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TL;DR: Save $40 on an open-box iRobot Roomba E5 vacuum. It works with Amazon Alexa and the iRobot Home app.
Opens in a new window Credit: iRobot iRobot Roomba E5 (5150) Wi-Fi Robot Vacuum (Open Box) $159.99 at The Mashable ShopIt happened again: Your kid (or dog, who may as well be your child) just tracked in you-don’t-even-know-what from the backyard. Grass? Dirt? You’d rather not know — it's time to drag out the vacuum for the second time today. You deserve a hand.
Why not grab one of those robot vacuums you’ve been seeing all over social media and have it clean up that mess while you do literally anything else? You can get an open-box model of the iRobot Roomba E5 for $159.99 (reg. $199.99) and save 20% while supplies last.
Open box? What’s that?It’s a hack that saves you cash on a new robot vacuum. Specifically, they’re customer returns. Picture this: Someone bought this vacuum, opened the box, it wasn’t what they expected, and they returned it. Stores often don’t sell items with tampered packaging, so you get a new item at a huge discount, even though nobody’s used it. Cool, right?
Let’s talk featuresThe next time your kids or pet make a mess, imagine kicking back and saying, “Alexa, have Roomba vacuum the kitchen.” This robot can do just that. You can also schedule regular cleanings using the iRobot Home app. No more back-breaking cleanings for you.
Your floor’s dirt, dust, pet hair, and questionable residue are no match for the iRobot Roomba E5. It has rubber brushes, an edge-sweeping brush, and powerful suction to clean carpets, hardwood floors, and tile — so you don’t have to.
A common concern with robot vacuums is that they’ll get stuck under furniture or fall down the stairs and injure themselves, but this model has sensors to avoid casualties. It also runs up to 90 minutes before automatically docking and recharging itself.
Does this mean you’ll never have to vacuum again? Find out with the iRobot Roomba E5 for $159.99 (reg. $199.99).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
TL;DR: Get your fill of educational and documentary content with a lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream, on sale for $159.97 (reg. $399.99).
Opens in a new window Credit: Curiosity Stream Curiosity Stream Standard Plan: Lifetime Subscription $159.97 at The Mashable ShopNow that the Olympics have wrapped, it's time to pass the torch to a new type of content. If you’re craving something more substantial than the usual TV fare, why not dive into something that feeds your brain? Sure, Netflix and Hulu have a few documentaries to offer, but their selection can feel pretty limited, especially if you want to marathon a library of high-quality docs.
Time for Curiosity Stream to step up to the podium. This educational streaming service is loaded with a vast library of high-quality documentaries and docuseries that cover everything from nature and technology to true crime, history, science, and philosophy. There are even a few documentaries about the Olympics, and a lifetime subscription is $159.97 (reg. $399.99).
Watch and learnCuriosity Stream is a documentary streaming service that provides unlimited access to thousands of documentaries, films, series, and shows. It's a lot to take in at first, but Curiosity Stream gives you a few ways to sort the content. You can check out curated collections on different topics.
Some recent collections include documentaries on deep space, prehistoric life, extraordinary women, and feel-good films. There's even kid-friendly content for families. The extensive library is continually refreshed with new content each week, so there's always something new to watch.
Love falling asleep to a familiar voice? Search for your favorite narrators. Curiosity Stream has some popular voices like Sir David Attenborough, and you can even find some major celebrities narrating docs. Harrison Ford and Nick Offerman have both narrated Curiosity Stream docs, and wait until you see who else is on there.
You can access your Curiosity Stream on multiple devices, and it even supports a range of device types. Watch docs on Android, iOS, Apple TV, or Xbox, among other devices.
Learn with your eyes closedGive the Olympics the gold-medal follow-up it deserves. Get high-quality documentaries at your fingertips forever.
Get a Lifetime Subscription to Curiosity Stream for $159.97.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
TL;DR: If you want a convenient interface to take calls, manage navigation, and change songs, get the Seven-Inch Wireless Car Display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on sale for $79.97 (reg. $139).
On a road trip, pretty much anything that'd take your eyes off the road falls to the passenger. That means navigation, music selection, and maybe they screen your calls for you. Unfortunately, you might not always have your favorite passenger while you're on the road, but a good wireless car display is the next best thing. Graduate from screening calls to calls on screen and check out what this display can do.
This seven-inch Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Display simplifies navigation, media, and more by giving you one interface — and you don't have to look at your phone to use it. Plus, this versatile car display is on sale for 42% off. This is your chance to get one for $79.97 instead of $139.
How is this better than a phone mount?A phone mount is good for a lot of things, but you're still stuck with a small screen, and it doesn't do much for cars without Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. This mount takes your older car into the modern age with a 1024x600 screen you can wirelessly connect your phone to. Then it's distraction-free navigation, media, and hands-free calls. It even takes voice commands.
Installing your display is super simple. You can mount it onto smooth surfaces like windshields or dashboards with the included suction lock, or attach it to your dash with the pad mounting disk. Either way, the process is quick and painless. Your display also comes with a car charger, 3.5mm audio cable, and USB-C to USB-A cable for a quick and easy setup.
Your new favorite passengerAdd some modern amenities to your ride.
Get the Seven-Inch Wireless Car Display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Compatibility for $79.97.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window Credit: RochasDivineMart 7" Wireless Car Display with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto Compatibility & Phone Mirroring $79.97 at The Mashable ShopThe bisexual community has an inside joke describing what it's like to date as a bi person: People think it means double the options and double the fun, but it really just means double the rejection (sad trombone sound effect).
You have to be able to laugh at self-deprecating jokes like this if you're a member of the Lonely Hearts Club, regardless of whether you're diving into the straight or gay dating scene. But bisexual people do face extra roadblocks in the dating world.
Online dating absolutely sucks for everyone, but the fact that there's only a single bisexual dating site that caters specifically to this community (and even then, we're kind of iffy about it) means many folks are frequently swiping on people who don't take bisexuality seriously. In 2024, that shouldn't be the reality.
There's [an] issue of bi people feeling invisible when they're deemed too "straight passing," which can often happen in queer spaces. This kind of invalidation contributes to many bisexual folks' struggles of not feeling queer enough.The "B" in LGBTQ+ makes up 50 percent of the queer community, according to data from the Human Rights Campaign, but it's also one of the least-acknowledged letters in the acronym. What makes the bisexual dating landscape — especially the online one — so tricky to maneuver?
Before we get into the best dating apps for bisexuals, let's tackle this question for a sec.
Bisexuality is hyper-sexualized on heteronormative appsSomething bisexual women are all too familiar with when navigating online dating is the concept — one as old as time — of men being straight-up creeps. It's like heterosexual men can't seem to grasp that bisexuality is not a green light to ask a woman how many girls she's been with or if she likes men or women better. Such comments, especially from absolute strangers online, are disconcerting at best and threatening at worst.
Megan, a 23-year-old woman from Virginia, told us via Facebook that she couldn't even count the number of gross (slash ignorant) messages she'd received from men in reference to writing "bi" in her Tinder bio. "There were times when they would be like, 'Oh, you never seemed gay in high school' or whatever, because gay is obviously a personality trait 🙃," she said. "Like my sexuality wasn’t a real thing, or it was just a fetish to these people."
On most dating apps, there are a lot of couples only looking for bi women to hook up with. We aren't saying that threesomes are wrong, but let's not assume that every bi person is dreaming of hooking up with you and your beau. You'd think the user base on queer dating apps would be more enlightened than on comparatively heteronormative apps, but that's not always the case.
Catfishing is also an issue bi folks have to grapple with. Some men have such a rabid obsession with queer women that they'll sign up for a dating site as a woman just to see an all-women swiping field. It's a total privacy breach and certainly doesn't boost your willingness to meet up with someone IRL. That's why the best dating sites require some form of Facebook or ID verification these days; in the case of Tinder, built-in background checks are (thankfully) now a mainstay feature of the app.
Queer dating apps aren't always inviting, eitherDoes "gold star lesbian" sound familiar to you? Not everyone sees the label as a positive, despite its cheerful-sounding name. It refers to lesbians who have never slept with a man. Countless bisexual women have reported being ghosted after disclosing that they have been with a guy before, and even on the best dating apps for bisexual women, profiles with "gold stars only" in the bio have popped up.
Then there's the issue of bi people feeling invisible when they're deemed too "straight passing," which can often happen in queer spaces. This kind of invalidation contributes to many bisexual folks' struggles of not feeling queer enough.
This feels a lot like the impossible Goldilocks principle, doesn't it, of being too much and never enough?
SEE ALSO: Bisexuality and the anxiety of not feeling 'queer enough' Why you might still want to put "bi" in your dating app bioAdding those two simple letters to your bio may draw unwanted attention, and it's going to be a pain in the ass. But in the long run, it also acts as an asshole filter to weed out people who try to put sexual orientation into a box.
Just think about it: Would you want your partner to think that being bisexual is just a pit stop on the road to being a "full-blown gay"? Of course not. Then there's the old stereotype that bisexuality means you want to bang anything that moves. The easiest way to ensure that you won't be left heartbroken over someone rejecting or questioning your sexuality is to let them know how you identify from the jump. You deserve the very best, which means only those people who accept you as you are.
With all of this in mind — and it's a lot to keep in mind — we wanted to review the best bi dating apps. We can't promise you'll never have a bad experience on these (indeed, mishaps are all but guaranteed when you brave dating apps), but we believe these particular apps give bisexual men, women, and non-binary folks the very best shot at finding a compatible partner.
TL;DR: Canyon Pro, an AI resumé checker and interview coach, is currently on sale for £54.18 (reg. £529.49) — an 89% discount.
Opens in a new window Credit: Canyon Canyon Pro Plan: Lifetime Subscription £54.18 at The Mashable ShopToday's job market isn't like the one we had ten years ago — or even five. While change is inevitable with something as fluid as the employment market, many of us could use some support to keep up with the competition. Canyon is a comprehensive platform designed to help streamline and optimize your job search from start to finish using new AI tools, and a lifetime subscription to the Pro Plan is majorly discounted today.
Get a Canyon Pro Plan lifetime subscription for only £54.18 (reg. £529.49) and have a multi-tool, AI-enhanced job application platform on your side for life.
Canyon uses modern tech and artificial intelligence to help optimize your resumé, giving it a better chance to shine through the crowd. The app's AI resumé builder suggests optimal wording, layout, and skills tailored to your industry and the specific jobs you're applying for. It even provides a score with tailored insights to see how well your resumé is optimized and allows for unlimited use.
You can also auto-fill your job applications through this platform, saving you crucial time and effort. To use this feature, you will have to download the Chrome extensions for free from the Google Chrome Store. It can then be used to autofill your info on almost any job application site.
To help you keep your job applications and resumé organized, there's a management feature that shows you where you've applied and tracks and prioritizes your job applications. And when you're ready to head in for an interview, there are AI-powered mock interviews specific to the job you're applying to that you can use to brush up on your interview skills.
Having this all-in-one job application tool at your disposal could be a game-changer in making the job hunt easier and less time-consuming.
Get a Canyon Pro Plan lifetime subscription for only £54.18 (reg. £529.49) for a limited time only.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
TL;DR: Live stream the Green Bay Packers vs. the Denver Broncos for free. You can watch the NFL preseason games for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
It might be "American" football but NFL action has never been more popular outside of North America, which is why fans around the globe want to know how to catch all the action — even this week's preseason games.
Among the games being played this weekend is the Green Bay Packers vs. the Denver Broncos. The Packers are following a promising 2023 season, which saw them reach the divisional round in the playoffs. The Broncos, however, continued a disappointing streak of failing to reach the playoffs.
Both teams notched up wins in the first week of preseason, and have their sights on kicking off the proper 2024 season with some momentum.
If you want to watch the NFL preseason games for free, no matter where you are around the world, here's all the information you need.
When is the Packers vs. the Broncos?The Green Bay Packers vs. the Denver Broncos takes place at 8 p.m. ET on August 18. This fixture will be played at the Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado.
How to watch the Packers vs. the Broncos for freeYou can watch the NFL preseason games for free by signing up for free trials with DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, or fubo. Simply register for free trials with each of these subscription-based platforms, one trial at a time, which will cover the remaining weeks of the NFL preseason. Just remember to cancel these memberships before the trial ends and you incur subscription costs.
Alternatively, you can register at DAZN, which is showing the NFL preseason fixtures for free to viewers outside the U.S., Canada, and China.
All of these streaming services are geo-restricted to specific regions, which means you'll need to first sign up for a VPN in order to access them. If you've never used a VPN before, it's a handy tool that can obscure your real-world IP address (digital location) and then connect you to a secure server in other countries, allowing you to sidestep geo-restrictions and unblock streaming services from around the world.
Access free live streams of the NFL by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with free coverage of the NFL preseason
Visit DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, fubo, or DAZN.
Watch the NFL preseason for free from anywhere in the world.
The best VPNs for streaming are not free themselves, but VPN services usually offer sweetener deals that include free trial periods or money-back guarantees. Simply leverage these deals to gain access to NFL preseason live streams, and it won't cost you a dime in the long run. This is obviously a quick fix solution, but you can watch all the NFL preseason action before you recovering any upfront investment.
What is the best VPN for the NFL?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream the NFL, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
Fast connection speeds
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is currently on sale for $99.95 — an overall saving of 49% but for a limited time only. Within that plan you get a bonus three months at no additional cost, plus a year of unlimited cloud backup, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the NFL preseason for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream the New Orleans Saints vs. the San Francisco 49ers for free. You can watch the NFL preseason games for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
It's only preseason, which as football fans know, is really just an an exhibition. Even so, the 49ers are one of the top picks to win the Super Bowl but dropped their preseason opener to the Tennessee Titans. And the preseason games can be important for figuring out the roster — particularly for the 49ers, who have some injury problems.
The Saints, however, had a promising opening week in preseason with a narrow win over the Cardinals. The win came via a last ditch 37-yard field goal from rookie Charlie Smyth, while rookie quarter back Spencer Rattler — who led the winning drive — also impressed fans. Can the Saints do it again against the 49ers this weekend?
The good news is that you can watch the NFL preseason action without spending anything. If you want to watch the NFL preseason for free, no matter where you are around the world, we have all the information you need.
When is the Saints vs. the 49ers?The New Orleans Saints vs. the San Francisco 49ers takes place at 8 p.m. ET on August 18. This fixture will be played at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
How to watch the Saints vs. the 49ers for freeTo watch the NFL preseason games for free, sign up for free trials with either DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, or fubo. You can register for free trials with each of these streaming platforms, one trial at a time, which will give you time to watch the remaining weeks of the NFL preseason for free. But be sure to cancel these trials before you incur any subscription charges.
Alternatively, you can register at DAZN, which is showing the NFL preseason for free to viewers outside the US, Canada, and China.
Because all these streaming services are geo-blocked to specific countries, you'll also need to sign up for a VPN to access them. A VPN is a handy tool that can mask your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another country, allowing you to unblock free streaming services from around the globe and therefore access region-specific streaming platforms.
Access free live streams of the NFL by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with free coverage of the NFL preseason
Visit DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, fubo, or DAZN.
Watch the NFL preseason for free from anywhere in the world.
The best VPNs for streaming are not actually free to use, but the top VPN services do tend to offer deals such as free trial periods or money-back guarantees. All you need to do is sign up and take advantage of these deals to gain access to NFL preseason live streams — and all without committing any cash in the long run. It's a short-term solution, but the trial period will allow you to watch the NFL preseason action before you have to recover any initial investment.
What is the best VPN for the NFL?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream the NFL, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
Fast connection speeds
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is currently on sale for $99.95, which means an impressive saving of 49% for a limited time. The plan also includes an extra three months at no additional cost, plus a year of unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the NFL preseason for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Watch Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA with WNBA League Pass. Avoid blackouts and watch the WNBA from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The Connecticut Sun and Atlanta Dream are set to take to the court as the WNBA season continues.
Don't miss out, to watch Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA from anywhere in the world, keep reading to find out all the information you need.
When is Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream?Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA starts at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 18. This fixture takes place at the Gateway Center Arena at College Park, Georgia.
How to watch Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta DreamWNBA fans can live stream Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream plus the rest of the 2024 season from anywhere in the world with the WNBA League Pass.
However, it's worth noting that the WNBA League Pass may not show locally televised games live in the participating teams' local areas. However, not to worry, fans can beat these geo-restrictions by using a VPN. These tools work by hiding your real IP address (i.e. digital location) so you'll be able to connect to secure servers in other locations, meaning you can bypass blackouts to watch every WNBA League Pass game live, barring games hosted by Amazon Prime Video.
You can access every WNBA League Pass game by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with no broadcast deals for the WNBA
Log in to WNBA League Pass
Stream every WNBA game live (barring games hosted by Amazon Prime Video)
ExpressVPN is the best choice for hiding your real IP address and streaming more sport, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Stream Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for August 18's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.
What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.
Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for August 17 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for August 17 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Tall and skinny.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no reoccurring letters.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter L.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is...
LANKY.
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for August 18's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for August 18 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Alarm configuration
Green: "Here me out, bro"
Blue: Iconic candies
Purple: Misspelled Disney dwarfs
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Alarm Clock Buttons
Green: "Here's A Thought"
Blue: Candy Pieces
Purple: Seven Dwarfs Minus Last Letter
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #434 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayAlarm Clock Buttons: ALARM, HOUR, SNOOZE, TIME SET
"Here's A Thought": PERHAPS, SAY, SUPPOSE, WHAT IF
Candy Pieces: KISS, NERD, RUNT, WHOPPER
Seven Dwarfs Minus Last Letter: DO, DOPE, GRUMP, SLEEPY
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you've been online in the past week, you're probably familiar with the "very mindful, very demure, very cutesy" agenda. It's a phrase beloved by pop stars and politicians — having been seen on the feeds of J.Lo and the White House — and all that attention has made it possible for its creator, TikTokker Jools Lebron, to finance the remainder of her gender transition.
In a TikTok posted earlier this week, Lebron described how much change her videos — most of which describe all the ways she stays "very mindful, very demure, very cutesy" throughout the day — have brought to her life in such a short time.
SEE ALSO: Why is everyone online 'very demure, very mindful' right now?"Hey pendeja," she tells the viewer, using the Spanish word for idiot, "Maybe you should make the videos because one day I was playing cashier and making videos on my break and now I'm flying across country to host events and I'm going to be able to finance the rest of my transition."
In another video, Lebron explains that tough she has been overwhelmed by all the attention, she is indeed living her dream.
Madison Werner, a trans content creator who posts about social justice issues affecting her community, noted on Instagram that Lebron's success is a win for trans women everywhere. "Trans women are gender experts via lived experience," they wrote. "The 'demure' trend is a comedic commentary on, and a reclamation of, an [sic] historically oppressive ideal of femininity... for some trans women, this 'quiet elegance' is a form of survival."
View this post on InstagramLebron has been booked and busy since her approach to life took off online. Dozens of major brands comment on her videos regularly, and she has attended events in New York for beauty brand Patrick Ta and collaborated with Kombucha brands GT's Synergy in Los Angeles.
Her most-watched video as of publishing is one in which she describes how she shows up to work which is, of course, "very modest, very mindful." It has 29.9 million views.
EA Sports Madden NFL 25 feels like a missed opportunity that could've been a timeless entry in sports gaming history, up there with NBA 2K11 and FIFA 13, had it been released in 2018. Instead, what we have is a slightly enhanced Madden 24, packed with layers of superfluous content that almost distracts from the game itself.
To be fair, I haven't seriously played a Madden game since 2017, so my perspective on the annual updates might be limited. But after diving into Madden NFL 25 with an early access code from EA Sports, I was struck by how much it captures the essence of what I always wanted from a Madden game. The interface is clean, the soundtrack energizes, the franchise mode has enough depth to keep you engaged, and the gameplay strikes a balance between authenticity and smoothness.
SEE ALSO: 'EA Sports College Football 25' review: Why it puts 'Madden' to shameFor someone who's been away from the series, it's a breath of fresh air — a showcase of how far the series has come. But if you've been following along year after year, Madden 25 feels like more of the same with marginal improvements. Is it worth the $70 price tag? It's hard to justify when you could instead hunt down a PS2 and NFL 2K5 for a fraction of the cost.
I played about 10+ hours of the game's various modes and my takeaway is the same as it's been with any Madden game I've ever played. Yeah, it's good, but man it could've been even better.
Madden 25 gameplay F*ck the Packers Credit: EA Sports / EA OrlandoThe gameplay in this year's Madden is a more refined experience, a culmination of previous work by EA Orlando within the Frostbite Engine. When stacked against the recently released College Football 25, which emphasizes fast and flashy gameplay, Madden 25 adopts a more cerebral, methodical pace that captures the essence of the pro game. It genuinely feels like EA Orlando has perfected their use of the Frostbite engine’s animations.
SEE ALSO: EA Sports' College Football '25 is here and the internet has jokes and memesMost of the changes in Madden 25 this year focus on refining and polishing the gameplay from Madden 24, with several key updates that enhance the overall experience.
First, you'll notice new solo tackle animations, more dynamic 50/50 ball interactions, and revamped blocking mechanics. The pass protection menu now allows you to see exactly who's being blocked on passing plays, and you even have the option to use the blocking technique of half-sliding your line, which provides for more nuanced protection schemes. Using the Hit Stick for tackles has become more about timing, with tight ends being notably tougher to bring down, and cornerbacks finding it nearly impossible to land a Hit Stick. However, the new "Boom Tech" feature, while a promising attempt at adding more natural-looking collision animations, has led to some glitchy interactions that could use some patching.
Stat graphics are shown more frequently throughout games, which adds to the immersion. The introduction of custom route stems is another welcome feature from CFB 25, allowing for more personalized and strategic route running.
Madden 25 delivers a lot of things in its gameplay, but "authenticity" may not be one of them. The commentary, in particular, feels hollow, lacking the soul and contextual richness that can elevate a sports game. What’s often missing from most sports titles, and Madden is no exception, is the casual, conversational tone that brings depth to the commentary. The kind of outside discourse and emotion that mirrors the intensity of an actual football game — which, let’s be honest, can be a bloodsport in its own right — is noticeably absent.
It’s a minor gripe, but the commentary doesn’t offer any unique or memorable calls during gameplay. Sure, they’ll remind you that CJ Stroud had a great rookie year, but where’s the excitement in hearing how remarkable it is to see Lions WR Jameson Williams catch three touchdowns and rack up 200+ yards years after recovering from an ACL tear and then a gambling suspension? That’s the kind of narrative that would make the commentary feel alive and connected to the game’s deeper stories.
In the end, the gameplay in this year’s Madden is fantastic, but it’s missing some of that intangible soul that could make it truly special.
Madden 25 Superstar mode Welcome to the league, mini me. Credit: EA Sports / EA OrlandoImmediately after booting Madden, I loaded up the game's Superstar mode. One of the cool additions now that College Football 25 is on the scene is that I can take my player from that game's "Road to Glory" mode and load him up in Madden.
Superstar mode is a bit lean on content, but compared to CFB 25, its initial moments are at least a bit more immersive. Where the college game asks you to pick a star rating and answer a few basic questions about your ideal playing environment, Madden takes a more hands-on approach. You’re put through the paces of the NFL Draft Combine, running the 40-yard dash, doing the bench press, broad jump, and even the shuttle cone drill. These mini-games can feel a bit like busywork, but they do add an immersive touch, making you feel like you’re actively shaping your player’s draft stock — performing well in the mini-games can increase certain attributes like agility or speed.
However, that sense of immersion quickly fades, and you’re left facing the familiar pitfalls of any "be the star" mode. After the draft, the experience devolves into a repetitive cycle of playing game after game, over and over, until you've either met all your objectives or grown tired of the grind and decided to walk away. The excitement of the early stages gives way to monotony, making it hard to stay invested for the long haul.
The mode's pacing grinds to a halt as EA Sports has introduced random cutscenes that trigger challenges and temporary attribute boosts for the upcoming game. For instance, your coach might call you in to ask whether you want to focus on short or medium passing accuracy this week. You make your choice, and the game sets up the relevant challenges. While it's a creative idea, it disrupts the flow between games, making the experience feel disjointed.
Not great coach. Credit: EA Sports / EA OrlandoThe issues don't stop there. The AI in this mode is perplexing, to say the least. The game promises that your Draft Combine performance will influence which quarterback-needy team selects you, yet I still ended up with the Atlanta Falcons. In reality, the Falcons had recently splurged on former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins ($180 million over 4 years) and drafted another quarterback with their top 10 pick just weeks later.
To make matters worse, because Superstar mode uses up-to-date rosters, the Falcons now have three quarterbacks on their depth chart. Their solution? Trade Cousins to the Los Angeles Rams, who already have Super Bowl-winning QB Matthew Stafford as their starter. It’s a bizarre, almost laughable outcome that underscores the mode's flaws and breaks any remaining immersion.
Madden 25 Franchise mode Credit: Who wants a roster spot this year?In Madden 24, franchise mode introduced some genuine improvements that made the experience enjoyable throughout the year, Madden 25, however, has left me feeling a bit differently.
The draft presentation has undergone a complete overhaul in Madden 25. There's now a big board that shows all the teams within a round and who they pick, with Roger Goodell announcing each selection. You even get to see the player you drafted walking up to the stage to hold your team’s jersey, or if they’re not at the draft, it shows them receiving the phone call at home. After your pick, the game provides details on the true draft rank and gives backstory and analysis on the pick.
Scouting, however, remains unchanged from last year, aside from a new look for the prospect board. You can still sort players by Physical Attribute grades, Combine numbers, and Pro Day results. But these changes, unfortunately, are a major letdown. The scouting and draft sequences are painfully slow, and trying to skip through them only causes glitches that make the process even more sluggish.
While Madden 25 brings some interesting visual updates to the draft process and retains the solid scouting mechanics from 24, these additions are ultimately undermined by slow, glitchy execution and frustrating morale management. For example, I was prompted to address a potential position battle for RB1 between 68 overall rookie Sione Vaki and 84 overall Jahmyr Gibbs. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen when I said my entire team took a -10 morale hit —which seemed to drop some players’ overall ratings by 1 or 2 points for the entire season.
The potential penalties for making logical decisions in franchise mode and for saying the wrong thing during press interviews or when dealing with fussy players feel like a step back. I want an engaging and deep Franchise mode, and I'm sure a younger me would've loved this, but the me of today finds it all superfluous.
Is Madden 25 worth it?Madden 25 is a mixed bag. On one hand, the gameplay feels better than ever, with smoother animations, more intuitive passing mechanics, and updated features like "Boom Tech" that add a layer of authenticity to tackles. The pacing feels more thoughtful compared to the flashier College Football 25, and for some players, that’s a welcome change. But while Madden nails the on-field action, it falters elsewhere.
Franchise mode, which saw genuine improvements last year, feels like a step back in Madden 25. The revamped draft presentation and scouting system, while visually interesting, are bogged down by sluggish execution and glitches. And the morale system can be downright frustrating, penalizing logical decisions with massive team-wide morale hits that can derail an entire season. Plus, the game’s reliance on playbook logic to dictate player performance still creates bizarre, unrealistic scenarios that ruin immersion in simulated seasons.
If you’re looking purely for improved gameplay mechanics, Madden 25 delivers. But if franchise mode or the overall experience is your priority, the game's flaws may leave you disappointed. It's a good game on the surface, but it lacks the soul and polish that could make it truly great. Depending on what you value in a football sim, it may or may not be worth the upgrade from Madden 24.
An attempt to secure positive press for Google's new Pixel phones has backfired after creators called the strategy unethical.
Team Pixel — an invite-only program affiliated with Google — has been sending free Google products to influencers and creators since at least 2017. Though standard in the industry, programs like these have always treaded a moral grey area, and guidelines for the 2024 Team Pixel program have crossed a line for some creators.
According to screenshots posted online, a Google form used for Team Pixel sign ups said that creators that join Team Pixel "are expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile devices." It goes on to note that "if it appears other brands are being preferred over the Pixel, we will need to cease the relationship between the brand and the creator."
SEE ALSO: Instagram is rolling out AI chatbot versions of creators, Mark Zuckerberg saysVoices in the creator community have said that these terms make it impossible to post unbiased reviews, which is crucial to building viewer trust and creator reputation. Reviewer Adam Matlock of the TechOdyssey YouTube channel told The Verge that he had relied on the program for early access to tech units from Google but has since posted to X that he had quit the program as a result of the new terms. Previously, Matlock says, creators were only required to use hashtags #teampixel or #giftfromgoogle to comply with FTC disclosures.
YouTuber Kevin Nether of The Tech Ninja channel posted to X that he had also quit Team Pixel due to the new terms. He told The Verge that he had not seen that language in previous Team Pixel surveys used to recruit for the program. He also noted that demands for exclusivity were usually accompanied by discussions of payment and disclosure.
Marques Brownlee, perhaps the most popular tech reviewer on YouTube, weighed in on the situation on X. Though he has never participated in Team Pixel, he called the program a "clever way" for Google "to guarantee some positive press coverage." Lifestyle influencers, for example, make money from product affiliation and can post about the phone without consequence. But "here's where it gets confusing," said Brownlee. "A lot of tech reviewers or even people budding up and starting to become tech reviewers, saw that early device seeding as... a way to get in [with Google]... and that's what muddies the waters."
Tweet may have been deletedIt is standard practice for companies to gift new products to creators and influencers in the hopes that they will use the product on camera or encourage their audience to buy it. These arrangements are usually a win-win for both parties, with the potential to significantly expand an influencer's access to brands. In the case of Team Pixel, for example, the influencer gets a free phone and, by posting about it, can rack up views and social currency while opening the door to collaborations with other big-name brands. Meanwhile, Google secures broad media exposure for a new product for the price of a single unit.
The influencer should note when a product is a gift, but FTC disclosure guidelines are often unclear and oversight is woefully lax. As a result, consumers can't always be sure if what they're seeing online has been influenced by a behind-the-scenes exchange of money or access.
These influencer programs can overlap with those that target news outlets or reviewers, though Google communications manager Kayla Geier told The Verge that Team Pixel is different from programs that provide news outlets like Mashable and The Verge with new devices for review. "#TeamPixel is a distinct program, separate from our press and creator reviews programs," said Geier. "The goal of #TeamPixel is to get Pixel devices into the hands of content creators, not press and tech reviewers. We missed the mark with this new language that appeared in the #TeamPixel form yesterday, and it has been removed."
But in his video announcing his departure from Team Pixel, Nether noted that "A lot of tech reviewers are on Team Pixel because working with Google for some reason, it's really tough to get through." The Verge says it also spoke with independent reviewers and freelance tech journalists who say they were given review units through the Team Pixel program in the past. In their cases, these new terms would threaten the integrity of their work.
As reported by The Verge, the Team Pixel program is currently run by a third party agency hired by Google. It is unclear if that agency, 1000heads, required social media coverage of the phone from creators participating in the 2024 Team Pixel program.
When reached for comment, a Google spokesperson provided the same statement the company had given to The Verge, above. Mashable has reached out to 1000heads for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for August 17 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for August 17Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Saturday, August 17, 2024:
AcrossStuff chewed by a cowThe answer is Cud.
The answer is Cakes.
The answer is Rebrand.
The answer is All.
The answer is Dao.
The answer is Dietary.
The answer is Anthill.
The answer is Reverse.
The answer is Cable TV.
The answer is UKR.
The answer is Dead air.
The answer is Celine.
The answer is Snarls.
The answer is Radar.
The answer is Doyle.
The answer is The.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Using images from a NASA telescope, three amateur scientists discovered a star-like object sprinting through space — so fast, in fact, it'll whiz right out of the Milky Way.
This freak of nature, traveling about 1 million mph, will escape the clutch of the galaxy. It's the first time anyone has found something this massive at that incredible speed.
"I can’t describe the level of excitement," said Martin Kabatnik, one of the discoverers, in a statement. "When I first saw how fast it was moving, I was convinced it must have been reported already."
But what exactly is this thing?
SEE ALSO: Scientists haven't found a rocky exoplanet with air. But now they have a plan. Scientists say CWISE J1249 could be a low-mass star or a brown dwarf, an object that is not quite a star or a gas giant planet like Jupiter, but something else in between. Credit: NASA illustrationIt's not a comet or an asteroid. Scientists say it could be a low-mass star or a brown dwarf, an object that is not quite a star or a gas giant planet like Jupiter, but something else in between. Experts sometimes describe brown dwarfs as failed stars: not massive enough to generate their own nuclear power.
Although brown dwarfs aren't all that rare, this object, dubbed CWISE J1249, is unusual because it's about to escape into intergalactic space. And it has one other weird trait: The object has much less iron and other metals typically found in stars and brown dwarfs, according to data collected by the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, suggesting CWISE J1249 is so ancient, it could be among the first generation of stars birthed in the galaxy.
The citizens who made the discovery a few years ago through NASA's Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project, including Thomas P. Bickle and Dan Caselden, just became coauthors of a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Engineers assemble the WISE spacecraft in 2009 at the Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah. Credit: SDL / NASAThe telescope responsible for the images is NASA's WISE spacecraft, short for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. It scanned the sky at infrared wavelengths between 2009 and 2011, finding distant light sources by sensing their heat. But the Earth-orbiting telescope ran out of its supply of frozen hydrogen, which kept it cool, so the space agency put it into hibernation.
Two years later, NASA awoke the spacecraft, renaming it NEOWISE, to hunt for potentially hazardous near-Earth objects, like asteroids and comets. Over its lifetime, the telescope studied well over 44,000 objects, including its namesake, Comet NEOWISE.
Despite its many accomplishments, NASA retired the mission just last week because the spacecraft will soon drop too low in orbit to provide any more useful data.
Scientists will continue to study CWISE J1249 to try to discern whether it's a brown dwarf or a low-mass star. Credit: NASA / ESA / Joseph Olmsted illustrationThe work on CWISE J1249 is not complete. Scientists will continue to look for clues about the root cause of its speed. After all, something major must have happened to send it hurtling through the cosmos. For comparison, Earth's solar system is moving at an average of 450,000 mph.
One idea is that the object was once part of a binary star system with a white dwarf, a tiny remnant of a star that has run out of nuclear fuel, which exploded when it pulled off too much material from its companion.
Another idea is that it came from a tight-knit group of stars known as a globular cluster that encountered a pair of black holes. The complex dynamics of such an interaction can cast a star right out of the group.
A car-sized NASA rover, weighing over a ton, will scale a crater wall.
The space agency announced that its robotic Perseverance mission, now looking for hints of past life on Mars, is embarking on the next phase of Martian exploration. But first, it must climb out of the Jezero Crater, a region that once held a gushing river and expansive lake. It won't be easy.
The journey will "include some of the steepest and most challenging terrain the rover has encountered to date," NASA said in a statement.
SEE ALSO: Scientists discover where the huge dinosaur-killing asteroid came fromThe rover captured a view of the ascent ahead. It will encounter 23-degree slopes as it rumbles up 1,000 feet of elevation. There are no roads on Mars, so the path easiest traveled will inevitably mean traversing rock-strewn or steep areas.
The robot will traverse a route between the two hills shown below.
The Perseverance rover will ascend the crater wall ahead, gaining 1,000 feet of elevation. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS Tweet may have been deletedMission scientists are eager to reach the summit of Jezero Crater. Water once poured through this region, and hydrothermal activity — processes that create hot groundwater and steam — may have created fissures in the ground long ago.
"These rocks formed from a wealth of different processes, and some represent potentially habitable ancient environments that have never been examined up close before," Eleni Ravanis, a member of the Perseverance rover team, also said in an agency statement.
NASA is interested in exploring Martian places that once hosted habitable environs — temperate enough to harbor liquid water — because the regions may have preserved evidence of past microbial life. This could mean telltale molecules or features formed by biological processes.
Already, the rover has recently spotted "chemical signatures and structures that could possibly have been formed by life billions of years ago," the space agency said — though proving this will mean bringing the samples back to Earth.
In the coming months, expect the robot to beam back the success and travails of its looming, and daunting, Martian ascent.
The quintessential little treat is subjective. Some will say iced coffee, others will argue ice cream.
But we can all probably agree that many of the biggest little treats of them all are the elusive ones — the ones that aren't available at your fingertips year-round, or the ones that can't exactly be brought home and stored for a later time. Consider the Shamrock Shake or the $16 frosé that one bar only has in the summer.
After the success of the ice cream and other frozen dessert-making Creami, Ninja is exploring the frozen drink side of little treat culture. The Ninja Slushi is a professional frozen drink maker that has sold out more than once since its debut in July 2024. The Slushi is not only a vessel for making a homemade Slurpee without leaving the house but is also an opportunity to treat-ify mundane beverages, like a morning protein shake or afternoon pre-workout electrolyte mix. A slushy in hand just feels like an appropriate accessory to brat summer.
SEE ALSO: 'Very demure' demonstrates TikTok's ability to shape modern languageTikTok, a massive community of little treat enablers, naturally ate this shit up. I had to get my hands on one, too.
How does the Ninja Slushi work?Though they both can ultimately whip up frozen drinks, the Ninja Slushi is far different than a blender because the Slushi doesn't require ice.
Rather, the Slushi achieves that chef's kiss chilled consistency via Ninja's RapidChill Technology, which involves an auger spinning around a cooling cylinder. This approach can take room temperature ingredients from liquid to, well, slushy, in under an hour (give or take a few minutes, depending on the alcohol and sugar content, as well as the size of the batch).
And even if you can achieve that with a blender, it's ephemeral; frozen margs go to melted margs in a matter of minutes when they're just hanging out in a blender pitcher. The Slushi, however, keeps drinks frozen. Once it hits optimal temperature for the recipe in question, the Slushi beeps and switches from a blinking light to a steady light, but continues spinning and cooling, keeping your recipe perfectly slushied for up to 12 hours. Just mind the condensation.
What can you make in the Ninja Slushi?Officially, there are buttons on the front for slush, spiked slush, frappé, milkshake, and frozen juice. I hesitate to claim that you can make really any frozen drink that pops into your brain, but it basically feels like that. And if you hatched the idea for something but aren't sure of the exact ingredients, someone has probably already attempted to make it on TikTok.
Just open the hatch and pour 'em, no need to stir. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable If your drink comes out too thick or too melty, you can adjust the temperature with arrow buttons. Credit: Leah Stodart / MashableMy first endeavor was frosé following the exact recipe in the Ninja booklet: literally just rosé, juice, and a little bit of simple syrup. It was so easy, so quick, and so damn good — just like the overpriced ones at the bar.
Other fun experiments included Slushi'd White Claws plus simple syrup (which turned out to taste incredibly bland and decarbonated after being frozen), a humble can of Pepsi to play out my roommate's dream of an on-demand cola slushy, a blueberry vanilla protein milkshake I saw on TikTok, and a slushy version of my pre-workout electrolyte powder drink. Past this week of testing, I could totally see the Slushi getting weekly use in my household.
As a professional Black Cherry White Claw enjoyer, you know I had to. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable Trying to make a small batch in this thing is just about impossible. Credit: Leah Stodart / MashableWhen attempting frappé mode, I realized that I'm personally kind of turned off by the idea of coffee in that thick consistency. After the first batch was done but I still hadn't emptied anything, I just added more almond milk and some chocolate protein powder to turn it into a café mocha milkshake.
The Slushi needs to be cleaned after every use to prevent sticky, rotted residue buildup. After using the rinse cycle button on the machine itself, there are four super basic parts to disassemble and wash — either by hand or in the dishwasher if there's room. After dealing with the detachable parts, wipe down the metal base and interior of the machine, and then click the parts back on.
Slushi maintenance is a little tedious if you're using it often, but super easy. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable Ninja Slushi vs. Ninja CreamiBefore there was the Slushi, there was the Creami. Ninja's 7-in-1 ice cream maker blew up on TikTok when it first came out in 2021 — likely the thing that tipped Ninja off to how lucrative the Little Treat Trend could be.
The Slushi and Creami are roughly the same height, but the Slushi is heavier. Credit: Leah Stodart / MashableWhile many drinks with that solid-but-not-solid consistency can be made in both machines, the main difference between the two lies in preparation. The Creami can only start with solid bases that you freeze for 24 hours ahead of time, while the Slushi can only start with liquids. Those liquids don't have to start frozen, giving the Slushi the leg up when it comes to spontaneity.
Downsides: What can't the Ninja Slushi do?A successful slush depends on a few main ingredient components, one of them being sugar. Though I typically love to trash instructions before reading a single word, I will say that the Slushi booklet is one that you'll definitely actually need to read. Any Slushi recipe needs a certain ratio of sugar to coagulate — if there's not enough in the ingredients you've dumped in, the machine will beep at you and stop moving.
On the flip side, a stoppage also occurs if the Slushi senses that the alcohol content is too high compared to the other ingredients. In any case, the lights on the front will flash in a way that coincides with each error so that you can make a quick fix.
SEE ALSO: TikTok's new cucumber recipe obsession is actually an elite summer side dishI wish you could all see the defeat on my roommate's face when we realized you actually can't simply pour Diet Coke into the Slushi because Diet obviously has no sugar. The booklet does provide a workaround for this, including ways to subtly add sugar and the appropriate measurements. Still, there's way more math involved than I would have expected — remember when third grade me cursed fractions because "I would never use them in real life?"
Because the Slushi doesn't have blades, it cannot crush solid ingredients. To make some sort of healthy frozen smoothie from whole ingredients like frozen berries or kale, they'd have to be in puree form first. I blended these up in our blender ahead of transferring the contents to the Slushi afterward, but at that point, you may as well just add ice to the blender and avoid washing both machines by hand.
Is the Ninja Slushi worth it?The Ninja Slushi's splurge-worthiness depends on how much of a frozen drink enthusiast you might be. I mean, people drop double the coin to bring a fancy espresso machine home, so spending a few hundred dollars on a niche kitchen appliance definitely isn't unheard of. If you're someone who needs to have three drinks within reach at any given moment, surely the two that aren't plain water could be slushed, and doesn't that just open up a world of possibilities? Plus, anyone who struggles with getting their fruits or veggies or protein might stay on top of it more with a drink more appetizing than a room-temperature chalky mixture. Is it too far to dub the Slushi a wellness hack?
The Slushi would also be a guaranteed hit in a home with kids who are way more likely to drink their healthy fruit juice if it basically feels like a Slurpee. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles, this is definitely how to become the favorite.
At any rate, the serotonin boost of one of life's most simple treasures — a fun little drink — is priceless, as is the bonding (and money saving) that could come with staying in with friends and having a frozen marg party in your PJs.
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Opens in a new window Credit: LazyApply LazyApply Job Application Basic: Lifetime License $59.97 at The Mashable ShopI know it's bad etiquette to watch-and-text, but when it comes to Emily in Paris, I simply must have my phone fully charged and open to the group chat at all times. Where else am I to express my utter exasperation with the show's heroine, Emily Cooper (Lily Collins)? I need a safe space to discuss her bonkers Instagram captions! To react in horror to her nonsensical decision-making! To share my disbelief at her ability to pull together outfits that are certifiably unhinged!
Suffice to say, Emily stirs up feelings of frustration in me that I truly didn't know I was capable of. In fact, the only other time I can recall being quite so riled up by a TV heroine was when I first came across Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Darren Star, the creator of both shows, is to blame for these two glamorous agents of chaos. Carrie and Emily may have their differences, but both are famously polarizing amongst viewers; there is even an entire website dedicated to Carrie Bradshaw being the worst.
Now, it's worth noting that unlikable female characters are a good thing — we all love a flawed protagonist. After all, how dull would it be if all of our female characters were perfect beacons of moral purity? But Carrie and Emily are truly on another level. Their flaws are often downright painful to see in action. Selfish and oblivious, they skip onwards through their glamorous lives, wreaking absolute havoc and leaving a whole lot of mess in their wake.
As the fourth season of Emily in Paris lands on Netflix and a new generation discovers the joys of Sex and the City, group chats everywhere are filled with more infuriating Emily and Carrie content than ever — and what a joy it is! There has never been a better time to do a very thorough investigation into the anatomy of the Darren Star heroine.
Emily and Carrie: terrible at relationships. Lily Collins as Emily in "Emily in Paris." Credit: NetflixBoth are at their most narcissistic when it comes to romance. Carrie harbors an obsessive love for Big (Chris Noth) throughout all six seasons of Sex and the City — and two movies! Her infatuation leads her to make some very bizarre decisions. Only a few months into their situationship, for instance, she stalks him and his mother to church, and then demands to know why he won't commit to her. Later, when she is dating Aidan (John Corbett) and Big is married to Natasha (Bridget Moynahan), Carrie is all too eager to jump into an affair with her ex. She then spends years following Natasha around trying to get some kind of forgiveness in order to make herself feel better. In fact, decades later, Carrie is still hounding Natasha for closure in And Just Like That.
Then there's Emily, who falls for hot chef Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and proceeds to sleep with him even though he's in a relationship with her friend, Camille (Camille Razat). Oh yeah, and she also sleeps with Camille's 17-year-old brother.
In the new season, Emily is just as messy in her relationships. Unable to choose between Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) and Gabriel, she simply keeps both on the line. At one party, she happily dances with Alfie and smiles as he tells her he's all in — before she proceeds to fall back into Gabriel's arms as soon as he appears on the scene.
The worst part of all of this is that Carrie and Emily act as though this is normal; they talk to their friends as though all of this cheating and uncertainty and poor communication is just another annoying part of dating. As the meme goes, is the accountability in the room with us?
Emily and Carrie: bad at friendships. Lily Collins as Emily and Camille Razat as Camille in "Emily in Paris." Credit: Stephanie Branchu/ NetflixWhile Emily and Carrie are off making awful relationship decisions, they are also, more often than not, neglecting their friends in the process. In fact, the tendency towards narcissism in friendships is perhaps the main defining trait of a Darren Star heroine. To put it bluntly, these girlies have enough "main character energy" to fill all of NYC and Paris combined.
A typical SATC brunch goes something like this. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) raises an issue she is having. Samantha (Kim Cattrall) replies with a saucy, but helpful anecdote. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) chimes in with a comment connecting Charlotte's problem to the feminist plight. And Carrie leaps in to change the subject, bringing up some inconsequential thing Big said. Oh, and when her friends try to explain to her that she is in a toxic cycle with Big? Naturally, she doesn't want to hear it.
Yet, she still expects her friends to offer to help her buy her apartment back from Aidan post-breakup. Remember the time Carrie shamelessly guilted Charlotte into handing over her engagement ring so she could afford the $30,000 down payment? .
Emily is also painfully self-obsessed in her friendships. Just take the latest season, where Emily tells her landlord that Gabriel, Camille, and Camille's new girlfriend are all living together, thereby breaking the building's rules, because she is sick of Camille living near her new boyfriend Gabriel. Very thoughtful move, Em! Emily's selfishness even shines through in the small moments. Just take the moment she meets up with Camille's friends to help track her down. Not only does she dash off from the meeting after receiving a text, she fails to pay for her iced tea. As Camille's friends put it, "So rude."
Carrie and Emily: inexplicably successful careerists. Lily Collins as Emily and Thalia Besson as Genevieve in "Emily in Paris." Credit: Stephanie Branchu / NetflixPerhaps another reason that Carrie and Emily are so very infuriating is that they are somehow revered in their chosen fields, despite the fact that they both kind of suck at their jobs.
Carrie is a writer in New York City who lives a very comfortable, Manolo Blahnik-filled life writing (checks notes) one column a week about her dating life. Of course, every now and then, she takes on some freelance work for little magazines like Vogue. (Every freelance writer knows the Carrie Bradshaw lore that she was paid $4 a word for this work, which she even successfully negotiated to $4.50.) Oh, and she has a minor breakdown when (gasp) her editor… edits her work. Her career goes from success to success when her column leads to a book deal. By And Just Like That, Carrie has transitioned to a career as the co-host of a podcast about sex and gender, even though it's quite clear she doesn't really know what podcasts actually are, and she feels too uncomfortable to actually, you know, talk about sex.
Meanwhile, Emily is a social media marketer who, though she can't post a good Instagram pic to save her life, finds herself working in Paris — despite speaking no French! Instead of actually learning some French and figuring out how to take a good picture for social media, she seems to spend most of her time at fancy lunches and stylish parties, before faking her way through pitch meetings where she very frequently makes up campaign ideas on the spot.
Emily and Carrie: outrageous fashion icons. Lily Collins in "Emily in Paris." Credit: Stephanie Branchu / NetflixNaturally, these two heroines' chaotic interiors are reflected in their inexplicable sartorial choices. We are talking wildly mismatched patterns, blindingly bright color combinations, and shapes that simply make no logical sense on a human body.
Carrie wears a belt on her bare waist! A crochet pageboy hat! A pirate bandana! It's an explosion of experimental NYC fashion. Meanwhile, Emily wears a coat covered in shoes! Mismatched houndstooth! A jacket covered in the literal Paris skyline! Oh, and in the fourth season, she comes to a masked ball dressed as the literal Hamburglar! She may be taking Paris by storm, but understated French chic she is not. After all, she is the vulgar American transplant — and her clothes show it. Sex and the City's costume designer, the legendary Patricia Field, was a consultant on the first two seasons of Emily in Paris, which suggests they were eager to bring some of the bold fashions of Carrie Bradshaw into Emily Cooper's wardrobe. When Field left the show after the second season, many fans noted that Emily's outfits seemed even more outrageous and over-the-top than ever. Evidently, for a Darren Star leading lady, maximalism-verging-on-hideous is the name of the game.
Carrie Bradshaw and Emily Cooper are both kind of the worst. But, honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way. There's a unique joy that comes from gasping in shock horror as they flagrantly cheat, lie, and manipulate — and there's a mischievous kind of fun that comes from living vicariously through their bad decisions, while knowing we could never, ever be quite so absurd as they are. They may be messy, but no one is more fun to watch — and gossip about in a group chat — than a Darren Star heroine
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