pro (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $949.99 $1,299.99 at Best Buy (save $350)

More Macs

• 2020 21.5-inch iMac (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $899.99 $1,099 at Amazon (save $199.01)

Refurbished Macs and MacBooks

• Refurbished 2017 13-inch MacBook Air (Intel Core i5, 128GB) — $329 at Walmart

• Pre-owned 2015 13-inch MacBook Air (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) — $429.99 $484.99 at Best Buy (save $55)

iPad deals

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Credit: Apple

Our pick: 2021 iPad (WiFi, 64GB) (opens in a new tab)

$299 at Amazon and Walmart (save $30)

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Why we like it

$30 off might not seem like a lot. But consider that this iPad rarely drops below $309, is within $10 of its lowest price ever, and is the best tablet for most people. If you won't be using your iPad for heavy-duty tasks like video editing or photo rendering, this could be the deal for you — snag it from Amazon or Walmart just in time for back to school season.

More iPad deals

iPad

• 2021 iPad (WiFi, 64GB) — $299 $329 at Amazon (save $30)

• 2021 iPad (WiFi, 64GB) — $299 $329 at Walmart (save $30)

• 2021 iPad (WiFi, 256GB) — $399 $479 at Walmart (save $80)

iPad Mini

• 2021 iPad Mini (WiFi, 256GB) — $599 $649 at Walmart (save $50)

iPad Air

• 2020 iPad Air (WiFi, 64GB) — $469 $549 at Walmart (save $80)

• 2022 iPad Air (WiFi, 64GB) — $559 $599 at Amazon (save $40)

• 2022 iPad Air (WiFi, 256GB) — $679 $749 at Amazon (save $100)

iPad Pro

• 2021 11" iPad Pro (WiFi, 256GB) — $849 $899 at Amazon (save $50)

iPhone deals

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Credit: Apple

Our pick: iPhone 13 Mini at Verizon (opens in a new tab)

$0 with an eligible trade-in on select 5G unlimited plans (save $700)

Get Deal (opens in a new tab)

Why we like it

Check out Mashable's official review of the iPhone 13 Mini.

Like most phone deals on this list, having a decent trade-in is essential to scoring the most bang for your buck. So why the iPhone 13 Mini? Well, you likely won't need a brand new phone to get the price tag as close to $0 as possible, you're not trading-in for an outdated model, and you get at least 128GB of storage, nice battery life, and cinematic mode without the huge price tag. You can also grab this deal at AT&T.

More iPhone deals

• iPhone 12 Mini (64GB) at AT&T — $315 on an installment and unlimited plan with no trade-in required (save $315)

• iPhone 12 (64GB) at AT&T — $364 on an installment and unlimited plan with no trade-in required (save up to $364.99)

• iPhone 13 Mini (128GB) at AT&T — $0 with an eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan $699.99 (save up to $700)

• iPhone 13 (128GB) at AT&T — $199.99 with an installment plan and eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan $799.99 (save up to $700)

• iPhone 13 Pro (128GB) at AT&T — $299.99 with an installment plan and eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan $999.99 (save up to $700)

• iPhone 12 Mini (64GB) at Verizon — $299.99 with an eligible trade-in on select 5G unlimited plans $599.99 (save up to $300)

• iPhone 13 Mini (64GB) at Verizon — $0 with an eligible trade-in on select 5G unlimited plans $699.99 (save up to $700)

• iPhone 13 (128GB) at Verizon — $0 with an eligible trade-in on select 5G unlimited plans $799.99 (save up to $800)

• iPhone 13 Pro (128GB) at Verizon — $199.99 with an eligible trade-in on select 5G unlimited plans $999.99 (save up to $800)

Apple Watch deals

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Credit: Apple

Our pick: Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm, GPS) (opens in a new tab)

$299 at Amazon (save $109.01 with coupon automatically applied at checkout)

Get Deal (opens in a new tab)

Why we like it

Candidly, this is not the best week for scoring a great deal on an Apple Watch. But among all the price rises, the 45mm Series 7 in the classic (PRODUCT)Red aluminum remains over $100 off. It has the best features any Apple Watch has to offer, plus an extra large watch face. It's a standout in not only performance, but also price, which at the time of writing was below its 41mm Series 7 counterpart.

More Apple Watch deals

Series 7

• Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS) — $369 $399 at Amazon (save $30)

• Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS) — $369 $399 at Walmart (save $30)

• Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm, GPS) — $319.99 $429 at Amazon (save $109.01 with coupon automatically applied at checkout)

• Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm, GPS) — $329 $429 at Walmart (save $100)

SE

• Apple Watch SE (44mm, GPS) — $289.99 $309 at Amazon (save $19.01)

• Apple Watch SE (44mm, GPS) — $249 $309 at Walmart (save $60)

Series 3

• Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm, GPS) — $149 $199 at Walmart (save $50)

• Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm, GPS) — $179 $229 at Walmart (save $50)

Refurbished

• Renewed Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm, GPS) — $204.69 $415 at Amazon (save $210.31)

Apple accessories deals

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Credit: Apple

Our pick: AirPods Max (opens in a new tab)

$479 at Amazon (save $70)

Get Deal (opens in a new tab)

Why we like it

Check out Mashable's official review of the AirPods Max.

Are the only over-the-ear AirPods ridiculously expensive? Yes. But do they offer excellent audio quality, active noise cancellation, and 20 hours of battery life all in one stylish package? Also yes. It's not the lowest price we've seen these headphones hit, but with all the colors at $70 off, it's still a decent deal that allows for some choice.

More Apple accessories deals

• AirPods (third gen) — $149.99 $179 at Walmart (save $29.01)

• AirPods Pro — $179.99 $249 at Amazon (save $69.01)

• AirPods Pro — $179.99 $249 at Walmart (save $69.01)

• AirPods Max— $479 $549 at Amazon (save $70)

• 2021 Apple TV 4K (32GB) — $119.99 $179 at Amazon (save $59.01)

• Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones — $131.39 $199.95 at Amazon (save $68.56)

• Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earphones — $199.95 $249.95 at Amazon (save $50)

• Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $199.99 $349.95 at Amazon (save $149.96)

Save $36.49: Jazz up your kitchen countertop with the SodaStream Art sparkling water maker for only $93.50 at Amazon. It's on sale as of Aug. 23.

It's important to stay hydrated year-round. And it's not a bad time to buy your own sparkling water maker if you're tired of boring old water or need to kick your LaCroix habit.

One great option is the SodaStream Art, which is on sale for $93.50 at Amazon. That's the best price we've ever seen it.

This sparkling water maker comes with a one-liter dishwasher-safe bottle and a CO2 cylinder that carbonates up to 60 liters of water. You'll be well on your way to enjoying refreshing sparkling beverages — without having to haul cans home from the grocery store.

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Hulu's upcoming series Reboot is a sitcom about Hulu rebooting an old sitcom. Talk about meta.

In Reboot, TV executives at Hulu decide to reboot the sitcom Step Right Up with its original cast and creator. Chaos ensues: Some cast members have been arrested. Others have tried (and failed) to become movie actors. Step Right Up's creator is insensitive and out-of-touch with the world of modern comedy. What could go wrong?

I'll certainly tell you what could go right: Reboot has a phenomenal cast. With Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, Paul Reiser, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy and Krista Marie Yu onboard, you can expect plenty of laughs.

Reboot hits Hulu on Sept. 20.

SAVE $290: The futuristic PETKIT Pura X self-cleaning litter box is on sale for $509 at Amazon as of August 23. That's 36% off its regular price of $799.

Love your feline friend but hate cleaning up after them? Welcome to 2022, where a litter box can do the dirty work for you.

One of our top picks, the PETKIT Pura X self-cleaning litter box, is on sale for $509 at Amazon. That's nearly $300 (or 36%) off its regular retail price of $799. It's certainly an investment, but hey: It's fancy.

With a futuristic design and a minimalist interface, the Pura X sometimes makes it look like your pooping cat is flying in a little rocket. (The dream.) The unit has two buttons, which you can use to navigate a small OLED display in the front. You can also control it via app.

There are two modes to choose from — automatic cleaning or scheduled cleaning — so you can decide what works best for you and your cats. It's also equipped with a dozen built-in sensors for safety purposes.

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In a pair of eye-opening new space photos, the largest planet in our solar system glows like never before, with its hazy surface, and its northern and southern auroras, rendered seemingly incandescent by the sun’s glaring rays. 

The James Webb Space Telescope is equipped with a system called the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which doesn’t take photos like your smartphone does. By taking in light from outside the spectrum visible to the human eye, it captures previously invisible realities — presenting Jupiter as a planet teeming with ethereal phenomena.

Left: The new infrared view Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Jupiter ERS Team / Image processing by Judy Schmidt.

Right: A 2020 Hubble photo of Jupiter Credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center) / M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) / OPAL team

To convert the infrared data into useable, and gorgeous, images, NASA received help from citizen scientist Judy Schmidt who pieced together the above photo from three infrared data layers. In the above image, the red layer comes from Webb’s F360M layer, which is used for planets; the yellow-green layer is Webb’s F212N filter, used for molecular hydrogen; and the cyan comes from the F150W2 filter (you can read more about these filters here). Schmidt also corrected the misalignment of the images caused by Jupiter’s rotation. 

A second image by NASA, Schmidt, and citizen scientist Ricardo Hueso is drawn from just two of the NIRCam filters, and it gives a wider view of this glowing, infrared version of Jupiter. We see the enormous planet set against distant galaxies, and can make out its faint and rarely photographed rings, along with two of its moons: Amalthea and Adrastea. 

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Rings, galaxies, moons, and, oh yeah, also Jupiter. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Jupiter ERS Team / Image processing by Ricardo Hueso (UPV / EHU) and Judy Schmidt

Astronomer Imke de Pater, who along with astronomer Thierry Fouchet led the Webb Jupiter observations, told NASA: "We hadn’t really expected it to be this good, to be honest," and added, "It’s really remarkable that we can see details on Jupiter together with its rings, tiny satellites, and even galaxies in one image."

Save $150: As of Aug. 23, the iRobot Roomba i2 is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon. That's 43% off its MSRP of $349.99.

Two Roombas are on sale for under $200 at Amazon, but one is the obvious choice.

We've seen iRobot's current entry-level model, the 694, on sale for $199 quite often over the past year. $75 off is a good deal, but it pales in comparison to another, rarer deal: the Roomba i2 hitting $199.99. That 43% price cut temporarily makes the i2 one of the best cheap robot vacuums you can get right now.

So why does the Roomba i2 retail at $349.99 and the Roomba 694 retail at $274? Simple: The i2 is ten times stronger. The entire iRobot line that starts with "i" administers ten times the suction power of the 600-series vacuums, making them more successful on both carpet and hard flooring.

Though the i2 can't clean specific rooms, it does use its full suite of sensors to work harder on dirtier areas and keep itself from squeezing into places it can't fit. The iRobot app can be used to schedule recurring cleanings or kickstart a spot clean in an emergency.

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SAVE $209.99: The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is set for release on Aug. 26, but in the meantime, you can pre-order the 512GB model for just $1,799.99 (normally $1,919.99) on Amazon or Samsung.com. Both retailers will also give you a free Standing Cover with an S Pen Fold Edition worth $89.99.

Samsung is usually pretty good about throwing in some preorder bonuses with its devices, but anyone who reserves its new Galaxy Z Fold 4 smartphone ahead of its Aug. 26 launch date is in for some extra special treats.

As of Aug. 23, you'll pay just $1,799.99 when you lock a 512GB Z Fold 4 on Samsung.com. That's $120 off its $1,919.99 MSRP, which drops it to the exact same price of the 256GB base model.

As if that weren't enough, you'll also receive a free Standing Cover that includes the new S Pen Fold Edition and a kickstand for hands-free viewing — an $89.99 value itself. Altogether, you'll be saving just under $210 simply by preordering this puppy. (Amazon was matching these offers at the time of writing.)

The Z Fold 4 features the same book-like design of last year's great Z Fold 3, but the additions of a larger 7.6-inch inner display, a fantastic interface with a Windows-y taskbar, and a triple-camera array are all massive upgrades. (It's also quite a bit lighter, which makes it way easier to use one-handed.) It's basically a "high-quality Android smartphone that can transform into a high-quality Android tablet with hardly any effort," said Mashable tech reporter Alex Perry, a self-proclaimed foldable phone skeptic who wound up giving it one of our coveted Mashable's Choice Awards.

"It [the Z Fold 4] brings a unique, unmatched combination of excellent performance, great multitasking features, and a rock-solid camera system to the fold (pun intended)," Perry wrote in his review. "You just won’t get all of that from any other device right now."

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The finale of Only Murders in the Building's sophomore season finally answers the Season 2's biggest question: Who killed Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell)?

After the finale's many red herrings, a killer reveal party, and Charles (Steve Martin) faking his own death, we learn that Bunny's killer was none other than Poppy White (Adina Verson). Turns out that Cinda Canning's (Tina Fey) overworked and under-appreciated assistant has a murderous streak.

She's also not who she says she is. As revealed at the end of episode 9, Poppy is actually Becky Butler, the subject of Cinda's hit true crime podcast, All Is Not OK in Oklahoma. A fan of Cinda's previous works, Becky faked her death to escape her unhappy home life and the sexual harassment she faced at the hands of her boss, the mayor of Chickasha, OK. She adopted the name Poppy White and gave Cinda the idea for All Is Not OK in Oklahoma — in return for a job, of course.

Why did Poppy kill Bunny?

Poppy (Adina Verson) stands accused. Credit: Patrick Harbron/Hulu

It all comes back to Cinda Canning. She's in desperate need of another high-profile, gory murder to podcast about, and she has absolutely no interest in Poppy's suggestion that they cover the disappearance of Rose Cooper (Shirley MacLaine). So Poppy takes matters into her own hands and creates the perfect murder for them to cover. She kills Bunny, texts the Only Murders trio to get out of the building, uses the Arconia's secret tunnels to escape, and hides the bloody knife in Charles's apartment to frame him. She also conspires with her boyfriend Officer Kreps (Michael Rapaport), who runs interference for her as Glitter Guy.

The finale ties up some more loose ends: Poppy met Bunny at the Pickle Diner to discuss the Rose Cooper painting, explaining the footage of Bunny storming out of the diner. The diner also links back to Bunny's last words. Mabel (Selena Gomez) thought Bunny had said "14, Savage." Instead, Bunny said, "14, sandwich," pointing to Poppy's Pickle Diner order: item number 14, a liverwurst and marmalade sandwich. It's an... acquired taste.

Two further pieces of evidence solidify Poppy as the killer. First, her allergy to birds like Bunny's parrot Mrs. Gambolini led her to sneeze in the Arconia's tunnels, where Lucy (Zoe Colletti) heard her. Finally, Detective Williams (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) found Becky Butler's DNA on the murder weapon. From there, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver (Martin Short) tell Cinda everything, including Poppy's true identity, and stage a killer reveal party to get her to confess. With all the puzzle pieces finally in place, Poppy and Kreps are arrested, and the Only Murders team is freed of any suspicion. For now...

Paul Rudd joins Only Murders... and dies immediately

Bravo. Credit: Craig Blankenhorn / Hulu

Bunny's killer may have been found, but Only Murders in the Building Season 2 has one more big surprise up its sleeve. After a one-year time jump, we witness the murder that will jumpstart the show's third season.

This new victim isn't anyone from the Arconia. Instead, it's actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd), one of the leads in a new Broadway show directed by Oliver. The other lead is none other than Charles. However, it's clear that these two do not have a good working relationship. As Ben and Oliver talk on opening night, Ben mentions wanting to kill Charles for something he did. Not long after that, Charles confronts Ben, telling him, "Be smart. Stay away from her," and "I know what you did."

What did Ben do to make Charles so upset? How did their beef start? Who is the "her" Charles is referring to? My money is on either Mabel, Lucy, or make-up artist Joy (Andrea Martin), who Charles starts dating in the finale. The mystery woman could also be someone we haven't met yet.

Before we can get any answers to these questions, Ben collapses and dies on stage. Based on what we've seen so far, Charles is the prime suspect, but if Only Murders in the Building likes anything, it's a twist (and some solid knitwear). Could someone else behind the scenes have had it out for Ben? Is this another attempt to frame Charles for murder? And will we get more Paul Rudd in flashbacks?

We'll just have to wait until Season 3 to find out.

All episodes of Only Murders in the Building Season 2 are now streaming on Hulu.

Andrew Tate, the controversial social media influencer, has now been banned by YouTube. The platform is the latest to invoke a ban on Tate, following similar moves from the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

The multi-millionaire entrepreneur and former kickboxing champion grew his fan base largely as a result of misogynistic and sensationalist content; Tate's videos have led to his followers — mostly between the ages of 16-25 — to coin him as "the King of Toxic Masculinity."

In a statement to Bloomberg, YouTube said it first took action against Tate in July after he posted a video spreading COVID-19 misinformation. His permanent ban now is reportedly due to "multiple violations" of the platform's community guidelines.

The termination from YouTube means that Tate will not be able to use, own, or create any other channels.

"Banning Andrew Tate from these platforms might seem the answer, but it isn’t that simple. Removing Tate’s voice doesn’t allow for a kinder hate-free society," a spokesperson representing Tate told Bloomberg.

"There is a running contradiction in today’s society where men are encouraged to speak and be open/honest with how they feel but are generally met with a negative response to their truth," they added.

Tate's channel has been deleted on Twitch, but he's still appearing on other people's channels. It is unclear whether the platform has banned him. Meanwhile, TikTok has said it has banned the creator's account but as Vice points out, Tate-related content still exists on the app. As of today, Mashable can see #andrewtate has 13.9 billion views on TikTok, with thousands of videos featuring Tate's words.

In roundups of the best mattresses, you expect to see all sorts of reviews concerning things like comfort, durability, support, and pain relief. All of this is obviously important for getting a good night's sleep, but there is another activity commonly performed on mattresses that requires careful consideration.

You know exactly what we're talking about, right? 

Sleep is important, but so is your sex life, and your choice of mattress can have a big impact on how you do the deed. Fortunately, there are plenty of popular mattresses from top brands that offer everything you need and more.

How does your choice of mattress impact your sex life?

We're not suggesting for a moment that you should prioritize your sex life when shopping for a mattress, because sleep should always come first. You're probably going to be sleeping on your mattress for longer than any other bedroom activity (unless you've got serious stamina), so we recommend focusing on your sleep needs when making a purchase.

You shouldn't completely ignore your sex life, though, because nothing kills the mood like a poor mattress. Your choice of mattress can influence how you do it, how long you do it for, and how frequently you do it. You need something that is firm enough to let you switch positions freely, supportive enough to protect you against injury, and comfortable enough to fall asleep in after everything comes to a beautiful crescendo. 

We don't need to tell you just how important a healthy sex life is for your physical and mental wellbeing, but the link between your sex life and your mattress might not have been so clear. You now know, so there are no excuses. It's important to think about the mattress features that matter to you and your sex life.

What are the most important mattress features to satisfy your sex life?

There are a bunch of things to consider when it comes to picking a mattress to boost your sex life, but we don't have all day. To keep things simple, it's best to focus on firmness, breathability, durability, comfort, and support. It's also important to think about how easy a mattress is to clean, because things can get messy.

We know that purchasing a mattress can be a stressful process, so we've tried to make your life a little easier by highlighting the important mattress features to satisfy your sex life: 

Firmness — Do you like switching positions when doing the deed? If you do, you'll need a mattress that's firm enough to back you and your partner up. Some people prefer a soft mattress, but this can cause discomfort when you're balancing precariously on your knees.

Breathability — Sex can be hot and sweaty, so you need a mattress that breathes. The best mattresses draw heat away from your body and let air circulate. This results in less overheating during moments of passion. This is also essential for people who tend to get hot when sleeping.

Durability — If you're going to put your mattress through some work, it's important to think about durability. You don't want to end up with a broken or damaged mattress after a particularly enthusiastic session. If you really can't trust yourself not to break your bed, you should look for mattresses with generous guarantees. Fortunately, there are plenty of providers that offer multi-year guarantees.

Comfort — Who doesn't love to cuddle after sex? Comfort probably isn't the most important mattress feature when thinking about sex, but you'll want to be comfortable before and after doing the deed. 

Support — If you're throwing yourself around the bed, you'll need plenty of support to stop you flying into the wall. The best mattresses offer support in every corner, so you shouldn't slip off and end up on the floor.

Cleaning — This is something that's easily forgotten about, but you should always consider how easy it is to clean a mattress. Some mattresses come with removable covers that make things a lot easier to manage.

Take all of these things into consideration before you make any sort of purchase decision. If you take your time and make sure your mattress of choice delivers these key features, you should avoid disappointment.

What are the best mattresses for doing the deed?

We've scoured the net for the mattresses that tick the most boxes when it comes to satisfying your sex life. We've carefully considered breathability, firmness, durability, comfort, support, and more to bring you this lineup of your best options.

You can find popular mattresses from top brands like Sealy, Nectar, and Eve, with something for everyone and every budget. You just need to check out the options listed below and pick a favorite. What you then end up doing with your mattress is up to you. 

These are the best mattress for your sex life in 2022.

Here we go again.

MoviePass, the once-beautiful subscription service that offered nearly unlimited access to theatrical movies for $10/mo during its heyday a few years ago, is officially coming back, as first reported by Insider. Starting Thursday, people will be able to sign up for the new MoviePass beta on the MoviePass website. Signing up puts you on a waitlist, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get in right away.

This time, things will look a little different.

For one, it’s not a flat $10/mo fee anymore; the cost will change from market to market, but it will be either $10, $20, or $30 monthly. Beyond that, MoviePass used to let you see a movie each day, but that won’t be the case anymore. It’ll now operate on a credit-based system, so you’ll be able to see an unspecified number of movies per month. 

Mashable reached out to MoviePass to clarify how many credits subscribers will get each month, but did not immediately receive a response.

For those who don’t remember, MoviePass had quite the journey over the last decade. It was founded in 2011 and was mired in relative obscurity for several years before launching the $10/mo subscription in 2017. Per Insider, it went from 20,000 users to three million in less than a year after that new plan was introduced.

However, that business model wasn’t sustainable. The company soon ran out of money and scandals started popping up. One movie per day turned into... three movies per month. It suddenly became very difficult to cancel a subscription, and some of those who did manage to cancel MoviePass found their subscriptions renewed against their will. The company also allegedly made it difficult to redeem tickets on purpose and, by 2019, the service had ceased to exist entirely. 

Speaking from experience, the golden days of MoviePass were great. I saw so many mediocre movies I never would’ve paid full price to see just because I could. But the collapse was very real, and now that big theater chains like AMC have their own monthly subscription programs, it’s a little difficult to see how this new version can succeed where the old one failed. 

Hopefully the new MoviePass can recapture some of that magic. But as always, be skeptical.

As many of us are starting to venture back out into the world, dating in real life has finally become an option again (if still a nerve-wracking one). The pandemic may have changed dating forever, but one thing that hasn't is that meeting people can be really hard.

Any person who's been single and looking for love at some point (read: basically everyone) knows that finding someone who actively wants a long-term relationship versus a hookup or situationship can feel next to impossible and minorly destroy your faith in love. Though dating apps offer a place to meet people, actually meeting that person who wants the same sort of relationship you do and clicks with you makes the whole needle in the haystack search look like a cinch.

All of this to say, apps or otherwise, finding your person takes some time. However, there is hope (faith, restored!) — dating apps and sites are not the strictly casual dating space they're made out to be. The past year has only seen an increase in the number of online daters looking for a serious relationship. So if you're ready for some commitment and don't know where to find these daters, or simply just need the breakdown of what apps are best for who, know that you have more options out there than eharmony and Match.

Can you really fall in love with someone online?

The long-term potential of online dating is still met with a cloud of doubt. However, new evidence is proving that relationships that started online might have a stronger foundation than those that started offline. A 2017 study cited in the MIT Technology Review found that people who meet online are more likely to be compatible and have a higher chance of a healthy marriage if they decide to get hitched. If marriage is your goal, you'll be glad to know that another recent study found that heterosexual couples who met online were quicker to tie the knot than couples who met offline. Either way, online dating seems to be a good recipe for a satisfying, long-term relationship whether it involves marriage or not.

No one is saying that online dating is the variable that changes everything, but the research does point to the fact that people who sign up for dating sites that require thoughtful responses are more ready to settle down.

Enter: The pandemic that made inviting strangers over to bang and leave a no-no. 2020's uptick in dating app sign-ups — due to sheer boredom or the forced realization that it'd actually be pretty nice to spoon on a nightly basis — mathematically upped your chances of meeting someone special.

First dates have somewhat returned to their natural habitats (a dimly-lit bar with shitty beer) instead of the emergency video date features instated by multiple apps during quarantine. People are replenishing their non-sweatpants wardrobes.

How the online dating scene has changed since the start of the pandemic

Covid changed dating forever, and for reasons past "I'm fully vaccinated" becoming a turn-on. Communication skills were forced to evolve in the year that most human connection was facilitated through a screen. People learned to voice their boundaries and have serious talks (like about social distancing) early on. Covid anxiety became a natural conversation starter and universal way to bond. Though you can meet up in person, virtual first dates are now a regular part of people's screening process. More single people may now be more comfortable with delving into deeper subjects with someone they met online — a great thing for serious relationship hunters, if true. Tinder thinks the honesty will carry over when things are back to normal, and hopefully the aggressively horny people will continue to weed themselves out. At the very least, isolation may have simply forced more people to realize that they do, in fact, crave more company than a booty call. Tinder says that more daters are open to "seeing where things go" than they were before the pandemic began. That means that you could have more luck finding something serious on a dating app that has historically had a reputation for casual relationships and hookups.

Divorcees and single parents have particularly high untapped potential on online dating sites, too. True, being in the over-60 group may mean that more people your age are already off the market — but online dating can prove that the mature dating pool isn't as bleak as you think, even if your local one is. People over 50 actually have an advantage over the younger crowd: Many people in their 20s and 30s just aren't ready to settle down. With life experience and possible previous marriages under your belt, older daters know the red flags and what they want. Like one person in the Reddit thread from r/datingoverfifty suggests, if you want commitment, a dating site with a high barrier to entry — like eharmony, match, or Elite Singles — could help to weed out people who aren't about to pay a high monthly price just to mess around. 

What makes a dating site better for relationships than others?

Do we even need to get into why Tinder is a long shot? Is being introduced to nearly every person in a 10-mile radius worth the cliché bios quoting The Office or how they're "not looking for commitment?" Sure, Tinder has its fair share of those lucky success stories, but it's also the dating app where ghosting, breadcrumbing, and every other disheartening dating trend flourish.

Singles looking for something serious ASAP might get frustrated with sites that only give a limited number of matches per day. But choosing sites that force you to be selective really heightens the focus on what you're truly looking for in a perfect match — and gets you closer to cuffing status.

For online daters who want the power to peruse the dating pool, you need to seek out detailed, high-energy profiles that give a well-rounded idea of who you're messaging. Apps and sites that guide your search with compatibility scores based on questionnaires — like eharmony and OkCupid — can give a greater sense of direction in your search than location-based apps like Tinder. Plus, seeing an actual compatibility number attached to someone's profile just makes more sense than occasionally being thrown "top picks" you seem to have nothing in common with (looking at you, Hinge).

Beyond putting all your faith in the power of the score, you can tell how much other daters care about the process by how much effort they put into their profile. If a single sentence about being drama free is the extent of someone's bio, you can assume that 1. they're not taking this seriously and 2. they create drama. When you're looking for something real and long-term, hearing what an algorithm has to say along with being discerning and following your gut can take you far.

OkCupid has a particularly strong red flag game: The site has found that personal politics are a major deciding factor for young people choosing a partner, and profile building revolves around make-or-break stances on things like women's issues or whether they bother to vote. Aside from a compatibility percentage, OkCupid shows what issues the person gives a shit about (or not) so you don't get stuck on a first date with someone who's on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Potential matches will analyze your dating profile, so make sure it does you justice

On its face, it makes sense to question the legitimacy of a connection with someone who is only showcasing their best self. Then again, how much more information are you really getting from the tipsy person hitting on you at the bar aside from what they look like IRL? The dating sites that let users express themselves with prompts — from favorite movies to where you want to retire — are setting you up for success by avoiding an unnecessary argument six months in.

The best way to attract genuine people? Be authentic yourself. That's easier said than done when your biggest worry is that a truthful answer — like the fact that you might not be as good of a communicator as you would like — will deter "the one" from swiping right. But deep down, you know that lying on a compatibility questionnaire probably won't lead to a healthy relationship. It's crucial to remind yourself that people who get freaked out by your honesty aren't ideal potential partners, anyway. Besides, relationships can be hard enough work without all the effort it would take to upkeep a version of yourself that simply isn't real. Trust that your right person will also want to date a person — as in a flawed but lovable human being and not a perfect partner robot. Speaking of robots, we've left out the dating sites that get torn apart in reviews for being ravaged by scammers and fake profiles, but asking to video chat before meeting up IRL is a smart way to confirm that the photos match the person behind them.

Until a smarter AI can read minds and simply ban hookup seekers from serious sites, these are the best datings sites for serious relationships:

The new trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shows us more of the island kingdom of Númenor than any teaser before it. Often thought of as author J.R.R. Tolkien's version of Atlantis, Númenor is the home of characters like Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and the king Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle). In the trailer for the Prime Video series, we get glimpses of the beautiful human civilization on the island, as well as hints that a great change is on its way.

But that's not all. The trailer also focuses on Galadriel's (Morfydd Clark) quest to defeat evil, a brewing romance between elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) and human Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniad), and the dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dûm. Will these new heroes stop the gathering forces of darkness? Or will Middle-earth fall? Only one thing is certain: Epic adventure is on the way.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video on Sept. 2.

TL;DR: Through August 24, you can get a Mindfulness.com Plus Plan: Lifetime Subscription for just $69.99 instead of $399.99 — that's a 82% discount.

Returning to school can be stressful, especially if you’re also working on the side or interning somewhere. It may be hard to look out for yourself when you have so much work to get done, but there are tools and resources out there that could make it a little easier. Mindfulness.com is a self-care app (that can also be accessed via browser) full of exercises and support tools for your personal self-care. 

For our Back to Education event, you could get a lifetime subscription to this soothing web space, and it’s only $69.99 (Reg. $399). Act fast because the sale is almost over and ends on August 24. 

Make taking care of yourself a little simpler 

Over 80 percent of college students reported in a 2022 study that their education life was stressful, and 25% of employees view their job as their number one stressor in their life. There may be a lot to be stressed about, but Mindfulness.com could help. 

Check out over 2,000 mindful practices that could help you reflect on your stressors or unwind from them completely. If you have trouble sleeping, you can find hundreds of sleep tools that could help. And for the daytime, you could try out hundreds of living practices and other brief exercises that are often short. Some are even just one minute long.

Don’t worry about it with this de-stressor app

Fight back against stress and anxiety with some help from Mindfulness.com. For our Back to Education event ending soon on August 24, you could get a lifetime subscription to Mindfulness.com for $69.99 (Reg. $399) — no coupon code needed. And your purchase might help someone else de-stress a little. With every unit purchased, 50 cents will be donated to a school or charity.

Prices subject to change.

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It's important to stay secure when browsing online, and while you can take measures to be aware of where you're browsing and what you're doing, using a VPN is the best way to guarantee your cybersecurity.

Do you need a VPN?

A good quality VPN will block any nefarious traffic coming your way, while also keeping your browsing history private from your ISP and anyone else trying to snoop on your activities. Using a VPN also means you can conduct activities such as checking your online banking while connected to public WiFi, without worrying that you're leaking valuable information. 

If you're looking for a VPN for Windows, you'll need a fast service that remains secure. A "no logs" policy and a kill switch are also vital. These ensure that your VPN doesn't track what you do, and that your connection drops if the VPN connection fails, respectively. For Windows 10, it's also useful to have an app that's simple to use.

What is the best VPN for Windows?

We have tracked down all the best VPNs for Windows 10, and stuck to VPN services that have apps that are easy to get to grips with, while still offering advanced features for those who want to dip under the surface to make tweaks. You can pick from leading services like CyberGhost VPN, Private Internet Access, and ExpressVPN.

These are the best VPNs for Windows in 2022.

Pier Kids and My House documentary maker Elegance Bratton's debut narrative feature film, The Inspection, has a powerful new trailer from A24.

The film, which will close this year's New York Film Festival in October, is based on his own experience as a young, gay, Black man who spent a decade in a state of homelessness before joining the Marine Corps, amid the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" era.

The film stars Jeremy Pope as Ellis French, who finds himself with limited options living on the streets, and lasting feelings of resentment toward his mother, Inez (Gabrielle Union), who rejected him. So, he decides to join the Marines, where he endures discrimination, abuse, and prejudice amid the already tough bootcamp, steered by his ruthless sergeant, Leland Laws (Bokeem Woodbine), and superior Laurence Harvey (Raúl Castillo).

But while surviving in this brutal environment, Ellis carves his own sense of purpose and strength among his peers, and might even find a glimmer of belonging.

The Inspection is showing at NYFF Oct. 14 ahead of a wider cinema release TBC.

An ex-Twitter executive is spilling the beans on the company's cybersecurity and privacy practices.

Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, former head of security at Twitter, spoke to CNN and The Washington Post, claiming that not only did his former company have a number of cybersecurity issues, it also deliberately misled its board of directors about them.

Among other security issues, Zatko claims the following (detailed in a 200-page disclosure sent to Congress and U.S. government agencies in July, and obtained by the news outlets):

• Twitter gave thousands of company employees access to some of its most critical controls, which made it "impossible" to adequately protect the platform.

• Twitter had minimal control over or visibility into employees' individual company computers.

• About half of Twitter's servers run on outdated software.

Perhaps even more serious are Zatko's claims on how Twitter handles privacy.

Most notably, Zatko claims that Twitter has "never been in compliance" with the demands the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) made from the company back in 2011. Twitter then settled with the FTC over a privacy complaint which has shown that the company failed to safeguard its users' private information. Under the terms of the settlement, Twitter was barred for the next 20 years from "misleading consumers about the extent to which it protects the security, privacy, and confidentiality of nonpublic consumer information." Had Twitter failed to do so, it could result in further fines.

Specifically, Zatko alleges that Twitter does not always reliably delete a user's data after they've cancelled their account, the report says, "in some cases because the company has lost track of the information."

Zatko's claims come at a difficult time for Twitter, as the company is about to start a legal battle over Elon Musk's takeover bid. In his disclosure, Zatko touches on a topic that Musk has claimed is pivotal in this case — the number of bots on Twitter's platform. Zatko alleges that Twitter deliberately misreports the number of bots and spam accounts on its platform (which Musk also claims), and further claims that Twitter doesn't even have the proper resources to measure this number. Twitter claims "false or spam" accounts make up less than 5 percent of the platform.

John Tye, Zatko's lawyer and founder of Whistleblower Aid (an organization that assisted Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and is now representing Zatko), told CNN Zatko has not been in contact with Musk, and that he began the whistleblower process before Musk's takeover bid kicked off.

Zatko was fired by Twitter in January 2022. In a statement given to the news channel, Twitter said he was fired for "poor performance and ineffective leadership." As for his claims, Twitter called them "a narrative about our privacy and data security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies, and lacks important context."

File sharing has come a long way since LimeWire — but users of torrenting sites may still have security and privacy fears.

This is where a VPN can help.

What is a VPN?

VPNs encrypt data leaving your computer and make it impossible for others to see what you’re downloading. To the uninitiated, these virtual private networks assign a virtual IP address to obscure your real location from others, which is important when sharing snippets of files with other users of a torrenting client, especially if what you’re sharing is copyrighted material. (This is of course illegal and we do not condone it!)

Do you need a VPN for torrenting?

Torrenting is a great way to share big files (freeware apps, movies, books, etc.) that are in the public domain. This is because you download parts of them from a number of users instead of from a single place, so the demands are less on any one server and downloads are faster. But in return for accessing files from other people’s computers, you are expected to reciprocate. Without a VPN, this could leave you vulnerable to security scams, viruses, malware attacks, and even legal action if you’ve shared a copyrighted work (even a single song). 

Therefore, VPNs with extra security measures are in demand. Other important criteria for choosing a VPN include a clear privacy policy, un-throttled bandwidth, fast download speeds, and value for money.

What is the best VPN for torrenting?

Whether you’re looking for a VPN that’s extra secure with shared IP addresses, or simply the one that’s easiest to use, we’ve rounded up the best VPNs for torrenting so the only searching you have to do will be for content to share.

These are the best VPNs for torrenting in 2022.

Twitter has confirmed it's testing a new profile badge for users who have verified their phone numbers.

App researchers Nima Owji and Jane Manchun Wong pointed out the feature in the last few weeks, discovering the Twitter label that would appear on accounts with a verified phone number. Twitter then confirmed the feature to TechCrunch on Tuesday, telling the publisher it was an effort to "allow people to add context to their accounts."

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

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Twitter further confirmed the badge to Mashable, saying they are currently experimenting with the opt-in feature.

"Verification is just one part of our work to help people understand who they’re interacting with on Twitter," the app said to Mashable in an email.

"When people come to Twitter we want them to quickly and easily be able to find credible and relevant content based on their interests," they continued. "Across the service we are investing in providing additional context about the types of accounts and content people may come across so they can make informed decisions about if or how they want to engage with that information". 

Verified "blue check" accounts must have either a phone number or email address linked, to help Twitter with the account verification process. The new "verified phone number" feature appears to display a grey label on the bottom half of a person's Twitter bio.

But the feature notably lands amid the app's ongoing battle with Elon Musk. The deal between the Tesla CEO and Twitter continues to be something of a saga, with the richest man in the world attempting to terminate the multi-billion-dollar acquisition. Musk has been vocal about bot fears — claiming that a large chunk of accounts on Twitter are fake or spam accounts, and alleging this had violated the deal contract.

The verified phone number badge may be a way for Twitter to combat this, though it drudges up a whole lot of other issues, namely in the realm of privacy.

Twitter just recently dealt with an incident where someone was able to discover whether a specific email address or phone number was tied to an existing account on the app. This "vulnerability" was first reported to Twitter in January 2022 through the platform's bug bounty program, but in June, Twitter learned through a press report (most likely this one from Bleeping Computer) that someone had "potentially leveraged this" and was offering to sell information they had acquired, reportedly affecting 5.4 million accounts.

UPDATE: Aug. 24, 2022, 9:33 a.m. EDT Included comment from Twitter.

Why has it taken this long for Alison Janney to be the lead in an action movie?

Watching the Netflix trailer above for Anna Foerster's Lou, which sees her helping a mother (Jurnee Smollett) find her kidnapped daughter, it just seems to work so damn well.

Janney plays a grouchy loner who clearly has an unusual past, but when her neighbour comes asking for help in the dead of night it's fair to say things...escalate.

Cue violent beat-downs, exploding lighthouses, and a rope bridge moment that would make Indiana Jones nervous.

Sign us up.

Lou is available to stream on Netflix from Sept. 23.

For creative professionals, the elusive state of flow involves a special alchemy. It requires concentration and dedication, of course — creatives often spend hours deep in the throughs of the artistic process, tweaking and tuning until the final product is perfect.

But flow is about more than just a mental state. It involves having the right tools on hand. Any artist who works in a digital medium knows the importance of powerful technology to underpin their creative vision. 

Maintaining flow is hard enough even without lag time or other snafus caused by outdated tech. After all, flow is delicate — it can be easily interrupted by, say, halting video playback or an image that refuses to render properly. An application crash is tantamount to utter derailment.

If you’re a creative professional struggling with an old or inadequate tech setup, it’s time to consider an upgrade. NVIDIA Studio, a hardware and software platform that can help improve the performance of creative applications, may be exactly the tool you need to take your flow to the next level.

Credit: NVIDIA

Here’s a breakdown of the features of NVIDIA Studio, including how its highly advanced GPUs in PCSpecialist’s NVIDIA Studio PCs help you get any job done more efficiently. 

Why does a top-notch tech stack matter for creatives?

Every creative is familiar with the sinking feeling of a fast-approaching deadline while staring powerlessly at a “pinwheel of death.” If you’re working on an older device, your computer or laptop may not be able to handle the high-bandwidth demands of creative work like 8K video editing, animations or simulations, or designing for augmented or virtual reality (AR/VR).

There are a number of reasons why you might find yourself in such a bind. An ill-equipped or antiquated graphics processing unit (GPU), for instance, could be a major culprit. GPUs take on the heavy lifting of many creative tasks, and a robust one is required for many of today’s most innovative disciplines like video editing or game design.

Looking for a device branded with the RTX Studio badge is one way to ensure you’re investing in technology that’s advanced enough to serve all your creative needs. This badge is awarded to PCs that meet a carefully curated set of specifications for hardware and software. The components have been thoroughly tested to ensure they’re sufficiently compatible with top creative applications, workflows, and tasks.

By opting for a GeForce RTX Studio-branded product, creators can easily identify the devices guaranteed to provide the best out-of-box experience — so you can get back to the creative work that drives you as quickly as possible.

RTX GPU tech specs and considerations

The GPU has a major impact on the performance of a device when it comes to bandwidth-heavy tasks like playing or designing video games, using artificial intelligence or machine learning (AI/ML) in creative applications, or churning out high-quality content that requires a lot of memory. The GPU is largely responsible for determining rendering speed, which means it’s an especially important consideration for professionals who work with complex simulations, animations, etc.

The GeForce RTX 30-series GPU offers a number of features to make your creative flow as interruption-free as possible — at least from a technical perspective. The Ray Tracing Core (RT Core), for example, assists with tasks like 3D modelling by enabling incredibly detailed scenes complete with realistic shadows, reflections, and lighting effects.

Credit: NVIDIA

AI also plays a huge part in making the creative process smoother. It helps reduce the time you need to spend on repetitive, mundane tasks — denoising 3D applications, tracking objects, color matching, tagging faces in photos or videos, etc. NVIDIA’s Tensor Core is a handy hardware component that accelerates such AI functions. With built-in AI-assist features, you can automate common workflows, saving valuable time and effort in the process.

NVIDIA’s impressive GPUs also feature the NVDEC/NVENC encoder/decoder, which is particularly vital for video projects, helping you edit up to 8K video faster and more seamlessly. 

Finally, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs include Computer Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), a parallel computing platform that ensures the GPU has the raw compute power necessary for peak performance. For creatives, this means faster and less tedious designing, editing, and ultimately delivery of assets — i.e., less-stressful deadlines.

Credit: NVIDIA

PCSpecialist PCs with the NVIDIA seal of approval

If you’re in the market for a new device to power your next creative project, look no further than a NVIDIA Studio-validated machine from PCSpecialist that’s spec-d to your exact needs.

PCSpecialist offers nine incredibly powerful RTX devices to consider, three of which we’ve detailed below:

• PCSpecialist Vector Q40I RTX 3050 PC: For photo editors or professionals who work frequently in Lightroom or Photoshop, this device has all the bells and whistles you need to create awe-inspiring static images. 

• PCSpecialist Vector R80I RTX 3070 Ti PC: This is a well-rounded, all-in-one solution for professionals across a wide range of creative disciplines, from video editors to architects.

• PCSpecialist Vector T9A - RTX 3090 PC: For creators who work with larger memory use cases — producing massive models, highly detailed scenes, or high-resolution textures on a regular basis — this workhorse has all the power you need in a sleek package. 

Software and application support

NVIDIA Studio drivers ensure top-tier performance across more than 75 creative applications, including the world’s most popular apps for 3D design, video, and photography. It also includes access to proprietary platforms like NVIDIA Broadcast, an app that lets you turn any room into a home broadcast studio complete with AI-enhanced voice and video, and NVIDIA Canvas, a painting application that lets you tap the power of AI to turn simple brushstrokes into realistic landscapes.

NVIDIA also works directly with third-party software manufacturers to ensure the hardware detailed above works in tandem with the software that most creators rely upon. What’s more, AI aids in everything from image resizing and optimizing to video reframing and 3D workload management.

Get the absolute most out of your everyday creative applications such as: 

• Adobe Lightroom: AI-fueled features in NVIDIA Studio speed up render time, allowing for much faster photo enhancements, even when you’re working with a large batch of images. AI also helps create “super resolution,” which ensures ultra-high image quality complete with clean edges, even in very large photos. 

• Adobe Photoshop: With “neural filters,” another AI feature, complex adjustments to images that used to take hours are now possible in mere seconds. You can also create incredible portraits with intuitive features like a slider that allows for easy editing of facial characteristics.

• Adobe Premiere Pro: Easily reframe content for vertical video or automatically detect scenes that need to be cut, clipped, or tagged. With the NVENC/NVDEC encoding and decoding engines, you’ll experience accelerated encoding and timeline performance.

• Blender: The Cycles or CyclesX renderer leverages the RTX GPU’s features to make 3D workloads more efficient. Create and adjust your designs with minimal lag, accelerate final frame rendering, and get real-time feedback on how tweaks to your model or scene will impact final outputs — no test renders necessary.

• Davinci Resolve: Experiment with GPU-accelerated colour grading, video editing, and color scopes. The built-in encoder and decoder accelerate video transcoding, while RTX-accelerated AI allows for easy facial recognition. What’s more, you can automatically tag clips, track effects, and create a seamless video super-resolution.

• Unity: NVIDIA RTX GPUs enable features including ray-traced shadows, reflections, and more. Improve the graphical fidelity and complexity of your game designs, and even speed up your scene-design process.

The list goes on: Whether you’re looking to create hyper-realistic 3D models, design VR video games, or edit complicated 8K video projects, NVIDIA Studio provides seamless integration with apps like Autodesk, Maya, 3DS Max, Octane, Cinema 4D, Adobe Substance, Adobe Media Encoder, Keyshot, Unreal Engine 4 and 5 — and many, many more.

Performance meets reliability and stability

Robust and reliable hardware and software is not only a matter of convenience, but also a way to fine-tune your creative flow. You can say goodbye to the dreaded pinwheel of death for good — and maybe even impress your clients by meeting deadlines ahead of schedule.

With an incorporated RTX GPU, a stack of specialized software development kits (SDKs), and dedicated studio drivers, NVIDIA Studio is any artistic professional’s trusty sidekick. You provide the creative brainpower, and Studio provides all the technical firepower to bring even the most fantastical of ideas to life. 

Browse the PCSpecialist range of NVIDIA Studio systems here, see specification recommendations, and configure a machine that meets your exact creative needs.

Dr. Sara Hahn starts every TikTok video the same way: "Dr. Sara, Harvard DMD, here for a veneer check." 

Her account analyzes celebrities' teeth, comparing older and newer photos to determine whether the likes of Winona Ryder, Jojo Siwa, and Timothée Chalamet have gotten veneers. She flips through a timeline of photos and drops some dental jargon — central incisor, facial crowning, lingually inclined, etc. — before delivering her veneer verdict, declaring whether the celeb has gotten their teeth dentally enhanced in her professional opinion. 

Her videos, which have collectively amassed more than four million likes to date, lift the veil on celebrity smiles and create a discourse around oral care and beauty standards. Her viewers can't get enough: The comment sections are constantly flooded with requests for the next veneer investigation.

"My whole aim is never to bash anybody, or insult somebody's choice for dental work," Dr. Hahn told Mashable. "It is really just to educate people on dental work, and what are some of the benefits, or potential cons and disadvantages."

Dr. Hahn isn't the only one that has found a TikTok audience rapt for pearly white content. On the creator side, the dentist influencer community consistently makes educational and eye-popping videos about oral health. Doctors like @drzmackie, who has nearly 1 million followers on the app, now have the opportunity to educate viewers about their teeth and advocate against dangerous DIY dental trends. 

Despite dentist creators' best efforts to promote oral health over dental trends, TikTok users are largely fixated on aesthetics. Users frequently comment on both their own teeth and others' — regardless of whether teeth are actually the focus of the video. 

Comments from TikTokkers about their own teeth on a video explicitly discussing white teeth culture. Credit: Screenshot: TikTok

Comment about a creator's "perfect teeth" on a video that has nothing to do with teeth or aesthetics. Credit: Screenshot: TikTok

The platform itself promotes this hyperfixation. On the AR side of the app, filters like Teeth Brightener and Color Selector are extremely popular. These filters overlay a uniformly straight and white set of teeth on your face or can test whether your real teeth have any hint of yellow in them, and almost every video using them opens up the comment discussion to whether the user has desirable teeth. 

Social media has always been deeply inundated with images of pristine, white teeth and celeb-like smiles. The typical Instagram influencer floods our feeds with their perfect teeth and  sponsored content for teeth-whitening products like Snow and Crest 3D Whitestrips. On an internet forum where pretty people and the pursuit of beauty are discussed or used to sell a product, white teeth are an expected and desired feature. 

We've always been obsessed with straight, white teeth; it's part of the beauty standard and it's not going away. But while TikTok viewers may be enamored with the same beauty ideals that defined social media apps before it, TikTok teeth creators like Dr. Hahn want to pivot our cultural pursuit for beautiful teeth into a journey for health. 

Why are we constantly pursuing 'perfect' teeth?

Historically, we've long realized the necessity of oral care. Beauty historian Lucy Santos tells Mashable that there is archaeological evidence dating back to 3500 BC that suggests various methods for oral hygiene and safety. Over the centuries, people were generally most concerned with just making sure their teeth stayed in their heads — but this focus on health shifted to aesthetics with the arrival of mass media, and later, the internet. 

"Mass media, including advertisements, sell white teeth as part of the American dream and a way of improving employment prospects and finding the love of your life," said Santos to Mashable. 

Americans today have absolutely bought into these ads, with the U.S. teeth whitening market reaching $2.2 billion in 2021 and the orthodontics market reaching $3.23 billion in the same year. And the advertisements aren't exactly selling an impossible dream — having whiter and straighter teeth can directly lead to more financial and career opportunities, both virtually and physically. In real life, folks with more yellow or crooked teeth feel that they are often denied jobs due to their first impressions. In an interview for CalMatters, construction worker Delilah Garcia explained how she suspected her chipped and missing tooth directly contributed to her not getting a job. Once she was able to fix the tooth at a free clinic, the same employer later offered her the job, pleasedly remarking at the interview that she had fixed her tooth.

On the internet, it seems every successful influencer sports the same set of teeth: even, bright, and blinding. This, too, can relate to their streams of income. As Emily Hund, researcher at University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communications, told The Atlantic, "​​Part of this is a push to stick with aesthetics that are safe and which do well, metrics-wise." Those aesthetics include the perfect smile, and Hund says that achieving these aesthetics can directly lead to more positive engagement and followers, which can then lead to additional revenue via sponsorships and brand deals. It quite literally pays to be pretty on the internet, and being pretty for most audiences quietly requires perfect teeth. 

"The internet means we are only a click away from videos, articles, blog posts that give techniques to get whiter teeth," said Santos.  "And all of them are adding to the cacophony of expectation that white teeth are not only desirable but achievable for everyone."

TikTok dentists are hoping to educate users on health rather than pure aesthetics

TikTok users are not immune to this desire for perfect teeth. Scroll through the app long enough, and you're likely to find a comment complimenting another user's teeth, a video employing a filter to whiten teeth, or an ad telling you how you can whiten your own teeth.

Dr. Hahn is hoping to cut through this noise with her videos, demystifying how celebrities achieve their desirable smiles while emphasizing her support for natural, beautiful teeth. She joins the ranks of a plethora of other online dentists who use the platform to educate users about dental procedures and oral health. 

"People who have beautiful, healthy teeth are wanting these large, white squares because that's what's considered beautiful," said Dr. Hahn. "But I'm really hoping to discourage people who have what I consider beautiful, natural teeth from getting a full set of veneers."

Veneers, in particular, are a very expensive and recently popular form of dental procedures for perfect teeth. Tons of celebrities are rumored to undergo the procedure, but only a few stars, like Cardi B and Chrissy Teigen, are open about getting veneers to enhance their teeth. They can cost anywhere from $1,000 to upwards of $3,000 per tooth, and can come with health implications due to a loss of natural tooth structure. While Dr. Hahn often works on veneers in her prosthodontic practice, she would prefer they be used more in complicated dental cases rather than young people attempting to emulate their idols' appearances. 

That's where she feels like her videos come in; they provide a window of transparency into the world of elective orthodontia, giving users the information they need to make informed decisions on whether they want to pursue a similar path. She makes sure to emphasize her appreciation for natural teeth in all of their varied shapes and colors — and even made a veneer check video on her own teeth, where she tells viewers how they can advocate to keep their natural teeth, even if some dentists may suggest aesthetic procedures. 

"I've had comments that say like, 'Thank you so much for helping me appreciate my own teeth.'" says Dr. Hahn. "And I've had so many people say, I no longer want veneers because of your videos. And that makes me really happy."

If there's something in your apartment or home that feels outdated or a bit ugly, there's probably a startup for that. July air conditioner is the solution to those ugly, outdated air conditioners — and it pretty much does everything you want from it.

July is an air conditioner meant to do all of the normal things an air conditioner does — cooling your home — while also looking good and being easy to install, customizable to your aesthetic, and better for the environment. It's almost a requirement to have some sort of cooling system in your home to get through New York summers, so I gave July a shot. It rules.

Installation

I would buy this air conditioner purely for the ease with which it can be installed. You can pay to have it installed by the folks at July, but it is truly so easy to do yourself. More traditional AC units test you with a zeal unheard of in times of peace, forcing you to hold the window open, slide in an AC, and smash it down; it's precarious, at best. And the little accordion arms on traditional ACs are designed to help support the unit and keep the outside air out, but it almost never fully covers the gaps. But the July AC doesn't have those accordion arms — instead, it has an expandable frame that fits inside your window. All you do is slide the frame in without the unit, close the top of the window, and fit the sides. Then, simply push the unit into the frame and hear a satisfying click.

The look

You can customize just about every element of this machine. The side panels default to this paper-ish quality, but you can get it in solid white, solid black, or plexiglass. The front cover can be fabric, wood, or one of five different matte colors (I have it in sky blue).

The control panel is the biggest design flaw. Credit: Christianna Silva / Mashable

It's very pretty, but there's one key issue with the design: using it. The mode and temperature are on the top of the unit, so you can only see it by being directly next to it and peering down. You also can't see any of the unit's settings on the remote. So, if you want to know what temperature your unit is at, you'll have to be right next to it. There's an app build to solve that problem, but I still don't love it.

Its performance

This unit works just like all other AC units work, once you have it plugged in. It comes with a controller, so you can change the temperature from anywhere (your bed), and comes with an app, so you can theoretically change the temperature and settings before you get home. It can also be controlled by Amazon Alexa or Google Home. These aren't particularly revolutionary tools — plenty of air conditioners are WiFi-enabled. The unit is also louder than I wanted it to be, and it doesn't significantly quiet down on any of the settings. But it is quite a bit quieter than my previous Frigidaire unit.

My biggest problem with the unit is also one of its biggest selling points: the app. The app only connects to a 2.4GHz WiFi connection, and my apartment uses a 5GHz connection. You can change the GHz on most wifi routers fairly easily, but you might run into some problems: While the 2.4GHz WiFi connection can send internet to a larger area, a 5GHz connection gives you faster speeds. My apartment is filled with three people who depend on high speed internet connections to do their jobs, so I couldn't risk changing our connection in order to use the app longterm. While I was having so much trouble setting up the app, I contacted July customer service; they responded with 24 hours with some helpful tips, like restarting the unit manually. But unfortunately there's nothing they could do to help that the app is only compatible with a 2.4GHz WiFi connection — rendering it useless for me.

That said, if you use a 2.4GHz WiFi connection, or if your home internet setup has both the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz connection options, the app would let you see the unit's settings on your phone, control the unit from your phone, and adjust the setting with Alexa or Google Assistant.

How sustainable is it?

Window unit air conditioners are bad for the environment. July says they have taken steps to reduce emissions from their units, considering that air conditioning in the U.S. releases about 100 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. The company, for its part, partnered with CarbonFund.org to "offset the first year’s emissions of every July [they] sell." It says the medium unit — the one I've been using — uses a "state-of-the-art refrigerant" that has "2/3 less global warming potential than most ACs found on the market." 

Is it worth the price?

The version I used — a medium, blue unit — starts at $520. Most Frigidaire units with an 8,000-BTU output are around $250. But, if you want an AC unit with a remote and WiFi access, you're going to have to pay at least $300. So you're paying about $220 for: the ease of installation, no air leaking out from the sides, and its design. Those extra qualities don't render this machine a necessity, but it is one of those luxuries I do adore. And if the July AC falls in your budget, I'd say it's worth it.

Once upon a time in the fantasy land of Westeros, a clan of fireproof, dragon-riding blondes took over the Seven Kingdoms and committed a shocking amount of direct sibling incest. They were House Targaryen, and they ruled for centuries until one of their descendants fumbled the bag and let Robert Baratheon usurp the throne. Then came the story of Game of Thrones… and we all know how that turned out.

House of the Dragon turns back the clock to the weird old days of Targaryen rule — more specifically the period before and during a civil war called the Dance of the Dragons. Needless to say, there are a lot more Targaryens around in this time than there were during Thrones, and remembering who’s related to who is a lot harder in this show. Don’t worry though, we got you.

This is the family tree as it exists at the start of House of the Dragon. Only the most relevant children in each generation are included, since fully outlining the dozens of rogue cousins, usurpers, minor monarchs, and temporary heirs would literally take longer than just watching the first episode. 

The Targaryen family tree in all its incestuous branches. Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable

Aegon “The Conqueror” Targaryen and Rhaenys Targaryen

If there’s one dead Targaryen the people on Game of Thrones mentioned most (besides the Mad King and Rhaegar), it’s Aegon “The Conqueror.” He founded the royal line by taking over the majority of the Seven Kingdoms and uniting them under his rule. Aegon also married both of his sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya, according to the extremely nasty family tradition of keeping their bloodline “pure” — a word which here means “dragon-riding and potentially insane.”

Incest: Siblings. 

Relevant children: Aenys Targaryen

Aenys Targaryen and Alyssa Velaryon 

First of all, it’s pronounced “Ennis.” Be nice. His wife Alyssa was a Velaryon, so the Velaryon family has had skin in the game (of thrones) since the foundation of the Targaryen dynasty. 

Incest: First cousins, which is the genetic equivalent of a rando off the street for this family.

Relevant children: Jaehaerys Targaryen and Alysanne Targaryen

Jaehaerys “The Old King” Targaryen and Alysanne Targaryen

Jaehaerys Targaryen (center) with Viserys Targaryen, Aemma Arryn, Rhaenys Targaryen, and Corlys Velaryon. Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

As far as sibling incest goes, these two are actually…kind of sweet? They were supposed to be married off to other families but ran away to elope together because they loved each other from childhood. (Yeah, nope. Still bad.)

Jaehaerys and Alysanne ruled well together and their reign was a golden age for the Targaryens. They also had tons of kids but only four of them really mattered in the long term. 

Incest: Siblings.

Relevant children: Aemon, Baelon, Alyssa, and Daella — in that birth order.  

Aemon Targaryen and Jocelyn Baratheon (not pictured)

Aemon was the firstborn surviving son and heir of Jaehaerys I Targaryen. He married a Baratheon, which seems like it would be not super incest-y, but that Baratheon was also his aunt. Aemon died before his father, passing the role of heir down to his younger brother Baelon.

Incest: Whatever a guy marrying his parents’ shared half-sister is. 

Relevant children: Rhaenys Targaryen

Baelon Targaryen and Alyssa Targaryen

Ah, so we’re back to marrying our siblings. Baelon had two sons with his sister Alyssa and became the new heir after his brother Aemon died. Then he died, leaving Jaehaerys and Alysanne with exactly zero eligible sons to inherit the throne directly. 

Incest: Siblings. Again. 

Relevant children: Viserys and Daemon Targaryen

Daella Targaryen and Roderick Arryn (not pictured) 

Daella Targaryen married young and unfortunately died giving birth to her first and only daughter, Aemma. 

Incest: Absolutely none, which is quite a shock. 

Relevant children: Aemma Arryn

Rhaenys Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon

Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

Rhaenys is the firstborn child of Aemon Targaryen and eldest granddaughter of Jaehaerys and Alysanne. She’s married to Corlys “The Sea Snake” Velaryon in a love match that consolidates a ton of the realm’s wealth and power into one badass mega-family. 

However, her claim to the Iron Throne (as well as the claim of her son Laenor) was passed over in favor of her younger cousin Viserys. Was that a bad move? Tune in to find out!

Incest: Super distant cousins, to the point where it’s a wash.

Relevant children: Laenor and Laena Velaryon (not pictured, they’re important later)

Viserys Targaryen and Aemma Arryn

Paddy Considine and Sian Brooke as Viserys Targaryen and Aemma Arryn in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

The king and queen at the start of House of the Dragon are Viserys and Aemma, the children of Baelon and Daella Targaryen, respectively. They have one daughter, Rhaenyra, and hope to have a son, mainly because in the absence of a son the throne might pass to Viserys’ brother Daemon. 

Now, to bring this full circle: Remember the part about Targaryen blood purity meaning “dragon-riding and potentially insane?” That’s Daemon to a T. And the T is for Targaryen.

Incest: First cousins.

Relevant children: Rhaenyra Targaryen

New House of the Dragon episodes are available every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.

Welcome to House of the Dragon MVP, our series highlighting each episode’s Most Valuable Player in the game before the Game of Thrones.

All things considered, the first episode of House of the Dragon, "The Heirs of the Dragon," does an admirable job of setting up the Targaryen family conflicts that will eventually explode into the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. King Viserys (Paddy Considine) has scooped the throne out from under his older cousin Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) by right of being a male heir. Then, after not having a male heir himself, King Viserys pisses off a lot of powerful and occasionally dragon-riding people with his decision to name his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra, the heir to the Iron Throne. 

The Dance of the Dragons story focuses a lot on those conflicts and the people who survive to see them. However, the first episode of this Game of Thrones' spinoff packs a punch with a lesser-known and shorter-lived character. She stakes her claim as the season’s first MVP: Queen Aemma Arryn.

Even in Fire and Blood, the source material upon which House of the Dragon is based, Aemma Arryn is treated as an afterthought. Her entire contribution to the approaching upheaval is her failure to produce a male heir for Viserys. After she dies during childbirth, she’s hardly mentioned again. 

However, House of the Dragon gives Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) a voice and emphasizes her importance both in the world of the show and in her family. Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) visits her mother immediately after the opening sequence and quickly points out that all of the queen’s attendants are focused on the potential male heir inside Aemma as opposed to the queen herself. 

Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Aemma’s response — that “royal wombs” are meant to produce Targaryen heirs — comes with an awareness of her role that could come across as naive and complacent. But her later scenes prove that her awareness is deeper than she lets on. 

Despite her soothing words to her daughter, Aemma doesn’t waste time telling Viserys that this "miserable" pregnancy will be her last. She keenly feels the perceived failure in not producing a male heir but also refuses to be put in a position to fail again. She's betting on Viserys’s love for his wife and queen to preserve her life and what remains of her bodily autonomy. That turns out to be, very notably, a huge mistake. 

A desperate and cowardly king, Viserys betrays Aemma, allowing the maesters to perform surgery on her without anesthesia in order to extract the presumed heir. His decision doesn't just kill her; it also fills her last moments with unbelievable agony. As she realizes what’s about to happen, Aemma's confusion transforms into terror and anger. She fights against her husband’s grip until she literally lacks the blood to keep fighting, lest Viserys ever forget his culpability for the rest of his miserable life.

In the episode’s final moments, Aemma’s memory haunts King Viserys when he confers the title of heir to Princess Rhaenyra.

“You are the very best of your mother,” he says, “and I believe it, I know she did, that you could be a great ruling queen.”

RIP Queen Aemma, the first casualty of House of the Dragon, though certainly not the last. 

New House of the Dragon episodes are available every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.

TL;DR: As of August 23, you can get these 20 LED Solar Lights for just $27 with code MASHABLE10 — that's a 10% discount.

Making sure you have proper outdoor lighting for your home or business isn’t just a convenience. A poorly lit garden at home could mean stepping on some of your plants, and for business owners, low lighting could become an issue of accessibility and safety. For an affordable solution, check out these Super Bright 20 LED Solar Lights while they’re on sale for $27 with code MASHABLE10 at checkout. 

A bright idea for outdoor lights

These solar-powered lights are bright, durable, and you don’t need to do much to maintain them once they’re installed. They even recharge their own lithium battery and don’t require any electrical know-how to get working. That installation only requires a screwdriver and a wall to mount your light on. If you put your lights somewhere they’ll sit in eight hours of sunlight during the day, then you should get a full night of illumination in return. 

With 20 LEDs working together, each of these lights can produce up to 400 lumens of light at a 120-degree angle. They are built to be weather-resistant with an IP65 rating against dust and water, as well as heat- and frost-resistant, so you should be able to leave them out from summer through winter and back again. 

Your home can’t exactly greet you when you come back after a long day, but it could still light up when it “sees” you. When you (or anyone) get close to home, the built-in motion sensors should detect your presence and light the way for you. 

Get a delightful deal on low-maintenance outdoor lights

Light up your porch or that dark corner on the side of your brick-and-mortar store. For a limited time, you can get these 20 LED Solar Lights on sale for only $27 with code MASHABLE10 at checkout. 

Prices subject to change.

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TL;DR: As of August 23, you can get a Lifetime Subscription to Curiosity Stream HD Plan for just $179 instead of $250 — that's a 28% discount.

At the end of the day, you might not have the energy for really active reading, but that desire to learn is still there. Whether or not you're currently in school, documentaries might be your best friend, and Curiosity Stream is a great place to watch a lot of them. A lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream’s HD Plan is on sale for $179 (Reg. $250) during our Back to Education event. 

Get unlimited documentary streaming 

Curiosity Stream is an Emmy award-winning streaming service that gives you access to a massive library of documentaries featuring experts like Sir David Attenborough, Michio Kaku, and Brian Greene. Watch thousands of documentaries on nature, history, science, true crime, and more! You can even download shows and watch them later, and new content is added weekly. 

Browse documentaries and shows by category, collection, and title to find something new and interesting to watch. Plus, you can rate your favorites and get recommendations based on what you liked. For a preview of the selection, click here. 

Curiosity Stream is compatible with iOS 11 or later, Android 5.0 or later, web browsers, and you could get it on your Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV 4, Xbox One, and other devices. If you’re looking for a way to have a massive library of educational content to passively enjoy, Curiosity Stream is a solid option.

Watch documentaries on a huge range of topics for life

Learning has a lot of different looks. You can do it in a classroom, or you can do it with a bucket of popcorn on your lap. Expand your mind and your desire to learn with a lifetime subscription to a Curiosity Stream HD Plan for $179 (Reg. $250) while our Back to Education promotion lasts through August 24. And for every unit sold, 50 cents will be donated to a school or charity that you can vote on via email once your purchase is complete, to help children in need continue their education, too.

Prices subject to change.

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TL;DR: As of August 23, you can get a Refurbished Apple iPad Air 2 for just $269.99 instead of $699 — that's a 61% discount.

If you’re hitting the road, you probably want to have some modern amenities with you, but you may not want to bring the bulky computer that you rely on for work, and having your phone do all the heavy lifting could be taxing on the battery. A great alternative is an affordable tablet that you can bring along just to stream, game, and run basic apps while you’re away. That’s the kind of performance you could get from this refurbished Apple iPad Air 2, and it’s on a major sale for $269.99 (Reg. $699). 

A tablet you could take almost anywhere 

Though it may have some scuffs and scrapes, this iPad could be a great device to have whether you're at home or on the go. It’s WiFi- and 4G-enabled, so you could use a public signal or your SIM to connect. The 9.7-inch LED-backlit Retina display provides that standard 'Apple style' of beauty, and it’s backed up by the A8X 1.5GHz processor. This model has a few years on it, but if you’re just looking for a device to watch movies during a nine-hour flight or play Tetris in a hotel bar, then this is your iPad.

By modern standards, the eight-megapixel rear camera could still take some stunning pictures, too. And if your tablet already has a few scrapes on it, you might be a little less worried about traveling with it and keeping it pristine.

Save on an iPad for the road

Buying refurbished saves you a lot of money, and also has a positive effect on the environment. Help the planet and wallet by purchasing a refurbished Apple iPad Air 2 on sale for $269.99, marked down 61% from $699. 

Prices subject to change.

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SAVE 49%: ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking HBO Max from the UK. A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £85.25 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time.

HBO Max has been expanding its network in Europe this year, but the UK remains off the list. This isn't going to change anytime soon, so you'll need to sign up to a streaming-friendly VPN to watch HBO Max in the UK.

There are plenty of streaming-friendly VPNs to consider for this job, but ExpressVPN is probably the best. To bypass HBO Max's geo-restrictions, you just need to do is sign up to ExpressVPN and connect to a server in the U.S. This simple process makes HBO think you are based in the U.S. when you log in to your account, meaning you can watch all the shows and movies on the platform.

If you don’t already have a HBO Max account, you'll need to create a new account using an American credit card or a gift card. This is where is gets a little more complicated. You'll need to follow these steps to sign up if you're based in the UK:

• Open up ExpressVPN on your iOS/Android device and connect to a server in the U.S.

• Create an Apple ID/Google Play account

• Register your account on the app store

• Download and install the HBO Max app

• Create a new account in the HBO Max app with your email address and password

• Pay with your UK PayPal account

We know this is pretty laborious, but it's worth it. Plus, ExpressVPN is on sale for a limited time.

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £85.25, saving you 49% on list price. This plan includes an extra three months of coverage, a year of unlimited cloud backup for free, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Users also get 10 simultaneous connections, so everyone in your home can stream securely at the same time.

Watch HBO Max in the UK with the best deal on ExpressVPN.

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What if you got an audio cue every time your computer sent data to Google?

Enter Googerteller, an app created by developer Bert Hubert (via 9to5Google). It makes a beeping noise every time your computer sends data to Google, and as you might imagine, it beeps a lot. Below, you can see a video of it in action on a Dutch government website.

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The app works by using a list of IP addresses Google uses for its various services (excluding those related to Google Cloud), and alerting you whenever your computer communicates with one of those addresses. As you can see in the video, it beeps basically every time you click on anything.

As Hubert demonstrates here, this doesn't only happen when you use Google Chrome; the Googerteller is equally as beepy in Firefox.

Googerteller is only available for Linux (though there are ways to run it on a Mac), but we doubt people are going to swarm to install it on their systems. It's easy to forget just how often you're being tracked online, and the app's value is in providing a very direct (and scary) example of how often your data is being sent to Google.

It doesn't have to be this way, though. For a quick overview of Google privacy settings you can enable to reduce the amount of tracking Google does on you, go here.

Instagram's ongoing quest to be anything other than itself has a new development. The app is now running internal tests of a feature that will randomly prompt users to take spontaneous selfies — a function that sounds a lot like social media photo app BeReal.

Spotted by developer and notable leaker Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram's new feature is called IG Candid Challenges. Similarly to BeReal, IG Candid will send a notification to users at a random time during the day, prompting them to take a photo with both their front- and rear-facing cameras. The resulting image will then be shared on their Instagram Story.

"Add other's IG Candid to your story tray," reads a screenshot Paluzzi shared via Twitter. "And everyday at a different time, get a notification to capture and share a Photo in 2 Minutes."

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An Instagram spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the feature is an internal prototype, but did not comment further.

There's no indication of when IG Candid Challenges may roll out for a public test, or if it will even get to that stage at all. There's always the chance this feature will remain an internal test that Instagram's developers were simply toying with.

However, Instagram has made it a habit to try out other apps' features for size as of late, persisting with multiple significant and overwhelmingly negatively received changes regardless of user outcry. Most recently Instagram appears to be emulating TikTok, not only pivoting to video and implementing a full-screen feed, but also notably increasing the percentage of recommended posts shown to users.

If Instagram remains hellbent on competing with every single social media app that gains the slightest bit of popularity, it won't be surprising to see IG Candid pop up in your notifications in the future.

Tuesday. So boring. And to make matters worse, today's Quordle is a real pain.

But you can relax now, if you scroll to the bottom of this article you'll see that all four Quordle answers are, well, spoiled for you. If you're just looking for hints, we've got that too. So scroll slowly. Check out our strategy guide. Level up your Quordle skills. Maybe you won't need the answers.

What is Quordle?

Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.

Is Quordle harder than Wordle?

Yes, though not diabolically so.

Where did Quordle come from?

Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30. Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running. 

How is Quordle pronounced?

“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.”

Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?

Yes and no.

Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you.

After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle.

What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?

Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times. 

Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset.

Is there a way to get the answer faster?

In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses:

Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. I’ve had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.”

Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses.

If you've already run out of strategy, though, and you're still stumped, here are some hints:

A semi-useful hint about today’s puzzle

Synonyms for all four words are in the following sentence (in no particular order).

If you want to be empress, you need to stop being so impulsive when choosing who can be your friend, and make more monarch-like decisions.

Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?

One word has double letters.

Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?

One word starts with the same letter as the title of the game you're currently playing.

What do today’s Quordle words start with?

C, R, Q, and H.

What are the answers for today’s Quordle?

Are you sure you want to know?

There’s still time to turn back.

Okay, you asked for it. The answers are:

1. CRONY

2. REGAL

3. QUEEN

4. HASTY

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to LogicLike Brain Games and Tricky Puzzles is on sale for £40.65, saving you 79% on list price.

As a parent, you watch your child learn something new every day, but some things are a bit easier to teach than others. Teaching your child not to touch the hot stove was likely easier than helping to foster logical thinking and creative expression. If you want to help supplement your child’s education and help them learn skills in logic, maths, creativity, and more, then you may want to try out LogicLike Brain Games and Tricky Puzzles. For a limited time, a lifetime subscription with this fun educational app is on sale for £40.65. 

Through a collection of puzzles, riddles, and brain activities, LogicLike may be able to help your child cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a way they actually enjoy. Suitable for kids in Kindergarten all the way through 4th grade, this app has 4,500+ edutainment tasks across 30+ topics. Your child may not like maths in school, but they may be more excited about counting pizza toppings. There’s been a lot of research to suggest learning through games works great for kids. They have fun, get the chance to learn, and hey, maybe you realise it’s been a while since you’ve had mushrooms on your pizza. 

As much as this app is designed for your kids, it also has features parents will likely enjoy. Every week, you can see a progress tracker for your child’s learning. Plus, the app is available on iPhone, Android, Mac, iPod touch, or in your updated web browser. Grab an old tablet or laptop and set your child up to start learning in a fun way. 

Learning isn’t just done at school, but teaching things like maths and creativity isn’t easy. Grab an app that could help your child as they grow. For a limited time, get a lifetime subscription to LogicLike Brain Games and Tricky Puzzles for £40.65. 

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Fancy a fresh Wordle on this fine Tuesday? We certainly do. But if your poor brain's feeling less than fresh, our daily Wordle help is always here to blow away some of those mental dust bunnies.

The answer to the August 23 Wordle, puzzle #430, can be found at the end of this article. Before you get there, though, there are a couple of subtle clues to help you narrow it down, and as you scroll down, you'll see we've gathered a selection of the best tips and strategies from our previous reporting to help you every day.

Where did Wordle come from?

Former Reddit engineer Josh Wardle came up with the game in 2021 as a bit of fun for him and his word game-loving partner. It eventually became a staple of their family WhatsApp messaging, and that's when Wardle started to suspect he might have something special enough to merit a wider release.

Thousands of people around the globe now play this game each day, and fans have even created alternatives to Wordle inspired by the original format. This includes music identification game Heardle, Hollywood nerd faves Actorle and Framed, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.

Not the day you're after? You'll find the Wordle answer for August 22 here.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

We have some ideas to help you pick the perfect first move. Such tips include choosing a word with at least two different vowels to rule those building blocks in or out, plus a few common consonants such as S, T, R, or N.

Also, even if you're attached to your mathematically sound starter, once it's been the answer on any given day it won't be the answer again for a few years — so if you happen to get the elusive 1/6 result, celebrate by swapping out your starting five.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

While you could once play the entire archive of past puzzles, the archive was taken down at the request of the New York Times, according to the site's creator.

Is Wordle getting harder?

If you've been finding Wordle too easy, there is a Hard Mode you can enable to give yourself more of a challenge. But unless you activate this mode, we can assure you that Wordle isn't getting harder. 

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

The whole point of Wordle is that everyone's solving the same puzzle, with the same answer, no matter where you are in the world. However, occasionally the puzzle game will accept two different correct solutions on the same day. This aberration is due to changes the New York Times began making after it acquired Wordle earlier this year, excising words from Wardle's original list that the team considers obscure or potentially offensive.

To make sure you're always getting the same puzzle as everyone else, refresh your browser before you play — don't worry, the site will keep your streak.

A subtle hint for the Wordle answer on August 23

It's an adjective, and also the past tense of a verb.

Wordle today is a 5-letter word that ends with...

...the letter N!

Does today's Wordle word have a double letter?

It does not!

Wordle today: What's the answer?

Ready?

It's time to reveal the solution.

It's...

WOVEN.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Few people are champing at the bit to go over their freshly vacuumed floors with a manual mop. It's not that the act is particularly cumbersome, but there's just something about taking the time to pull yet another handheld device out of a closet that rightfully earns a collective groan. Isn't that why the robot vacuum has become a well-loved household tool over the past decade?

Then, the inevitable happened: hybrid models, which add mopping to the menu, flooded the market. Now, for many brands smaller than iRobot, Samsung, and Shark, mopping robot vacuums are the norm.

Are mopping robots worth it?

A mopping robot's value is pretty indisputable if it'll do the wet scrubbing that you yourself aren't about to do.

Think about the last time you pulled your mop out of the dark, dark place where it's kept. That's a trick question — most of you probably don't even have that memory. The mop and bucket is a logistical headache. If you're going to pay to take the tedious motion of vacuuming off of your to-do list, you may as well let the same bot finish the job with a nice sparkle. These hybrid bots may not scrub with as much oomph as your own two hands, but they can make your floors shine a bit more than they normally would.

How do robot vacuum mops work?

At their core, robot vacuum-mop combos are really just robot vacuums with an attached water reservoir. Thus, they work just like robot vacuums but dispense water for mopping when they're not sucking up dust. When you want to finish your freshly-vacuumed floors with a shine, you fill the water tank up and attach a cloth or pad to the bottom and the bot will navigate your floors to clean up the extra dirt. Some, of course, are better than others at lifting the cloth when they approach carpet and ceasing water flow automatically.

What should you look for in a robot vacuum mop combo?

Choosing the best robot vacuum mop for you really depends on your lifestyle and the budget you’re working with. Whether you’re looking for something that will tackle big messes with ease, or something that you can set and forget, there are a few key factors to keep in mind:

Battery life — If you’re hoping to swap your mop and bucket for a hybrid robot vacuum, the device you choose should have the battery life to cover your entire surface area, with enough juice left in the tank to seal the hard floors with a wet polish. A 100-minute battery life should be sufficient for most apartments, or if most of your cleaning will be done on a room-by-room basis. Battery life of 170 to 200 minutes isn't hard to find and would be ideal for square footage over 1,500. The best robot vacuums recharge on their own and automatically resume cleaning.

Floor-type sensors — A robot vacuum's ability to adjust suction based on floor type is important even just in the dry sweeping realm. But for robot mops, this is what will keep your carpets from getting soggy. Most hybrids automatically start to mop once their water tank is attached, but only the smarter ones know to pause the water flow and lift their wet cloth above the carpet. Bots that remember your rooms or follow virtual boundaries can be programmed to avoid carpeted areas while mopping altogether.

Smart mapping — A robot vacuum's navigation tech decides whether or not it's equipped to adhere to virtual boundaries (or stuck with those ugly magnetic strips). Currently, the golden standard is LiDAR: a laser that scans different points in your home to determine where walls are. Once the robot vacuum has made its rounds and got its bearings, it draws a floor plan that you can refer to in the app to send the bot to clean specific rooms or set up zones that you'd like the bot to avoid, like a pile of toys or your pet's water bowl.

Dust bin size and automatic emptying — You’ll want to make sure the dust bin and water reservoir in your robot vacuum-mop combo are an appropriate match for your home. If you’re living in a flat, apartment, or other small space, you probably won’t need a massive vacuum reservoir. If you’re hoping to cover an entire house, you’ll probably want to look for something that you won’t have to empty out after every single cleaning session. A self-emptying vacuum would be ideal, which automatically empties its debris into a dock and leaves you off the hook for a month or two.

There are of course other things to keep in mind, like price and storage, but this is a good place to start.

What is the best robot vacuum and mop?

We’ve outlining some of the top-rated robot mop combos on the market right now — including the standout features that set them apart. If a model listed below looks awesome but out of your price range, click on it. Amazon is known to inflate original prices and keep things permanently on sale for upwards of £200 off.

These are the best robot vacuum mops in 2022.

If there's one thing cats love, it's food. Honestly, they probably love food more than they love us. However, we can't always be at their side to feed them at mealtime, as much as we wish we could be.

But, we've got places to go and people to see, and our cats' feeding schedule shouldn't have to suffer for that. So if your cat has become accustomed to regular meal times throughout the day and your schedule doesn't quite line up with that, an automatic feeder is a smart investment to keep your cat fed without creating a disturbance. While we can't guarantee that an automatic feeder will help your cat be cool with you leaving them home alone, at least you can rest assured that they won't go hungry while they miss your company.

What to consider when buying an automatic cat feeder

Whether you’re looking for a no-frills, basic gravity feeder, or a full-fledged product to program perfectly timed and portioned meals, we’ve found the best automatic cat feeder options to fit your (and your kitty’s) needs. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Wet or dry food: Which food type does your cat usually eat? Wet dispensers will require daily cleaning and more attention than dry food feeders.

• Your cat's needs: While automatic feeders should never be a replacement for human interaction, consider your and your cat's routines. Would the feeder be useful for days when you're busy in meetings, or are you planning to go out of the house for a while? If it's the latter, your feline friend could develop separation anxiety so it's important to pick one that best suits their needs (like one that allows you to leave voice recordings).

• Overall functionality: If you'll be using the feeder often and have a dishwasher, look for dishwasher-safe containers or bowls so you aren't stuck hand-washing each week. If you're someone who often mixes up times, pick a programmable feeder that will remember for you. If your cat will continue to snack all day long, opt out of a gravity feeder and go for one that dispenses a specific amount of food.

How to train your cat to use an automatic pet feeder

The younger a cat is, the easier it will likely be to train them to get used to an automatic cat feeder, but a cat of any age should acclimate relatively well. It's food, after all, so even if they're apprehensive of the fancy new robot hanging out in their feeding area, they will eventually eat when they get hungry enough. That said, there are a few tips and tricks to help the process move along smoothly:

• Remember that cats love routine and familiarity, so don't be surprised if your cat turns up their nose at the new device. Give them time to get used to the automatic feeder's presence — especially if it makes noise — and let them sniff and examine it for as long as they need to get comfortable.

• If your cat is not already adjusted to a regular feeding schedule, try getting them into that routine first. If they're used to having a bowl of food available to them at all times, an automatic cat feeder with timed food disbursement will come as quite a shock.

• Don't remove your cat's current food bowl from the area; keep it near the automatic feeder so they can still get some food even if they're a little skittish around the new device. Leave out both the old bowl and the new feeder for a few weeks, decreasing the food in the old bowl while increasing the food in the automatic cat feeder.

• Keep as close of an eye on your cat's behavior around the food bowls as you can. When they are eating primarily from the automatic feeder, you can start to take away their old pet food bowl for good.

• A surefire way to coax your cat to the automatic feeder is by placing some of their favorite treats in it.

Can you leave your cat alone with an automatic feeder?

The most important thing to remember as you train your cat to eat from an automatic cat feeder is that you can’t expect to plop the automatic feeder in front of your cat and immediately run off for a weekend away. This process will take a little time and patience, so be sure to plan ahead and give them lots of reassurance and cuddles along the way.

While these automatic pet-food dispensers are sophisticated, they're still no substitute for human interaction. It's not in your pet's best interest to be left alone for an extended period of time. Even with the best automatic cat feeders, you should still hire a pet sitter or boarding facility to keep an eye on your four-legged friend if you're jetting out on vacation.

What kind of food can you put in an automatic feeder?

The best automatic cat feeders are ideal for dry cat food, and are typically sealed pretty well to keep the dry food from getting stale over time. Kibble of just about any size or shape should fit well inside and dispense properly from the feeder without clogging or overflowing.

Since the nature of an automatic pet feeder relies on the fact that cat food will be sitting out for a while, most automatic cat feeders are not designed to house wet food or semi-moist food, both of which can spoil easily in a few hours’ time. However, some pet feeders are designed with a cooling mechanism to make wet food delivery possible. Be sure to take note of the type of food your automatic cat feeder is designed for — and consider your cat's preferences — before you make your purchase.

So, which automatic cat feeder is best?

Imagine being able to sleep in late without cats pawing at your face because they're hungry, or working overtime without feeling guilty about missing kitty's mealtime. With one of the best automatic cat feeders, you can make that a reality, and your cat will most certainly thank you for it.

To help you figure out which option is right for you, we researched the internet's favorite models and broke them down based on the features cat owners care about most. Find the best automatic cat feeder for you and your cat in 2022 right here.

I live in a studio apartment that's about 20 x 9 feet, plus a bathroom, and honestly, I've always thought my place was too small to house a robot vacuum. I mean, one arm of my sofa practically touches my bed while the other side of the couch is mere inches away from the fridge.

I rely on my Swiffer and stick vacuum to keep my minimal amount of floor space clean. But living modestly shouldn't rule out the convenience of outsourcing chores where you can — and it turns out that robot vacuums can actually make a lot of sense in a small space. You just have to get creative with it.

Are robot vacuums worth it for small spaces?

The 10 minutes it takes to manually vacuum a 600-square-foot apartment probably isn't enough to send someone over the edge as far as chores are concerned. While the time-saving factor may be a moot point here, it doesn't completely diminish the appeal of using a robot vacuum in a small space. (Plus, the less floor there is to cover, the less you need to worry about battery life.) We'd even argue that there are some instances where robot vacuums make more sense than a manual vacuum.

Limited floor space sets the stage for a jam-packed furniture arrangement sprinkled with miscellaneous crap that doesn't have a permanent home. While basic row-by-row robot vacuums would crash and burn in a tricky setup like this, robot vacuums with smart mapping and precise small obstacle avoidance could save you the headache of trying to maneuver a stick vacuum in tight areas. Ditching an upright vacuum also frees up sweet, sweet closet space.

The convenience of a robot vacuum hits a new level if there are animals in the house. Having pets in small spaces usually means that their items heavily overflow into your high-traffic areas, like the classic litter box in the living room that you're hoping is sufficiently inconspicuous. You could set the robot vacuum to sweep while you're away, welcoming you home to floors free of rogue litter or kibble that made their way over.

What to consider when getting a robot vacuum for a small space

Size: Think about size both in terms of the dimensions of the vacuum itself and how much space the vacuum takes up while it's charging. The shortest robot vacuums are around three inches tall and will be the safest choice for homes with low-hanging furniture. Most non-self-emptying docks aren't bigger than a shoe and can be squeezed inconspicuously into an awkwardly-sized corner or under a side table or desk to maximize your space. Just make sure there's sufficient space out front for the botvac to return.

Automatic emptying: Because robot vacuums are typically under four inches tall, their onboard dust bins are also small and require frequent emptying. (Dustbins fill up particularly quickly in homes with pets.) A self-emptying vacuum takes that job out of your hands, emptying itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock that holds weeks of dirt without needing to be dumped. Obviously, you'll want to rule out those with a behemoth of a base, but some slim auto-empty docks don't require much more space than the width and depth of the robot vac itself.

Mopping: If the majority of your space is hard flooring, a robot vacuum that can also mop can save space in a closet after you ditch your upright Swiffer or steam cleaner.

Smart mapping and virtual boundaries: All robot vacuums, even cheap ones, are equipped with sensors and drop detection. But more advanced models take a more strategic route by using LiDAR scanners to map out your home (rather than bumping around or cleaning in uniform rows). This boosts the vac's chances of making it out of a cramped furniture arrangement alive, and through an app, allows the owner to draw virtual no-go lines around areas like a kid's toy corner or pet's food bowls. Though a small space might render specific room cleaning abilities relatively useless, even a studio apartment could benefit from the perks of such customized cleaning.

Noise: The drone of a vacuum feels a lot louder in close quarters. If you're concerned with keeping kids, roommates, or neighbors on the other side of a thin wall undisturbed, you'll want a robot vac that's been hyped for its sound level. Some are naturally quiet and some use special technology to dull the roar. Keep in mind that auto-empty docks create the most noise of the whole process, though the whoosh only lasts for 10 or 15 seconds.

Check out our picks for the best robot vacuums for small spaces in 2022:

If you’ve listened to any podcast ever, you already know the spiel: Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder that makes it easy to create a professional-looking online presence. Numbers-wise, it’s the second most popular web builder out there (after Wix) and the third most popular hosting service (after Wix and Shopify), supporting more than 2.8 million live websites across the internet at the time of publication.

One of the primary reasons why Squarespace has seen this success — well, aside from all of those Ira Glass-narrated ad slots — is that you don't need any web design or coding experience to get a beautiful site up and running on its platform. With intuitive drag-and-drop building elements and a vast selection of ultra-modern templates, it's easily one of the most beginner-friendly tools of its kind.

Truthfully, the hardest part about designing a Squarespace site is often just choosing one of those templates — there are 234 of them across Squarespace versions 7.0 and 7.1, the two iterations of the platform that are currently supported. How do you decide which one to use for your oil painting portfolio, your Taiwanese-American food blog, or the online store for your cool-girl jeans? (Those are all different kinds of websites that have been made with Squarespace, FYI.)

Let's get into it — but first, a quick primer.

Why should I use Squarespace?

After fast and easy site design, the best thing about Squarespace is its all-in-one approach: Your plan includes 24/7 customer support, website metrics, SEO features, SSL security, unlimited bandwidth, and video storage, all for as low as $14 a month. (That gets even cheaper if you go with a long-term plan, by the way.) Squarespace also throws in fully managed cloud hosting at no extra cost, plus a year's worth of a new custom domain if you sign up for an annual membership. No need to set anything else up with another provider or platform.

What is a Squarespace template, exactly?

A Squarespace template (or theme) is a pre-designed, ready-to-use demo website that you can customize with different colors, pages, fonts, and drag-and-drop element blocks like text, images, galleries, buttons, and forms. Squarespace describes them as "a starting point to help inspire your site's design," noting that "[you] can keep the structure of your original design intact by replacing the demo content with your own, or you can completely change the design of your site and start from scratch."

Each template has been built exclusively for Squarespace, which means you won’t find them on WordPress, Wix, or other site-building platforms.

Are Squarespace templates mobile-friendly?

All Squarespace templates are mobile-optimized from the jump, which is awesome for two reasons: Mobile-friendly sites look great on all devices and get higher priority from Google when it comes to indexing and SEO rankings.

Templates from Squarespace version 7.0 have separate mobile styles that activate on smaller devices, while their version 7.1 counterparts adapt to mobile view automatically. (More on those in a sec.) Check out Squarespace's tips for keeping your site mobile-friendly as you continue to build it out.

Which version of Squarespace is better: 7.0 or 7.1?

Launched in 2014, Squarespace version 7.0 categorizes its 91 templates into certain template "families," which are groups of similarly coded templates alike in their basic structure and functionality. Each one has its own rules and customization options, which means you sometimes need to swap templates and start over (and risk losing content) if you're after a specific feature. For example, infinite scroll is exclusive to the Farro and Skye template families.

Squarespace scrapped those hard-and-fast classifications with the release of version 7.1 in early 2020. All 143 of its newer templates now belong to the same family with the same features and underlying structure, which makes it easier to change site styles in seconds.

That being said, neither version of Squarespace is conclusively "better" than the other. Version 7.1 is probably the ideal choice for people who are new to the platform since it aggressively streamlines the design process, especially since the July 2022 rollout of Fluid Engine. (That's Squarespace's next-gen content editor for 7.1 sites, which utilizes a grid system and additional block placement options for improved layout flexibility — particularly on mobile.)

However, users who have built a Squarespace site before may still have good reason to stick with version 7.0 — its templates have some advanced features that haven't been added to the new ones yet. (See: parallax scrolling, one especially popular feature of the beloved Brine template family that's missing from version 7.1; people were pretty salty about that one.)

One caveat: While it’s possible to switch between versions 7.0 and 7.1, doing so will usually require a full rebuild and mess with your site's search ranking. On the bright side, Squarespace offers a free 14-day trial so you can noodle around with both before you commit.

Is Squarespace better than WordPress?

This one's pretty situational. WordPress is best for people on either end of the customization spectrum: You can use the free version to create a super basic blog, or go balls-to-the-wall on a totally unique, from-scratch website with premium themes and tens of thousands of plugins. Keep in mind that the latter requires managing your own hosting, security, and updates; you may also need to hire a developer if your coding skills aren't up to par.

Squarespace's templates are less flexible than a custom-built WordPress site and lean hard on visuals, but they already have some great built-in features and look pretty snazzy right out of the gate — plus, all of the technical drudgery is handled by the platform itself.

Squarespace also supports the official integrations of certain services, including Apple News (to cross-publish your content), Paypal (to accept payments), and OpenTable (to let guests make reservations), along with a couple dozen third-party extensions. While not as prolific as WordPress plugins, they should be able to meet most of your and your users' needs, no problem.

How do you find the right Squarespace template for you?

To get started, head over to the Templates tab on Squarespace's website and filter its library by Type and Topic to narrow down your pool of candidates. You can hit "Preview" on any theme that catches your eye to see what it would look like in the wild.

Squarespace recommends choosing a template based on your favorite colors and layouts rather than the demo content you see there: "You can change the style and layout of your site at any time, but you may find it easier to start with a design that's already close to how you want your site to appear," reads a page on its Help Center. "For example, the Dario demo site is designed for a wedding, but you could adapt it to accept RSVPs for a different type of event, or to gather pre-orders for a new product launch."

If you're having trouble settling on one, know this: It's basically impossible to make an ugly Squarespace site, and with enough time and experimentation, you can tweak almost any template to fit your exact vision and needs. But just in case you need a nudge in a certain direction, keep reading: Below, we've rounded up 15 of the best Squarespace templates for all sorts of sites.

Note: Most of our recommendations are from Squarespace version 7.1, but we've sprinkled in a few options from version 7.0 that continue to stand out. Templates have been labeled accordingly.

Kids complain about dinner taking an hour, but can we blame them?

The agony of waiting for the oven to preheat on a nightly basis is reason enough to consider an air fryer. An air fryer's compact size and unique heat bouncing method speed up the cooking process by up to 30 percent compared to a conventional oven.

What is an air fryer and how does it work?

Air frying is essentially glorified convection baking — but faster. Air fryers are outfitted with internal heating elements and high-powered convection fans that work to surround your food in hot air and achieve a crispy, golden result that's similar to actual frying — without the oil. While your typical deep fryer needs enough oil to completely douse the food, an air fryer barely uses any (like, a tablespoon at most).

Most air fryers elevate food off the bottom of the device using a perforated tray, which allows for maximum hot air circulation. The overhead air bounces off of the bottom and back up across the underside of the food, quickly evaporating moisture and achieving a balanced, golden-browning in just minutes. The circulating heat in itself sets air fryers apart from a regular oven.

You might wonder how air fryers function any differently than convection toaster ovens, and the fact is that they're pretty much the same. Some air fryers do offer higher temperatures and faster convection speeds to get food crispier faster.

One difference that does affect overall performance though, is size. Basket-style air fryers are smaller and rounder than your typical toaster oven shape, making them able to concentrate a high amount of bouncing heat onto a smaller area, meaning that your food will get crisp faster. Air fryers come in toaster-oven shapes too, which can still achieve max-crunch levels, but might take longer to preheat and cook than a basket-style fryer.

Whether you even consider air frying to be "frying" with the absence of hot fat or oil is up to you, but it does technically jumpstart the Maillard reaction — the phenomenon that gives browned or blackened foods that signature taste and texture. And many air fryer users don't even use it for frying. They're perfect for roasting summer veggies without heating up your kitchen, for example.

Is air-fried food actually healthy?

Taking the guilt out of guilty pleasure snacks is probably a main reason you're looking to buy an air fryer. But let's all take a moment to accept that an air fryer isn't a magic wand that automatically turns french fries into carrot fries.

We will say that air frying is health-ier than deep frying. Manufacturers claim that air frying can reduce calorie intake by up to 80 percent — so yes, air frying is a better preparation alternative than drowning battered snacks in fat or oil. But let's be real: The "fried food without the guilt" comparison only makes sense when compared to a legitimate deep fryer. If you're using an air fryer as an oven replacement, remember that the amount of oil used won't change much.

Oddly enough, though, air fryers could be the ticket to getting those greens in. Put a crispy twist on your Brussels sprouts or cauliflower wings by chucking them into the air fryer with some seasonings and a drizzle of olive oil. It's an easy way to spice up a straightforward side dish, and could teach picky eaters that they don't always have to run for cover when the veggies come out.

Which air fryers are best?

The pull-out basket is the shape often associated with the air fryer's rise to fame. Oven-shaped air fryers typically afford more features outside of air frying (like broiling, baking, and dehydrating) due to the large, flat cooking space. Because they're larger, cook times may be longer than the drawer design — but both will still kick your conventional oven's ass.

The amount of food on the menu is a quick way to narrow your air fryer contenders. Couples or folks cooking for one could get away with a capacity as small as 4 quarts, especially if countertop space is a deciding factor. Families of four or a group of roommates should probably expand to at least 5.8 quarts, while hitting 10 quarts (or more, if you have the room) provides ample space for full households or entertaining enthusiasts who like to offer a variety of appetizers.

So, here's what you need to know about the best air fryers of 2022 — we'll keep it simple so your brain doesn't get too fried.

UPDATE: Aug. 22, 2022, 1:15 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to include new deals on pet tech, toys, and more.

• BEST PET TECH DEAL: The Fi smart dog collar uses GPS and LTE-M networks to track your pet around the clock — $79 $149 (save $70 with code WALK70)

• BEST PET TOY DEAL: The FluentPet tester kit can teach your dog basic words using buttons — $34.95 $39.95 (save $5)

• BEST PET BED DEAL: The Casper memory foam dog bed (medium) is a cozy spot for your furry friend to nap — small size starting at $104.25 (save up to $62.25)

Got a pandemic puppy or a quarantine cat? You're not alone. Tons of people are adopting new pets — and finding out that the cost of buying toys, beds, treats, and pet tech adds up quickly. To keep you from spending your entire paycheck on your four-legged friend, we'll be compiling a list of the best pet deals weekly so you can be the best pet parent ever, even if you're on a budget.

Pet tech deals

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Credit: Fi

Our pick: Fi smart dog collar (opens in a new tab)

$79 at Fi (save $70 with code WALK70)

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Why we love it

A beloved GPS collar for many dog rescues, Fi collars offer 24/7 location tracking, a three-month battery life, and insights into your dog's daily activity and behavior. Fi collars use the LTE-M network, which is optimized for low power and long-distance communication and can track greater distances than traditional LTE networks. Fi collars are good for keeping tabs on dogs who are escape artists and flight risks, which is why so many dog rescues recommend them.

More pet tech and automatic feeders on sale

• Take up to $20 off all smart collars from Whistle

• PetSafe Healthy Pet food station — $17.95 $27.99 (save $10.04)

• PetSafe Healthy Pet water station — $21.95 $34.99 (save $13.04)

• WOPET automatic cat feeder — $29.91 $43 (save $14.08)

• Furbo with monthly or yearly Dog Nanny subscription — $69 $139 (save $70)

• Wisdom Panel Essential dog DNA kit — $79.99 $99.99 (save $20)

• PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed programmable dog and cat feeder — $89.95 $119.99 (save $30.04)

• 5Strands pet food and environmental intolerance test — $103.60 $148 (save $44.40)

• Wisdom Panel Premium dog DNA kit — $119.99 $159.99 (save $40)

• Furbo 360 — $189 $210 (save $21)

• eufy pet camera — $159.99 $199.99 (save $40 with on-page coupon)

• PETKIT Pura X self-cleaning cat litter box — $509 $799 (save $290)

Pet toy deals

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Credit: FluentPet

Our pick: FluentPet dog talking button tester kit (opens in a new tab)

$34.95 at Amazon (save $5)

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Why we love it

If you've been obsessed with Bunny the talking dog on TikTok like we have, you can buy the button set she uses to teach your own pup how to talk. Your dog might not have an existential crisis on the daily like Bunny does, but it's a cool experiment and a good bonding opportunity.

This kit comes with two buttons and is ideal for teaching basic words, like "outside" for potty training.

More pet toys on sale

• Select dog toys at Petco are two for $5

• Chuckit! Ultra Ball dog toy (two pack) — $5.67 $13.99 (save $8.32)

• Interactive flirt pole toy for dogs and cats — $23.99 $35.59 (save $11.60)

• Sign up for a multi-month BarkBox subscription and get a free extra toy

Other pet deals

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Credit: Casper

Our pick: Casper memory foam dog bed (opens in a new tab)

Starting at $104.25 at Amazon (save $34.75)

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Why we love it

The Casper dog bed is the ideal spot for your four legged friend to snooze throughout the day. The memory foam construction is super supportive and can help ease tension on joints, which is ideal for senior pups. The cover is removable and can easily be thrown in the washing machine to clean up spills, dog hair, and slobber.

The Casper dog bed is available in three sizes: small, medium and large. All of them are currently on sale for 25% off.

More pet deals

• Dexas slow feeder dog bowl — $14.10 $23.99 (save $9.89)

• Raxurt dog pool and sprinkler mat — $19.99 $39.99 (save $20)

• Wild One dog treat pouch — $40 $44 (save $4)

• PETKIT cat backpack carrier — $69.99 $99 (save $30)

• Save up to 30% on select pet beds at Target

• Score up to 35% off select collars, leashes, harnesses, and more from Wild One

• Spend $75, save $15 on select pet carriers, leashes, apparel, and more at Petco

• Spend $75, save $15 on cat supplies at Petco

Singapore will abolish Section 377A, the colonial-era law banning sex between men. The decision, announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday, will essentially decriminalise gay sex in the city-state where advocacy groups have long been fighting for LGBTQ rights and equality.

The section in Singapore's Penal Code has existed since 1938, when Singapore was a British colony. The inherited law punished sex between men with prison sentences for up to two years.

"I believe this is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept," Lee said of the decision, as reported by Reuters.

Just this February, Singapore's Court of Appeal said that the section would remain in place, but that it could not be enforced to prosecute men. In June, a survey found that less than half of Singapore's population supported Section 377A, a drop of 11 percent from when the same research was conducted in 2018.

"We need to find the right way to reconcile and accommodate both the traditional mores of our society, and the aspiration of gay Singaporeans to be respected and accepted," Lee said in his National Day Rally address. It was not made clear when the repeal will take place exactly.

Singapore joins other parts of Asia, like India and Taiwan, to make progress when it comes to LGBTQ rights.

The government's decision comes after tireless advocacy from LGBTQ groups, who are now celebrating this step in the right direction, but are disappointed that systemic discrimination against LGBTQ people remains unmoved in the city-state's laws.

Lee stressed that the "traditional" definition of marriage will be enshrined in Singapore's constitution, ensuring that same-sex marriage will not be legalised. This move appears to be an appeasement towards religious groups in Singapore who are opposing the repeal of Section 377A.

"We believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, that children should be raised within such families, that the traditional family should form the basic building block of society," Lee said. Following the prime minister's announcement, the Education Ministry of Singapore said in a statement on Monday that sex education in schools will be rooted in "traditional values, and sensitive to the multiracial and multi-religious make-up of our society."

Though the news of decriminalisation of sex between men has been widely celebrated, the second part of the announcement has resulted in varied emotions from Singaporeans.

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Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

Sayoni, a feminist organisation that works to protect the rights of queer women, said in a statement sent to Mashable, "We express deep regret about the suggested changes to the constitution on the protection of heterosexual marriages by the prime minister. This will continue to render LGBTIQ persons unequal members of society."

Jean Chong, Sayoni's co-founder, called on the government "to hold true to its promise of equality and non-discrimination towards all persons."

"We look forward to further partnership with the government towards its aim of promoting a secular and democratic society that prioritises the sanctity and equity of all human lives," said Chong.

Singapore LGBTQ community nonprofit Oogachaga sent Mashable a separate statement written by a coalition of 22 LGBTQ organisations, which said that they are "relieved" by the repeal, and called it "a win for humanity." However, the group similarly stressed that this is still "the first step on a long road towards full equality for LGBTQ+ people in Singapore."

"As we celebrate this historical milestone, we urge the community, and indeed all Singaporeans, to continue to imagine and work toward a better future for all," the statement read. "A society without Section 377A is a society that is more progressive, not just for LGBTQ+ people, but for everyone. No one is free until everyone is free."

The organisations emphasised that the path forward for LGBTQ rights in Singapore will require continued rejection of stigma and bigotry, and will see groups like Sayoni and Oogachaga needed to provide even more support to LGBTQ communities during this time.

"We must, in the face of potential backlash, strengthen ties within our community and look out for one another," the group statement added.

Save $32.38: As of Aug. 22, the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer Hot Air Brush is on sale for just $27.62 at Amazon. Though the product usually sits well below its $60 MSRP, a 15% on-page coupon makes these savings extra special.

To Dyson Airwrap or not to Dyson Airwrap?

This is the question nearly every person with hair long enough to blow dry and style has asked themselves within the past couple of years. It is a question I have also personally investigated, and I'm here to report that the easy blowout look does not require spending $600.

One of the best Dyson dupes money can buy is the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer Hot Air Brush — also known simply as the Revlon One-Step. It's one of Mashable's top dupe picks and a tool I can personally vouch for. And as of Aug. 22, you can snag the Revlon One-Step for a mere $27.62 at Amazon.

The One-Step has a $60 MSRP, but it's almost always on sale for $35 or less these days. However, it drops below $30 with much less frequency. At the time of writing, Target, Walmart, and Ulta all had the One-Step above $32, making Amazon's deal stand out even more.

The One-Step's round brush, which can be set to three different temperatures, allows you to smooth, volumize, and blow out your hair in one fell swoop — no balancing a hair dryer and round brush required.

You'll want to avoid using the One-Step as your dedicated hair dryer — exposing your hair to that much heat in such close proximity will damage it. I found that I get the best results when working on hair that's about 80% dry. And be sure to apply heat protectant beforehand.

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Credit: Revlon

Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer Hot Air Brush (opens in a new tab)

$27.62 at Amazon (save $32.38)

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SAVE 45%: A solid budget-friendly pick for Amazon devotees, the Fire HD 8 Plus tablet is on sale for only $59.99 as of August 22. That's $50 off its usual $109.99 MSRP.

The iPad is not the only tablet in town. If you're an Amazon devotee, consider the Fire HD 8 Plus instead. It plays well with other Amazon services and it's much easier on your wallet — especially on sale.

As of August 22, you can scoop up the Fire HD 8 Plus tablet for just $59.99 at Amazon. That's 45% off its regular price of $109.99.

The Fire HD 8 Plus works best as a pure streaming and Kindle machine. It's about the same size as an iPad mini with an eight-inch 1280 x 800 screen, and it supports Amazon's Appstore. (It doesn't support Google Play or Apple's App Store.) According to Mashable tech reporter Alex Perry, it doesn't exactly play well with third-party apps, and its overall performance is relatively weak. But if you rely on Amazon for literature, entertainment, and retail, it performs respectably.

You'll get up to a half a day of battery life, which is certainly enough to read, stream, and shop to your heart's content. The HD 8 Plus supports wireless charging (unlike its non-plus sibling) and has an upgraded 3GB of RAM. Otherwise, the HD 8 and HD 8 Plus are identical.

One feature we do particularly like about Fire tablets: You can use them hands-free with Alexa. Even if it's asleep, the HD 8 Plus will recognize your voice instructions — tell it to pull up recipes, stream A League of Their Own, play your morning playlist, video-chat your mom, and more.

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Credit: Amazon

Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (opens in a new tab)

$59.99 at Amazon (save $50)

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Struggling to wait a week between House of the Dragon episodes?

Well, along with killing time by comparing the new show to George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood book, theorising on how it'll be connected to Game of Thrones and musing about who the snakiest character might be, you can now listen to a podcast, too.

The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon features hosts Jason Concepcion and Greta Johnsen carrying out interviews with the cast and crew, discussing the story and fielding questions from fans.

The podcast is available each week on the iHeartRadio app and other podcast providers. You can listen to the welcome episode here: