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Since the Apple Vision Pro launched on Friday, some who shelled out $3,500 to be among the first with the pricey AR/VR headset have been sharing videos of themselves doing something truly, well, stupid.
These early adopters users have been uploading videos on social media where they are driving while wearing the Apple Vision Pro.
A warning for Apple Vision Pro driversThe Apple Vision Pro-wearing drivers in most of these viral clips appear to be operating Tesla vehicles, which prompted public concern from at least one government official that users are utilizing Tesla Autopilot — and not paying attention to the road.
Tweet may have been deleted"Reminder—ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times," posted U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in a post on X.
Buttigieg's post included a video of a driver wearing Apple Vision Pro, seemingly interacting with the headset while operating a Tesla Cybertruck. The drivers hands should be on the steering wheel, but instead, they're interacting with the headset.
Tweet may have been deletedAnother Apple Vision Pro driver, X user @lentinidante, went viral with for driving a Tesla while wearing an Apple Vision Pro, making the same interactive hand gestures. The video ends with police officers supposedly pulling him over.
However, the driver confirmed to Gizmodo that the whole video was a skit, although he admits to actually driving the vehicle for "30-40 seconds" while wearing the headset for the video.
“Driving while wearing a VR headset is reckless and disregards the safety of everyone on the road,” a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) spokesperson told Fortune in a statement.
However, as Fortune points out in its own report, AR/VR headsets and smart glasses fall into a grey area when it comes to actual legal ramifications. Many states have laws against texting while driving and similar distracted-driving regulation. However, some states specifically limit this ban to cell phones or television. Some even have carve outs allowing for dashboard monitors.
In fact, when lawmakers looked into passing Google Glass-specific laws after the smart glasses launched, Google lobbied against such bills. A 2013 case involving a driver who was ticketed for wearing Google Glass shows why these specific laws were necessary. Charges against the Google Glass-wearing driver were thrown out when it could not be proven that the driver's Google Glass was on or that the driver was watching a video.
Apple specifically tells users not to to use the Apple Vision Pro while "operating a moving vehicle."
Taylor Swift, who famously sang, "My baby is fly like a jet stream," threatened legal action against Jack Sweeney, the Florida college student who runs social media accounts dedicated to tracking celebrities' private jet movements, according to The Washington Post.
SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift drops 'The Tortured Poets Department' tracklist and Swifties are theorizingSweeney uses publicly available data from the Federal Aviation Administration to track the private jet use of hundreds of celebrities, politicians, billionaires, and other public figures. He makes the information widely available by posting on accounts across social media platforms like X / Twitter.
Swift's legal team sent the University of Central Florida sophomore a cease-and-desist last December, asserting that she would "have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies" if he did not stop his "stalking and harassing behavior." The letter also claimed that Sweeney's accounts caused the pop star and her family "direct and irreparable harm, as well as emotional and physical distress." Sweeney shared the letter with The Washington Post.
In the letter, Swift's lawyer, Katie Wright Morrone, went on to write that there is "no legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control." The cease-and-desist arrived at the same time Swift was under fire for topping a list of celebrities whose jets emitted the most CO2 emissions. Facebook and Instagram disabled Sweeney's accounts dedicated to Swift last December.
SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift can't stop emitting CO2 with her private plane. The internet can't stop cracking jokes.In the past couple of weeks, there's been heightened interest in Swift's movements as fans speculate whether she'll make it to the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 after her concert in Tokyo the night before.
This isn't the first time Sweeney has come under fire. In 2022, after Elon Musk slid into Sweeney's DMs to get him to remove his X / Twitter bot dedicated to tracking Musk's jet @ElonJet, the platform banned him and his accounts. Now, his posts tracking both Musk and Swift's jets are published on X / Twitter with a 24-hour delay to abide by their ban on real-time location tracking. However, Sweeney still posts real-time tracking on Swift's jet on other platforms.
Meanwhile, fans are hoping that Swift will take legal action against a more pressing issue: deepfakes.
Parks and Recreation and The White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza is having a blast in Mountain Dew's latest Super Bowl ad. Sorry, I meant to say she's having a Baja Blast.
The ad sees the famously deadpan Plaza having a (Mountain Dew Baja) Blast in a variety of situations, including a birthday party, getting stuck in an elevator, and getting body slammed at a pro wrestling event. Best of all is the ad's last scene, which sees Plaza riding on a massive dragon alongside her Parks and Recreation co-star Nick Offerman. As a special treat, he even unleashes his trademark Offerman giggle!
Ethan Coen, of Coen Brothers fame, and Tricia Cooke, a film editor and his wife, have cooked up an offbeat road trip comedy with Drive-Away Dolls.
Our road trippers in question are Jamie (Sanctuary's Margaret Qualley), a free spirit reeling from a breakup with her latest girlfriend, and Marian (Miracle Workers' Geraldine Viswanathan), Jamie's demure bestie who could stand to loosen up. The two set off on a spontaneous road trip to Tallahassee only to discover that their rental car comes with some strange, possibly illegal cargo. If they have any hope of reaching their destination, they'll have to face off with inept criminals, a corrupt senator (Matt Damon), and the decapitated head of Pedro Pascal. Buckle up!
The buzziest mixed-reality headset now supports the buzziest AI chatbot.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI announced that ChatGPT is available on the Apple Vision Pro. The post showed a video of the ChatGPT interface within Apple's "spatial computing" device. Just like how it looks on a desktop, the ChatGPT app for Vision Pro is a simple text box where users enter prompts and receive generative AI responses.
SEE ALSO: A morning with Apple's true believers at the launch of Apple Vision ProLike the mobile app and desktop versions of ChatGPT, the visionOS version has ChatGPT Voice, which enables users to gives prompts with their voice instead of typing out a text prompt. Since the Vision Pro experience is built around voice and gesture commands, this will likely be the way most users interact with ChatGPT.
Tweet may have been deletedLast week, Apple launched the Vision Pro to the masses. The cult of Apple has predictably rallied around the device, but it remains to be seen whether there will be widespread adoption — especially given the $3,500 price tag.
Notably, Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify have not built native apps for Vision Pro (but YouTube says it's on its roadmap). It's a reflection of the "hesitancy from developers to go all in, using time and resources to develop applications for an unproven product with a price point that puts the headset out of reach for majority of consumers," as Mashable's Matt Binder explains.
But there's plenty of overlap in the Venn diagram of Apple fans and ChatGPT enthusiasts, so ChatGPT is likely to be a popular application amongst those who venture out in the wild with a multi-thousand-dollar device strapped to their heads.
ChatGPT for Vision Pro is available to download via the visionOS App Store.
SAVE $150: The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Bespoke Edition (45mm) is on sale for $299.99 at Amazon as of Feb. 6, down from its original price of $449.99. That's a discount of 33% and the lowest price we've seen.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Bespoke Edition (45mm) $299.99 at Amazon (save $150) Get DealThere are plenty of smartwatches on the market to choose from, but how do you decide on one that you want to spend a few hundred dollars on? Sure, the Apple Watch lineup is excellent, but if you're an Android user, you might be more interested in what Samsung has going on. If you haven't been paying attention, the Galaxy Watch is a great alternative, and it's packed full of health-tracking and fitness features that can easily rival Apple's smartwatch behemoth. Right now, you can save $150 on one of the best in its lineup — if you don't mind skipping back one generation. It's well worth it to save some serious cash.
As of Feb. 6, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Bespoke Edition (45mm) for just $299.99 at Amazon. That's $150 off its normal price of $449.99, and a 33% discount. It's also the lowest price we've seen for this particular watch.
SEE ALSO: All the best smartwatches for every wrist and interestThis smartwatch is no slouch by any means, with a variety of fitness tracking options including sleep tracking, body composition data including skeletal and muscle makeup, body water, basal metabolic rate, body mass index percentages and readings, and much more. But one of its main draws is its rugged, tough body that's crafted from titanium, with a circular sapphire glass display and a bioactive sensor for workout tracking. This particular version also offers an improved band as well as stainless steel materials.
If you want to grab a new smartwatch, you could do far worse than last-gen's Galaxy Watch, especially at this price. Snap it up while this sale lasts.
With Valentine's Day just a little over a week away, it's time to start thinking about gifts. A box of chocolates or some store-bought flowers are fine, but you can do better. This year, opt for something sweet, spicy, or maybe even practical. Better yet, opt for something on sale.
We've done some of the work for you and rounded up a dozen different products on sale that would make great Valentine's Day gifts. There's something for just about everyone on this list, from the tech-obsessed to the sentimental softie.
A smart speaker bundleThis Echo Dot bundle serves as a simple first step into transforming a home into a smart home. The 5th generation model with the clock feature is a great addition to a bedside table, shelf, or home office. It has a useful LED display, boasts vibrant sound, and motion and temperature sensors that can trigger smart home behaviors. Paired with the free Sengled color smart bulb, it makes setting the mood right for date night even easier. At $39.99, you'll save 50% on the bundle — that's just $5 shy of its lowest price to date.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) with Clock + free Sengled smart bulb $39.99 at Amazon (save $39.99) Get Deal A fancy skincare deviceFor the self-care junkies, the Theraface Pro combines multiple skincare devices into one compact device for the "ultimate it-girl skincare tool." It earned a Mashable Choice badge of honor and a nearly perfect rating from deputy reviews editor Miller Kern, with the price being one of the only downfalls. The Theraface LED model narrows down the most popular capabilities of the Theraface Pro — percussive massage and LED Light therapy — which also knocks down the price tag quite a bit. Even better: it's on sale for just $198 — a savings of 34%.
Opens in a new window Credit: Therabody Theraface LED $198 at Amazon (save $101) Get Deal A card game that makes you go deepWe're Not Really Strangers is a card game that encourages deeper connections. Whether you're getting to know someone new or you've been together for years, the game helps you reach a new level of depth and self-realization. One reviewer called it "emotional foreplay." It's on sale for just $20 at the We're Not Really Strangers website — that's a 20% discount.
Opens in a new window Credit: We're Not Really Strangers We're Not Really Strangers card game $20 at werenotreallystrangers.com (save $5) Get Deal A smartwatchA smartwatch like the Fitbit Sense 2 serves as a fitness tracker, a means of staying in touch with loved ones throughout the day, and a way to manage stress, sleep better, and live healthier. And that's a gift anyone can appreciate. Save $100 and pick one up at Amazon for only $199.95 for Valentine's Day.
Opens in a new window Credit: Fitbit Fitbit Sense 2 $199.95 at Amazon (save $100) Get Deal A blowout brush for date night hairThat perfect blowout look can be achieved at home with the Shark SmoothStyle, which also happens to be on sale for just $79.99. With three preset air temperatures to take hair from wet to dry, plus a heated smoothing setting and ceramic-coated plates, the SmoothStyle makes date night hair achievable in just a few swipes while avoiding damage. Snag it for your long-haired lady and save 20%.
Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark SmoothStyle heated blow dryer brush $79.99 at Amazon (save $20) Get Deal A couple's sex toy kitLooking for a sexy gift you and your lover can enjoy again and again? Try on the Lovehoney Wilder Weekend kit on for size. It includes all kinds of toys for adventurous bedroom fun: vibrators, plugs, rings, and more. The 10-piece set is typically $129.99, but you can save 50% ahead of Valentine's Day and snag it for only $64.99.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Lovehoney Wilder Weekend couple's sex toy kit $64.99 at Lovehoney (save $65) Get Deal A pair of noise-cancelling headphonesA good pair of noise-cancelling headphones can go a long way — from boosting focus and mindfulness during the day to eliminating annoyances on planes and commutes. Our favorite earbud option, the Beats Studio Buds+, are on sale for just $129.99 — that's about $40 in savings and a couple cents away from their all-time low price.
Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Studio Buds+ $129.99 at Amazon (save $39.96) Get Deal A portable party speakerPractical and fun? Check and check. The JBL Flip 6 portable speaker can get the party started anywhere, thanks to its bumping sound and its lightweight, portable design. It's a great companion for just about any adventure and it's on sale for just under $100.
Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Flip 6 portable Bluetooth speaker $99 at Amazon (save $30.95) Get Deal A Lego flower bouquetReal flowers are fine and all, but a bouquet that never dies has much more longevity. Plus, you can build these Lego flowers together for an enjoyable date night. The flower bouquet kit is on sale for just $47.99 — that's 20% in savings.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Icons Flower Bouquet $47.99 at Amazon (save $12) Get Deal A mini projectorTurn your bedroom or backyard into a personal movie theater with a mini projector for the ultimate Valentine's Day date night. The pocket-sized Kodak Luma allows you to stream content via USB, HDMI, or Bluetooth onto any surface. It's powered by Android, so you can download your favorite apps and stream shows without even needing your phone. It's usually $349.99, but you can snag it on sale ahead of Valentine's Day for only $299.99.
Opens in a new window Credit: Kodak Kodak Luma 350 Portable Smart Projector $299.99 at Amazon (save $50) Get Deal An instant cameraMake memories with your Valentine this holiday with a Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro instant camera. Set up a boudoir photoshoot or capture your date night out on the town. An instant camera makes your memories more tangible to delight in for years to come. Save 35% on this bundle which includes the camera and two packs of paper for up to 60 shots.
Opens in a new window Credit: Kodak Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro instant camera $116.99 at Amazon (save $63) Get Deal A candle with a deeper meaningHomesick's candles offer a personal touch with scents tied to different locations, events, or ideas. For example, there's Wine Country, Beach Cottage, Road Trip, Love Letters, Be My Galentine, and other fun picks. You can even add a personalized note for further customization. If you have romantic trip planned or just want to get nostalgic about a trip from the past, Homesick candles are the perfect way to say it. Plus, most scents are 25% off for Valentine's Day.
Opens in a new window Credit: Homesick Homesick Candles Valentine's Day sale 25% off almost everything Get DealWe blindfolded 5 Mashable employees and asked for their honest reactions to Dune: Part 2 sandworm popcorn bucket. They did not disappoint. Dune: Part 2 premieres in theaters March 1st, 2024.
Before Monday night, phrases like "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" were just that — phrases. Now, they're seemingly the keys to understanding Taylor Swift's breakup with actor Joe Alwyn. That is to say, Swift released the tracklist for her forthcoming album The Tortured Poets Department, and Swifties immediately started looking for clues.
SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' already has everybody talkingThe pop star posted the backside of the physical album to Instagram. It shows Swift in black and white with her hand on her head in anguish, but more importantly, the tracklist is written in tiny gray print, oriented vertically. It's so hard to see that it's already a puzzle for her devoted fan base.
The tracklist is divvied up into four sides and reads:
Side A
Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
The Tortured Poets Department
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
Down Bad
Side B
So Long, London
But Daddy I Love Him
Fresh Out the Slammer
Florida!!! (Florence + the Machine)
Side C
Guilty as Sin?
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
loml
Side D
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
The Alchemy
Clara Bow
Bonus Track: The Manuscript
The 17 titles set X / Twitter ablaze with fan theories, with some tracks generating more discourse than others. "So Long, London" jumped out at fans as the anti "London Boy," a tongue-in-cheek song on Lover associated with Alwyn. It's the album's coveted Track 5, which in Swiftland is traditionally the most devastating song on the album.
Some even speculated that the two will be paired as surprise songs at her London show.
Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deletedOthers noted the similarity between the image on the back of Lover and The Tortured Poets Department. In response to that observation, one Swiftie wrote, "I just heard a canon go off like in the hunger games and Joe Alywn’s picture should be in the sky shortly."
Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deletedFans immediately began discussing "But Daddy I Love Him," presuming that it's a reference to The Little Mermaid. One fan wrote, "but daddy i love him being an exact reference to the little mermaid because of ariel giving up her voice to be with the love of her life….." Dozens of posts echo the same theory.
Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deletedAnother title that caught Swifties' attention is "Clara Bow." Fans put their historian caps on and began reading about the life of the silent film star of the same name. They pointed out that, like Swift, she went through a period of seclusion, followed by marriage rumors, and was subjected to endless scrutiny and gossip about her personal life (which Swift's fans participate in).
At least one fan is so invested in understanding the title that she began to read Bow's biography in preparation.
Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted"Fresh Out the Slammer" is another song that is generating endless discourse online. Fans are speculating that it's a reference to her time spent out of the spotlight — which once again coincides with her relationship with Alwyn — and a callback to the lyric "he can be my jailor" in "...Ready For It?" on Reputation.
Swifties are having a field day comparing the title with her Time Person of the Year interview where she said, "Life is short. Have adventures. Me locking myself away in my house for lots of years — I'll never get that time back."
Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deletedThere's plenty of time before April 19 for Swifties to go through the entire tracklist with a fine-toothed comb.
From Software's critically acclaimed Elden Ring will be a free-to-play mobile title, according to a report from Reuters on Monday. Chinese tech giant Tencent reportedly acquired the rights to develop the game for smartphones, which will include in-app purchases.
SEE ALSO: You can now play 'Death Stranding' on iPhone. Here’s how to get it.Elden Ring, a 2022 Game of the Year winner, will be the latest AAA game to be ported to phones. Tencent has invested a considerable amount of money into the space, along with other titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. The company also owns a 16 percent stake in From Software, so this deal was inevitable.
This doesn't mean things are smooth sailing for Tencent, which faces a tough battle in the mobile/free-to-play space against developers like miHoYo (Genshin Impact) and NetEase (Egg Party). Tencent shelved its Apex Legends mobile game last year, which it developed in collaboration with EA. It also shuttered a game based on the Nier franchise, too. On top of that, the royalty fees taken by Apple can fall anywhere between 15 and 20 percent, alongside a 30 percent commission.
According to Reuters, Tencent plans on introducing in-app purchases into its Elden Ring port "similar to" Genshin Impact. It's an interesting choice since Elden Ring is largely lauded for its masterful and dense single-player experience that may not translate well to the mobile space.
Death Stranding, another critically acclaimed, single-player game with pseudo-multiplayer mechanics, recently launched on iOS devices to mixed reviews due to some significant performance issues.
There's no rumored release date for this port yet.
With Valentine's Day dangerously close, singles may be reexamining their dating habits. Gen Z daters especially — given that Hinge reports that a vast majority, 90 percent, want to find love. In Hinge's new report of the top Gen Z dating trends, it sheds light on how young daters currently feel, while Hinge's experts give advice on how to actually find love.
Compared to millennials, Gen Z singles are 47 percent more likely to say the pandemic made them nervous to talk to new people, and 25 percent more likely to say the pandemic made them less confident on a first date. What's more is that 44 percent of Gen Z daters have little-to-no-dating experience (no doubt partly a result of lockdown during their formative years), but nearly all — 95 percent — worry about rejection. Over half, 56 percent, said that worrying about rejection has held them back from pursuing a potential relationship; all these stats come from surveys conducted in August 2023 of over 15,000 global Hinge users.
SEE ALSO: The best dating sites for finding serious, long-term relationshipsStill, this cohort is perhaps more lovey-dovey than millennials: Gen Z daters are 30 percent more likely than millennial ones to believe there's one soulmate for each person, and 39 percent more likely to consider themselves "romantically idealistic."
So one piece of advice for these inexperienced hopeless romantics? Embrace being cringe, Hinge says. The app's love and connection expert Moe Ari Brown said that we may experience "cringe" — embarrassment or awkwardness — when going outside our comfort zones, doing something that requires vulnerability, or risking rejection. Dating comprises all of these things, so cringey feelings are understandable.
Brown said you don't need to be rid of cringe to date successfully. Instead, acknowledge the feeling and accept it. "I encourage you to shift your focus away from the fear and focus on the potential rewards like making a powerful connection," Brown said in the report.
No one likes being rejected, Hinge's director of relationship science Logan Ury said in the report, but many worthwhile things in life require opening yourself up to it — like applying to your ideal college or job. And, yes, finding a partner too.
Other than rejection and cringe sensitivity, Hinge also identified "Digital Body Language," or DBL, which the app defines as "a type of communication in which the style of digital interaction is used to express or convey information," as a Gen Z dating trend. Considering Gen Z is made up of "digital natives," it's no surprise that they're fluent in this non-verbal cues like emojis and message length.
"Digital body language" cues daters look for to see if a match is interested. Credit: HingeGen Z daters are 33 percent more likely than millennial daters to say they're more comfortable chatting online than IRL, for one thing. They're also 50 percent more likely to delay responding to someone they're interested in in order to "play it cool."
The majority of daters on Hinge, 69 percent, rely on DBL to decide if they want to commit going out with someone. The top three DBL signs folks look for to gauge interest are the conversation initiator, message consistency, and message timing. Hinge advises to initiate and be consistent to exhibit "good" DBL — and also to keep the tone of your messages relaxed yet action-oriented.
Check out Hinge's full Gen Z dating report for more insights into how the youngest adults are dating.
The big question on everybody's minds as we head towards Super Bowl LVIII is whether or not Taylor Swift will be in attendance. The second biggest question is how the heck to watch the game if you don't pay for cable.
Yes, the official NFL team of Swiftie nation is playing in its fourth Super Bowl in five years, as the Kansas City Chiefs seek to defend last year's title against the San Francisco 49ers. Casual viewers may or may not recall that this is a rematch of February 2020's Super Bowl, which kicked off the Chiefs' run of success and was also maybe the last normal thing that happened before COVID-19 hit the U.S.
The game airs on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Anyway, you're here because you're hosting a Super Bowl party and you need to know how to watch the game. Thankfully, it's easy this year.
SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift fans celebrate that Travis Kelce and the Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl How to stream Super Bowl LVIIIIf you have cable, I'm not sure why you're reading this, but the game is on your local CBS affiliate this year. If you don't have cable, that means there's one app to rule them all when it comes to streaming the big game.
Paramount+CBS owns Paramount+, and the streaming service grants access to a high quality livestream of your local CBS channel. Connect the dots and you'll figure out that all you need to do is pony up $5.99 for one month of the service (or, if you're lucky, you can use a 7-day free trial) and you can watch Super Bowl LVIII.
And when you're done, you can watch Halo or something, I guess.
Live TV streaming servicesIn case you're in a Brewster's Millions situation and need to burn cash, there are more expensive ways to stream the Super Bowl. These come in the form of live TV streaming services, which are like cable except marginally less expensive. Here are a few prominent ones that get CBS:
YouTube TV: $73/mo
Hulu with Live TV: $80/mo
DirecTV Stream: $80/mo
Fubo: $80/mo
Some of these services also offer free trials, so that's an option, as well. But your best bet is probably still Paramount+.
Go old-schoolThe actual cheapest way to watch the Super Bowl every year is to buy a TV antenna, which grants access to local over-the-air networks. The Super Bowl just so happens to be broadcast over-the-air on an annual basis, so this is a one-time purchase that will work every year.
Regardless of how you choose to watch the big game, I hope you're ready for round-the-clock coverage of America's favorite power couple.
It's not often that the world gets to hear from teens about what boosts their mental health.
A new report from Crisis Text Line and Common Good Labs aims to provide exactly that insight at a time when people, including lawmakers, are scrambling for solutions to the youth mental health crisis.
Some of the answers may be found in Crisis Text Line data. The crisis intervention service partnered with Common Good Labs, a research organization, to analyze common themes in 87,000 anonymized conversations between Crisis Text Line's volunteer crisis counselors and youth texters that took place from 2019 through 2022.
"There is a lot of discussion about this issue," Lili Török, principal research scientist at Crisis Text Line, told Mashable, referring to the increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among youth. "One of the things we haven't seen as much of is listening to young people and what they want."
The top resource that one in five texters resoundingly said improved their well-being was social connection. Versions of that, like connecting with a mentor or coach, helped them navigate turmoil and crisis. Secondly, they said that music, writing, and visual and performing arts helped them through difficult moments.
SEE ALSO: Your kid saw something totally inappropriate online. Here's what to do next.Mental health services were the third most commonly mentioned resource among texters, followed by exercise and sports programs, then books and audiobooks, and finally, outdoor spaces and nature. The report notes that independent research demonstrates how each type of resource has been linked to improved mental health.
Common Good Labs performed different types of analysis on the data generated by the 87,000 conversations with youth texters. Ultimately, its researchers used natural language processing to classify the anonymized notes taken by crisis counselors. They identified and grouped certain key words and phrases into the six larger thematic categories.
The data came from texters who opted into Crisis Text Line's voluntary post-conversation survey. When texters use the service, they must agree to its privacy policy (and terms of service), which includes the disclosure that Crisis Text Line may use certain types of data for research purposes. For this survey, the texter was asked again to permit Crisis Text Line's use of their anonymized answers.
Dr. Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer of the American Psychological Association, said the report provides unique insight into how teens are coping with mental health challenges. Prinstein, who studies youth psychological development and was not involved in the research, said the findings underscore the vital importance of in-person social connection for teens.
The results may surprise those with a singular focus on remedies like restricting screen time and social media use. They may also serve as a rejoinder to lawmakers who've aggressively attacked social media and tech companies for their role in creating the mental health crisis but who haven't answered for budget cuts that have decimated funding for parks, libraries, art and music education, and extracurricular programming.
The report notes, for example, how local governments cut parks funding by more than $2.5 billion between 2010 and 2021. Per capita spending on local libraries in 2021 decreased by 5 percent over the same time period.
At the same time, teen participation in meaningful in-person activities has also plummeted. In 2020, 1.5 million fewer children were in clubs, compared to 2009, according to the report. In 2021, 1.8 million fewer high school students played sports than in 2009.
While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly affected sports participation and in-person socializing, these rates have been trending downward for years, said Courtney Hunter, vice president of public policy and advocacy at Crisis Text Line.
Hunter noted that other factors contributing to the decreases could include the advent of social media and a gravitation toward connecting over phones and digital devices, along with persistent nationwide absenteeism from school and reduced funding for some types of extracurricular programming.
Additionally, teachers often take on leading these extracurricular activities for students. Given the burden of teaching during a pandemic, burnout partly related to social media in the classroom, and stagnating pay, exhausted teachers may no longer be willing or able to lead after-school programming for students.
Prinstein noted that all of the activities cited by youth as helpful often involve peers and friends.
"[W]hen we take away the opportunity for voice-to-voice, face-to-face context, whether it's because we've cut the funding, or [because of] social media, or a combination of all of that, this is what we're seeing," Prinstein said. He added that the findings highlight how urgently youth need access to high-quality mental health information and services.
Hunter said that solutions based on the report might look like lawmakers funneling more money toward efforts like increasing after-school programming, spending more on libraries and parks, and ensuring that students have access to music and arts education.
She also warned against diminishing the role of social media use and screen time as policymakers and advocates consider solutions to the mental health crisis that come from within communities themselves.
"It's all part of the problem," Hunter said, referencing the potential harm of social media use and excessive screen time as well as cuts to vital programs, all trends that developed over the same decade-long time period.
Yes, Apple's Vision Pro headset is the cool new gadget on the block, and people want to use it in all sorts of different scenarios, including public ones, both to show off, and see what it can do. We've already seen people driving cars or crossing the street while wearing the Vision Pro.
And even though the Vision Pro has passthrough video, meaning you can see what's going on around you while wearing it, it's still a device that should exclusively be used in safe environments, where there's little chance of endangering yourself or others.
Apple has several documents explaining how to safely use their Apple Vision Pro, but it appears some users haven't really read any of that. We've put together a (non-exhaustive) list of the stuff you definitely should not do while wearing the headset.
SEE ALSO: Apple Vision Pro has an app that can help manage anxiety Do not: Wear the Vision Pro while driving a carThis one should be quite obvious: Not only is wearing a headset while driving a massive distraction, but Apple's passthrough video does have a small delay, meaning you'll see things later than they happen in real life.
And yes, this applies even if you're driving a car with some autonomous driving capabilities, like a Tesla.
Tweet may have been deletedIf you need any more convincing, here's what Apple officially says on the matter:
"Never use Apple Vision Pro while operating a moving vehicle, bicycle, heavy machinery, or in any other situations requiring attention to safety."
We hope that's settled.
Additionally, wearing the Vision Pro can cause motion sickness; we're not sure how often it happens, but Apple has a separate help document regarding this particular scenario. If this happens, you should wait while the condition wears off before you start driving.
"Wait until symptoms have subsided before doing anything—such as walking or driving a car—that requires balance, coordination, or attention to safety," says one of Apple's support documents.
Do not: Wear the Vision Pro while runningMoving fast while wearing the Vision Pro is generally not a good idea, especially if you're the one doing the moving. This is why Apple doesn't recommend running with the headset on.
"Be aware that the risk of collision may be increased when you’re moving at higher speeds. Don’t run while wearing Apple Vision Pro," says Apple in a support document.
And while we haven't found explicit mentions of it, based on Apple's recommendations on running, driving, and riding a bicycle, we reckon that it's probably not safe to wear the Vision Pro while riding a motorbike, a golf cart, or simply operating any vehicle that's moving faster than walking speed, either.
Do not: Use the Vision Pro in unsafe locationsA certain degree of common sense will be required here, but if you're in a place where you could easily fall or hit something, using any sort of eye-covering headset is not the best idea.
There's a reason why Apple's promo materials always show people using the Vision Pro in very safe locations. Credit: Apple"Always remain aware of your environment and body posture during use. Apple Vision Pro is designed for use in controlled areas that are safe, on a level surface. Do not use it around stairs, balconies, railings, glass, mirrors, sharp objects, sources of excessive heat, windows, or other hazards."
Do not: Wear the Vision Pro while intoxicatedWait, this is one that you should probably avoid even when not wearing the headset — everything in moderation, folks. But if it so happens that you're high or inebriated with alcohol, you should definitely not use the Vision Pro. Per Apple's guidelines:
"Don't (...) use it while intoxicated or otherwise impaired."
Do not: Use the Vision Pro while having a medical conditionCertain preexisting medical conditions, as well as medical devices, don't play nice with the Vision Pro. Per Apple's guidelines:
"Avoid using Apple Vision Pro if you feel unwell. If you are pregnant or have a preexisting medical condition, such as migraine headaches, an eye or vision condition, an inner ear condition, or a psychological condition, be aware that using Apple Vision Pro or certain experiences may aggravate your symptoms, or increase the risk of injury or discomfort."
Furthermore, there's a possibility that the Vision Pro or its battery could interfere with your medical device.
In both cases, if you're unsure, you should consult your physician before you continue using the headset.
Apple has a detailed support page on using the Vision Pro with certain medical conditions; check it out here.
Do not: Give the Vision Pro to children under 13 to useApple is pretty clear on this one. "Apple Vision Pro is designed to fit and be used by individuals 13 years of age and older, and should not be used by children under the age of 13."
Apple adds that "children ages 13 years and older should be supervised by an adult while using Apple Vision Pro."
Do not: Use the Vision Pro for too long Apple says you should take regular breaks. Do it. Credit: AppleYes, it's your cool, new toy. But you should really consider taking a break from the Vision Pro every now and then, especially if you're experiencing fatigue.
Here's Apple's say on the matter: "Extended periods of use may increase your risk of discomfort or injury. Take regular breaks, even if you don’t think you need them, to give yourself time to adjust to Apple Vision Pro and new experiences. Stop using it immediately if you feel unwell or experience discomfort, such as nausea, dizziness, headache, numbness, eyestrain, eye pain, or a change in vision such as blurred or double vision. After using Apple Vision Pro, make sure you are feeling reoriented to your environment before engaging in activities that require balance, coordination, or spatial awareness. If any symptoms persist, consult your physician before resuming wear."
Planning a summer getaway? Chances are you're turning to TikTok to plan your itinerary, whether it comes to selecting a destination or cherry-picking the tourist hotspots you'll be visiting.
TikTok is awash with lifestyle recommendations, encompassing everything from skincare to fashion. When it comes to travel, this is no different. For young people, TikTok has become the ultimate travel guide.
New research can back this up. Tripit conducted a survey of 1,000 Americans, finding that the vast majority of young travelers scour TikTok and Instagram for this purpose: 69 percent of Gen-Z and millennial respondents said they find travel inspiration on social media. Of this, 44 percent said they use TikTok specifically.
The survey revealed that Americans are now twice as likely to plan their travels around pop culture destinations, with 40 percent of respondents saying they are likely to do so in the next year. Gen-Z respondents and millennial travelers make up the bulk of this: in fact, 2 in 5 Gen-Z's have taken a pop-culture based trip in the past year.
Travel planning in the influencer ageFor better or worse, social media tourism has reigned over the last decade. Preceding TikTok's influence, Reddit has long been used for practical traveling tips in lieu of guidebooks. YouTube travel influencers now take trips with their fans. Instagram has played an undeniable role in trip planning — with the age of Instagram travel encouraging the hunt for picturesque locations made "for the gram" and hidden gems. TripIt found that 49 percent of Gen-Z's who use social media for inspiration still turn to Instagram for travel ideas.
SEE ALSO: Why are cafes, restaurants, and even towns banning influencers?Over the last decade, and especially following the rise of Instagram and TikTok, many have pointed out that social media-fuelled travel has affected destinations negatively, with a rise in over-tourism and oftentimes, selfish travel habits. Research from University of Surrey in 2019 found that "egocentric photographic and social networking behaviors" have plagued travel destinations. More recently, influencers have been banned from highly-documented restaurants and cafes, for reasons changing from affecting public peace to "out of control" photoshoots. For businesses, communities, and even countries, these platforms can build or break tourism.
TikTok loves a pop culture tripNow, TikTok has fed into the evolving nature of travel. TikTok, like Instagram, has specifically fueled a rise in pop culture trips. The app is full of creators venturing to places found in TV shows, movies, and other forms of entertainment. There are some hitting all the Parisian locations found in Netflix's Emily In Paris, or others exploring Dubrovnik, Croatia based on where Game of Thrones was filmed (the latter being popularized on Instagram back when the show was actually airing).
"Emily In Paris" itineraries abound on TikTok. Credit: Stéphanie Branchu/NetflixPropelled by TikTokkers, travel trends have become both specialized and extremely popular. Last year, beauty enthusiasts became obsessed with French pharmacies, known for their extensive and affordable range of products, after they started trending on TikTok. Traveling for Taylor Swift is a major topic of conversation, too: her songs have provided travel inspiration and her global Eras Tour turned into a chance to travel. The same goes for Beyoncé, whose Renaissance Tour had people jumping on flights and vlogging their way through it all. Meanwhile, hashtags for cities like Dubai, New York, and Miami have garnered billions of views on the app, each featuring beachside restaurants, rooftop views, and sushi spots.
Tweet may have been deletedThese numbers shouldn't be surprising. TikTok's massive influence has embedded itself into countless industries, speaking to over one billion users worldwide. The app has transformed into a search engine for younger users in particular: some 40 percent of young people turn to the likes of TikTok and Instagram to answer their queries, eclipsing more traditional platforms like Google.
Serena, age 26, tells me that she has used TikTok over Google for her travel needs in the last couple of years.
"You can use it as a search engine with all your criteria and narrow down your destinations. It's given me two-day itineraries and niche content that's been tried and tested," she says. "On the other hand, if you search for these things on Google, it'll give you a web page of like 25 results."
Tweet may have been deletedSeveral Gen-Z travellers affirmed TikTok's wider influence on their travel habits. Adam, age 25, says that his friend group plans frequent day trips around the UK based off of TikTok travel content and influencers. In this case, TikTok serves as the inspiration to book a certain holiday. Serena says she uses the app for both ideating trips and planning what to do on them: "TikTok is super useful when you're overwhelmed and you don't know where to go."
"People are definitely turning to TikTok for their travel research," adds Rohan, age 24. "Using TikTok is really good for restaurants, hotels, hotels, and bar recommendations."
The travel age gapOlder generations, however, are not totally sold on TikTok as a travel agent. TripIt's research shows that nearly 9 in 10 Gen-X and Boomer travellers would rather hop on a flight to a place that's been personally recommended by family and friends. 83 percent of travellers older than Gen-Z surveyed also said they prefer planning their holidays with the help of user review sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp, rather than with the help of a social media platform.
But younger generations are happy to endeavor to the places that have gone viral. Nearly a third of Millennial and Gen Z travelers (29 percent) would rather travel somewhere that they discovered on apps like TikTok and Instagram. Airlines, airports and travel companies are aware of this, consistently fostering their own presence on social media. Look no further than budget airline Ryanair and its skyrocketing popularity on TikTok, or the fact that some of the world's largest airports, like Singapore's Changi and London's Heathrow, now create TikTok content.
If they weren't on TikTok, they'd be missing out. After all, the phrase "I found it on TikTok" has become nothing short of ubiquitous. This newfound approach to travel will likely be here to stay – and grow.
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for February 6 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for February 6Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024:
AcrossIt shares the same consonants with "beer," fittinglyThe answer is bar.
The answer is item.
The answer is Nolan.
The answer is maxi.
The answer is XXX.
The answer is bar.
The answer is atom.
The answer is relax.
The answer is Maxx.
The answer is nix.
With Brie Larson playing a chemist-turned-cook on Lessons in Chemistry, and Jimmy Kimmel being an obsessive amateur chef, the conversation above was always likely to turn to food.
But then Kimmel starts talking about eggs, and things take a turn. "I want to know, when I make scrambled eggs, what is the exact best way to make the scrambled eggs," Kimmel starts. "And I do it very specifically: I will crack the eggs, I will put milk in there, I put salt in there, I blend it, then it has to be 20 minutes at least before I put it into the pan with the butter. And then I don't touch it; I just barely move it in the frying pan."
Larson's reaction? "Oh...um...that sounds nice? I thought we were in a bit and now I'm not sure if we are."
Later Kimmel returns to the eggs, asking Larson to "think about my eggs method" as he's saying goodbye to her.
"I will, I will — maybe not in the ways you want me to, but I will," Larson replies. "Next time I leave my eggs sitting for 20 minutes I'll think of you."
If you are still thinking about eggs, though, we've ranked the best cooking methods here. Just make sure you don't air fry them.
A UK court could finally decide whether Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is the real name of Satoshi Nakamoto — the anonymous inventor of Bitcoin.
The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) filed the case in the UK's High Court of Justice in April 2021, with the first day of oral arguments taking place this Monday. A non-profit organisation of cryptocurrency advocates, COPA aims to protect the technology against patents while encouraging its adoption and growth.
As such, COPA's filing asked the court to declare that Wright did not author the Bitcoin white paper and has no copyright over it. It also requested that the court prohibit Wright from claiming he did.
SEE ALSO: Bitcoin's self-proclaimed creator accused of using obscure font to steal billionsBitcoin's origins can be traced back to a 2008 white paper published under the name "Satoshi Nakamoto," which has been widely accepted to be a pseudonym. Eight years later, Wright stepped forward to claim he was the author of the paper, and has since stood by this assertion despite widespread scepticism and lack of conclusive proof.
If Wright is indeed Nakamoto, it would mean he has intellectual property rights over Bitcoin, which would have significant implications for the cryptocurrency's future.
COPA v Wright: The battle for BitcoinThough Wright made a public settlement offer late last month, COPA responded with a "hard pass," stating that its terms would "force us to accept that he is Satoshi."
COPA alleges that Wright has failed to provide definitive proof that he is the inventor of Bitcoin, and has in fact forged multiple documents to support his claim. For example, COPA stated that while Wright asserts that he wrote the pivotal 2008 white paper in typesetting software LaTeX, experts for both sides agree that it was actually written in OpenOffice.
"Dr Wright's claim to be Satoshi is a lie, founded on an elaborate false narrative and backed by forgery of documents on an industrial scale," COPA's lawyer Jonathan Hough said in his opening statement.
In response, Wright's lawyer Anthony Grabiner stated that the entrepreneur has supplied "clear evidence" that he is the creator of Bitcoin, an assertion that will no doubt be elaborated upon over the next five weeks of the hearing. Grabiner also considered it "striking" that nobody else has claimed to be Nakamoto, though the weight of this argument is debatable. Interestingly, the court reportedly stated that it received an email from someone claiming to have originated the 2008 white paper, and which included apparent cryptographic evidence.
Wright's lawyers also requested to submit new documents to support his case, including an alleged early draft of the 2008 white paper — a request that the court approved. Though given COPA's allegations of forgery, it's likely this document will be heavily scrutinised. Wright himself is scheduled to give evidence from Tuesday.
Mashable has reached out to COPA and Wright for comment.
Did Craig Wright invent Bitcoin?Wright publicly declared that he is Nakamoto in 2016, providing multiple publications with evidence to support his claim. However, doubts quickly arose after examination and analysis of said evidence caused many to determine it inconclusive. This scepticism was only strengthened when Wright backtracked on his announcement that he would provide "extraordinary proof" of his identity as Nakamoto.
Wright stated that his sudden backflip was because he was unable to handle the public attention, scrutiny, and attacks which had followed his claim. He's provided no conclusive proof to satisfy crypto experts that he is Nakamoto in the eight years since.
What Wright has done, however, is file several defamation suits against people who have accused him of falsely claiming to be Bitcoin's inventor. Such suits have been largely unsuccessful thus far. A UK court in one such case awarded Wright only £1 in damages after finding that he "advanced a deliberately false case and put forward deliberately false evidence." His appeal was denied.
These cases didn't conclusively determine whether or not Wright created Bitcoin. Even a finding for Wright in the current hearing wouldn't be clear confirmation, although it would be a blow to COPA. A finding that he didn't author the Bitcoin white paper, though, might finally be enough to put his claims to rest.
Mashable reporter Ty Cole takes a deep dive into the mental health aspect of Genius: MLK/X with the series' cast and crew.
After a recent rough landing, the damaged Ingenuity helicopter can't fly again. Now, NASA's Perseverance rover has spotted the grounded extraterrestrial chopper sitting alone in a valley on Mars.
The NASA imagery below, processed and enhanced by the geovisual designer Simeon Schmauß, underscores the desolation of profoundly arid Mars, a desert planet that's largely lost its insulating atmosphere and is 1,000 times drier than the driest desert on Earth.
Both the Perseverance rover and its former aerial scout, Ingenuity, had been searching for the best places to look for past evidence of Martian life — should any ever have existed. Now the car-sized rover will hunt alone.
SEE ALSO: NASA craft snaps extraordinarily close images of volcano-covered worldBefore its recent accident, the Ingenuity craft made history. The experimental robot was the first craft to ever make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. And then, it kept flying. Ingenuity flew on Mars a whopping 72 times — engineers initially hoped it might fly five times, if at all. It flew distances as far as 2,315 feet.
And it overcame a daunting flight challenge. The Martian atmosphere is quite thin, with a volume about one percent of Earth's. This makes it difficult to generate the lift needed for flight. To take to the air, Ingenuity spun its four-foot rotor blades at a blazing 2,400 revolutions every minute.
Yet a hard landing on Jan. 18 resulted in broken rotors. The helicopter can no longer generate the lift needed for flight.
The images below show Ingenuity's "final resting place among the sand ripples in Neretva Vallis," Schmauß wrote on his Flickr page.
The Ingenuity helicopter is visible just below the center of this image. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / Simeon Schmauß A farther-out view of Ingenuity among sandy desert terrain. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / Simeon Schmauß Tweet may have been deletedThis smooth, sandy terrain was ultimately Ingenuity's demise. The helicopter navigated by using software to track the movement of objects, like rocks, below. But the sandy terrain was largely "featureless," NASA explained.
"The more featureless the terrain is, the harder it is for Ingenuity to successfully navigate across it," the space agency said in a statement. "The team believes that the relatively featureless terrain in this region was likely the root cause of the anomalous landing."
The ripples of Martian time will now shape around, and upon, Ingenuity. Perhaps a dust storm, or a common, though potent, Mars dust devil will knock the robot over. But its legacy is certain. Ingenuity proved that flight on Mars isn't just possible — but aerial exploration may loom large in Mars' future. In the coming decades, a Martian plane may even swoop over the desert world.
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