Feed aggregator

Previewing a video game prior to its release is a bit like dipping your fingers in cake batter. You can get a fair idea of the flavour, the ingredients, and what it's aiming to be, but any impressions come with the caveat that it still hasn't been baked.

Star Wars Outlaws is like a cake mix in a box. There's nothing inherently wrong with this. The beauty of a box mix is that it's specifically designed to deliver enjoyable, commercially safe results without demanding much effort on your part. However, while pleasant enough, such confections are rarely memorable beyond the point of consumption.

If all you want is to turn your brain off and enjoy some fairly generic gameplay with a Star Wars skin, Star Wars Outlaws may have you covered. But if you were hoping for something richer with a bit more heart, you'll have a better time if you readjust your expectations now.

Sneaking through Star Wars Outlaws Kay Vess and her pet merqaal Nix. Credit: Ubisoft

Developed by Ubisoft Studio Massive Entertainment, Star Wars Outlaws follows Kay Vess, a space scoundrel whose creation was clearly inspired by her more famous predecessor Han Solo. Left with a bounty on her head after a job gone wrong, Kay assembles a team to pull off a massive heist in hopes of paying off the syndicate of space criminals pursuing her.

Mashable didn't get quite that far in the four hours we spent previewing Star Wars Outlaws, which is set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Instead, we explored the savannah moon Toshara and snuck around the snowy planet of Kijimi largely solo — barring Kay's furry, axolotl-like, alien pet Nix (and yes, you can pet the alien).

Stealth features significantly in Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay, befitting Kay's occupation as a space thief. While my blaster was certainly required at times, I preferred and was largely encouraged to avoid battles where possible. Instead, I crouched behind boxes and crept outside of sight lines to pilfer equipment or information, accessing encrypted files via a Wordle-like symbol deduction minigame.

Stealth features significantly in 'Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay, befitting Kay's occupation as a space thief.

Nix was invaluable to these criminal escapades, and a clear highlight of Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay. Capable of attacking or distracting enemies, stealing items, and even activating panels, Kay's merqaal companion makes it much easier to sneak through areas undetected. I enjoyed sending Nix to latch onto peoples' faces so I could knock them out without raising the alarm. He also seemed to have fair self-preservation instincts, so I never had to worry about his safety in a firefight.

My sneaky efforts were further assisted by my enemies' frequently questionable peripheral vision, situational awareness, and ability to detect downed colleagues. This made covertly taking down enemies much easier than it could have been, making me feel relatively accomplished, though I got the impression that I wasn't exactly contending with the brightest stars in the galaxy.

Into the air vent, flyboy Access denied. Credit: Ubisoft

I appreciated that Star Wars Outlaws sometimes offers multiple avenues through which you can achieve your set objective. For example, I could try to rustle up enough credits to pay for access to a restricted area, or simply find a way to sneak in. I initially went for the former, but the gambling mini-game cut me off after I'd only bet on a few space horse races, leaving me without enough for the buy-in on space cards.

Fortunately, I ended up finding a handy dandy Kay-sized air vent leading to the area, which allowed me to save my meagre stash of credits. You'll likely spend a notable amount of time searching for and crawling through vents in Star Wars Outlaws, which are rather useful for infiltrating places you aren't authorised to enter. Seasoned criminal organisations should really have tighter security.

SEE ALSO: Check out the gameplay debut for 'Star Wars Outlaws'

Vents are also a good indicator that you're probably going in the right direction. I had notable difficulty with navigation in Star Wars Outlaws' open world. Despite the direction markers at the top of the screen, there's a relative lack of visual prompts, and it was often unclear exactly how to get where I needed to go. More than once I found myself wandering in circles. While Star Wars Outlaws does use colour to signify climbable surfaces, I found the slight yellow hue so subtle that it often blended with the rest of the scenery, especially when the lighting is also yellow. As a result it's easy to miss areas you can climb, or erroneously attempt to climb surfaces that are merely decorative.

I further found the boundaries of where I was and wasn't allowed to go weren't always clear. Occasionally I found myself unceremoniously thrown out of areas with no warning, having wandered too close to its entrance guards. Not only was this annoying, it also cost me reputation points with the affronted criminal faction.

Star Wars Outlaws makes you the most important outlaw in the galaxy Kay Vess, you'd better choose a side. Credit: Ubisoft

Though the Zerek Besh are Star Wars Outlaws' primary antagonists, Kay will also encounter other criminal organisations such as the Pyke Syndicate and Crimson Dawn. These space gangs do not get along, so you'll have to balance your relationships. Taking on jobs, sharing information, and getting caught infiltrating gang territory can all impact your standing with each faction, and sometimes you'll have to pick a side. This in turn affects your access to quests, areas, and gear from these syndicates.

Fortunately for you, it isn't difficult to begin earning these criminals' approval. There's a lot of talk about suspicion and betrayal, yet everyone seems largely happy to trust Kay immediately. Maybe not with larger jobs, which you'll only be able to access once you've built up a good reputation. Yet warring criminal factions will still entrust Kay with sensitive missions and confidential information despite her being a complete stranger.

The effect is jarring considering that almost everyone around you speaks as though you're embroiled in an environment of deep suspicion. It feels distinctly like playing pretend, which doesn't help with immersion.

Yet it all makes sense if you simply remind yourself: this is very clearly a video game, and Kay is very clearly the protagonist.

A flat Star Wars universe revolving around you A penniless outlaw and rebel with a lowercase R. Credit: Ubisoft

The conceit of Star Wars Outlaws is that you are a criminal living on the fringes of polite society, taking what jobs you can. The Empire is a constant presence, but much in the same way the police are. Intergalactic battles, politics, and power struggles may be occurring, however they don't concern you. You aren't a Skywalker, or even a Solo. You're a nobody.

Despite this, the game's universe constantly reinforces that you, a penniless outlaw and rebel with a lowercase R, are in fact the main character and thus the most important person in the universe. 

You aren't a Skywalker, or even a Solo. You're a nobody.

A mechanic you meet immediately after crash landing inexplicably forces his help on Kay despite her clear hostility toward him. A job broker singles her out and offers her work instantly. Non-player character conversations feel like little skits performed specifically for Kay to overhear, concerning either information specifically relevant to her, or quests she might elect to take up.

Star Wars Outlaws' dialogue frequently felt akin to the stories in mathematics problems, offering a thin veil of narrative to convey a new mechanic or quest. This isn't uncommon in video games, however I found Star Wars Outlaws' stage curtains more sheer than expected or typical. Characters felt like tools for conveying quest information rather than living organisms, which wasn't helped by the lack of realistic reasoning to their actions. 

Meanwhile, enemies wandered around blankly repeating empty, rote lines such as "I can do more than this," "What are we doing here?" and "The boss knows what is best for us." 

It made Star Wars Outlaws' world feel underbaked, especially when compared to more lifelike NPC interactions found in other modern games. Not every NPC needs a deep, rich backstory, but it would be great if they could at least vaguely pass for sentient.

Star Wars Outlaws' appeal lies in being able to explore the universe that so many have come to love since it was first introduced in 1977. Sadly, much of the world felt disappointingly flat. There were pockets of interest, such as in the fantastical yet vaguely familiar cantina food (I was amused to see comically oversized mangosteen in my ship's kitchen). Yet all of the game's elements failed to coalesce into an engaging, rich universe, feeling more like theatre staging.

I must also note that I was disappointed not to hear any jatz (or jizz) in the cantinas. Though the Mos Eisley Cantina's band was an iconic part of A New Hope, Toshara's denizens eschew live music in favour of an uninspiring jukebox. My fingers are crossed that the full release will include a few jatz tunes, but I'm not holding out hope.

Star Wars Outlaws is an empty playground in a galaxy far, far away

A good way to approach Star Wars Outlaws is to think of it as a Star Wars-themed amusement park filled with actors guiding you through a script that centres you as the hero, kind of what Disney's Star Wars hotel intended (and failed) to be. Whether you enjoy yourself will depend on if you can turn off your brain and just lean into the fantasy.

Despite how obviously shallow it was, I still had an inoffensively pleasant four hours previewing Star Wars Outlaws. After all, you typically play a game to play a game. A box cake is still cake. Sometimes you're just in the mood for empty calories. So as long as you aren't expecting anything more, you'll likely have an adequate, forgettable time exploring this galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars Outlaws arrives Aug. 30 on Xbox, PlayStation 5, and PC.

SAVE $59: As of July 30, grab a pair of Apple AirPods (2nd generation), on sale for just $70 at Amazon. That's a 46% discount on their list price of $129 and very close to the all-time low price. Best Buy is matching the deal.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) $69.99 at Amazon
$129.00 Save $59.01 Get Deal

Earbuds are great. You get wireless audio without the bulk of large headphones. That being said, it's difficult to find good ones at an acceptable price. Apple AirPods are the segment leaders, but they can often come with a hefty price tag. However, with this deal, you can get the second-gen AirPods at a big discount even post Prime Day 2024.

As of July 30, you can get Apple AirPods (2nd gen) for just $70, which is $59 off the listing price of $129. That's a discount of 46% and just $1 higher than the lowest price we've seen. If you've been looking to grab these, now is a good time to do it.

There are several models in the AirPods family. These are the base, "vanilla" ones, now in the second generation, which debuted in 2019. Don't let that fool you, though, because these are still pretty feature-loaded, and an especially good value at this discounted price. You get up to five hours of battery life, and an excellent sound signature. However, these miss out on noise cancellation. As part of the Apple ecosystem, you get Siri support for voice commands as well.

John DiMaggio and David Herman unleash their most famous 'Futurama' characters, like Bender and Wernstrom, to recreate iconic movie lines from Titanic and The Big Lebowski in 'Say, Action!"

What's the Olympics without a little celebrity? The 2024 Paris Olympics has seen all the stars come out to support Team USA, but no one's been a bigger fan than Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav.

The iconic rappers have made their presence known around the City of Lights, becoming two of the biggest hype men for our Olympians than anyone in attendance. They're loving it, social media has been loving it, and NBC definitely loves it, nabbing over 34 million viewers on the first day of Olympics coverage alone.

It's crazy what old age and wisdom can do to someone, especially now that the most iconic gangsta rappers of the '90s have basically become wholesome girl dads.

That said, even before the Games started, X (formerly Twitter) was set alight when Snoop brought out the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

There also needs to be a shout-out to Public Enemy founder Flavor Flav, who has been sponsoring the U.S. women's water polo team. It's a pairing you never knew you needed to see until now, with Flav signing a five-year sponsorship deal to help the team's financial woes — thus becoming the team's biggest and official hype man.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

The internet and all the Team USA fans in the country love the vibes they've brought to the events and the sweet, sweet memes that have been created in their wake.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram faced allegations that it had collected facial identification information on millions of users in violation of a state law.

Here we go, folks! Team USA's awe-inspiring women's gymnastics team is gearing up for the podium at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the team finals kicking off today at 12:15 p.m. ET. And all eyes are on Simone Biles as she and her teammates Sunisa Lee, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, and Jordan Chiles go for gold.

Gymnasts will then compete for individual medals later in the week — and every point counts.

SEE ALSO: When is Simone Biles competing at the Olympics today?

That's because artistic gymnastics — the version of the sport you most commonly see on TV screens, different from its equally beautiful sister sport, rhythmic gymnastics — is scored to the near decimal point, with nail-biting finishes and routines that can come down to single foot out of place.

It's all based on a gymnastics scorebook known as the "Code of Points."

But the judges and their scores are historically fickle, and viewers should be used to live commentators capping off jaw-dropping routines with phrases like, "We'll see what the judges say." (Fans of the 2006 cult classic Stick It are all too familiar.)

Even so, there's a basic formula every routine abides by. And the way global competitors, in particular, win medals has its own system. Here's a general overview of how Team USA goes from on the mat to the top of the podium.

How an Olympic gymnastics routine is scored

Gymnasts compete in different events based on apparatuses: Vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor (tumbling). Each routine begins with a base difficulty score of zero, with points added to their difficulty as they include more and more complicated elements, from flips to twists to the order of elements and even the way they're facing when they land. Certain events also have "composition requirements," or skills every gymnast has to complete.

SEE ALSO: Stephen Nedoroscik's pommel horse performance for Team USA gymnastics generates online buzz

During the competition, an athlete can elect to adjust their difficulty score by adding or subtracting elements (like an additional half twist or alternative landing). On a beam routine, for example, this may mean getting on the beam in a simpler way to eliminate an early mistake. Small elements may only cost a few decimal points.

If an athlete attempts all elements in their routine, their difficulty score will be set to its max, decided by the "difficulty panel" of judges. It's the baseline for scoring.

That's just part one. Athletes are then scored by their execution of said routine, rated on a scale of 10. Here's where the confusion lies: Judges on the execution panel are keeping a careful watch on the smallest details as an athlete competes and deduct points for what they deem errors. These can be things like extra steps, bobbles on the beam, flexed feet, bending knees, a hunched posture, and more. You'll see these marked under "penalty score."

Execution scores are then added to the difficulty score for a final total.

Tweet may have been deleted How teams score at the Olympics

Each event feeds into a larger push for a medal, and that includes the team at large. National teams compete in two rounds. During the qualification round, each country elects four athletes to compete per event. Full teams compete in all events, with scores for each gymnast being added together for a total amount of points per event.

You might have seen just one or two athletes from a country during a qualification round — they're going for individual medals, not a team win.

The team will then drop one of its four scores from the total amount for the event, submitting just three valid entries into the final scoring. At the end, all of the event totals are added together for a final, all-encompassing score and, thus, their ranking going into finals.

SEE ALSO: How AI is trying to medal at the Paris Olympics

Team USA ended the qualification round with a grand total of 172.296 points — nearly six points ahead of second place. They will now do it all again heading into the final, alongside the other top seven scorers, but with just three athletes competing per event.

Team USA selected Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles to compete in all four events again. Sunisa Lee will compete on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor. Jade Carey will compete on the vault. Hezly Rivera, the youngest American delegate at the Olympics, will not compete, but she'll still qualify for a medal if Team USA takes the podium.

How individual gymnasts score at the Olympics

As Team USA and its competitors racked up three-digit point totals, judges were also keeping track of each individual gymnast, with a final all around score given to each competitor.

Individuals can win medals in two ways: As an all-around champion with the highest total amount of points or as a winner for a specific event or apparatus (or both). For example, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Team USA walked away with a silver medal in the team competition. Lee took away the all-around gold medal and the bronze in uneven bars, while her teammates brought in gold for floor (Carey), bronze for vault (Mykayla Skinner), and bronze for beam (Biles).

After Sunday's qualification round, Biles, Lee, and Chiles scored the top three spots in total points across all competitors. A country can only send two athletes into the all-around competition, however, and Team USA selected Biles and Lee to compete for the all-around spot.

Tweet may have been deleted Simone Biles is creating her own scoring system

The sport's scoring code has evolved over the last century, picking up speed after the millennium as athletes become faster, stronger, and more daring. Team USA has repeatedly showcased record-breaking scores across events, but Biles has blazed a trail never before seen. Since her debut at the 2016 Olympics, Biles' routines have ramped up their difficulty scores — she even has multiple moves named after her.

Her baseline difficulty scores are so high that scoring a "perfect 10" in execution is often unnecessary. But the added pressure of being the first woman in history to attempt what she does is a hurdle in itself, as judges have routinely "shortchanged" her total scores because there's simply no comparison.

With the finals, maybe the points are finally meeting her where she's leaped ahead.

Tweet may have been deleted

Save $449: Through December 10, new Verizon mobile and home internet customers (on select plans) and current Verizon customers who upgrade to select mobile Unlimited plans can get a free year of NFL Sunday Ticket (up to a $449 value).

Opens in a new window Credit: Verizon / NFL / YouTube NFL Sunday Ticket at Verizon
Free with select mobile or home internet plans Get Deal

Watching every NFL game live is an Olympic sport in itself — unless you have NFL Sunday Ticket, that is.

Memorizing which streaming services air games on which networks on which days is no way to live, considering even mastering that schedule still bars most games that aren't in your network. Rather than settling for the $6.99/month NFL+ plan and watching all of those out-of-network games after they air, Verizon is offering to cover the cost of a full year of NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV — a $449 value.

SEE ALSO: How to watch the gymnastics at Paris 2024 online for free

The deal, which dropped on July 24, is available to new Verizon mobile customers when they buy a select new phone on an Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate line (starting at $55/line), new Verizon internet customers with select Home Internet plans (starting at $45/month), and existing mobile Verizon havers when they upgrade select devices to an Unlimited Plus plan.

Upgrading to one of Verizon's mobile or home internet plans also unlocks other streaming perks, like included Netflix and Max or a discounted Disney bundle, depending on which plan you choose. And, for a limited time, new Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate mobile customers also get six free months of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

If your new phone purchase involves trading in an old one, you might just be able to get that new phone for free. During this promo, Verizon will also cover the cost of your new phone when traded for a Samsung Galaxy S24 or S24+ 5G, S24 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold6 or Flip6, Google Pixel Fold or Pixel 8 Pro, or any iPhone 15 model.

AI models scraping copyrighted work off the internet is a very real problem. Some researchers may have found a solution.

Per MIT Technology Review, some folks at Imperial College London have released research pertaining to "copyright traps," a method they've devised that could help creators figure out if AI has stolen their work. The code for these traps, which is available on GitHub, can hide bits of hidden text throughout copyrighted works that would, theoretically, later show up as smoking guns if AI models were trained on that content.

SEE ALSO: Instagram now lets you create an AI version of yourself

The idea of a copyright trap isn't new to the world, having previously been used for other types of media — but it is new to AI. The nitty-gritty technical details are kind of a lot to parse, but the idea is that strings of gibberish text would be hidden somewhere on a page — like in the source code, for instance — and would be detectable if used to train large language models.

The researchers admitted that this is imperfect. Someone who knows to look for the traps could find and remove them, for instance. But with copyright arguments constantly happening around generative AI, it only makes sense that people would work on ways for creators to fight back.

SAVE 20%: The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 portable Bluetooth speaker is on sale at Amazon for just $79.99, down from the usual price of $99.99. That's a savings of $20 which also matches its discounted price during Prime Day.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ultimate Ears Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 portable Bluetooth speaker $79.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $20.00 Get Deal

Summer is a busy time for all of us. Whether you're trying to keep the kids entertained over summer break or jetting off on a European holiday, we're often looking at packed calendars. If you were too busy to shop the great deals during Amazon Prime Day in mid-July, you're still in luck. An ideal summer speaker is back on sale for it's Prime Day price again today.

As of July 30, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 portable Bluetooth speaker is just $79.99 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $99.99. That's a 20% discount or a savings of $20. This sale price matches its Prime Day pricing.

When it comes to a portable Bluetooth speaker that's worthy of summer activities, you want something that's both durable and waterproof. Enter the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4, which not only carries those two accolades, it comes with an impressive battery life of up to 14 hours.

SEE ALSO: Review: Bose QuietComfort Ultra are the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn

The Wonderboom 4 also excels when listening to tunes in the backyard thanks to the Outdoor Boost mode. Or bring it inside and Podcast mode which focuses on clear and rich vocals.

It's pool and beach worthy, thanks to waterproofing that can withstand submersion in water up to one meter deep for 30 minutes. This also means it's a great speaker for the shower.

If you're looking for a new Bluetooth speaker to accompany you to end-of-summer barbecues or the last visits to the beach, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 could be prefect. Thanks to today's sale price at Amazon, you'll be getting it for 20% off, which matches the discount we saw during Prime Day in mid-July. A win for sound quality and a win for sale price.

SAVE $11.02: As of July 30, get the Thermacell Mosquito Rechargeable Repeller for $28.97 at Amazon. That's a discount of 28%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Thermacell Mosquito Rechargeable Repeller $28.97 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $11.02 Get Deal

The weather's warm, the sun is shining, and the mosquitos are out in full force. Sure, you can slather yourself in mosquito repellent or light a candle. But why do that when you could buy a device that helps repel the pests in the first place? Stop letting these winged beasts infiltrate your domain while you're trying to have a pleasant evening in your backyard. It's time you added a mosquito repeller to your home, and time for mosquitos and other insects to buzz off.

As of July 30, the Thermacell Mosquito Rechargeable Repeller is just $28.97 at Amazon. That's $11.02 off its normal price of $39.99 and a 28% discount.

This simple device can keep mosquitoes up to 20 feet away. It's small, perfectly portable, and comes with a battery that lasts up to 5.5 hours. Just place it wherever you find it'll be the most effective, whether that's on your porch, your deck, poolside, or patio. It can diffuse repellent for a 20-foot zone of protection from mosquitoes without DEET and even distribution so the mosquitoes don't even have a chance to get around you.

This isn't a zapper, you don't need extra bug spray to supplement it, and there's no scent, smoke, flames or harmful chemicals emitted as it's been tested and reviewed by the EPA for safety. Just sit back, relax, and let it do all the work. And kiss all those mosquito bites goodbye.

This package comes with the repeller, which has a rechargeable battery, a 12-hour refill, and a USB charging cable. If you find mosquitoes are regularly bugging you, it might be time to bring out the big guns.

The Senate was set to pass the Kids Online Safety Act on Tuesday, but the legislation faces an uphill battle in the House because of censorship concerns.

Gymnastics legend Simone Biles — perhaps the biggest star at the 2024 Paris Olympics (sorry, Pommel Horse Guy) — is set to compete for gold on Tuesday, a welcome return to the world's biggest stage for perhaps the best to ever do it.

Biles is scheduled to compete in the women's gymnastics team final, which begins at 12:15 p.m. ET. If you tune in, expect to see lots of Biles. She's expected to compete in the all-around, vault, floor, and beam events.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 'Simone Biles Rising' is essential Paris 2024 viewing

This is a big deal for Biles to return for the team final. She withdrew from the last Olympics in Tokyo just before the team finals after suffering an injury and having a case of the "twisties," which are effectively the yips for gymnastics. It has been an amazing journey of growth for Biles. She went from a mental block preventing her from doing what she does best all the way back to the world's biggest stage on Tuesday.

Tweet may have been deleted How to watch the women's gymnastics team finals

There are a few ways to watch Biles compete on Tuesday.

You can tune to NBC starting at 12:15 p.m. ET to watch the team finals. If you have Peacock, you can also stream the broadcast there. If you have a cable log-in with NBC, you can also stream most events on NBC's Olympics website.

The competition will also reair on NBC's prime-time broadcast of the 2024 Paris Olympics, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Believe it or not, it's been 10 days since a global computer outage took down some of the world's biggest companies.

The issue was caused by an error in a software update from CrowdStrike, a third-party cybersecurity company. Since all of the affected devices were Windows-based PCs, Microsoft faced criticism for the outage, too.

In a new blog post over the weekend, Microsoft shared its own analysis of the CrowdStrike situation and offered solutions to ensure an outage of this scale doesn't happen again.

However, one interesting piece of information in the blog post, as noticed by TechRadar, is that Microsoft claims that the number of reported affected devices was vastly underestimated.

CrowdStrike outage impacted more devices than initially reported

One day, after the CrowdStrike outage, Microsoft reported that 8.5 million Windows machines were affected by the error in the cybersecurity company's software update. 

Now, in its latest update, Microsoft has shared that the 8.5 million number is just a small "subset" of devices actually affected. Microsoft did not share the actual estimated number of affected Windows devices. But, it clearly seems to be many millions more than it previously revealed.

According to Microsoft, the 8.5 million figure that was shared came from devices that shared crash reports with the company. Crash reports are an optional feature, which automatically lets Microsoft know when a system encounters an error. If a consumer or company decides not to share crash reports with Microsoft, the company isn't pinged with the issue. As such, they would not be counted in the affected devices estimate.

While most of the millions of Microsoft computers have been fixed at this point, the industry is still gripping with how this could have been allowed to happen.

Microsoft's next steps

The reason why the CrowdStrike update error caused so much damage was because it runs at the kernel level, which is the core part of the operating system. This is why when the update error occurred, it didn't just affect CrowdStrike's software. It took the whole computer system down, too, resulting in the dreaded Windows blue screen of death.

Microsoft explained in its post the reasons why cybersecurity software tends to operate at the kernel level, but clearly, after this latest debacle, that approach needs to be reconsidered.

According to Microsoft, the company is currently looking at "reducing the need for kernel drivers to access important security data." Along with that, the company will also be working with third-party vendors to ensure they follow the best practices when rolling out updates. so that they can catch issues before they go live.

According to CrowdStrike, as of last Thursday, 97 percent of affected devices are back online.

With so much focus on Team Black and Team Green in House of the Dragon Season 2, it can sometimes be tricky to keep track of all the other Houses and their allegiances.

Take the brief Small Council meeting in King's Landing in episode 7, for instance, during which an update on the war effort gets quickly derailed by the arrival of a visiting dragon. Just before Prince Regent Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) goes charging off on Vhagar, Lord Jasper Wylde (Paul Kennedy) gives the following info on the Hightowers.

"Lord Ormund Hightower makes slow progress," he says. "There is great concern that his host is threatened on two fronts by armies allied with House Beesbury."

This comment is easy to miss or forget, but it will likely prove crucial further down the line. The Hightowers — one of Team Green's main allies as Queen Dowager Alicent's (Olivia Cooke) lot — are having difficulty joining the war effort because another House is at their throats: House Beesbury.

But who exactly are House Beesbury, and why don't they like the Hightowers?

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2, episode 7: Did Rhaenyra know Vermithor would do that? Why is House Beesbury at war with the Hightowers?

House Beesbury has a pretty good reason to hate the Hightowers, but we have to jump back to House of the Dragon Season 1 to find it.

Basically, back when the war was about to kick off in Westeros following King Viserys' death, then Master of Coin Lord Lyman Beesbury (Bill Paterson) was one of the few Small Council members to protest against Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) being placed on the Iron Throne over Viserys' named heir, Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy).

Featured Video For You House of the Dragon Season 1: Everything you need to remember about Season 1 in 60 seconds

Lord Beesbury's resulting death wasn't the goriest in House of the Dragon, but it was certainly a memorable one: Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) shoved him so hard back into his seat that his head was crushed against the little marble of office that everyone in the Small Council has.

Lord Beesbury, moments before having his head caved in. Credit: HBO

That's right: The reason House Beesbury now hates the Hightowers, and Team Green are having to fight a war on a whole other front, is down to Westeros' very own public enemy number one, Criston Cole. Yet another piece of evidence to add to the "men's egos causing wars" list.

New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

SAVE 31%: The Amazon Kindle Scribe (16GB, basic pen) is on sale at Best Buy for just $234.99, down from the usual price of $339.99. That's a savings of $105 and a better sale price than we've ever seen offered at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Kindle Scribe (16GB, basic pen) $234.99 at Best Buy
$339.99 Save $105.00 Get Deal

Amazon has truly revolutionized the way we shop. Through the mega-retailer we can order just about anything to our doorstep, and it often arrives within just a few days (or hours). Amazon also offers some incredible discounts, especially during Prime Day sales. However, we occasionally find a deal from another retailer that blows Amazon's sale price out of the water. A solid case in points come today on an Amazon product sold at Best Buy.

As of July 30, the Amazon Kindle Scribe (16GB, basic pen) is on sale at Best Buy for just $234.99, marked down from the list price of $339.99. That's a 31% discount or a savings of $105. It's also lower than the best sale price we've ever seen at Amazon.

The Amazon Kindle Scribe is first and foremost an e-reader, allowing you to carry dozens of downloaded or borrowed books on a single device. If you have travel in your future, packing the Kindle Scribe instead of several books to read pool-side will save you big time when it comes to precious suitcase space.

But the Kindle Scribe goes beyond basic reading. It's also a notebook, annotating device, and document viewer. You can use it as a personal notebook to write down thoughts, daily journal, or use it as a virtual sketch book.

SEE ALSO: The Kindle Paperwhite made me enjoy reading books again

If you love to read book-club novels and take notes in the margins, this is the Kindle for you. Plus, you can also load up documents or PDF files for review, with marking up optional. In Mashable's review of the best Kindles, the Scribe earns the title of the best for taking notes.

The Kindle Scribe has a 10.2-inch screen which makes it the largest Kindle model available, and it comes with the stunning Paperwhite display and a glare-free screen.

Included with the deal, you'll get the Kindle Scribe device itself which comes with 16GB of storage, the Amazon basic pen for taking notes on the Scribe, a UBC-C charging cable, and five replacement tips for the pen.

If you've been eyeing the Kindle Scribe or you're heading back to school soon, today's deal at Best Buy marks the lowest price we've ever seen. So if you've been on the fence, now is a great time to make the call and upgrade your reading experience.

Let's be real, we're damn lucky to live in a time when Simone Biles is competing on our screens. The most decorated gymnast in history and an undisputed embodiment of the term GOAT, the 27-year old athlete has owned the world stage and the medal podium for over a decade now. She's swimming in Olympic medals. Five gymnastic skills have been named after her. And with her return to gymnastics topped with the Paris 2024 Olympics, Biles is writing her next glorious chapter.

But it hasn't been an easy cartwheel down the balance beam by any means for Biles — a challenging, compelling road you can join her on in Netflix's excellent docuseries Simone Biles Rising. It's cleverly directed by Katie Walsh with gorgeous cinematography from Jessica Young, both of whom worked on the 2021 Facebook Watch documentary Simone vs Herself. Two episodes of the four-part series have been released on Netflix, with more coming in autumn, and it's the quintessential watch for Olympic enthusiasts, sports fans, and documentary lovers alike.

SEE ALSO: When is Simone Biles competing at the Olympics today? Simone Biles Rising covers a lot of ground

Simone Biles Rising always has Biles' path to Paris on the horizon, but it begins at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, with the first episode mostly focusing on Biles' most challenging career moment to date: her decision to withdraw from the artistic gymnastics women's team final. Biles had the world's eyes firmly fixed on her, navigating intense pressure to bring home the gold. In the final, Biles lost her way midair during a vault, experiencing a disconnection with her spatial awareness — an indication of "the twisties". Biles describes the feeling in her interview as "in jail with my brain and body," and the series digs further into just how dangerous and heartbreaking it can be for a gymnast, as well as the intense psychological stress related to it.

But Biles' decision would redefine the term GOAT and publicly champion the need to take care of oneself. Walsh's documentary examines how much pressure that term actually puts on an athlete, with perfection expected at every turn amid press and social media noise — admirably, Biles is tough enough to read some mean tweets right into the camera. 

SEE ALSO: The 35 best documentaries on Netflix

Some of the most impressive parts of the documentary are the sections in which you're allowed to join Biles back in the gym post-Tokyo, starting her years of training to rebuild, with the 2021 World Championships on the horizon — yep, the one where she landed the never-seen-before Yurchenko double pike. Honestly, watching these training sections, if you're a gymnastics noob like me, you won't see anything wrong — the jaw-dropping skills are out, people. But for Biles, this was a long road to recovery. The word "inspiring" gets thrown around a lot, especially with sports documentaries, but watching Biles keep at it with the support of her teammates and coaches, you can't really put it any other way. 

Simone Biles is frank, courageous, and real about her personal experiences

Ever a powerful speaker, Biles is generously candid about her experiences in her interviews in the documentary, reflecting on caring for her mental health and the impact of trauma on one's mind and body. Notably, Walsh gives Biles the space to reflect on recovery after sexual abuse. In 2018, among the #MeToo movement, Biles came forward with hundreds of women against USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar, who was charged for decades of abuse against over 500 girls and young women — including Olympians Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney. Biles showed incredible courage revisiting her trauma and testifying before the Senate with a powerful statement, and in the documentary, she's generous again in speaking to it alongside her teammates (I can also highly recommend watching Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk's outstanding and enraging documentary Athlete A on Netflix, which specifically centres the survivors and sheds light on the corrupt systems created by USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee that failed to protect athletes.)

Biles also gives viewers a personal insight into private elements of her life, speaking about her childhood and foster care over photo albums, sharing her personal video diaries following her Tokyo exit, and letting viewers into her "forbidden Olympic closet" — a genuine treasure trove fit for a future museum. Watching Biles suddenly confront her Tokyo leotard, the uniform she was wearing during her vault, is deeply moving — and seemingly cathartic for the athlete. But there's plenty of joy too; watching Biles celebrate her successes is a delight to watch. The athlete taking you through all the moves named after her — including "The Biles" — with footage of each staggering skill is the most satisfying flex, and seeing Biles herself ask Siri "how many Olympic medals does Simone Biles have" is pure squeal.

A quintessential and comprehensive portrait of one of the greats — and she's only 27.

Importantly, the series also takes a broader look at gymnastics itself, diving into the unethical pressure put on young athletes. This includes the impact of a lack of proper support for athletes through injuries, namely citing U.S. gymnast Kerri Strug who vaulted with a broken ankle in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The series also covers problematic beauty standards and centred whiteness within gymnastics and the experiences of Black women gymnasts like champions Betty Okino and Dominique Dawes, both of whom are interviewed in the series. Here, Biles also reflects on her epic "Black girl magic" moment sharing the World Championship podium with Brazil's Rebeca Andrade and America's Shilese Jones in 2023, and it rules.

In fact, Biles' personal and professional story is told and supported by an impressive array of talking heads like these, including Biles' mother Nellie, father Ron, and sister Adria, coaches Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and Laurent Landi, teammates including Aly Raisman and Joscelyn Roberson, NCAA gymnastics champion and psychology professor Onnie Willis Rogers, journalists Alice Park and Céline Nony, sports commentator Olly Hogben, and many more. Plus, there's some very sweet moments with her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens, whom Biles married in 2023. 

Ultimately, the first two episodes of Simone Biles Rising are a quintessential and comprehensive portrait of one of the greats — and she's only 27 — amid a broad brush consideration of the state of gymnastics itself by those in it. With two more chapters on the way, the series has already offered a compelling look at Biles' athletic career that will perfectly pair with your Olympic viewing, while giving you an understanding of what it means to rebuild, work hard, and challenge yourself to overcome life's curveballs — whatever form they may take.

How to watch: Simone Biles Rising is now streaming on Netflix.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were sexting your beau and couldn't find the right emoji to make the conversation pop? Well, LELO (the ultra-luxe sex toy brand) is working on making the emoji library better equipped to handle your steamy NSFW exchanges.

SEE ALSO: Is sexting right away on a dating app a red flag? A potential sex toy emoji

The company's asking you to help develop the world's first sex toy emoji (it looks like the suction vibrator SONA 2 Cruise) by signing the "Implement the Sex Toy Emoji in Unicode" petition on Change.org. Less than 100 people have signed as of publication, but LELO is hoping to obtain at least one million signatures. Then, they'll submit the petition to the Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that manages the universal emoji standard (AKA the folks in charge of emojis).

Unicode currently adds new emoji on an annual basis. The latest — which could come to iOS 18 — appear to include a baggy-eyed face, a harp, and a fingerprint. Not very sexy.

This isn't the first time LELO has tried to get a sex toy emoji approved. In 2021, the company launched the "Support our application for an official #sexemoji" campaign, but it only managed to get 1,002 signatures.

"No matter how much we have all started paying attention to our bodies and minds, there's a worrying trend concerning sexual wellness; it is the silence," said LELO CMO Luka Matutinovic in a press release.

"We can talk about supplements, about mental health, but at the same time dread talking about masturbation. Both in the context of self-care and the context of pleasure! This also makes masturbation incredibly difficult to study," he continued. "People get increasingly uncomfortable with disclosing such personal and intimate details of their lives. As a sexual wellness brand, LELO is acutely aware of the lack of conversation surrounding the topic of masturbation."

A LELO survey shows that 76 percent of respondents use emojis when communicating about sex — so why not make life easier with a vibrator emoji?

Right now, we're stuck with peaches, eggplants, and water droplets (the most popular emojis among LELO's survey participants, by the way). While these emojis might subtly get the message across, they often turn intimate moments into a bit of a joke. (Genmoji, the ability to create our own emoji, likely won't help this front.) We're adults, and we deserve emojis that reflect the nuances of our desires without resorting to silly fruit metaphors.

"It is said that shame disappears when you create safe spaces for stories to be told," said Matutinovic. "We would like to add that having adequate words or substitution for words, like an emoji, further helps erase the shame. It is because of this that the next milestone in fully liberating the discourse on sex is this sex toy emoji."

Tesla has issued a recall for 1.8 million cars in the United States, one of the largest recalls in the company's history.

The issue has to do with the cars' software failing to detect an unlatched hood, Reuters reported on Tuesday. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an unlatched hood can "fully open and obstruct the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash."

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk sets new date for Tesla's Robotaxi reveal

The recall affects some 2021-2024 Model 3, Model S, and Model X cars, as well as 2020-2024 Model Y vehicles. The total number of vehicles that are potentially affected is 1,849,648.

Fortunately for Tesla and Tesla car owners, this is one of those recalls which can be fixed via an over-the-air software update, and Tesla has already started rolling out a fix. The company also issued a smaller recall for a similar issue earlier in July.

Tesla's list of recalls is growing long. While most issues were fixed with a software update, some, like the recent recall of nearly all Cybertrucks over a windshield wiper issue, did require owners to visit a Tesla service center.

The latest recall affects the majority of Tesla cars on the road, but it's not as big as the recall from last December, which affected more than 2 million Teslas, which was basically all of them at the time.

Tesla keeps an official, though oddly sparse, list of recalls affecting its vehicles on its website.

TL;DR: Stream a replay of the artistic gymnastics men’s team final at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There have been many massive moments at Paris 2024, but the fact that the U.S. men's gymnastics team has won an Olympic medal for the first time in 16 years should not go unnoticed. In fact, we encourage everyone to watch a replay of the event.

If you want to watch the a replay of the artistic gymnastics men’s team final at Paris 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch a replay of the artistic gymnastics men’s team final

A replay of the artistic gymnastics men’s team final at Paris 2024 is available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites like BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Stream a replay of the artistic gymnastics men’s team final at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you time to stream a replay of the artistic gymnastics men’s team final at Paris 2024 (plus all the live events still to come) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• 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 a replay of the artistic gymnastics men’s team final at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.

BTS' Jimin and Jungkook made a travel show and the Disney+ trailer for "Are You Sure?" looks as delightful as that sounds.