Mashable

Just seven years ago, Americans emptied their homes for a chance to witness a total solar eclipse, an astronomical event hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Back then, you might have heard this was the first to cut across the United States from coast to coast in a century — and it was. But lately, you might have heard there's another total solar eclipse slicing through North America on April 8, 2024.

So what gives?

Rest assured, skeptics, the 2024 eclipse is not crying wolf. There is another coming — the last major eclipse to cross the continent for 20 years — and the experience will be different from that of 2017, said Jenna Samra, a physicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

The total solar eclipse this April will last longer, could appear darker, and the corona should look even more reminiscent of a pointy crown around the moon. Also, many more people live where it will be safe to remove protective eclipse glasses for the minutes when the sun is completely blocked.

"When people say the eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime event, of course that's not strictly true. Actually, there's a solar eclipse every couple of years, if you can go anywhere in the world to see it," Samra told Mashable. "What makes them rare is appearing in a certain location on Earth."

SEE ALSO: Here are the 2024 space moments you won't want to miss The path of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Credit: NASA Science Visualization Studio

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the sun and Earth in space. During that brief period when the sun is entirely hidden, the sky will darken to twilight.

When the sun is concealed, people have the unusual chance to observe the sun's corona glowing around the edges of the moon. The corona, the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere, is normally washed out by the much brighter solar surface.

The moon is expected to first cast its shadow on Mexico's Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT, according to NASA. The corridor of the moon's shadow, the so-called "path of totality," will arc from Texas to Maine, entering Canada through Southern Ontario and exiting on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland at 5:16 p.m. NDT. The rest of the U.S. mainland will experience a partial eclipse, meaning the moon will only obscure a chunk of the sun.

All 48 states on the U.S. mainland will experience at least a partial eclipse on April 8, 2024. Credit: NASA

The sun, moon, and Earth align like this to form a total solar eclipse every one to three years. But the shadow of the moon usually traces a path over oceans and desolate corners of the world, said Kelly Korreck, a heliophysicist and NASA's program manager for the 2024 eclipse.

"In one particular location, to get that solar eclipse (again), it's between 400 and 1,000 years on average," Korreck told Mashable. "So it's once-in-a-lifetime in a specific spot, but it's not necessarily once-in-a-lifetime for the planet."

There are, of course, outliers: Carbondale, Illinois, for example — a city that was in the moon's shadow during the eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017 — will also, coincidentally, be in the path of totality in April.

Tweet may have been deleted The 2024 eclipse will last longer

The moon's shadow on Earth's surface was 71 miles wide during the 2017 eclipse, making the longest duration of total sun coverage two minutes and 41 seconds. But the 2024 eclipse will span 122 miles, Korreck said, providing an eclipse lasting up to four minutes and 27 seconds.

The shadow size changes based on the configuration of the moon's orbit around Earth and Earth's orbit around the sun, both slightly oval. The sun's size appears to change ever so slightly — enough to matter for an eclipse, said Michael Zeiler, an eclipse cartographer and co-founder of GreatAmericanEclipse.com, a resource for solar eclipses around the world.

"It all depends on the geometry," he told Mashable. "If the sun's apparent size to us is relatively small, or about the smallest it gets, and the moon is about the largest that it gets, then you will have the longest possible total solar eclipse, which has a theoretical maximum of about seven minutes and 30 seconds."

Eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler says the sky could appear darker during the 2024 eclipse than in 2017, due to the wider path of totality. Credit: ROBYN BECK / AFP via Getty Images The 2024 eclipse could appear darker

Setting aside weather conditions, the wider path of totality is also the reason some solar eclipse observers could be treated to a darker sky, Zeiler said, allowing people to see more stars against the backdrop.

If a person stood in the center of the narrower path in 2017, then went to the center of the broader 2024 path this April, the sky could appear darker the second time around. The duration of the eclipse and the level of darkness are related.

"If you're in the center, then you're a farther distance away from sunlight. That's what it boils down to — how far you are from the edge of the shadow," he said.

Tweet may have been deleted The corona will look 'spikier' in 2024

The corona, that hazy white glow that will appear when the moon blocks the sun, means "crown" in Latin. And because of where the sun is in its 11-year solar cycle, eclipse watchers are more likely to see a corona surrounded by pointy peaks, much like the name evokes.

"The shape of the corona that you see on Eclipse Day, it will become seared into your memory," said Zeiler, who has witnessed 11 total solar eclipses around the world. "When you look at a photograph, you'll instantly say, 'Oh yeah, that's the 2024 eclipse.'"

The solar cycle, caused by changes in the sun's magnetic fields, affects activity on the sun's surface. At the beginning and end of the cycle, that activity is at its calmest. But solar activity ramps up, peaking in the middle of the cycle, causing the sun to roil with giant eruptions.

The cycle will have nearly reached its maximum point during the 2024 eclipse. By contrast, the sun was closer to solar minimum in 2017, revealing a more ordered corona.

"The shape of the corona that you see on Eclipse Day, it will become seared into your memory." A solar prominence launches into the corona from the sun's surface. Credit: NASA

"The corona will just look much more, I guess the word I can say is, 'spiky,'" Samra said. "It has to do with the way the magnetic field is. The spikes that we see are actually essentially plasma — hot, ionized gas — and the corona is following the magnetic field lines."

Astronomers and eclipse chasers are excited about the chance to see some wild fireworks in the corona. Those include solar prominences — wispy pink tendrils that extend into the corona. Some prominences resemble bright lakes of fire around the moon's rim.

But the highlight could be witnessing a coronal mass ejection, plasma spewed from the corona, which might look like a bubble or blob. Small CMEs have been reported during totality in recent times, but no major eruptions. Some historians believe the eclipse that crossed Spain in 1860 had a giant one, Zeiler said. Paintings and sketches from that event show a large hook-like feature launching out of the corona.

Nearly three times more people live in the path of totality for the 2024 eclipse compared to the 2017 path. Credit: MARK RALSTON / AFP via Getty Images More people live in the 2024 eclipse's path

Motivated people will travel to the path of totality for an eclipse, but many who observe it will simply be those lucky enough to already live in the track of the moon's shadow. In 2017, that corridor fell over an estimated 12 million residents.

But this time in 2024, the path will arc toward the more densely populated East Coast, casting shade over about 31 million residents — over 2.5 times more people.

Some experts predict that because the eclipse will be in so many citizens' backyards, it will be the most-viewed astronomical event in American history — even if it's not a once-in-a-lifetime moment, per se.

"If you get lucky enough that it's not a-once-in-a-lifetime event, then just seize that," Samra said. "You're not gonna get sick of seeing it — like, no way. You're always going to wish you had longer."

Love it or tolerate it, Valentine’s Day is the ideal time to right the gift-giving wrongs of the holidays. Were you sure your husband would love that faux-vintage turntable, only to find out later that what he really wanted was a weighted blanket? Did you misinterpret his months of hint-dropping about homebrewing, ponying up for the perfect craft beer kit, when he was actually talking about kombucha?

The best Valentine's Day gifts for husbands give you a second chance to get it right.

SEE ALSO: The best gifts for men: Creative ideas for every type of guy

In your defense, nailing the perfect gift for someone as close to you as a spouse is a lot harder than it sounds, especially when you've been together for a while and exhausted your best ideas. Instead of opting for something cliché or overly trendy, spend some time reading between the lines of his interests and hobbies. If he's a movie buff with a Regal Unlimited subscription who uses Letterboxd like his personal journal, for example, grab some cool merch from the A24 Shop. Don't be afraid to get hyper-niche.

With that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of Valentine's Day gift ideas for over a dozen different kinds of husbands. Some are luxe versions of everyday items, while others are special-occasion splurges. A select few are gifts that the both of you can enjoy — because healthy relationships are all about sharing, right?

Whether you just started dating or you’re practically engaged, shopping for the perfect Valentine's Day gift for your boyfriend can be a surprisingly tricky task. How much should you spend? Are you going for a big romantic gesture or keeping it simple? And what about the classic "we’re not doing gifts this year," but you still "surprise" each other with gifts anyway thing?

Seriously, though — what *is* that?

SEE ALSO: Best gift ideas for people in long-distance relationships

If you're stuck in a gift-giving rut, our best advice is to zero in on the items he uses daily and the topics he brings up whenever you hang out — these are easy jumping-off points for V-day gift ideas that'll make him feel seen. (Oh, he just mentioned in passing that his wallet's falling apart? Get him a really nice leather one that he'd never splurge on himself. Stuff like that shows you've been paying attention.)

Below, we've rounded up a list of Valentine's Day gift ideas for boyfriends that say "I love you and I get you" without being totally cliché. Spoiler alert: There will be no mention of whiskey stones or beard oil.

Over the course of my time at Mashable, I've been obsessed with finding a robot vacuum that performs actual magic on carpets and bare floors — but maybe not as (healthily) obsessed as our in-house vacuum aficionado/expert Leah Stodart. I've been particularly intrigued by the elusive robovac category know as "hybrids," which are essentially mop-and-vac combos that take two of the most dreaded household chores off your to-do list.

As often happens in life, products (and people, cough cough) that promise too much end up providing less-than-satisfactory results. This includes hybrid robot vacuums that often end up sacrificing mopping ability for powerful vacuum suction, or vice versa. No future robot vacuum buyer wants to cheat themselves out of spotless floors by investing in an underperforming item, which is why I took it upon myself to test the most expensive and the most intelligent Roborock vacuum you can buy right now. Enter: The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra.

This Roborock has a pretty sleek and minimalistic design, albeit a bulky base. Credit: Stacia Datskovska / Mashable

Roborock, a mainstay brand in the robot vacuum industry, unveiled a new S8 product series back in April 2023. The hype around the S8 Pro Ultra was especially strong, but we take all such internet hype with a fat grain of salt.

That's why, high Amazon rating notwithstanding, I decided to see for myself whether the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra pampered 1,300 square feet of my floor with flawless results or whether it made me retrace all of its steps with a dustpan and broom in hand. Here's what followed (dramatic Morgan Freeman voice).

SEE ALSO: The best robot vacuums unveiled at CES 2024 go where Roombas still haven't In-app features are stunning, but setup was a chore

As with most robovacs, to get the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra up and running you have to connect it to the Roborock app (available on Android and iOS) via a series of intricate, ancient rituals (read: either scanning the QR code on the vac itself or pairing your phone and vac to the same WiFi network). I went with the latter method since, for the life of me, I couldn't find the QR code on my new Roborock.

Attaining a solid WiFi connection was a process that involved a lot of loading and buffering. This is where I docked a few points in the S8 Pro Ultra's user friendliness category. After this speed bump, however, the rest of the setup process was way smoother.

My parents already programmed the vac with their own Roborock app before I even laid my hands on it, which meant that, once I was connected to the item on my app, I saw our full first floor map right in the center of the screen. Roborock seamlessly transfers floor map data between different accounts for the same vacuum — definitely a time-saver worthy of some appreciation.

While we're on the topic of floor maps, it took the Roborock an alarmingly short amount of time to maneuver around 1,300 square feet of my floors for the first time ever and absorb the findings — just 10 minutes. Let me put this metric in perspective. When I tested out the Yeedi Mop Station, I wrote the following about its mapping time: It took the vacuum "more than a day to run its course multiple times around the rooms and get a visual of their full layout. In other words, the vac started this procedure around 4 p.m., got tired, docked, and only finished the job at hand by midday the next day." Yeah, major props to the Roborock for doing it at record-breaking speeds and never once getting fatigued.

The layout of my first floor living area that Roborock successfully (and speedily!) mapped. Credit: Screenshot: Roborock Just one example of how personalizable the vac's in-app settings are. Credit: Screenshot: Roborock

The Roborock app interface itself was sleek and clean compared to other ones I've familiarized myself with in the past. Nonetheless, getting the vacuum to actually start a cleaning job wasn't as simple as I hoped it would be — due to the sheer amount of settings and options offered by Roborock. Did I want to turn on "less collision" mode to foresee walls and furniture in advance? Would a standard cleaning route versus a zig-zag one be better? How frequently did I want the S8 Pro Ultra to wash its mop... or did I wish for it to do so after each room?

Once I was more "fluent" in the functions of this vac, such intricate and intimate features were a godsend, but, in the beginning, it was all a bit too much to take in.

High-tech cleaning options provided not-so-high-tech results

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra allows you to choose from room by room, zone by zone, all-over clean, or even spot clean options. The latter turned out to be redundant because of how imprecise it is — when I tried to navigate the vac to a particular "trouble area" by tapping my finger on its approximate location in the app, the vacuum missed the spot by a few inches. For the most part, I stuck with the all-over clean option: a really stress-free way of cleaning your entire space, especially since the vac empties itself automatically.

I also attempted to control the vacuum manually (as if in a video game) through the remote control setting, which allows you to move the bot via buttons or a joystick-esque controller. Feeling like the Roborock's puppeteer was slightly disconcerting, and it turned out that this feature is hella undercooked — the vacuum would only move forward and to the right. Backwards and to the left were out of the question. No deal.

Though I didn't fiddle with these settings myself, Roborock also gives the option of creating certain "no-go zones," which are ideal for pet households and maximalists with a ton of furniture. Additionally, you can customize floor surface on the app (choosing from carpet, tile, something called "entrapping threshold," and more).

No other robot vacuum I've tested in the past gave such massive DIY privileges to its users, so I was thoroughly impressed at first blush. I personally chose to set my mop wash frequency to 20 minutes, the washing mode to "balanced" (which the Roborock app said was suitable for medium-sized homes), scrub intensity/water flow to "intense," and suction power to "turbo" (the second highest and thus second loudest suction level). This isn't a strict recipe — the benefit of this Roborock is that it fits the needs of your household.

Despite the plethora of cool cleaning options Roborock serves up on a platter, quantity overshadowed quality in this case. In other words, I didn't see a major difference between cleaning with carpet suction boosting powers on versus off (or else cleaning with “clean along floor direction” on rather than allowing the vac to, literally, go against the grain).

The S8 Pro Ultra has a spot clean option. Credit: Screenshot: Roborock You can even control it via joystick (kinda). Credit: Screenshot: Roborock When it came to vacuuming up messes, the S8 Pro Ultra ate and left crumbs

If you've read any of my past robovac reviews (don't tell me, I don't want to know), you're familiar with the Graham Cracker Test I carry out (patent pending) to test the products' vacuuming capabilities. The test essentially revolves around crushing up graham crackers that are past their s'mores prime and scattering them in key areas of the house: In this case a thick carpet, a thin floor mat, around the leg of a side table, and along the edge of a hardwood floor. The next part is monitoring my dog so that he doesn't gobble up the crackers and also seeing whether the vacuum will pick up all crumbs during its cleaning.

Pictures speak louder than words, or however that saying goes, so take a look at the before/after results for a sense of how the S8 Pro Ultra performed on the test:

Graham Cracker Test (before cleaning). Credit: Stacia Datskovska / Mashable Graham Cracker Test (after cleaning). Credit: Stacia Datskovska / Mashable

Yeah, clearly it didn't do so hot (especially when it came to vacuuming around the leg of the table and the edge of my thin floor mat). Now, was this experiment representative of a real-life scenario? Probably not, as you're unlikely to leave such precise messes and such big crumbs while going about your daily activities. But anything can happen, and the S8 Pro Ultra proved that it's not necessarily ready to handle that "anything" when it comes up.

I'm a tough grader, but I do give credit where credit is due, so I have to applaud the amount of dust particles, hair, debris, and other unsavory molecules that the vacuum did suck up over the course of my time using it. After five days of collecting gunk through once or twice-a-day cleanings, this is what I found in its dustbin:

Pardon the dust. Literally. Credit: Stacia Datskovska / Mashable

Those are tangible (and allergy-inducing) results right there — irrefutable evidence of the fact that the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra doesn't just fake cleanings. It might not swoop up all the crumbs on your floor, but your space is undoubtedly made cleaner thanks to its hard work. Maybe the Roborock's DuoRoller brush is responsible for this achievement. The brand advertises it as a brush that "will spin in opposite directions, which can improve the pick up of hairs on carpet and avoid tangled hairs... with an increased grip strength for carpet cleaning, floors, and any other surfaces."

Though I did have to rescue the brush after parts of a plant got stuck in it (and got damaged as a result, which I will mourn forever), I never had to untangle any yucky hairs as per Roborock's promise. Count your blessings, people.

Spotty mopping was compensated for by self-refilling tank and self-washing/drying mop pads

As I mentioned earlier, it's very rare that a robot vacuum (even one that costs over $1,000!) is able to provide A+ vacuuming and mopping at the same time. One function usually takes a backseat while the other rides shotgun, and it was no different with this Roborock.

When I ran it on vac and mop mode, it didn't do the latter part very well — the areas that it did mop were mopped well, but it also missed a bunch of spots on my bare hardwood floors for no particular reason. I will say that the dynamic lift setting soothed my heart with the knowledge that, when the vacuum detects a carpeted surface, it lifts its mop pads and stops water flow. Soaked rugs are not a vibe, so this was a positive.

Other points to include on Roborock's list of positives: its self-refilling water tank and self-washing/drying mop pads, which actually wash themselves well. After just one full auto/all-over clean, the dirty water tank (the S8 Pro Ultra also has a clean water tank that you're responsible for replenishing) was dirty. We're talking mucky-gray, I-must-empty-this-out-now-before-I-throw-up dirty, which is proof positive that the vac cleans its pads effectively for future mopping rounds.

The vac's base has two tanks, and it self-refills with clean water. Credit: Stacia Datskovska / Mashable The water inside the vac's dirty water tank was sufficiently dirty. Credit: Stacia Datskovska / Mashable

BTW, besides self-refilling, washing, and drying, this vacuum also self-empties after each cleanup — you don't have to worry about replacing its dust bag for up to seven (!!) weeks. This timespan pretty much checks out, given the contents of the dust bag that revealed themselves when I peeked into it after five days. However, after those seven weeks, you do have to buy a new bag from Roborock (six dust bags at the retailer will cost you a whopping $31.99 and the price stays the same when shopping for them via Amazon). Regularly having to invest in accessory replacements is how they get ya, but buying the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is already a sunk cost. You might as well treat your new helper to the very best.

Battery life is similar to most higher-end robovacs on the market; price is unnecessarily high

To track the S8 Pro Ultra's battery life, I started running it on the vac and mop setting at 1 p.m. (fully charged) and monitored how long it took the vacuum to run out of juice/run back to its home base for a recharge. It ended up doing so at 3:50 p.m., which means it has a battery life of approximately two hours 50 minutes. This checks out with the 180 minute runtime Roborock promises.

For reference, other hybrids that I tested — primarily, the Yeedi Vac Station and Yeedi Mop Station — had runtimes of up to 200 minutes and 144 minutes, respectively. This means that the S8 Pro Ultra is not performing battery miracles, but it's certainly not an outlier based on how frequently it needs recharging, either.

Now that we've thrown potential competition into the mix, it's time to get down to the juicy stuff: How does the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra compare to other vacuums, and is it worth paying an MSRP price of $1,599.99? (Though it's frequently $400 off at Roborock and Amazon.)

My Roborock looking all shiny, new, and overpriced. Credit: Stacia Datskovska / Mashable

The S8 Pro Ultra might be loaded with tons of perks that other robovacs don't even dream of having (like 6,000 pascals of suction power, a PreciSense LiDAR Navigation system that allows it to work at night while you sleep, and more), but its actual performance doesn't justify jolting your savings account like that.

After all, even comparable robovacs from Roborock's S8 series — like the S8+ hybrid, which our reviewer Timothy Beck Werth awarded with a ~Werthy~ Mashable score of 4.4 — cost no more than $999.99. If the only added benefits the S8 Pro Ultra brings are self-washing and self-drying mop pads, then... it's not really worth it. The Yeedi Mop Station Pro, after all, (though not as new and shiny and cool as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra) has self-washing pads, too, and doesn't charge over $799.99 for all of its features combined.

If you have bucketloads of money to blow, you might want to invest in this high-end robot vacuum. If, however, your New Year's resolution is saving some dinero, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is just not worth the splurge.

A factory reset on a MacBook wipes the device of all personal data and reinstalls a clean, unimpeded version of macOS.

Thankfully, completing a factory reset on a MacBook is painless. Apple has generally kept the process fairly streamlined. However, there are a few differences in the procedure depending on whether you have a MacBook with Apple silicon or if it’s a MacBook with the Apple T2 Security chip. Whether you’re running macOS Monterey or later will also impact the step, albeit slightly.

First, check to see if your MacBook has the ‘Erase All Content and Settings feature’. If so, follow these steps depending on the OS.

SEE ALSO: MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: All the 2023 MacBooks explained For macOS Monterey:

Step 1: Select the Apple menu in the top left-hand corner and hit ‘System Preferences’.

Step 2: Choose ‘Erase all Content and Settings’.

For macOS Ventura or later:

Step 1: Select the Apple menu in the top left-hand corner and hit ‘System Settings’.

Step 2: Navigate to ‘General’ in the sidebar and click ‘Transfer or Reset’.

Step 3: Choose ‘Erase all Content and Settings’.

Once ‘Erase all Content and Settings’ is selected, you’ll have to sign in with your admin credentials, including your password. Apple also provides a notification of everything being erased, including Apple ID, Touch ID, Apple Wallet, and Find My settings.

This is also the chance to initiate a Time Machine backup if you wish. By selecting ‘Open Time Machine’, you can create a backup of your files and information. However, you’ll be required to have an external storage device.

Once you confirm and select ‘Erase all Content and Settings’ again, the factory reset is initiated. The MacBook is then activated and restarted, with a fresh setup process to initiate.

Use Disk Utility

If your MacBook doesn’t offer the ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ feature, you can use the ‘Disk Utility’ tool. Follow these steps to erase all content:

Step 1: With your MacBook powered down, turn it on and immediately press and hold the Command (⌘) and R keys. Do so until the Apple logo appears.

Step 2: Enter the admin password and select ‘Disk Utility’

Step 3. Navigate to ‘Macintosh HD’ in the sidebar and click ‘Erase’. 

Step 4: Type ‘Macintosh HD’ into the “Name” field and select APFS format or Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

Step 5. Select ‘Erase Volume Group’ or ‘Erase’ depending on what appears. If asked, enter your Apple ID to initiate the wipe.

With that, your MacBook is now wiped and ready for a new owner. You can now donate, sell, or gift your MacBook to someone and not worry about lingering data being accessible.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a rollicking fantasy adventure, complete with frightening monsters, high-stakes battles, and gods pulled straight from Greek mythology. So it may come as a surprise that one of the show's best — and most talked-about — scenes is a quiet discussion between two parents.

Of course, these aren't normal parents. One is the Greek god Poseidon (Toby Stephens). The other is mortal Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull), who has spent the last 12 years preparing her son Percy (Walker Scobell) for his heroic destiny — and protecting him from the world of the Olympians.

SEE ALSO: How is 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' different from the books?

Like many stories from ancient legends, Sally and Poseidon's relationship is a tragic romance. Separated by circumstances of literally mythic proportion, unable to raise Percy together because Olympian law dictates that Poseidon shouldn't even have a child, their story has no clear solution. Sally carries the burden of the truth about Percy's parentage, while Poseidon is unable to help without endangering both his son and the woman he loves. It's a tough dynamic to understand solely through Percy's eyes, but in episode 7, "We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of," Percy Jackson and the Olympians offers us a bigger window into Sally and Poseidon's connection, in all its painful messiness and surprising beauty.

Toby Stephens in "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." Credit: Disney / David Bukach

"We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of" marks our first introduction to Poseidon and what his relationship with Sally really looks like. Because of this, our first glimpse of Poseidon in the flesh is not some bombastic display of godly power, but of a man and a woman simply talking in a diner about the difficulties Sally faces in raising Percy alone.

"It was a really clever way to introduce their relationship and introduce Poseidon, because it makes them very human," Stephens said of the scene in a video call with Mashable. "It's a domestic scene between a mother and father, and at the heart of it there's this pain. It's a yearning between two people to be connected who can't be, but Poseidon is also yearning to be connected with his son but can't because he's protecting him."

SEE ALSO: Jay Duplass talks Hades' big introduction to 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians'

The diner scene was the first scene Stephens shot for the series, yet the chemistry and history between Poseidon and Sally were already well within reach for the actors. "I really liked working with Virginia, and she's a really great actress," said Stephens. "We found that very quickly. The scene just had a very intimate feel."

Percy Jackson and the Olympians began creating that sense of intimacy between Sally and Poseidon right from the very first episode, with a scene that sees Sally sitting on her fire escape, taking in the rain.

Kull was incredibly excited to see the fire escape scene when she first read the script. "In television, you typically don't have time for things like quiet, ordinary moments. And this seems like a humdrum moment, but I think it tells such a huge story," Kull said. "It's not just Sally sitting in the rain on the fire escape — she's sitting in the rain communing with the great love of her life and the father of her kid, and this is the way that she feels close to him."

Virginia Kull in "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." Credit: Disney/David Bukach

The diner sequence feels like a natural progression from that fire escape moment. Sally and Poseidon are connecting in both, but there's still a distance between them. On the fire escape, Poseidon isn't actually present. But even when he's next to Sally in the diner, there's a tragic divide between them. They're close, but still far apart.

Director Anders Engström achieved this paradoxical nearness by telling Kull and Stephens to play the whole scene without ever looking at each other. For Kull, that became a key to unlocking the power of the diner scene.

"What that did to us as actors was that all of the feelings of, 'I need to see how this is affecting the person that I'm speaking to, I want to know what he thinks about what I'm saying,' we couldn't act on," Kull explained. "Therefore, the desire to be heard, to be understood, and to connect was so heightened and so charged, it was electric. It meant that any bad impulse to 'perform' went away, and I was just desperately listening to and clinging to what he was saying. Even the silences were powerful."

In these silences, where Sally and Poseidon sit shoulder-to-shoulder yet never look at one another, Percy Jackson and the Olympians builds an entire world of a relationship that, up to this point, we haven't fully understood.

"Because Poseidon has been absent for the whole show, the audience is going, 'What a jerk, this guy is this absentee father.' And then when you meet him, you go, 'Right, I get it. It's much more complicated, and actually he really does care,'" Stephens said. "This scene is not in the book, but I think it's needed in the TV version, because it gives you much more context."

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is now streaming on Disney+.

Wondering how to watch college basketball this season? Here are your best options: Best for affordability Sling TV Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal

The Purdue and Rutgers men’s basketball teams are scheduled to meet in a Big Ten Conference contest at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey, on Sunday, Jan. 28. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET. 

Purdue, ranked No. 2 in The Associated Press poll, enters the matchup 18-2 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten. Most recently, Purdue defeated Michigan 99-67 on Tuesday. Through the first 20 games, Zach Edey paces Purdue with 22.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. 

Rutgers comes into the contest 10-8 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten. On Jan. 21, Illinois beat Rutgers 86-63. Aundre Hyatt leads Rutgers in scoring with 12.2 points in the first 18 games.

SEE ALSO: How to watch college basketball without cable

Matt Painter is the Purdue men’s basketball head coach. Steve Pikiell is the Rutgers men’s basketball head coach. 

Purdue vs. Rutgers basketball game time and network

The Purdue vs. Rutgers men’s basketball game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start on FOX on Sunday, Jan. 28. The FOX broadcasters are scheduled to be Tim Brando (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst). 

Without cable or satellite TV, some options to watch the Purdue vs. Rutgers men’s basketball game via online live stream include FuboTV and Sling.

Best streaming services for the Rutgers vs. Purdue basketball game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch college basketball without cable or satellite TV. Here are the best streaming services to consider for the Rutgers vs. Purdue basketball game on FOX.

Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month Get Deal

FOX is available on Sling TV in select markets. Those include Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Gainesville, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. 

If you’re not in one of those markets, getting Sling TV won’t help you watch the Purdue vs. Rutgers men’s basketball game. 

If you’re in one of those markets, getting Sling TV for Purdue vs. Rutgers basketball would work for you. You’ll need the Blue Plan, which comes at $20 for the first month and $40 for subsequent months.  

Sling TV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network and SEC Network.

Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal

FuboTV offers more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

Visit the FuboTV website to see if your zip code includes the FOX broadcast. If you’re in luck, then you can get FOX with the FuboTV Pro plan, which has a rate of $79.99 per month.

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. 

The mysterious allure of stumbling upon some unknown oddity on late-night cable is recreated (and repurposed, to devastating effect) in Jane Schoenbrun's wildly abstract, masterfully accomplished I Saw the TV Glow. The A24 production is a remarkable follow-up and spiritual companion to Schoenbrun's Sundance emo-horror breakout We're All Going to the World's Fair, a hazy, low-budget indie from 2022 told through late-night vlogs and video chats. The latter was their narrative feature debut, and it captured an online obsession with urban myth that the writer/director used as a vessel for a tale of physical discomfort and social unbelonging. It created, through its subtext and aesthetic approach, a mood comprising the constant, oppressive white noise of gender dysphoria.

I Saw the TV Glow picks up that baton and charges headfirst through the screen. It captures the creeping nostalgia of '90s children's and young adult television, as seen through the eyes of two deeply isolated teenagers on arduous, dreamlike journeys of self-discovery. Along the way, the worlds of memory and fiction blur beyond recognition, as the boundary between the characters' distant observations and intimate bodily experiences shatters completely. The result is a new queer and transgender classic. 

SEE ALSO: The 28 best queer horror movies now streaming

While it's likely to be divisive given its esoteric nature, I Saw the TV Glow proves to be an enrapturing experience if you're on its wavelength. It's one of the most overpowering and uniquely despondent works of avant-garde horror to emerge from the American indie scene in several years, making it quite handily the most artistically complete, shatteringly personal movie to play at Sundance this year.

What is I Saw the TV Glow about?

Told initially through childhood memories (and eventually, via first-person recollections delivered to the camera, which hop and skip through time), I Saw the TV Glow provides no temporal anchor for its protagonist, Owen (Justice Smith), a quiet, soft-spoken suburban boy with a doting mother (Danielle Deadwyler) and stern-but-silent father (Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst). Played as a seventh grader by Ian Foreman, Owen stumbles across the quiet, lonely, self-professed lesbian Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) as she reads the episode guide for her favorite TV show on the floor of their school gymnasium, on the night of 1996 U.S. Presidential election.The Pink Opaque (named for an album by shoegaze pioneers Cocteau Twins) is a low-budget YA action-fantasy that soon becomes Owen's obsession too.

Each physical space during this introduction — and during the film's apparent framing device, which is comprised of an older Owen reminiscing about this encounter by campfire — comes wrapped in an eerie hum, accompanied by lights that always seem to flicker. Even when old CRT television sets aren't part of the mise-en-scène, they're made to feel ever-present, as though each darkened space were illuminated by the specter of TV, or perhaps its memory.

Maddy, who wears oversized, boyish clothes and has visible hints of peach fuzz on her upper lip, seems initially closed off to Owen's friendly advances, though she eventually reciprocates upon noticing his interest in the series. The Pink Opaque is the only thing that makes her eyes light up, and over the following years in high school, she leaves Owen taped episodes with hand-written descriptions (his parents won't let him stay up past the show's 10:30 p.m. air time). 

The atmospheric Buffy-esque series centers on a pair of teenage crime fighters, the carefree Isabel (Helena Howard, Madeline's Madeline) and the tomboyish Tara (Lindsey Jordan, aka indie rocker Snail Mail), who communicate with each other psychically. Together, they battle the show's lunar-themed, pointedly named villain Mr. Melancholy. As the years go by, strange, surreal happenings lead to questions about the nature of this series, whether it's fictional at all, and what mystifying connection Owen and Maddy have to it, since it seems to hypnotize them every time they watch it.

However, these broad strokes are a mere sliver of the bigger picture, a phantasmagorical tapestry laced with static and sadness for which the plot is merely an amoebic, shapeless vessel. It's a film that lives and breathes through its images and sounds, which come crashing together to create an ethereal collage of feeling cut off from the world, and dissociated from one's own self — physically, mentally, spiritually — en route to some of the most rousing and disturbing emotional crescendos in recent memory.

I Saw the TV Glow is a major audio-visual triumph. Credit: A24

Schoenbrun, through their commanding use of framing and movement, creates a winding, melodic tunnel for Owen to traverse, and for us to follow him down. There is perhaps no scene more exemplary of this than a lengthy, unbroken shot following Owen down a high school hallway as Maddy's show notes appear on screen in shiny, pink cursive, while an enveloping electronic track — one of many originals Schoenbrun commissioned for the film — consumes the entire soundscape, echoing endlessly. Owen's solitude is, in this way, immediately contrasted with Maddy's intimate, welcoming messages, as though she were sharing a part of herself with him from a distance. But the scene also becomes subsumed by oppressive noise, as though Owen were being robbed of even a single moment of peace or clarity.

The film's surreal vignettes pull from wistful millennial-tween nostalgia, from the astonishment of witnessing planetarium projections for the first time, to the awe-inspiring wonder of being encased in the airy dome of rainbow-colored playground parachute. But the more Owen and Maddy become absorbed by the story of The Pink Opaque, the more the show's aesthetic approach begins to blur with real life, and with Owen's recollections. Clips from the show are presented in a narrow, 4:3 aspect ratio, and with all the mauve and magnetic flaws of something recorded on withered VHS tapes. These segments are so true to the appearance of mid-'90s media that you'd be forgiven for thinking The Pink Opaque was a real show that Schoenbrun had dug up in some dusty archive.

The rest of the film has the appearance of modern "prestige horror," with its wide frame, warm tones, and impeccably high contrast that makes the world feel obscured by shadow. However, these respective aesthetic fabrics occasionally switch places, as though The Pink Opaque were reality — or vice versa, as though Owen and Maddy's life had been taped on a VCR. These inversions hint at something amiss and entangled in the ether. As the years go by, they feel betrayed by their childhood memories, until thoughts of escaping — their town, their bodies, their reality — consume their every waking thought.

I Saw the TV Glow isn't so much a transgender allegory as it is a pure expression of transness in early youth, unfolding at a time and place where words fail, and stories become a medium for not just entertainment but projection, reflection and self-identification. It plays, at times, like a hyper-charged (but deeply considered) suburban, transgender translation of Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema," the essay that popularized this multifaceted idea of the cinematic gaze. 

This expression, of television as an object of identification, goes hand-in-hand with the movie's profound sense of loneliness, which invades every carefully composed frame — usually, images of characters at a distance, on their own, hunched up in corners — and every vivacious musical interlude. Some of these are simply live band performances at dingy venues, led by femme and queer musicians trying to express some lurking part of their experience. One impactful scene, intercut with a revelatory conversation between Owen and Maddy, is just a closeup of King Woman's Kristina Esfandiari screaming for minutes at a time during a music performance, as if trying to expel some wordless, formless embodiment of lifelong isolation.

The movie's original music, composed by Alex G, effectively captures its story in microcosm, appearing usually during hazy scenes of entranced characters lit by the TV's pink and purple shimmer. These fleeting moments appear to be the closest Owen will come to understanding something fundamental about himself, at least until he finds a way to break free of his physical, social, and emotional constraints.

Nothing tangible tethers Owen and Maddy to their small town, but demanding tangibility from a film like I Saw the TV Glow is to fundamentally misunderstand not only the kind of movie it is but the intangible nature of the experiences it unearths. It's the kind of film that, if it speaks to you, is likely to keep you on the verge of tears for all of its 100 minutes, gasping anxiously for breath by the end, feeling like something from deep within you is about to burst forth and see the sun for the first time. And while its success is largely attributable to Schoenbrun's daring aesthetic introspections as a nonbinary artist, it equally owes its emotional impact to the way they unearth their characters through performance.

Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine deliver haunting, pained performances.

As a biracial boy in a mostly white town, and a queer, gender-nonconforming teen who uses she/her pronouns, Owen and Maddy make for a fascinating pair of suburban outsiders. Smith and Lundy-Paige (who is nonbinary) craft two of the most fully formed young characters in recent American cinema — at least since Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in Licorice Pizza — and they accomplish this by walking a fine and monumentally difficult line.

They're tasked with not only breaking the fourth wall while maintaining the film's illusory nature, but also with diving deep into specific high school "types" that could so easily tip over into self-parody if they aren't modulated correctly. Smith's anguished conception of Owen — while often perplexed and self-effacing — has a doe-eyed quality that, when coupled with a voice pitched-up nearly to the point of falsetto, pushes its way to the limits of "awkwardness" in the public consciousness. And yet, Smith engenders sympathy through his wayward naïveté. He speaks as though every statement were a question, creating a constant sense of yearning — of searching.

Maddy, on the other hand, seems to know something Owen does not. She appears to hold hints of some sacred knowledge, the details of which she may not be fully certain either, though she's always one step closer than Owen to a sense of full, luminous, and terrifying discovery. Lundy-Paige's darting, unblinking eyes dance with the camera, creating a sense of mystery bordering on intentional caricature (as though they were playing the dark-haired, bad boy character Sternum on Moody's Point, a Dawson's Creek send-up on the late '90s Nickelodeon series The Amanda Show). But the more the film goes on, the more natural this heightened performance begins to feel, because of the way Lundy-Paige unfurls Maddy's fears and insecurities, and the reasons for her sardonic, monotone delivery.

Familiar cultural reference points are unavoidable in I Saw the TV Glow; its own '90s media is tongue-in-cheek, and the film can be wryly funny as it unpacks the method to its madness. But the more Lundy-Paige sticks with their approach, the more they call the very nature of their performance into question. Maddy is "real," in the sense that she has presence and corporeal form, but what "real" even constitutes in a media feedback loop — a world of TV teens based on real teens who find identity in fictional form — can be difficult to pin down.

Schoenbrun creates and simultaneously demolishes teenage television archetypes by having their actors lean into familiar cultural shorthands for "awkwardness" — the anxious, self–loathing nerd, and the mean, performative emo girl — until some hidden element of the characters' reality were unlocked and made wholly unavoidable by the camera's gaze. If one were to boil it down to literal terms, given what the movie's textual presentation and the characters' evolving costume choices, it isn't hard to surmise that Maddy is further along her queer journey of self-discovery, while Owen tags behind. But to put it so literally, using the language of gradients and spectrums, is to reduce the idea of gender to words and numbers. I Saw the TV Glow, on the other hand, reintroduces it to us using an entirely new cinematic lexicon.

Each time the film filters wordless experiences and self-reflections through familiar linguistic or physical contexts, it's like antimatter popping into existence before being obliterated by matter all around it, thanks to Smith and Lundy-Paige's devastating, delicate work. Their performances are both deeply felt and harrowingly embodied. Maddy delivers several lengthy monologues that verge on performance art, as she tries to explain the movie's strange, surreal happenings to Owen, and to the viewer. But the whole time, her attempts to rationalize her attraction to genre and lore feel as though she’s on the verge of self-discovery — as though she were about to break through the screen and tell us some liberating secret she learned about herself.

Owen, meanwhile, grows increasingly oppressed by the world around him — the four walls of his home, his isolation at school and work, his father's stoic, masculine expectations — until The Pink Opaque becomes his portal to feeling something different, or anything at all. But when the series' strange magic begins to infiltrate his surroundings, he's violently yanked away from his TV at one point (by Durst, who's terrifying in his imposing silence), causing Smith to let out a bone-chilling wail, just about comprehensible in words: "THIS IS NOT MY HOME."

Few scenes this year are likely to be as upsetting or impactful, but this is also the very essence of I Saw the TV Glow. It's an attempt to place years of confusing, festering emotions surrounding unbelonging into something that has shape or form — something that makes sense — but emerges as a desperate, primal scream, exploding with color and shadow. The film is the disturbing sum of its lingering sensations that burrow their way beneath your skin, refusing to leave even after you've left the theater, or once you've cried yourself to sleep. But at the same time, its totality — the sheer fact of its existence, as an unbridled, uninhibited expression of the self — is exuberant and overwhelming. 

I Saw the TV Glow was reviewed out of Sundance 2024.

You load into a public VR world. At first, things seem pretty innocent — until you enter the sauna only a few steps away from the spawn point. Suddenly, you've stumbled upon a public orgy full of e-boys and e-girls with genitals larger than physically possible in real life. People silently sit and watch; who knows who these people are.

There are dedicated games for people to have sex in virtual reality, such as VirtaMate and AnthroHeat, but more often than not people are getting intimate on the metaverse social platform VRChat. Here, players are able to join over 25,000 community created worlds, most of which are innocent hangout spots while others are a breeding ground for horny gamers.

SEE ALSO: Buzzy CES vibrator looks — and acts — like a remote

There are multiple levels to sex in virtual reality, or as many call it, erotic roleplay (ERP). The first is not too dissimilar to phone sex: Players will talk dirty using the chat function or their voice while their avatars interact with each other. 

A majority of VRChat ERPers, however, take it a step further by using Bluetooth sex toys to simulate what appears on screen. Mashable spoke with creators of tools that make this possible, as well as ERPers who utilize this technology to explore their sexuality. 

Making VR sex a little bit more real

ERPers use one of the many "dynamic penetration systems" that allow for their virtual penis to enter a virtual vagina, asshole, or mouth. This combined with full body tracking, which allows for every movement of your body to happen in-game, creates for impressively realistic looking sex. This experience may trigger someone's phantom touch — a phenomenon where users believe they can "feel" sensations in VR — which some claim they can orgasm solely from.

Tweet may have been deleted

However, not everyone can experience phantom touch. In the absence of this, two tools (RealFeel and Buttplug.io) emerged that trigger Bluetooth sex toy movements from in-game events.

"Originally I made RealFeel as I lack phantom sense," Kanna, creator of RealFeel, told Mashable. "I felt nothing when I did lewd acts in VR. RealFeel was made to fix that for me."

Four months after Kanna created the tool for personal use, the project started to take off. Now seven years after its creation, RealFeel claims to have 2,800 Discord members. RealFeel is designed to only work with VRChat while Buttplug.io is an open source tool that can be adapted to work with any game — including Animal Crossing.

Every tool works slightly differently but, generally, they require the user to select what region(s) of their avatar they want to trigger their toy(s). Some tools require your partner to connect to your toy in order to activate it, while other tools allow anyone to activate the toy with touch. 

This GIF shows the configuration of a RealFeal breast sensor, changing the start and end of the sensor cone:

Via Giphy

"I created the first sex interface for Second Life, back in 2005," Kyle Machulis, the founder of Buttplug.io, told Mashable. "This is just a natural progression of something humans have been doing for decades already. People have been having sex in online worlds since the late '80s, early '90s."

Depending on your toy, the tools can translate complex inputs into complex outputs. At its most basic, this means a fleshlight understanding the depth your character has penetrated another. If you have one of the more complex toys (i.e. the SR6) you can adapt your tool to move up and down, side to side, rotate and twist, as well as lubricate and control heat.

"Bringing Bluetooth toys into it makes things interesting very quickly," John*, Director of Foxhole, a furry group that organizes ERP meetups, told Mashable. "VR porn becomes obsolete because you have an opportunity in VRChat to engage with other human beings. That's a deeper level of connection. It's more meaningful and more customizable." 

80 percent of VRChatERP Discord members reported more intense orgasms when having sex in VRChat compared to watching porn—14 percent even reported orgasms more intense than real sex. 

Just H Party and Shangri-La are VRChat public worlds for foxy users to find others to have sex with. At Just H Party, people will enter lockable rooms before they get down and dirty, but at Shangri-La you'll regularly find people having sex in the public sauna.

Tweet may have been deleted Why have VR sex?

Many engage in VR sex due to social anxieties. One user told Mashable in Discord, "I'm an introvert and afraid of the real world so I'd rather explore myself online." While others love the safety of it: "There's zero chance of pregnancy, and there is zero risk for physical harm. If someone does something you don't like you can just block them, kick them out of the world, or simply leave," another user explained. 

"VR can definitely add a positive side to sexual exploration," Dr. Karen Stewart, PsyD, a sex and relationship therapist, told Mashable. "It gives a person the opportunity to explore people, sexual experiences, and try new things without fear of judgment – from themselves or anyone else. It's not permanent, no one else’s feelings are involved, and is truly safe sex because no actual body-to-body contact nor fluid exchange occurs."

This is just a natural progression of something humans have been doing for decades already. - Kyle Machulis, the founder of Buttplug.io

As is expected, technology can sometimes stand in the way of immersion. VR sex replaces the awkward silence while putting on a condom with controllers running out of battery, and swaps ignoring queefs for ignoring the background noise of Discord notifications. 

There's also a cost. Players may be naked but they'll be strapped with a headset, 3+ trackers, headphones to prevent moaning blasting to your roommates, and however many sex toys a player wants to use — this could cost over $1,500 excluding a gaming PC to run everything on. 

Money aside, this is a great way for long-distance couples to connect in a deeper way than purple Snapchat messages. That said, hookup culture in VRChat is rife. "Getting your virtual dick sucked is easier than getting five bucks," one horny user explained.

Adult activities within an all-ages space

You only have to be 13 years old to play VRChat (as it's not strictly a sexual platform), so people publicly having sex are at huge risk of exposing themselves to minors when having sex or picking people up in public worlds.

Many users are hyper-aware of this risk, especially in the wake of the British police investigating a sexual assault in VR, so they run checks to avoid getting intimate with a minor. People in the Shangri-La sauna reported checking their partners bio, asking directly, and trusting their gut before engaging with another user. Unfortunately, these efforts just aren't enough to completely remove this criminal risk.

To prevent children entering these spaces, communities form on Discord that require ID age verification. VRChatERP, for example, requires two pictures: one of your face and ID in the same picture and another with your ID and Discord name in the same picture. 

"We initially had less invasive requirements for age verification, which lead to almost daily issues with members being minors," Steve*, the founder of VRChatERP, told Mashable. "Ultimately, our method of verification is essential for ensuring that adults have no chance of sexually interacting with minors and vice versa. We haven’t had an age-related ticket in about a year."

SEE ALSO: Sex workers are cloning themselves with AI to make sexy chatbots Exploring kinks not possible IRL

Each community hosts a range of different events, some groups prefer chilled meetups while others opt for flashy DJ-events with corners for people to ERP in. "I've joined worlds and the first experience I get hit with is a bunch of people moaning, it's quite surreal," one event attendee explained.

Just like real life, many people enter these communities and begin their slut era. Soon, they tire of this and start to play with a smaller group and explore new corners of their sexuality. Some slowly become more open to queer sexual interactions while others begin to experiment in kinks they hadn't previously considered.

"During ERP I may be more willing to engage in slightly violent kinks or kinks that would be not-good or downright unhygienic in real-life," a user who has been having VR sex for two years told Mashable. "The idea of being cut or stabbed during sex does seem really hot but it probably wouldn't be so great if I was actually hurt like that."

Kinks that aren't possible to safely explore in real-life are able to be explored in this virtual realm. For example, hard vore — the desire to be ripped apart before being eaten — can be explored if the player is skilled enough to make an avatar that can have its limbs removed with blood and gore.

"The downside of this fantasy fulfillment is that it has been found that people can become jaded to 'real world' sexual experiences." Stewart explained. "For instance, if a young person is experimenting with VR sex on a regular basis, exploring fantasies, things that will not happen in reality, when they encounter a real-life sexual relationship they may have erectile problems, orgasm disorders, or lack interest in real human touch."

In a virtual reality where your creativity and imagination can run free, the line between fantasy and reality become blurred. Bluetooth sex toys help deepen the immersion that what you're experiencing is real, allowing unrealistic kinks to feel like a new reality. 

"Don't get lost in wonderland. Know the boundaries between fantasy and reality," John pleaded. "Don't forget, at the end of the day, you're not some cat or dog or animatronic or fox girl. You're a human being with a life to live."

* Pseudonyms have been used to protect sources' privacy.

TL;DR: The Omnia X6i PD Wall Charger is compact and can quickly charge three devices at once. As of Jan. 27, you can grab it on sale for $64.99 (reg. $75) — that's 13% in savings.

With hybrid and remote work being the norm these days, power is power. If one of the devices you rely on is out of battery, it can put a damper on your whole day's flow. That's why finding charging solutions that can support your lifestyle is crucial.

Most of us move between our phones, tablets, and laptops. If you need a compact charger to keep multiple devices ready to go, the Omnia X6i could be your answer. This wall charger can fast charge three devices at once, and it's on sale for just $64.99 (reg. $75) for a limited time.

The Omnia X6i PD uses GaN technology to give you efficient, super-fast charging in its three ports: USB C1, USB C2, and USB-A. This gives it universal compatibility, which means it should work on most Apple or Android devices. It also sports a helpful LED indicator to show you the real-time status of your charge.

If you travel often for work or pleasure, this multi-device charger has some features that may win you over, such as the compact design and ability to do triple-duty. It's small enough to keep in your purse, backpack, laptop case, and even your pocket. Plus, it comes with travel plugs for over 150 countries (US, UK, EU, and others), making it an internationally compatible solution that won't add any bulk to your travel gear. 

Don't settle for the slow charge of most multi-chargers out there. Upgrade your charging experience with the lightning-fast, compact Omnia X6i charger while it's on sale.

Pick up this Omnia X6i PD Wall Charger for just $64.99 (reg. $75) for a limited time.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Adam Elements Omnia X6i PD Wall Charger $64.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: As of January 27, get the Heated Reclining Stadium Seat for only $99.99 — a 16% discount.

The work of a sports fan is never over. You may be there supporting your team, but the weather might not make it easy this year. Whether you have tickets to the big game, are tailgating, or are showing your colors for the little league home team, you don't have to fight the weather from the stands. Instead, just park in a seat that could help keep you nice and warm all on its own. The Heated Reclining Stadium Seat has a built-in heating system powered by a USB battery pack, and it's on sale for $99.99  for a little while longer. 

Comfort the moment you touch down

This time, getting into the hot seat is a good thing. The deluxe Heated Massage Stadium Seat is comfort you can carry. Leave the discomfort to the athletes battling it out down below while you recline on a comfortable heated stadium seat that gets as high as 110°F. The seat just needs a USB battery pack to power up. Just make sure to bring your own, as one isn't included, but that means you can just plug in any USB power source. Long game? Bring your own power station. 

Game going into overtime but your back's aching? Just turn on any of the three massage settings and settle in for the long haul. There are three detachable pockets to keep your essentials, foldable armrests for a wider seat, and thick padded for comfort. Plus, this seat is made of waterproof material that's suitable for a variety of conditions. 

Turn up the heat

You may be bringing the heat supporting your favorite team, but this stadium seat is here to bring the heat and support you. 

Until January 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT, you can get the Heated Massage Reclining Stadium Seat for $99.99 (reg. $119.95), with no coupon needed. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Alpcour Heated Massage Reclining Stadium Seat with Armrests and Side Pockets $99.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: As of January 27, get this Gemelli Home Oven for only $199.99 — that's 33% off.

Snacks are serious business, especially when the game is on. Just any old snacks might not cut it. If you want something a little more gourmet without dominating the whole kitchen, see what you can cook up with the Gemelli Home Oven. This countertop convection oven brings a whole menu of potential in one compact package. 

Pizza, rotisserie chicken, mac and cheese bakes, and so much more are on the table with this little oven, and it's on sale for $199.99 for a limited time. 

Like your own restaurant on the counter

The Gemelli Home Oven is like having a pro-quality convection oven plus a rotisserie cooker on your countertop. Plus, the lower oven works as a built-in pizza drawer, so you can double up on snacks. And all of it is controlled by the knobs on the side, no complicated menus or touchscreens. The oven has an elegant stainless steel finish along with an internal non-stick coating for easy cleaning. 

The main oven compartment has four quartz heating elements and a max temperature of 450º. You can move the racks between three positions and choose from eight cooking functions, including Bake, Convection Bake, Slow Cook, Convection Roast, Broil, Rotisserie, Defrost, and Keep Warm.

Get the whole gang together for a slice of something hot and cheesy from a pizza drawer that can bake up to 12-inch pizzas. You could also use it for frozen snacks, toast, bread, bagels, and a whole lot more. You can also use the rotisserie feature to cook meats up to six pounds at a time. 

Get snacks ready for the big game

Snack in style during the big game. 

Until January 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT, you can get the Gemelli Home Oven for just $199.99. No coupon needed. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Gemelli Gemelli Home Oven - Convection Oven with Built-In Pizza Drawer and Rotisserie $199.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: For a limited time, you can get Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac or Windows for $39.99—that's $190 off the regular price of $229.

Certain apps are hard to get by without. Microsoft programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint may be the mainstays for productivity, but there's more than one way to get them. If you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription, then you know how quickly those fees can add up month to month or year to year. A cheaper alternative is to go for a slightly older version of the same software that has a lifetime license. 

Microsoft Office 2019 comes with many of the same apps as Microsoft 365, but you only pay for it once to get it on one computer for life. And you can get it on Windows or Mac for just $39.99. 

What's in Microsoft Office 2019

The Mac version of Microsoft Office 2019 comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Teams Classic. These are all the 2019 versions of the apps you may have used with Microsoft 365, so they might look a little different, but they still have many of the same features.

The Windows version has the same apps as what's available for Mac, but it replaces Teams with Publisher and Access. That means you can always have reliable software for drafting essays, analyzing data, crafting presentations, and even creating standout printables for your next big meeting. 

Save on Microsoft Office for life

Stop paying a monthly fee for productivity. 

Go for a classic version of the apps you rely on that works great and doesn't require a monthly or yearly subscription:

• Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 for Mac, on sale for $39.99

• Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows, on sale for $39.99

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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NASA wants to hear far-out, unconventional, and out-of-this-world aerospace ideas.

The space agency's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program — which encourages "visionary ideas that could transform future NASA missions with the creation of breakthroughs" — funds research into a diversity of ambitious proposals it finds compelling. For example, NASA is currently funding an idea (still only an idea) to construct a telescope the size of Washington, D.C., on the moon.

Now, the program has released a new batch of innovative concepts that it's chosen for further theoretical development, and included is a plane designed to fly around Mars — and stay aloft in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere. The proposal is called MAGGIE (short for Mars Aerial and Ground Intelligent Explorer), and it's an aircraft envisioned to provide unprecedented exploration of Mars' surface.

And unlike planes on Earth, the craft is designed to take off and land vertically, like a helicopter.

"You can land any place you feel is interesting," Gecheng Zha, the director of the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and Aerodynamics Lab at the University of Miami, told Mashable.

SEE ALSO: NASA will land daring spacecraft on a world 800 million miles away

The Martian plane is a novel idea, but perhaps not as wild as it sounds. NASA is only spending some $175,000 on 13 different awardees for this early "Phase I" conceptual research. But it comes with the opportunity for NASA to further develop such aerospace technology and move innovation to the next phase — which means even more funding and support.

"It can't just be science fiction."

"Anything proposed to NASA has to be very, very well thought out," Zha, who is also the president and founder of Coflow Jet, the aviation technology company that proposed the MAGGIE craft, emphasized. "It has to have scientific merit. It can't just be science fiction."

A plane on Mars

The Martian aircraft, which would be powered by the solar panels spread across its wings, has a strong Mars influence: NASA's Ingenuity helicopter — a NIAC-graduate and the first craft to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. The small, solar-powered experimental chopper, with four-foot-long rotor blades that spun a blazing 2,400 revolutions every minute, made over 70 successful flights before meeting its demise on Jan. 25 after a rough landing. Originally, engineers hoped it might fly five times, if at all.

"We were enlightened by Ingenuity," Zha said.

Yet a plane would be able to carry significantly more weight than a future Martian helicopter, and would fly more efficiently on a distant world where craft would almost certainly need to rely on the sun for energy, Zha explained. (A nuclear-powered endeavor, like the Perseverance rover, requires a heavy engine. That would make lifting into the air difficult.)

The Ingenuity helicopter flying on Mars in August 2023. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS The Jezero Crater on Mars, a dried-up river delta now explored by NASA's Perseverance rover. Credit: NASA

Flying anything on Mars is a great challenge. That's because, compared to Earth, the Martian atmosphere is quite thin. Its volume is about 1 percent of Earth's, making it difficult to generate the lift needed for flight. Yet the MAGGIE plane's narrow double-wings are designed (conceptually) to produce many times more lift than conventional aircraft on our planet.

Once in the air, the plane would cruise at some 60 meters per second, or nearly 135 mph. That's significantly slower than, say, the commercial jets you're used to flying on. But on Mars, flying slower is imperative. Flying quickly burns too much energy.

"You don't want to fly too fast," Zha emphasized.

Beyond its extraordinarily thin air, Mars has another notable obstacle for aircraft. There are no runways. And Martian astronaut missions certainly aren't going to have the time and ability to clear land and boulders to create an airfield. So the craft must take off and land without one.

"You don't want to fly too fast."

The trick is in the wings' flaps. The propellers are always facing forward, but by turning the wing flap down to 90 degrees, the airflow from the propellers creates lift. "That will get the plane up vertically," Zha explained.

One day, perhaps, a plane like MAGGIE will robotically explore the Martian surface from some 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) for interesting places to land and capture samples. It will be a compact plane — MAGGIE is currently designed with about a 26-foot (7.85 meters) wingspan — so it could fit and fold inside a large rocket. But it would allow unprecedented exploration of the Red Planet, a world that once gushed with water and could have potentially hosted primitive life — if life ever existed on Mars, that is.

Planes on Mars may also prove essential for Martian travel later this century and beyond. After all, it's hard to get around on a world without an Interstate Highway System.

"We provide the possibility to move around," Zha said. "There are no roads there."

Since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Poor Things has sparked much excitement and controversy over its sex scenes. But lost amid the pearl-clutching is how the sexual odyssey of heroine Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) delivers a daring contrast to earlier films by director Yorgos Lanthimos. 

His most unnerving films explore bodily autonomy; specifically, the horror of losing control of one's body. In The Killing of a Sacred Deer, characters lose control over their bodies as part of a twisted revenge scheme. In The Lobster, singles must find a lifelong partner within 45 days, or else they will be turned into animals. Yet Poor Things, a fantastical science-fiction fantasy, is a compelling examination of how exhilarating and powerful it is to claim your body as your own. And for Bella, that self-discovery comes through sex.

This Frankenstein-like tale plays as a coming-of-age story, in which Bella's young mind and matured body are a funhouse mirror version of a teen girl discovering sex, new feelings, and a wider world. Throughout her journey to achieving freedom and bodily autonomy, the men in her life constantly seek to restrict what she can do with her body. Whether they are father figures or lovers, Bella is pressured to exist on their terms. But Bella’s rebellion is always about what she desires. So naturally, it begins with masturbation.

Early on in the dining room of her creator/father, Dr. Godwin "God" Baxter (Willem Dafoe), Bella grabs an apple and experiments with it sexually, rubbing it against her genitals. When the maid enters the dining room, Bella cannot contain her excitement. "Bella discover happy when she want," she exclaims. Just like that, sexual pleasure and happiness are intrinsically linked for her. But this discovery earns her a reprimand from the prudish maid. Godwin’s student Max (Ramy Youssef) also admonishes her, noting polite society would not approve. Still, there’s an unmistakable sense that something has been unlocked, and everything is about to change for Bella. 

SEE ALSO: Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo reveal their intense physical transformations in 'Poor Things' Sex changes Bella’s life forever. Credit: Searchlight Pictures

Confined to Godwin’s home, Bella is severely overprotected by her father. Though she has certain freedoms, she’s rarely afforded time to herself to properly explore her desires and her own body. And what Bella wants more than anything is to explore: The first full sentence she speaks is, "Bella want look at world."

Bella is offered another form of restriction when Godwin decides she will be married to the smitten Max. Godwin also stipulates that Max and Bella must remain in his home — a clear way for him to continue to control Bella, keeping her under his roof and restricting her from the real world. As the doctor who resurrected a corpse into the breathing Bella, he sees her in some sense as his property — or as he'd put it, his "experiment." 

Meanwhile, sweet and mild-mannered Max aims to guide Bella from loving daughter to doting wife. But for Bella to do that, she’d have to embrace the “polite society” Max urges onto her — which goes against her newfound physical desires.

To facilitate the marriage contract, Godwin brings in lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a lusty rogue who envisions a different role for Bella — that of his lover. Unlike Max, Duncan refutes the very idea of polite society. Duncan pursues Bella aggressively, sneaking into her bedroom and groping her genitals on the first meeting, which excites her. His bon vivant attitude and romantic promises of running away on a sex-filled adventure promise a chance to explore that's both geographical and sexual. For Bella, Duncan offers an opportunity to rebel against the roles into which Godwin and Max push her. By fucking Duncan, she effectively fucks polite society, and giddily so. 

Like many stories of young women discovering themselves, Bella's budding sex life offers a path to growth, as through it she questions societal rules. Why shouldn’t she say what she wants? Why shouldn’t she do as she pleases? And why should she do whatever Duncan tells her to? These are not questions Duncan can answer in a way that satisfies Bella.  

While the pair initially have a sensational affair full of satisfying "furious jumping," Bella soon learns her stamina and sex drive and curiosity about the world are greater than his. To Duncan’s horror, Bella explores sex with other men and goes on solo trips around the city. Despite their sexual connection, a conflict emerges over who is in control of Bella, pushing Duncan into the role of jealous lover. 

A boat trip expands Bella’s horizons. Credit: Searchlight Pictures

Determined to keep her as his own, Duncan puts Bella into a literal box (well, trunk) and kidnaps her onto a cruise ship. When Duncan offers her sex to ease her frustrations, she refuses. It’s a breakthrough moment for Bella, who now has the emotional maturity to understand that Duncan is actively restricting her freedom and the power to deny who denies her.

Bella’s life begins hedonistically, with sex playing a large role in her path toward achieving self-actualization. But it's her cerebral pursuits that define the kind of person Bella becomes. The film’s most pivotal moment happens when Bella meets Martha (Hanna Schygulla), an older woman vacationing on the cruise. Martha is the first person who doesn’t use Bella for personal gain and doesn’t seek to control her. Instead, this content friend satiates Bella’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge by introducing her to philosophy. 

Philosophy not only expands Bella's mind, but also allows Bella to break free from the roles she’s been forced into. With Godwin, she was a daughter; with Max, a wife; and with Duncan, a mistress. All those roles are defined by her relationship to someone else, but philosophy shows Bella how she can thrive by herself. This thrills her. She devours books with the same voracious appetite she brings to sexual encounters. She's freed her body for pleasure, and now her mind for philosophy. 

Bella becomes her "own means of production" through sex work. Credit: Searchlight Pictures

When a downturn in fortune aboard the cruise leaves Bella and Duncan penniless in Paris, she stumbles upon a brothel owner named Swiney (Kathryn Hunter), who offers her a means of making money. When Duncan discovers she’s begun sex work, he denounces her a "whore." Bella clarifies tersely, "We’re our own means of production."

Bella’s study of philosophy has created a dramatic shift in how she understands herself and the world around her. After a lifetime of men trying to control what she can and cannot do with her body, sex work gives Bella the clarity to realize sex isn’t just a useful tool for pleasure. The experience at the brothel unlocks the idea her body is entirely her own, and she can use it to achieve anything she wishes. Working there also introduces her to a politically minded colleague, Toinette (Suzy Bemba), who helps Bella explore science and socialism. During their time together in Paris, the pair stimulate each other intellectually and sexually, forming a deep emotional bond.  

Sex work also opens Bella’s eyes to less-than-joyful experiences. But as Swiney chides her, "We must experience everything, not just the good. But degradation, horror, and sadness. This makes us whole … Then we can know the world." "I want that," Bella responds, hungry to better understand not only herself but also — the way of many coming-of-age heroines — the world around her.

Bella fights for her body and achieves her dreams. Credit: Searchlight Pictures

Returning to London to reunite with her ailing father figure, there’s a new, unanticipated horror that awaits her. General Alfie (Christopher Abbott), once wed to the woman whose body Bella now possesses, seeks to control her more strictly than any other. To keep her in their home, he threatens to shoot her should she try to leave. And when she won't obey him, he plots to drug her and have a doctor perform nonconsensual genital mutilation, which he hopes will kill her sex drive and general obstinance. 

The men in her life have a variety of motives in their restriction of Bella’s bodily autonomy. Godwin wants to experiment; Max wants love; Duncan seeks pleasure; Alfie demands control. Yet each — for a time — attempts to control her. From God and Max, she runs away. She dumps Duncan when he turns wrathful and jealous. But when it comes to the General, she will have to fight. 

To his face, Bella laughs off his absurd ideals: "I will keep my new life, and my lovely old clitoris, thank you." Then she grapples with him physically, wrestling away the gun to retain the freedoms she’s fought so hard to succeed (and, crucially, her clitoris), leading to the General sustaining a wound that could be fatal were it not for some God(win)ly intervention. With the final barrier to bodily autonomy defeated, Bella goes home again. 

In the end, the judgment of polite society is no match for Bella's desire to see the world and find her own path. Bella makes amends with her father. Max accepts as she is, loving her without condition. Even Toinette comes to London to be apart of the Baxter house, or Bella's chosen family — a trope often found in queer coming-of-age narratives. 

Through Bella’s journey, she’s achieved what many Lanthimos characters can only dream of — an understanding of herself and control over her body and destiny. Through lots of sex and exploring the world, she finally secures the autonomy she desires without sacrificing ties to those she loves. She’s back home, but on her own terms, surrounded by her friends, free to live out her desires and curiosities. And it all started with an apple. 

2023 was a great year for British TV (and for TV in general), but it looks like 2024 is already shaping up well.

Not only do we have new seasons of Heartstopper, We Are Lady Parts and Bridgerton to look forward to, but there are also new royal dramas in the form of Mary & George and The Regime. Plus, there's an adaptation of Holly Jackson's wildly popular book A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and a brand new show from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.

SEE ALSO: The 20 best British TV shows of 2023

Without further ado, here are the British TV shows we're most excited about in 2024 — and if you're outside the UK, you might need a VPN to see some of them before they hit Hulu, Max et al.

1. The Tourist, Season 2 Jamie Dornan returns for another season. Credit: BBC/Two Brothers/Steffan Hill

The Tourist's first outing was an entertaining mix of dark comedy, thriller and Memento-style mystery in the Australian outback, following a man (Jamie Dornan) who wakes up with amnesia after a car accident and has to race to discover who he is — all while people are (you guessed it!) trying to kill him. The six-episode BBC miniseries made for a twisty adventure with plenty of surprises, so it'll be interesting to see where Harry and Jack Williams' show goes next as the main characters travel to Ireland to discover Dornan's character's roots.

Starring: Jamie Dornan, Danielle Macdonald, Olwen Fouéré, Diarmaid Murtagh, Nessa Matthews, Mark McKenna, Francis Magee, and Conor MacNeill.

How to watch: The Tourist is currently streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

2. Doctor Who The big one. Credit: Alistair Heap/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios

A new series of Doctor Who always brings with it fresh excitement, but it's probably fair to say that Ncuti Gatwa's upcoming season — following on the heels of a popular Christmas special — has to be one of the most highly-anticipated in a while. As Mashable's Chris Taylor pointed out, rather than being known as Season 14, the upcoming series will be Season 1 — a fresh start.

"This is New, New Who, then: A very Gen Z reboot," Taylor wrote. "As older fans cope with exploded brains and (potentially) seething anger, the Doctor merrily shape-shifts once more, changing what we thought knew yet again. And the show proves it has the chops to last another 60 years. Because it always takes us where we need to go."

Starring: Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Yasmin Finney, Bonnie Langford, Jinkx Monsoon, Jonathan Groff, Indira Varma, Lenny Rush, Michelle Greenidge, Angela Wynter, Anita Dobson, Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, and Aneurin Barnard.

How to watch: The new season of Doctor Who will be streaming on BBC iPlayer in May 2024.

3. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Holly Jackson's YA thriller is coming to the screen. Credit: BBC/Moonage Pictures/Joss Barratt

Based on the first novel in Holly Jackson's wildly popular YA thriller series, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder follows teenage student Pip (Wednesday star Emma Myers) as she digs into a five-year-old murder case — and tries to prove that the person blamed wasn't actually the one responsible. This crime mystery is likely to get a lot of attention from the book's huge fanbase alone.

Starring: Emma Myers, Zain Iqbal, Yali Topol Margalith, Asha Banks, Jude Collie, Raiko Gohara, Anna Maxwell Martin, Gary Beadle, Mathew Baynton, Henry Ashton, Mitu Panicucci, India Lillie Davies, Rahul Pattni, Orla Hill, Ephraim O.P. Sampson, Carla Woodcock, Yasmin Al-Khudhairi, Jessica Webber, Matthew Khan, Georgia Aaron, Adam Astill, Jackson Bews, Oliver Wickham, Annabel Mullion, and Adam Astill.

How to watch: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder will be streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK, release date TBC.

4. Heartstopper, Season 3 What will happen next for Tao and Elle? Credit: Netflix / Samuel Dore

Netflix's adaptation of Alice Oseman's beloved graphic novel will return for a third season this year, reuniting you with Charlie and Nick and their delightful gang of pals. They decided to make it official at the end of Season 1 and dabbled with saying "love" out loud in Season 2. Meanwhile, Tao and Elle finally figured out their feelings, Isaac found a name for his own sexuality, while Darcy's turbulent home life boiled over. Filming has wrapped for Season 3, with the first episode titled "Love." As far as characters go, the toxic Ben (Sebastian Croft) won't be back, but Oseman announced graphic novel character Michael Holden (Darragh Hand) will join the story. Can't bloody wait. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

Starring: Kit Connor, Joe Locke, Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Tobie Donovan, Jenny Walser, and Rhea Norwood.

How to watch: Heartstopper Season 3 will be streaming on Netflix, date TBC.

5. We Are Lady Parts, Season 2 They're baaaaack. Credit: Channel 4

It's been a while since Nida Manzoor's comedy about an all-female Muslim punk bad made a splash with its first season, but fans will be pleased to hear that it won't be long before Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), Ayesha (Juliette Motamed), Bisma (Faith Omole), Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse) and Amina (Anjana Vasan) are back on our screens.

"The main critique for We Are Lady Parts remains that it is too short," wrote Mashable's Proma Khosla about Season 1. "I want eight episodes, or 10, or 50. Finishing the first season feels a lot like performing a stage gig; you won't remember every detail but you'll remember the feeling, a rush of joy and adrenaline that you were grateful to share with this motley, magnificent crew."

Starring: Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Faith Omole, Lucie Shorthouse, and Anjana Vasan.

How to watch: We Are Lady Parts will be streaming on Channel 4 in the UK, then likely streaming on Peacock in the U.S.

6. This Town New Steven Knight show coming. Credit: BBC / Banijay Rights, Kudos / Robert Viglasky

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is back with a new show set around Birmingham, UK — a six-part mini-series that trades 1900s gangs for the early 1980s music scene while keeping the tension, violence and family drama that made Knight's earlier show such a hit. We don't have too much more info to go on at this stage, but the story will apparently follow the formation of a band "against a backdrop of violence." Sounds ominous.

Starring: Levi Brown, Jordan Bolger, Ben Rose, Eve Austin, Geraldine James, Peter McDonald, Freya Parks, Shyvonne Ahmmad, John Heffernan, Stefan Asante-Boateng, Séainín Brennan, George Somner, and Brendan Gibson.

How to watch: This Town is available on BBC iPlayer from spring 2024.

7. Queenie Candice Carty-Williams' adaptation of her debut novel. Credit: Channel 4

Candice Carty-Williams has already had a big 2023 with her awesome BBC series Champion, but 2024 has even more on the horizon. The author has adapted her popular 2020 debut novel Queenie as a buzzy series with Onyx Collective and Channel 4, with Dionne Brown in the lead as the eponymous protagonist. With Carty-Williams at the helm as showrunner and executive producer, the series will revolve around Queenie, a 25-year-old Jamaican-British journalist who's going through a break-up, navigating the mess of modern dating, and figuring out how to keep her job together, all while connecting with her family and incredibly tight group of friends.

Starring: Dionne Brown, Jon Pointing, Samuel Adewunmi, Bellah, Sally Phillips, Tilly Keeper, Elisha Applebaum, Mim Shaikh, Llewella Gideon, Michelle Greenidge, Cristale De’Abreu, Joseph Marcell, Joseph Ollman, Melissa Johns, and Laura Whitmore.

How to watch: Queenie will premiere in 2024 on Channel 4 in the UK and Ireland and will stream on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ in all other territories.

8. The Responder, Season 2 Martin Freeman is back for another season. Credit: BBC/Dancing Ledge

The corrupt antics of Liverpool cop Chris Carson (a gritty Martin Freeman) in The Responder's first outing made our list of the best British TV shows of 2022, so we're looking forward to seeing where Tony Schumacher's police thriller goes next. Alongside Freeman, Adelayo Adedayo also returns as fellow officer Rachel Hargreaves, this time separate from Carson and trying to rebuild her life after the grim events of Season 1.

Starring: Martin Freeman, Adelayo Adedayo, Warren Brown, MyAnna Buring, Emily Fairn, Josh Finan, Philip S McGuinness, Faye McKeever, Mark Womack, Adam Nagaitis, Bernard Hill, and Ian Puleston-Davies.

How to watch: The Responder will be streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK, date TBC.

9. The Gentlemen Guy Ritchie's movie has expanded into a series. Credit: Christopher Rafael/Netflix

Fans of Snatch, Lock, Stock and indeed the 2019 movie The Gentlemen will want to keep an eye out for writer/director Guy Ritchie's new series, which takes that movie as its starting point and weaves a new tale of weed empires and the criminal underworld. The eight-episode spin-off follows Eddie Horniman (The White Lotus Season 2's Theo James), who realises his newly-inherited family estate is actually embroiled in a drug ring run by British gangsters. As this is a Guy Ritchie show it's probably safe to expect black comedy and explosive violence.

Starring: Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson, Giancarlo Esposito, Peter Serafinowicz, and Vinnie Jones.

How to watch: The Gentlemen is streaming on Netflix from March 2024.

10. One Day Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall as Emma and Dexter. Credit: Teddy Cavendish/Netflix

Looking for some romance to tide you over this coming Valentine's Day? One Day, based on David Nicholls's novel of the same name, is here to fill that void. (You may remember the 2011 movie adaptation with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.) The series takes us through a decades-long love story between students Emma and Dexter, who meet for the very first time the night of their graduation from university. Even though they go their separate ways, the next years find them reconnecting in unexpected places, with each episode cataloging what they're doing on the same date each year. Could this be 2024's Normal People?*

Starring: Ambika Mod, Leo Woodall, Essie Davis, Tim McInnerny, Amber Grappy, Jonny Weldon, Eleanor Tomlinson, Joely Richardson, and Toby Stephens.

How to watch: One Day is streaming on Netflix from Feb. 8.

11. Bridgerton, Season 3 Penelope has a lot to think about this season. Credit: Laurence Cendrowicz/Netflix

Dearest gentle readers, it's high time we reunite with the Bridgerton family, wouldn't you agree? After the swoon-worthy story of Queen Charlotte and King George, Netflix's juggernaut Bridgerton returns to its roots for a third season, this time focusing on the romance between Penelope Featherington (who is secretly gossip maven Lady Whistledown) and Colin Bridgerton. For the first time in Bridgerton history, Netflix will release the series in two parts — so be sure to time your binge viewing accordingly!*

Starring: Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Claudia Jessie, Luke Thompson, Golda Rosheuvel, Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell, Lorraine Ashbourne, Hannah Dodd, Simone Ashley, Jonathan Bailey, Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, Jessica Madsen, Florence Hunt, Martins Imhangbe, Will Tilston, Polly Walker, and Julie Andrews.

How to watch: The first four episodes of Bridgerton Season 3 premiere May 16 on Netflix, and the last four on June 13.

12. Mary & George Julianne Moore as real-life historical figure Mary Villers. Credit: Sky

Royal court-based treachery is always fun, isn't it? Sounding like a fusion of Game of Thrones and The Crown, Mary & George stars Julianne Moore as real-life historical figure Mary Villers, who teamed up with her own son George (Nicholas Galitzine) to scheme her way up the ranks of nobility. As with many historical dramas we may need to take this one's accuracy with a pinch of salt, but it certainly looks like an entertaining, Bridgerton-style romp.

Starring: Julianne Moore, Nicholas Galitzine, Tony Curran, Nicola Walker, Niamh Algar, Trine Dyrholm, Sean Gilder, Adrian Rawlins, Mark O’Halloran, Laurie Davidson, Samuel Blenkin, Jacob McCarthy, Tom Victor, Alice Grant, Amelia Gething, Mirren Mack, Rina Mahoney, and Simon Russell Beale.

How to watch: Mary & George premiere's on Sky and NOW TV in March 2024, and Starz in the U.S.

13. The Regime Kate Winslet dominates a political satire this time. Credit: Miya Mizuno/HBO

Loved the Kate Winslet-led HBO limited series Mare of Easttown? Then brace yourself for The Regime, another Kate Winslet-led HBO limited series — albeit one with a very different vibe. A political satire through and through, the show charts the unraveling of a modern European regime over the course of one year. The chancellor of said regime? None other than Winslet, who spends The Regime's first teaser alternating between delivering ice-cold threats to foreign dignitaries and having a breakdown in the woods.*

Starring: Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Guillaume Gallienne, Andrea Riseborough, Martha Plimpton, Hugh Grant, Danny Webb, David Bamber, Henry Goodman, Stanley Townsend, Louie Mynett, Rory Keenan, Karl Markovics, and Pippa Haywood.

How to watch: The Regime is streaming March 3 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max in the U.S., and will stream on on Sky Atlantic and NOW in 2024, dates TBC.

14. How to Get to Heaven From Belfast

If you've seen the awesome Derry Girls, you'll know that any new show from Lisa McGee is a cause for celebration. How to Get to Heaven From Belfast follows three old school friends, now in their thirties, who get pulled into a strange mystery after attending the wake of a childhood classmate. Described in the press release as "Not so much a ‘whodunit’ as a ‘what the hell happened,'" this one sounds like it'll be as much of a thriller as a comedy. We don't yet know anything about the cast or when it'll be on, but we're keeping this one firmly on our radars.

Starring: Yet to be announced.

How to watch: How to Get to Heaven From Belfast is streaming on Channel 4 in 2024, exact date TBC.

*This blurb has appeared on a previous Mashable list.

Best deals on headphones this week

• Apple AirPods Max ANC Wireless Headphones — $529.99 (List Price $549)
• Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones — $279.99 (List Price $379.95)
• Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black) — $299.99 (List Price $349.99)
• Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX Wireless ANC Headphones — $439.99 (List Price $499)
• Skullcandy Hesh ANC Over-Ear Wireless Headphones (Black) — $109.99 (List Price $134.99)

There are hundreds of different headphones and earbuds in varying shapes, sizes, styles, and colors (not to mention prices). All have the same idea at heart: To deliver high-quality audio directly into your ears. But some achieve this result so much better — and in better style — than others.

While there are plenty of budget headphones that will get the job done, the best headphones require a bigger investment. That's why it's good to know if your audio needs actually justify paying a higher price.

How to choose the best headphones

If you've been on the hunt for a new pair of headphones, you've likely come across a few of the "best" brands already: Sony, Bose, and Apple. While these brands do make quality earbuds and headphones, they're far from your only options. Don't let the FYP fool you into thinking you need to drop $350+ in order to get halfway decent active noise cancellation.

SEE ALSO: Best Buy Drops: The coolest new products dropping via Best Buy's shopping hack

In reality, the best pair of headphones largely comes down to personal preference. Here are some questions you might ask yourself when weighing your choice:

• Are you planning on listening at home or on the go? If you want over-ear headphones, you might prefer ones that fold up easily in your bag and are comfortable to wear for long stretches of time.

• If you'll be wearing your headphones on your commute or in the office, is strong active noise cancellation a requirement?

• How long do you really need the battery to last? Will a six-hour battery life at a time get you through, or do you need the promise of true all-day battery?

• Are you using these headphones for casual listening, for staying focused, or for working out? This might mean the difference between investing in an audio-first brand, a pair with top notch ANC, or a pair with wingtips that actually keep your headphones in your ears while you run.

• What kind of music do you like to listen to with your headphones? Are you a fan of a nice and loud bass line, or do you prefer a more balanced tone?

• Tired of lossless audio claims that don't pan out? Maybe you'd prefer to go for a pair of wired headphones that actually deliver.

These are just some of the questions you can use to guide your purchasing journey, but don't get overwhelmed. With each of our picks below, we've done the research and testing to answer them for you, all to help point you to your personal best pair of headphones or earbuds.

Wondering how to watch the NFL Playoffs? Here are your best options: Best for affordability Sling TV Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal

The San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions are scheduled to meet in the 2024 NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, Jan. 28. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

San Francisco comes into the matchup after a 24-21 win against the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 20. The 49ers got a game-winning touchdown from Christian McCaffrey with 67 seconds remaining. It was one of two rushing touchdowns in the game for McCaffrey, who had 98 rushing yards in the win. 

Detroit advanced to the NFC Championship Game by winning 31-23 vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 21. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw for two touchdowns in the win on 30-for-43 passing with 287 passing yards. Jahmyr Gibbs led Detroit in rushing with 74 yards and one rushing touchdown.

SEE ALSO: How to watch the NFL games without cable

Kyle Shanahan is the San Francisco 49ers head coach. Dan Campbell is the Detroit Lions head coach. 

NFC Championship: 49ers vs. Lions kickoff time and network

The San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions game for the NFC Championship is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on FOX on Sunday, Jan. 28. The FOX broadcasters are scheduled to be Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play) and Greg Olsen (analyst). 

Without cable or satellite TV, some options to watch the 49ers vs. Lions game via online live stream include FuboTV and Sling.

Best streaming services for the Lions vs. SF 49ers game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch the 2024 NFC Championship Game without cable or satellite TV. Here are the best streaming services for the Lions vs. 49ers game on FOX.

Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month Get Deal

FOX is available on Sling TV in select markets. Those include Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Gainesville, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. 

If you’re not in one of those markets, getting Sling TV won’t help you watch the NFL Playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions. 

If you’re in one of those markets, getting Sling TV for the 49ers vs. Lions game would work for you. You’ll need the Blue Plan, which comes at $20 for the first month and $40 for subsequent months.

Sling TV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network and SEC Network.

Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal

FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

Visit the FuboTV website to see if your zip code is one that includes the FOX broadcast. If you’re in luck, you can get FOX with the FuboTV Pro plan, which has a rate of $79.99 per month.

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. 

Wondering how to watch the 2024 NFL Playoffs? Here are your best options: Most affordable Paramount+ with Showtime 7-day free trial, then $11.99/month Get Deal Most channels FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal

The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are scheduled to meet in the 2024 AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday, Jan. 28. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. 

Kansas City comes into the matchup after a 27-24 win at Buffalo on Jan. 21. The Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco scored the game-winning touchdown on a 4-yard rush with 14:20 left in the fourth quarter. Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce caught two touchdown passes in the win. 

Baltimore enters the contest following a 34-10 win vs. the Houston Texans on Jan. 20. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for two touchdowns in the win. He finished with 100 rushing yards and 152 passing yards.

SEE ALSO: How to watch NFL games without cable

Andy Reid is the Kansas City Chiefs head coach. John Harbaugh is the Baltimore Ravens head coach. 

AFC Championship: Chiefs vs. Ravens kickoff time and network

The Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens game is scheduled to be broadcast on CBS at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 28. The CBS broadcasters are scheduled to be Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Tony Romo (analyst). 

Cable and satellite TV are no longer necessary for enjoying live sports. Consider live streaming options to watch Sunday’s game via services like Paramount+ and FuboTV.

Best streaming services for the Baltimore Ravens vs. KC Chiefs game 

Watching the 2024 AFC Championship Game requires a streaming service if you don’t have cable or satellite TV. For the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Sunday, here are your top streaming options.

Most affordable: Paramount+ Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ Paramount+ with Showtime 7-day free trial, then $11.99/month Get Deal

If you want to watch just CBS or just the Ravens vs. Chiefs football game, Paramount+ offers a solution.  

New subscribers to Paramount+ get a seven-day free trial. Then for the Paramount+ plan that includes live streaming CBS, you need the Paramount+ with Showtime tier, which is $11.99/month. If you choose the annual plan, it is $119.99 for a year, saving about $1.99/month. 

For students, Paramount+ will give you a 25% discount.

Most channels: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal

With FuboTV, new subscribers can enjoy a seven-day free trial and more than 250 live TV channels, along with the ability to stream on 10 devices simultaneously. NFL fans who want access to CBS for matchups such as the Chiefs vs. Ravens football game will want the FuboTV Pro tier, which has a rate of $79.99 per month. 

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network.

Wondering how to watch college basketball this season? Here are your best options: Most affordable Sling TV Orange + Sports Extra $31 for the first month, then $51/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Elite 7-day free trial, then $89.99/month Get Deal

The North Carolina State and Syracuse men’s basketball teams are scheduled to meet in an Atlantic Coast Conference contest at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, on Saturday, Jan. 27. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET. 

NC State comes into the matchup 13-6 overall and 5-3 in the ACC. Most recently, Virginia beat NCSU 59-53 on Wednesday. DJ Horne leads the NC State scoring after 19 games with 14.8 points per game. 

Syracuse enters the contest 13-6 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. On Tuesday, Florida State defeated Syracuse 85-69. Through the first 19 games, SU’s Judah Mintz is scoring a team-high 18.4 points per contest.

SEE ALSO: How to watch college basketball without cable

Kevin Keatts is the NC State men’s basketball head coach. Adrian Autry is the Syracuse men’s basketball head coach. 

NC State vs. Syracuse basketball game time and network

The NC State vs. Syracuse men’s basketball game is scheduled to be broadcast on ACC Network at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 27. ACCN broadcasters are scheduled to be Wes Durham (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (analyst). 

If you don’t have cable or satellite TV, here are some options to watch the game via online live stream, and those options include FuboTV and Sling. 

Best streaming services for the SU vs. NCSU basketball game

When you're choosing a streaming service to be able to watch college basketball, here are your best streaming options to check out the Syracuse vs. North Carolina State men’s basketball game on ACC Network.

Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange + Sports Extra $31 for the first month, then $51/month Get Deal

To watch the NC State vs. Syracuse basketball game on ACC Network with Sling TV requires the Sports Extra package, which costs $11/month for 20 channels. 

The Sports Extra package cannot be purchased alone, and you’ll also need the Orange plan, which is $20 for the first month and $40/month in subsequent months. Combined with the Sports Extra package, the cost would be $31 for the first month and $51 for subsequent months. The Orange plan comes with 32 channels, so with Sports Extra, there are 52 channels in the combined plan. 

Sling TV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network and SEC Network.

Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Elite 7-day free trial, then $89.99/month Get Deal

FuboTV provides a week-long trial at no charge. For access to the ACC Network after this period, subscribers need to opt for the Fubo Elite plan, which is $89.99/month. The Elite plan gives you 248 channels, 1,000 hours of DVR space, and the ability to watch on 10 screens simultaneously.

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network.