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TL;DR: Get a 4K dual-camera drone with intelligent obstacle avoidance for just $64.97 (reg. $119) through July 21.
Opens in a new window Credit: RochasDivineMart 4K Dual-Camera Drone for Beginners with Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance $64.97 at The Mashable ShopPlanning some big outings this summer? If you're spending time outdoors, you can make sure you have proof of your adventures with drone footage. If you've been putting off getting into drone photography because it seems too complicated, this 4K dual-camera drone is a great option because it's designed with intelligent obstacle avoidance and other features for easier flying and image capturing.
Equipped with two cameras, this device is built to help beginners achieve clear drone photography without any prior drone experience. And you can currently save $54 off the usual price and get one for $64.97 if you order by July 21.
This remote-controlled drone comes equipped with an HD 4K 90-degree front camera and a 120-degree wide-angle bottom camera. The optical flow positioning helps it capture activities down below as it hovers while it snaps away.
Built with drone newbies in mind, this model has a one-key start and stop to make taking off and landing much easier. Gesture control is designed to allow you to make hand motions from below to take photos or videos, and the three-way obstacle avoidance is built to prevent your drone from collisions. It's a good learning tool for aspiring drone photographers and kids alike.
The foldable and adjustable design should be handy for taking it along on your adventures, or simply for when you want to pack it away.
Get the 4K dual-camera drone for beginners with intelligent obstacle avoidance for only $64.97 (reg. $119) through July 21 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed for this price drop.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
We're halfway through 2024, so it's time for a roundup of the most recent and best listening opportunities available in the form of the podcast. This time, we've got everything from nostalgic rewatching to journeys into the darkness of the human mind to interrogations of history. You'll find well-known favorites with new seasons, like Slow Burn and Long Shadow, plus some debuts onto the scene in the form of neat packages, like Three.
So peruse our list, and get ready to spend the second half of the year inside your latest obsession.
1. Again With ThisA great rewatch podcast enables a listener to engage with their nostalgia, while also making sure they don't take it too seriously. Again With This is hosted by Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting, co-creators of Television Without Pity and Previously.TV; this podcast returns us to the days when our TVs brought us the weekly magic that was Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, and most recently, Dawson's Creek. Ariano and Bunting revisit every episode with an unflinchingly shrewd eye toward the details we either never noticed or pretended we didn't see (i.e., the felonious relationship between young Pacey Witter and his teacher). Prepare to see the blush fall off the rose of your youth, and get ready to laugh boisterously in public.
How to listen: Again With This is available on Spotify.
2. The Secrets We KeepIs there something you've never told anyone? What would it take for you to reveal that secret? In this five-part series from New England Public Media, host Karen Brown talks to folks about the secrets they have around topics considered taboo, including abortion, money, and sexuality, and how keeping their secrets has impacted their lives, especially for those who come to occupy the political stage. Here's a podcast that can help us feel less alone as we ask ourselves the question: Do we ever have a responsibility to tell our secrets?
How to listen: The Secrets We Keep is available on Spotify.
3. ThreeOn July 6, 2012, 16-year-old Skylar Neese disappeared into the woods in Wayne Township, Pennsylvania, across the state line from her home in Star City, West Virginia. In December 2012, Neese's best friend, Rachel Shoaf, confessed that she, along with Neese's other best friend, Sheila Eddy, had stabbed Neese to death that night in July. Created and hosted by journalists Justine Harman and Holly Millea, Three is a 10-episode series about the events that led up to Neese's murder. Harman and Millea interview Skylar's family and close friends, as well as investigators on the case, about the chilling dynamic at the heart of this teen triangle — and how it reached its sinister pinnacle.
How to listen: Three is available on Spotify.
4. Radio RentalRemember, if you can, the sound of a videotape sliding into a VCR (if you don't know what I'm talking about, here you go). If that sound makes you feel nostalgic and ready to watch some movies that will make your blood curdle, do yourself a favor and listen to this horror-comedy podcast. In it, Terry Carnation (Rainn Wilson) is the owner of Radio Rental, an '80s video store that houses a collection of strange, scary, and true stories told from the point of view of the people who experienced them. In each episode, Carnation narrates the goings-on inside the store — sometimes there's a void; sometimes a creepy little girl; almost always his very vocal cat, Malachi — setting the scene for tales of the macabre. So grab your fanny pack, get comfortable in your beanbag chair, and don't forget to rewind.
How to listen: Radio Rental is available on Spotify.
5. How to Know What's RealWhat are the things we've come to believe? Why do we believe them, even if and when we know we're constantly confronted with false information every second of the day? Join The Atlantic's Andrea Valdez and Megan Garber as they investigate how our brains process avalanches of disinformation and how we can become more critical. They tackle the idea of "prebunking," how not to perpetuate the spread of bad information, the role of emotion in getting us to click that link, and how your Vanderpump Rules addiction could be impacting your real-life relationships. In a world where we don't always know what to believe, Valdez, Garber, and their expert guests are here to give us the tools to read between the lines.
How to listen: How to Know What's Real is available on Spotify.
6. Hidden BrainHidden Brain is a podcast about human behavior — namely, why we do the things we do, even when we can't explain them. Host Shankar Vedantam dives deep into loneliness, trying too hard, feeling empty, balking when it comes to political conversations, and more. Every episode is a clever and comforting opportunity to glimpse the reasoning behind our most common, and complicated, experiences of being humans.
How to listen: Hidden Brain is available on Spotify.
7. Long Shadow: In Guns We TrustAccording to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 134 mass shootings in the first four months of 2024. In the most recent season of Long Shadow, host Garrett Graff contemplates how we got here. Starting with the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, Graff traces the origins of the Second Amendment, the rise of the NRA and its response to widespread gun violence, as well as the impact on a generation of kids who were raised with lockdown drills. This season will surprise you, as it answers questions you didn't know you had about guns in the U.S. and why, when it comes to keeping each other safe, we can't seem to get out of our own way.
How to listen: Long Shadow: In Guns We Trust is available on Spotify.
8. Slow Burn: Gays Against Briggs"Hope is getting your ass kicked and getting back up," says California State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, setting the tone for the latest season of Slate's Slow Burn. Host Christina Cauterucci and her guests take a close look at the Briggs Initiative, the first-ever referendum on gay rights. The 1978 ballot proposition sought to ban gays and lesbians from working in California public schools, igniting the burgeoning violence against the LGBTQ community and inspiring generations of activists in a fight for their jobs, their chosen families, and their futures.
How to listen: Slow Burn: Gays Against Briggs is available on Spotify.
9. Second SundaySecond Sunday is a podcast that illuminates the universal inside the particular. Hosts Darren and Esther delve into the experiences of being queer inside the Black church. Every episode features a guest with perspective on how to hold complicated ideas and feelings. How do you not only stay, but flourish, in places where you aren't accepted for who you are? When do you hit the eject button, if ever? How do we take care of ourselves? In season two, Darren, Esther, and their guests examine what it looks like to explore faith outside of a traditional church setting, with creative voices imagining identity and religion beyond rigidity.
How to listen: Second Sunday is available on Spotify.
10. Embedded: SupermajorityThe latest season of Embedded, NPR's documentary podcast, takes us to Tennessee, where host and reporter Meribah Knight follows three conservative moms as they confront the state legislature after the 2023 shooting at The Covenant School, only to learn that the very same political structures that have seemingly been on their side for years actually have no interest in helping them. As we know, politics and identity go hand in hand, and this season will go on to reveal what happens when events make us question who we are, what we believe, who we can trust, and how we can make change.
How to listen: Embedded: Supermajority is available on Apple Podcasts.
The universe may teem with tiny alien microbes.
After all, scientists suspect such primitive organisms could even dwell nearby on other worlds in our very solar system — in briny oceans beneath shells of ice. We can't be sure, of course. Microbes can't beam us any messages. (Though we have plans to look for them.)
But scientists have been getting a clearer picture of why no far-off intelligent civilizations — among the trillions and trillions of planets in the universe — have called us, or why we haven't picked up even a hint of their existence. A compelling new idea, published in the journal Scientific Reports, shows how challenging it would be for a planet to gradually evolve intelligent, communicating life. Such a world, they argue, would need both oceans and continents, and the surface must be in geologic motion (which we call "plate tectonics") for at least some 500 million years.
When other factors are considered — such as the fraction of hospitable planets that host any life at all and how long a signal-emitting civilization might last — the possibility of many active, communicating civilizations in space looks implausible.
"It's like winning the lottery," Taras Gerya, a geophysicist at the research university ETH Zurich in Switzerland and an author of the study, told Mashable. "It can be so rare that we don't have much of a chance to be contacted," added Gerya, who coauthored the study with Robert Stern, a geoscientist at the University of Texas at Dallas.
SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.Estimates of the number of advanced communicating civilizations in our galaxy range widely, but are generally high. They all use an elegant, simple formula, called the Drake Equation (shown below), to guide the prediction. The Drake equation itself, created by astronomer Frank Drake in 1961, doesn't predict anything — but calculates an answer based on several inputs. A recent proposal suggests there should be at least 36 civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy. Drake surmised there could be some 10,000 civilizations scattered around our galaxy — which would make for a bustling, Star Wars-like realm.
"It's like winning the lottery."The new research estimates, however, are considerably lower.
"It can be as low as only four out of 10,000 galaxies having one civilization," Gerya said. "But having one or two per galaxy is still not impossible," he added.
Indeed, this galaxy has at least one. But other galaxies might not be so lucky.
An artist's conception of the exoplanet Kepler-186f, an Earth-size world 500 light-years away orbiting in its solar system's "habitable zone," meaning the planet could host liquid water. Credit: NASA Ames / JPL-Caltech / T. Pyle The scarcity of alien civilizationsIt's not unusual for experts to suspect that communicating civilizations are scarce. Pascal Lee, a senior planetary scientist at the SETI Institute, an organization researching the origins and prevalence of life in the universe, thinks the number of intelligent, communicating civilizations in our galaxy, which NASA estimates has some 100 to 400 billion stars (and many more planets), is around one.
"It's not too surprising that we could be alone in our galaxy," Lee, who had no role in the new research, told Mashable.
Both Lee and the new study have separately focused on a specific component of the Drake Equation, which they find dramatically lowers the likelihood of a communicating civilization: It's the variable "fi" (pronounced "f sub i"), which SETI describes as the fraction of life-bearing planets on which intelligent life emerges.
Here's the Drake equation with the important variable fi:
N = R∗ × fp × ne × fl × fi × fc × L
N = the number of civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy that can communicate
R∗ = the average rate of star formation in our galaxy
fp = the fraction of those stars with planets
ne = the number of planets around each star harboring suitable environments for life
fl = the fraction of planets where any life emerges
fi = the fraction of planets with life that develops intelligent life / civilizations
fc = the fraction of civilizations with technology to emit detectable signs of their existence
L = the average length of time a civilization produces signs of their existence
What made Earth special, the new research argues, isn't just that it harbored the relatively pleasant conditions for temperate oceans to exist among sprawling continents. The outer part of Earth also operated geologically for hundreds of millions of years — meaning the tectonic plates that make up our planet's crust gradually moved, altering the continents and seas. These conditions stoked the biological evolution that eventually spawned our civilization, the researchers say.
But these planetary factors occurring together, which they propose make up the fraction of planets that develop civilizations (fi), is probably an extreme rarity (for example, it's probably uncommon for a planet to have the right recipe of materials, size, and gravity for plate tectonics to occur). The researchers estimate it's a range between under 0.00003 to 0.002 percent of all planets. That means, quite optimistically, two out of 1,000 planets where life actually emerges might develop a civilization.
A deep view of the cosmos captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Every object, except for the six-pointed foreground stars, is an entire galaxy. Credit: ESA Webb / NASA / CSA / A. MartelWhy might shifting plates on Earth's surface, such as the Pacific and North American plates, be so critical to the evolution of advanced communicating civilizations? Imagine two planets with large continents and oceans: one with a billion years of plate tectonics, and one without. On the planet with no movement, like Mars when it harbored seas, the land masses do not move. Everything is largely static. "As a result, life stays as is or evolves very slowly," Gerya explains. "You're happy as is, so why should you evolve?"
Yet dramatic changes in continents — and their coastlines, climates, and beyond — drive species to evolve. "That's what plate tectonics does," Gerya emphasized. "It's always pushing complex species to change." On Earth, during the Neoproterozoic Era (around 1 billion to 540 million years ago), modern plate tectonics "dramatically accelerated" the emergence of complex species, the authors argue. "Species are pushed toward adaptations or dispersal," Gerya said. "It creates a very dynamic situation."
After 3 billion years of microbes dominating Earth, the first fossil record of animals appears during this period. The seas teemed with life. The first dinosaurs emerged. Sharks, reptiles, insects, birds, and mammals came into existence.
"That's what plate tectonics does. It's always pushing complex species to change."This was the start of the long, uncertain highway towards a civilization. We arrived, but not long ago: human civilizations have only been around for some 5,500 years.
Yet the long-lived tectonics argument is far from the only thing, or things, that might have allowed rare intelligent life to eventually blossom on Earth.
"The problem is we don't know what factually allowed life to really emerge and become intelligent," said SETI's Lee, emphasizing there are a number of intriguing possibilities.
Plumes of water ice shooting out of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The briny ocean below could potentially sustain life. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSIA giant asteroid wiping out most dinosaurs (but not the avian ones!) may have helped the human cause. In the aftermath of the cataclysmic event, mammals and burrowing animals could now dominate a surface largely devoid of dinosaurs. "They became the apex predators on the surface of Earth, and eventually led to us," Lee noted. Some have made the argument that our unusually large moon (relative to Earth) is responsible for creating the balanced environs needed for life to thrive. The gravitationally-influential moon stabilized our world's chaotic spin, so it would no longer wobble dramatically over time, like on Mars, igniting climate chaos. Or, perhaps, the reason it took so long for intelligent life to evolve on Earth was simply because for eons there was no evolutionary need for life to become smart enough to build interstellar-voyaging craft and beam signals through space.
"Dinosaurs never needed to come up with a radio telescope or an FM radio," Lee said. (Dinosaurs persisted for 165 million years. Our species has been around for some 300,000 years, and only invented the lightbulb 145 years ago.)
"Dinosaurs never needed to come up with a radio telescope or an FM radio."Indeed, it might be that our world is exceptional. Perhaps, on average, only one communicating civilization exists in a galaxy at any one time. Or four for every 10,000 galaxies. Or somewhere in between. The only certainty we have is a communicating civilization, for all of its woes and flaws, exists on Earth. And it's achieved great things.
"It would be a big loss for the universe if our civilization failed," Gerya said.
There are times you just need a chill down your spine to shake off the doldrums and know you’re alive.
When this craving hits, nothing satisfies quite like a great thriller. Such suspense-rich movies give us a first-class ticket to journeys wild, winding, and exciting. They invite us to live vicariously through charismatic crooks, on-the-run assassins, vengeance-seeking vigilantes, and twisted souls who thirst for destruction.
If you're in search of cinema that will rattle your nerves and leave you breathless, we've got just the thing. Whether you want something new or classic, fun or frightening, mind-bending or heartwarming, there’s a perfect pick just for you.
Here are the 20 best thrillers on Max now available.
1. M"M" is the mark of a murderer in this unnerving Fritz Lang classic, which boasts layers of sinister thrills. Released in 1931, this German gem explored the terrors of "stranger danger" way ahead of its time by tracking the crimes of a sneaky child killer. Rather than show kids slaughtered onscreen, Lang employed German Expressionism to imply carnage, thus turning an abandoned balloon into a horrific image. Suspense is wrought not only from the threat that this merciless murderer will strike again, but also from a raging mob's mounting quest for vigilante justice. With wide eyes and an unsettling screen presence, Peter Lorre made his mark with this role of a revolting fiend. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
How to watch: M is now streaming on Max.
2. Kimi Credit: HBO Max and Warner Bros PicturesWhat would you do if you overheard a crime being committed? That's the curious question that plays at the core of Steven Soderbergh's 2022 thriller, written by Jurassic Park's David Koepp. Named for a virtual personal assistant that recorded audio of a seemingly deadly incident, Kimi stars Zoë Kravitz as Angela Childs, a tech worker whose sharp ear and big heart mean she can't walk away once the screams play. In tracking down the truth, Angela will face off against corporate greed, mysterious stalkers, and her struggles with crippling agoraphobia. Laced with psychological suspense and a mesmerizing mystery, this thriller will have you on the edge of your seat...and maybe side-eying your Echo. — K.P.
How to watch: Kimi is now streaming on Max.
3. Black SwanNatalie Portman justly won the Best Actress Oscar for her fiercely committed turn here as lead ballet dancer Nina Sayers, whose tippy-toes aren't the only thing snapping under the weight of all that stress in writer/director Darren Aronofsky's 2010 psychological thriller. Boxed in by a smothering mother at home (Barbara Hershey) and a handsy artistic director at work (Vincent Cassel at his seductive-slimiest), all it takes is for a rival dancer named Lily (Mila Kunis) to start poking at her for Nina to completely unravel into a heap of black-and-white feathers on the floor.
With a tone pitched somewhere between Showgirls and The Red Shoes, Aronofsky drags us pirouette-first into the mindset of a dancer's obsession with achieving athletic perfection, no matter the damage; Nina basically wills her bones to snap into the exact right place or else. All that, plus Winona Ryder chewing the scenery as the Cristal to Portman's Nomi – such camp, such bliss, such sinister fun.
How to watch: Black Swan is now streaming on Max.
4. Blood Simple Credit: © Circle Films / Courtesy Everett CollectionThe Coen Brothers made their name right out of the gate with this killer 1984 neo-noir, their very first film. The film stars John Getz as Ray, a bartender at an Austin dive bar who begins having an affair with Abby (Frances McDormand), the wife of his sleazy boss Julian (Dan Hedaya). Enter a private detective named Visser (a classic turn from legendary character actor M. Emmet Walsh), and soon enough everybody's double-crossing each other and it's all turning to shit as quick as you can say holy gumshoe. If that plot sounds like the plot of a million noirs that came before it, just you wait. The Coens' script is as knotty as we've now come to expect from the pair, twisting those rote noir conventions into pretzels and then exploding it all outward into a brutality that truly leaves a mark.
How to watch: Blood Simple is now streaming on Max.
SEE ALSO: Every single Coen brothers movie, ranked from 'Blood Simple' to 'Drive-Away Dolls' 5. The Killing of a Sacred DeerWhile there's a lot of competition for the title of Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos' nastiest movie, I don't think anyone would raise a ruckus if you named this 2017 film of his, which stars Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman as a married couple who find their family inexplicably terrorized by Martin (a pre-Saltburn Barry Keoghan).
Martin just shows up one day and happily informs Steven's family that they will all start going through several horrible stages of illness, all leading to death for everyone if one member of the family isn't sacrificed. And then we're forced to watch him sloppily eat spaghetti in a white t-shirt. It's traumatic! Like a home invasion thriller on a ketamine drip, The Killing of a Sacred Deer feels like what would happen if Michael Haneke had a sense of humor. Truly deranged.
How to watch: The Killing of a Sacred Deer is now streaming on Max.
6. Clear and Present DangerBefore Tom Clancy's famed CIA agent Jack Ryan got himself a streaming series starring John Krasinski but after he was played by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October, Harrison Ford tackled the role in two films directed by Philip Noyce — Patriot Games in 1992 and this 1994 thriller. Both are worth your time, and both are streaming on Max, but I'm partial to the second one, which is so thick with ace character actors having a blast in diabolical little roles that you'll find it dizzying from scene to scene. We're talking Willem Dafoe, Henry Czerny, James Earl Jones, Anne Archer, and Donald Moffat and those illustrious eyebrows of his. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled Clark Gregg and Benjamin Bratt as hot little babyfaces in uniform. The plot is some typically convoluted nonsense about conspiracies and drug cartels and double- and triple-crosses — it's all just an excuse for Harrison Ford to furrow his brow and kick some ass. Which is the best excuse there is!
How to watch: Clear and Present Danger is now streaming on Max.
7. It Comes at Night Credit: Eric Mcnatt / Animal Kingdom / Kobal / ShutterstockTerrifyingly intimate and awash with a truly creepy darkness, this thriller from writer/director Trey Edward Shults has acquired an extra level of resonance since its release in 2017. Paul (Joel Edgerton), Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and their son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) live together in a small, boarded-up cabin in the woods. The world around them has been decimated by a horrific disease, and they've just narrowly managed to avoid being infected themselves. All's going well enough — or as well as can be expected, given the whole "deadly global pandemic" thing — until another family (Christopher Abbott, Riley Keough, and Griffin Robert Faulkner) show up, and quickly the suspicions and mistrust between them all becomes too much to bear.
SEE ALSO: Not just for scares: Horror films like 'It Comes at Night' have something to sayDuring the first few months of our real-world COVID pandemic, everybody talked about going back and rewatching Contagion and Outbreak, but too few gave this one, the scariest of them all as far as I'm concerned, a chance. Rectify that!
How to watch: It Comes at Night is now streaming on Max.
8. ParasiteSouth Korean director Bong Joon-ho had been making popular and critical hits in his home country for almost two decades before he made the 2019 class thriller Parasite. But all of that previous success couldn't have prepared anybody for the phenomenon his latest would become; it raked in over $262 million worldwide at the box office and then danced home with four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
A nesting doll of get-rich-quick schemes, Parasite is centered on the poor Kim family (including the legendary Song Kang-ho as its patriarch) who become obsessed with bilking the wealthy Park family out of every cent they can. They do this by infiltrating the oblivious Parks as their servants, one by one — until the Parks' actual servants start taking their revenge, that is. It all comes to a head with weaponized peach fuzz, a biblical rainstorm, and a bloody birthday party from hell. This frazzled tale of the haves versus the have-nots surfed straight to the top of zeitgeist, with good reason.
How to watch: Parasite is now streaming on Max.
9. Infernal Affairs Credit: Miramax / Everett / ShutterstockRemade in 2006 by no less than Martin Scorsese as The Departed, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's twisty 2002 thriller stars Hong Kong legends Andy Lau and Tony Leung as a cop-turned-criminal and a criminal-turned-cop who both get themselves in seriously over their heads. The twosome's clashing machinations to keep their various deeds under cover from the forces out to get them leads to ruin for pretty much everybody. As each one tries to out the other before they get outed first, it's chaos, beautiful chaos! Every action movie in the past two decades wishes and prays it has some of the expertly wound tension this film sparks off with ease.
How to watch: Infernal Affairs is now streaming on Max.
10. Funny GamesIf you like your thrillers to double and triple underline the meaninglessness of human existence, have we got the movie for you! Austrian director Michael Haneke's 1997 classic of cinematic despair stars Susanne Lothar and Ulrich Mühe as Anna and Georg, average middle-class parents to young Schorschi (Stefan Clapczynski) who are heading out to their lake house for a relaxing weekend. Their plans go swiftly awry when two strange young men in tennis whites (Arno Frisch and Frank Giering) show up at their door politely asking to borrow some eggs. Neighborly niceties quickly dissolve into a home invasion nightmare, one from which logic and reason have about as good a chance of escaping as does any object that comes too close to a black hole. (The black hole in this instance is Michael Haneke's heart.)
How to watch: Funny Games is now streaming on Max.
11. DiaboliqueAt a run-down boarding house in the suburbs of Paris, the headmaster Michel Delassalle (Paul Meurisse) is cheating on his sickly wife Christina (Véra Clouzot), a teacher at the school, with a younger sexier teacher named Nicole (Simone Signoret). Michel is such an asshole to everybody that the women team up together to murder him, just to get themselves out from under his thumb. But as we've seen time and again, such diabolical plans never land simply, and director Henri-Georges Clouzot wrings incredible amounts of tension from this simple premise. Diabolique is a true masterpiece of the genre, although I have a bizarre and perhaps singular soft spot for the 1996 remake, with a camp-tastic Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani. Watch it now and be amazed at how every thriller's been thoroughly ripping it off ever since.
How to watch: Diabolique is now streaming on Max.
12. The Thomas Crown Affair Credit: MGM / Kobal / Shutterstock1999 was so stacked with cinematic masterpieces that this incredibly entertaining heist film, a remake of the 1968 Steve McQueen picture, doesn't get nearly as much love as it should. From Die Hard and Predator director John McTiernan, this version stars Pierce Brosnan (in between James Bond movies at the time) as a billionaire who steals a $100 million painting from the Museum of Modern Art, and finds an insurance investigator (Rene Russo, burning up the screen) hot on his tail. In more ways than one!
Facts: This movie is a better Bond movie than any of Brosnan's actual Bond films. It's a sexy and thrilling adult-oriented travelogue full of lush locations, action sequences, and gorgeous mountains of killer clothes. And if you're old enough, you'll remember all of the embarrassing press over the "nude" dress that the then-45-year-old Russo rocks in a memorable dance scene in the movie — because in 1999 it was apparently mind-boggling for a 45-year-old woman to be viewed as sexually desirable? Thank goodness we can all see how silly that was now.
How to watch: The Thomas Crown Affair is now streaming on Max.
13. The AssistantAlthough the name "Harvey Weinstein" is never uttered in this 2019 #MeToo horror film from writer/director Kitty Green, it doesn't have to be. It's clear that Weinstein (and all of the many Weinstein variants out there) is the monster behind its door, each of them using their power to prey on any woman within pawing distance. The great Julia Garner stars here as Jane, a young woman on the verge who we follow over the course of a single day in her duties as an assistant at a film production company in lower Manhattan.
Present and mindful enough to witness the horrifically inappropriate behavior her boss is engaging in but low enough on the totem pole that nobody will listen to her when she tries to speak up, The Assistant is a troubling study of complicity, one that unnerves in its every frame.
How to watch: The Assistant is now streaming on Max.
14. CujoThe 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's book about a rabid Saint Bernard is monstrously simple, but all the more effective for that. Director Lewis Teague (who also did the King adaptation Cat's Eye) spends the vast majority of Cujo's 90-minute runtime focused on Donna (Dee Wallace) and her son Tad (Danny Pintauro), who are trapped in their increasingly hot car with a dwindling amount of food and water — all the while, Cujo is foaming at the mouth just on the other side of their car window, eager to tear them apart. It's as lizard-brained basic a survival tale as they come.
How to watch: Cujo is now streaming on Max.
SEE ALSO: Stephen King teases extract from upcoming 'Cujo' sequel 15. The HitcherIn The Hitcher, '80s twink C. Thomas Howell plays Jim, a young man tasked with delivering a car across the country. But Jim makes the rookie mistake of picking up a hitchhiker, and one who looks like Rutger Hauer at that. He doesn't actually just look like Rutger Hauer – he is played by Rutger Hauer! Even scarier. Nothing good has ever come from the presence of Rutger Hauer. Giving Jim the hilarious fake name of "John Ryder," the hitcher torments Jim up and down the deserted roads of Texas, eventually dragging a sweet little diner waitress named Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh) into the melee too. Bodies pile up left and right, and it all leads to a truly shocking climax — one that could've been avoided if silly old Jim had just obeyed the road's Golden Rule: "Avoid all Rutger Hauers." Well, now he knows.
How to watch: The Hitcher is now streaming on Max.
16. The French ConnectionFamed for its legendary car chase through the streets of New York City, this 1971 police thriller from director William Friedkin stars the great Gene Hackman as the detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, one of his most iconic roles. Doyle is on the hunt for French drug-runner Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) who's smuggled a shit ton of heroin into the country walled up inside of a fancy automobile. Although nobody will be mistaking this for a John Wick movie (and thank goodness for that) The French Connection is still very nearly 104 straight minutes of chase sequences leading into more chase sequences, with Doyle hot on Charnier's tail in an increasingly panicked fashion, all while Hackman gives us a complicated, messy hero sweating and swearing across the margins.
How to watch: The French Connection is now streaming on Max.
17. The Skin I Live In Credit: Moviestore / ShutterstockAlthough there have been plentiful Hitchockian criminal elements laced throughout legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's films over the years, none have leaned quite so hard into straight thriller territory as does this very strange and frequently horrific 2011 film. Riffing fairly explicitly on the classic 1960 horror film Eyes Without a Face, The Skin I Live In stars Almodovar's male muse Antonio Banderas as plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Ledgard. When he's not busy accepting awards for his revolutionary medical procedures, Robert spends his time at home relaxing and grafting human skin onto mice. He also keeps a woman named Vera (Elena Anaya) trapped on his estate so he can practice making her physically perfect. Deeply twisted in psychosexual ways that only Almodovar could dream up, The Skin I Live In should burrow itself right under yours.
How to watch: The Skin I Live In is now streaming on Max.
18. Notes on a ScandalRichard Eyre's 2006 film, an adaptation of Zoë Heller's novel, veers so hard into pure melodrama at times that it is fine to admit its thriller elements are on occasion undercut by the bigness of the performances and the lurid atmosphere. It often feels more like one of those '90s trashy thrillers, like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle or The Crush — just with Oscar-winning thespians Cate Blanchett and Dame Judi Dench as the ones boiling the bunnies this time. But what delicious bunnies they boil!
Blanchett plays Sheba, the new art teacher at the school where hissing old piece-of-work Barbara (Dench) has long ago resigned herself to a life of cat-clutching bitterness and scorn. The two strike up a tentative friendship, which with great speed transmogrifies into an unhinged obsession on Barbara's part. Hey, we get it. She's Cate Blanchett after all. So, when Sheba starts having sex with an underage student, Barbara sees her in — blackmail the pretty lady into loving you! That always works out, right?
In a long and much-respected career of excellent performances, Dench's seething turn as a hardened closet case will always and forever be my favorite work of hers. The nastiness of her set-in repression feels like acid pouring from Barbara's every pore, and oh, how Dench makes it sting.
How to watch: Notes on a Scandal is now streaming on Max.
19. Good TimePropulsive is a good word for what the Safdie brothers accomplished with Good Time, their 2017 thriller starring Robert Pattinson as a sleazy crook who drags everybody around him into a heap of trouble at every possible turn. Pattinson plays a Queens lowlife named Connie who kicks things off by yanking his brother Nick (Benny Safdie), who is intellectually disabled, out of a therapy session so they can rob a bank together.
SEE ALSO: I'll never forgive the Oscars for snubbing 'Good Time'From there, every choice Connie makes leads to awfulness, and yet Connie keeps slipping out of the dire situations he creates like a cockroach making its way through the most invisible of cracks. But as repugnant as Connie is, Pattinson gives what might be his greatest performance to date in the role. The stacked cast includes the late Buddy Duress, a Safdie brothers regular, plus Jennifer Jason Leigh and Barkhad Abdi. This movie is so amped up, it'll propel you right into a heart attack.
How to watch: Good Time is now streaming on Max.
20. Ex MachinaNow that artificial intelligence is actually knocking on our doors, demanding it be let in and take over all of our jobs, why not go back and visit Alex Garland's 2014 nightmare about a sentient, sexy robot who turns out to be far more than her makers can comprehend?
Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is a programmer who's won the honor of spending a week at the extremely fancy estate of the company's CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Nathan is a sexy billionaire tech genius (and thank goodness that none of our billionaire tech geniuses actually look like Oscar Isaac, because that would get very confusing about who we should be rooting for) and he's set up some extra homework for Caleb to do while he's there. Caleb is going to take part in a Turing test with Nathan's latest invention, Ava. Part whirring cyborg, part Alicia Vikander, Ava is all honey pot for Caleb.
SEE ALSO: Every Alex Garland movie, rankedTrapped inside Nathan's middle-of-nowhere modern masterpiece of a manse, the threesome — alongside a silent servant named Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno) — delves into the scientific theories surrounding human consciousness. The results are shockingly sexy… and deeply dangerous.
How to watch: Ex Machina is now streaming on Max.
Opens in a new window Credit: Courtesy of Max Max Watch NowUPDATE: Jun. 27, 2024, 2:57 p.m. EDT This list was updated to reflect the current streaming options.
Even if you're not sold on robot vacuums, manual vacuuming still doesn't have to feel like a chore — not if you have an upright vacuum that you enjoy breaking out. The best stick vacuums are simultaneously compact enough to zip around one-handed and powerful enough to conquer pet hair on carpets and debris blowing around on hard floors. And not for nothing, they're able to reach the spots that a botvac just can't.
Which is better: Robot vacuums or upright vacuums?If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
The convenience of not lifting a finger to clean isn't always worth the cringe that comes with watching a robovac ignoring crumbs under the cabinet lip or eating a laptop charger. Despite impressive upgrades in smart mapping, AI small obstacle avoidance, and debris and floor type sensors over the past few years, even the best robot vacuum cleaners can't match the precision of, you know, an actual human with a brain.
SEE ALSO: The best Dyson vacuums: A guide to the latest versions of stick, ball, and handheld cleanersHowever, your willingness to do it yourself also matters: Whether or not a robot vacuum is worth it really comes down to the time you personally care to spend on vacuuming. I personally have both at the ready at all times and can argue for the value and practicality on either side, depending on the situation. And while I wouldn't want to completely live without the convenience robot vacuums provide when I'm frazzled, I haven't been able to shake the reflex to reach for a cordless stick vacuum in more cases than not. Have scientists looked into this as a genetic trait? Because I'm officially my mother.
So yes, the ideal setup would be to have both — perhaps splitting your budget into spending a few hundred dollars on each rather than splurging on one. But if that's not practical in your home, a cordless upright vacuum is the more robust choice.
Cordless stick vacuums are generally more powerful, as their design is optimal for airflow and includes the real estate to house more powerful motors, cyclone systems that create extra force on top of suction power alone, and a larger dust bin. Manual operation is especially crucial for the upkeep of tricky spots that aren't even on a robot vacuum's radar, like staircases or cars.
SEE ALSO: As a Dyson stan, I wouldn't tell anyone to buy the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuumA robot vacuum's motor can't exceed the three or four-inch clearance that the vac needs to scoot its whole body under furniture. The motor of an upright vacuum typically lives completely separately from the vacuum head and roller brush and is thus under fewer constraints. So, not only do stick vacuums have bigger, better motors that create stronger centrifugal force, but you can also bring the vac to the exact right spots because you're the one steering.
After testing top vacuums from brands like Dyson, Shark, and LG, we created this guide to the best cordless stick vacuums. Go ahead and free yourself from the shackles of the wall outlet in 2024.
TL;DR: Live stream action from all 16 days of Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
This has been a huge year for sport. We've been treated to the T20 World Cup, Euro 2024, Copa America, and a host of other top competitions, but the biggest event of the year is still to come: Paris 2024. There really is nothing that can compare.
The best athletes in the world are converging on Paris for weeks of non-stop action in everything from judo to the high jump. So sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for a festival of athletic excellence.
If you want to watch Paris 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
What is Paris 2024?Paris 2024 is an international multi-sport event taking place in France. Paris is the main host city, with 16 other cities around Metropolitan France and Tahiti hosting events. Paris 2024 will feature 329 events in 32 sports.
When is the Paris 2024?Paris 2024 is scheduled to take place from July 26 to Aug. 11.
How to watch Paris 2024 for freeCoverage of all 32 events at Paris 2024 is available to live stream at 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 access free streaming sites like BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:
Sign up for 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 the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream Paris 2024 for free from anywhere in the world
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 gain access to BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to stream all the action from Paris 2024 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.
Live stream Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Watch Germany vs. Denmark in Euro 2024 for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The Euro 2024 group stages delivered on every level, so expectations are high for the knockout rounds. Germany cruised through their first three games without ever really needing to be at their best, but that all changes now. There is no room for error at this stage of the tournament, particularly as Denmark are a dangerous side stacked full of talented players.
If you want to watch Germany vs. Denmark in Euro 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Germany vs. Denmark?Germany vs. Denmark in Euro 2024 kicks off at 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. BST on June 29. This fixture takes place at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, Germany.
How to watch Germany vs. Denmark for freeGermany vs. Denmark in Euro 2024 is being broadcast by ITV, with free live streaming available on ITVX.
ITVX 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 bypass geo-restrictions to access ITVX from anywhere in the world. The process is actually really straightforward.
Access ITVX 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 the UK
Visit ITVX
Stream Germany vs. Denmark in Euro 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but the best VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can gain access to ITVX without actually spending anything. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to stream every remaining Euro 2024 fixture for free from anywhere in the world.
And if you do choose to continue with the service, you'll secure permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world.
What is the best VPN for ITVX?ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on ITVX, 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 Germany vs. Denmark in Euro 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Watch Switzerland vs. Italy in Euro 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Euro 2024 has been nothing short of magical. We've experienced stunning goals, last-minute drama, and electric atmospheres from just about every group-stage fixture. And we're expecting more of the same in the knockout rounds, with Switzerland and Italy kicking things off in a fascinating matchup.
If you want to watch Switzerland vs. Italy in Euro 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Switzerland vs. Italy?Switzerland vs. Italy in Euro 2024 kicks off at 12 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. BST on June 29. This fixture takes place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.
How to watch Switzerland vs. Italy for freeSwitzerland vs. Italy in Euro 2024 is being broadcast by BBC/, with free live streaming available 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 bypass geo-restrictions to access BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Access BBC iPlayer 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 the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Stream Switzerland vs. Italy in Euro 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are unfortunately not free, but they do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to BBC iPlayer without actually spending anything. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to stream every remaining Euro 2024 fixture for free from anywhere in the world.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best choice 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 Switzerland vs. Italy in Euro 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Watch South Africa vs. India in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup final for free on Disney+ Hotstar. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The 2024 Men's T20 World Cup final is finally here, with South Africa and India facing off in a battle for the trophy. We're expecting fireworks from these two exciting sides, and you can watch all the action without spending anything.
If you want to watch South Africa vs. India in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup final for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is South Africa vs. India?South Africa vs. India in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup final starts at 10:30 a.m. ET on June 29. This fixture takes place at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
How to watch South Africa vs. India for freeSmartphone users in India can watch the 2024 Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup for free on Disney+ Hotstar, including the final between and South Africa vs. India.
This content is geo-restricted to India, but anyone can access these free live streams with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access Disney+ Hotstar from anywhere in the world.
Access free live streams of the T20 Cricket World Cup 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 India
Download the Disney+ Hotstar mobile app
Watch South Africa vs. India in the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup final for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but top VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By making the most of these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the T20 World Cup without parting with any cash. This is clearly not a long-term streaming solution, but it does give you time to watch the final before recovering your investment.
And if you do choose to continue using a VPN, you can retain permanent access to free streaming services from around the world.
What is the best VPN for Disney+ Hotstar?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on Disney+ Hotstar, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including India
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 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.
Watch South Africa vs. India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Watch Canada vs. Chile in the 2024 Copa America for free on Sportitalia. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
With the 2024 Copa America being held in the United States, North American teams have once again been invited to take part. Which means exciting times for Canadian football fans, as Canada has been trying to make a name of the international stage.
The Canadians were celebrated underdogs at the 2022 World Cup, but fell at the group stage without a single win. Can they do any better at the 2024 Copa America? They were runners up in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, so they do have some momentum.
They certainly won't have an easy time against Chile, who have flourished in recent years of Copa America action. Indeed, the Chileans won both the 2015 and 2016 editions of the tournament. And after falling at the round of 16 last time out, Chile are looking to prove themselves once again.
If you want to watch Canada vs. Chile in the 2024 Copa America for free from anywhere in the world, here's all the information you need.
When is Canada vs. Chile?Canada vs. Chile in the 2024 Copa America kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on June 29. This fixture takes place at the Exploria Stadium, Orlando.
How to watch Canada vs. Chile for freeCanada vs. Chile in the 2024 Copa America is available to live stream for free on Sportitalia.
Sportitalia is a free streaming platform based in Italy. That means it's geo-blocked for viewers in Italy only. But viewers in other countries can still access the platform via a VPN. By using a VPN you can obscure your IP address, which means masking your real world location, and then connect to a secure server in Italy. This simple process will enable you to skip by any geo-restrictions and watch the 2024 Copa America free of charge — no matter where you are around the globe.
Access free live streams of Copa America 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 Italy
Visit Sportitalia
Watch the 2024 Copa America for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming do require a fee, but you can still watch the 2024 Copa America without spending a dime. That's because the top VPN providers offer incentive deals that include free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. And it's easy to leverage these deals. All you need to do is sign up and take advantage of the trial period. That way you won't spend anything in the long run — and you'll have enough time to watch every 2024 Copa America fixture.
What is the best VPN for Sportitalia?ExpressVPN is the best choice for unblocking Sportitalia to stream live sport for free, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Italy
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 for a limited time — that's an overall saving of 49% off the usual price. Within that deal you'll also get an extra three months of usage with no additional cost, plus an entire year of unlimited cloud backup for your data, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Canada vs. Chile for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Watch Argentina vs. Peru in the 2024 Copa America for free on Sportitalia. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
It's hard to not see Argentina as the clear favorites to win the 2024 Copa America. Not only do they have a certain Lionel Messi in their side, but Argentina are also the defending Copa America and World Cup champions.
It stands to reason that Argentina should come out on top in this group game against Peru. For starters, Argentina are 12 games undefeated against Peru. However, that could provide some extra motivation for Peru. And let's not forget that Peru reached the semi-final of the last Copa America tournament.
If you want to watch Argentina vs. Peru in the 2024 Copa America for free — no matter where you are — we've put together some useful information.
When is Argentina vs. Peru?Argentina vs. Peru in the 2024 Copa America kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on June 29. This fixture takes place at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami.
How to watch Argentina vs. Peru for freeArgentina vs. Peru in the 2024 Copa America is available to live stream for free on Sportitalia.
Sportitalia is a free streaming platform based in Italy. It's geo-blocked, which means it's for viewers in Italy only. But viewers in other countries can access the platform by using a VPN. With a VPN you can obscure your IP address, which will hide your real world location, and connect to a secure server in Italy. That process will enable you to skip past any geo-restrictions and watch 2024 Copa America fixtures free of charge — no matter where you are in the world.
Access free live streams of Copa America 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 Italy
Visit Sportitalia
Watch the 2024 Copa America for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming do require a charge, but you'll still be able to watch the 2024 Copa America without spending anything. That's because most VPN providers offer incentives such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. It's easy to leverage these deals. Simply sign up and use the trial period to watch the 2024 Copa America. That way you won't spend a penny in the long run — and these generous deals will give you enough time to watch every 2024 Copa America fixture.
What is the best VPN for Sportitalia?ExpressVPN is the best choice for unblocking Sportitalia to stream live sport for free, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Italy
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 for a limited time — that's a generous saving of 49%. As part of that deal you'll also get an extra three months of usage with no additional cost, a entire year of unlimited cloud backup, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Argentina vs. Peru for free 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 June 29'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.
Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Chris Rock's character in 2005's Madagascar.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no letters that appear twice.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter Z.
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 Wordle #1106 is...
ZEBRA.
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.
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 June 29'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.
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: Are you asking for the number or adverb
Green: Assemble
Blue: Lay on the ground
Purple: Types of flowers
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Homophones
Green: Connect
Blue: Placed Down
Purple: ___Flower
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 Connections #384 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayHomophones: TO, TOO, TUE, TWO
Connect: COUPLE, TIE, UNTIE, WED
Placed Down: LAID, PLACED, PUT, SAT
___Flower: MAY, SUN, WALL, WILD
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.
Summer, what’s not to love? The days are longer, the shorts are shorter, and road trips and beach days beckon. If you’re totally onboard with summer this year and are looking for devices and gear to take it over the top, Walmart’s got you covered.
Whether you want to throw a Fourth of July dance-off or go off-grid camping for a week and work the entire time, check out these Walmart deals and party on.
Blast your summer soundtrack Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Soundcore Select Pro Portable Speaker by Anker $69.99 at WalmartThis old-school-style boom box has precision-engineered drivers and pumps out party-worthy sound for up to 16 hours, unplugged. The rainbow LED lights blink to the beat — a pretty rad touch — and it’s also fully waterproof. When it accidentally gets knocked into the pool, it will float and the music will play on.
Work from anywhere Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Ultra Slim Bluetooth Keyboard $20.23 at WalmartSync this ultra-thin keyboard with your tablet or phone and take your work setup to your backyard or the beach. This baby is 30 percent smaller than most keyboards and probably weighs less than your phone, so it’s super portable and will slip right into your pack.
Off-grid travel buddy Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker PowerCore III Sense 20K Portable Charger $39.79 at WalmartGlamping without an outlet in sight? This super-slim power bank will keep your devices juiced up for days. The massive 20,000mAh cell capacity can fast-charge an iPhone XS five-and-a-half times and an iPad mini 5 two-and-a-half times via the two PowerIQ USB-A outputs and Power Delivery USB-C input.
Make cool stuff Opens in a new window Credit: Cricut Cricut Explore Air 2 $179.00 at WalmartIf your idea of summer is crafting tee shirts and party invites with the A/C cranked, this cutting machine will be your obsession. Just download the Cricut Design Space app and utilize the six tools to cut, write, score, and foil everything from card stock to fabric and iron-ons. This deal comes with $30 in free content, including a bunch of cool images to get you started.
A breeze in the heat Opens in a new window Credit: Hyper Skute Commute E-Scooter $298.00 at WalmartNeed more ice? Hop on this sturdy e-scooter. The electric motor makes erranding a breeze, and the basket is ideal for hauling party goods. It’ll go 15.5 mph and up to 15 miles on one charge. The LED headlights and rear lights put safety first, and the handlebars fold in for easy storage.
Blast the beats Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones $129.00 at WalmartSummer isn’t summer without these wireless Beats to keep the tunes rolling. The Spatial Audio sound is mind-blowing, and the adjustable headset is cushy enough to wear all day. The battery can last up to 40 hours to power you up for music, gaming, and streaming, and they come with a travel case for road trips.
My Lady Jane raises a big, unapologetic middle finger to history. Based on the novel by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows, this swashbuckling tale — which was inspired very loosely by the story of Lady Jane Grey, the infamous "Nine Days' Queen"— establishes itself as a radical, female-led reimagining of its real-life inspiration. It's hardly the first project to offer up a revisionist history with contemporary flair; a few recent examples include Six the Musical, Mary & George, and The Serpent Queen, to name just a few. However, with its brash, playful script and its surprisingly nuanced take on the damsel-in-distress trope, My Lady Jane is one of the most successful so far.
In an energetic opening montage, a lively, posh male narrator recounts the known history as old time-y sketches covered in crayon scribblings flash quickly before our eyes: Lady Jane Grey was unexpectedly crowned Queen of England after the death of her cousin Edward VI. Then, just nine days later, she was executed for being a traitor.
"Jane could have been the leader England needed, but instead, history remembers her as the ultimate damsel in distress," the voiceover proclaims, before adding simply, "Fuck that."
From the crayon doodles to the sardonic swearing, this spirited introduction makes one thing very clear: This show will present an alternative story, one in which Jane gets a chance to be the hero.
My Lady Jane has a touch of X-Men politics. Kate O'Flynn as Princess Mary, Will Keen as Norfolk, Jason Forbes as Scrope, Brandon Grace as William, Henry Ashton as Stan Dudley, and Isabella Brownson as Katherine Grey in "My Lady Grey." Credit: Jonathan Prime / Prime Video / Amazon MGM StudiosIn this version of Tudor England, there are two kinds of people: the Ethians, who can randomly turn into animals, and the Verities, who cannot. This fantastical take on the much-less-fun conflict between Protestants and Catholics that raged in England at the time sets up a tense political divide. In reality, King Henry VIII was a Catholic whose break from the church through his divorce from his first wife (and later his sixth wife) led to the rise of Protestantism. His son, Edward, was raised as a Protestant, while his daughter, Mary, was a devout Catholic. In this version, it's a little more fun; Edward is half-heartedly trying to weed out Ethians (aka Protestants) from society, exiling them to the woods. Mary, on the other hand, despises the shape-shifters and would have them all killed.
It is within this reimagined Tudor landscape that we meet Jane (Emily Bader), a headstrong young woman with a talent for creating herbal remedies and drawing the unwanted advice of menfolk. Real-world Tudor men may have instructed her to be more demure. But in this version of history, which skews closer to our own world, they simply sneer at her: "You'd be prettier if you smiled."
Sadly, Jane does not have the luxury of living a life of independence as a self-taught herbalist. So, her mother, the scheming Frances (Anna Chancellor), marries her off to Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), a handsome braggart with a rakish reputation. Despite their initial attraction to each other, they are at each other's throats from the beginning.
The morning after their wedding, Jane learns that her husband is secretly an Ethian. However, unlike other adult Ethians, he can't control his transformations. So, he is effectively stuck living as a horse while the sun is up. He chose Jane as a wife in hopes her skills as an herbalist might curtail his own tail, for starters. She agrees to try to cure him in exchange for an eventual divorce. Things get more complicated when King Edward names Jane as his successor. Just like that, she is whisked off to be crowned at Hampton Court Palace. The rest is, as they say, history — but not in this show.
Lady Jane refuses to be a damsel. Emily Bader as Lady Jane Grey Credit: Jonathan Prime / Prime Video / Amazon MGM StudiosOn the surface, Jane's story is, as the intro tells us, perfect fodder for the damsel-in-distress trope, which has played out again and again across history and literature alike. From the unnamed maidens of the chivalric tales of the Middle Ages to the princesses of early Disney, women have frequently been painted as helpless victims. Jane herself features in a well-known painting by Paul Delaroche. Dressed all in white, she is shown blindfolded and fearful, just moments before her execution — the perfect, heart-wrenching portrait of feminine victimhood.
While the real Lady Jane Grey was historically depicted as a victim, in this show Jane is far from being a withering, simpering damsel. Instead, again and again, her actions match those of the prototypical hero. When a raid at an inn threatens her and her friend, she rejects the aid of a dashing stranger (who later turns out to be Guildford) and attempts her own rescue — a bold move that sees her captured by the raiders. When her mother announces that Jane will marry Guildford, she runs away from home. When that doesn't work, she uses fake blood to feign an illness at her own wedding. (That doesn't work either.) Later, she sets out into the woods to rescue an old friend from danger, all on her own. When Guildford reluctantly follows her (chivalry's not dead and all that), she shows off her hand-to-hand combat and expertly disarms him of his dagger.
It's not the lady but the lord who is the damsel in distress here. Edward Bluemel as Guildford Dudley Credit: Jonathan Prime / Prime Video / Amazon MGM StudiosDuring a Q&A with the cast at the London premiere of the show, Bluemel said that he enjoyed playing the show's "damsel." It was an unexpected comment; from his first appearance, the drunken, raffish Guildford certainly doesn't seem like a damsel in distress. In fact, when we first meet him, he's living large at an inn, confidently flirting. However, it slowly becomes clear that it is he, not Jane, who needs saving.
As the show progresses, Jane is named the official heir of Edward and, upon Edward's death, is crowned Queen. As she gains more power and agency, Guildford has less and less of his own; he's forced to move with Jane to the palace and simply wait until she is ready to find his cure. Again and again, he finds himself in vulnerable positions as his secret threatens to become revealed. Plus, as Guildford's relationship with Jane develops, we begin to see more of his emotional vulnerability. We learn that his mother's death triggered his Ethian transformations and that his father actually married him off to Jane in the hopes that she would be chosen as Edward's heir. Yes, it seems men can be married off, too! As the voiceover so aptly puts it, "If therapists were invented in 1553, our brooding tortured hero would be a different man." Evidently, Guildford also needs emotional saving.
My Lady Jane marks an interesting new tactic in the feminist-leaning historical genre. Instead of simply refusing to let Jane become a damsel in distress, My Lady Jane goes a little further by unexpectedly assigning that role to the would-be romantic hero. It's refreshing to see a period romance that doesn't merely show the strength of its female characters but also the vulnerabilities of its male lead. The unexpected role reversal makes for one of the most nuanced and thrilling historical romances we've seen on TV in years. Throw in some punchy contemporary dialogue, endlessly energetic performances, and a soundtrack filled with thrilling pop-punk needledrops, and you're left with a Jane Grey who really is by and for the modern woman. After all, who wants to watch another damsel? "Fuck that."
Don't like your phone carrier because of shoddy reception or literally any other reason – but your device is carrier-locked to that service provider? The FCC is looking to make it easier for consumers to switch to a different service provider.
According to a new proposed rule by the FCC, phone carriers could be forced to unlock users' phones and allow consumers to move the device to a provider of their choosing.
"When you buy a phone, you should have the freedom to decide when to change service to the carrier you want and not have the device you own stuck by practices that prevent you from making that choice," said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement along with the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).
"Real competition benefits from transparency and consistency," she continued. "That is why we are proposing clear, nationwide mobile phone unlocking rules."
SEE ALSO: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile declare legal war on FCCFor many years, cell phone and smartphone users were forced to stick with a telecommunications company that their device was locked to. In 2014, new laws gave consumers more rights over unlocking their device, a practice which had previously been illegal.
Under the new proposal, rules around unlocked phones would be much simpler. Carriers would be required to unlock a user's phone 60 days after activation.
As TechCrunch points out, there are likely some issues that will need to be addressed regarding this proposal. For example, many consumers purchase their phones through installment plans or via multi-year contracts that bind them to a carrier.
However, at the same time, carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile often use questionable methods to lock consumers into service plans well after a device is bought and paid for. The FCC is seeking to make phone purchases much more transparent.
We'll find more information about the law next month when the FCC shares the full proposal document and opens up public commentary on the issue.
Online retailer Etsy will prohibit sales of most sex toys, content that depicts sex acts and genitalia, and more starting July 29.
The indie seller published its Adult Nudity and Sexual Content policy yesterday, which states that sales of adult toys that are insertable, "applied to the genitalia," or "designed for genitals to be inserted into them" will be prohibited. That pretty much runs the gamut — dildos, vibrators, rings, plugs, and the like will be banned.
SEE ALSO: TikTok is (still) obsessed with exposing cheating. But are internet sleuths going too far?"Non-insertable and non-penetrable adult toys and sexual accessories," such as BDSM wear, will be allowed as long as listings follow Etsy's guidelines around mature content, also updated yesterday. These listings must be tagged as "mature"; can't appear on public places of someone's account like a user's avatar or shop home; the first thumbnail must be "appropriate for general audiences"; and depictions of genitalia or products in use must be removed or censored.
On that last point, porn isn't allowed on Etsy, including custom content. This is defined as media displaying explicit acts; made by porn publishers like Playboy (that includes vintage items); and described as pornographic in titles, descriptions, tags, or images. Photos and photo-realistic pictures of explicit acts and of genitalia or anuses also aren't allowed. Photos and photo-realistic depictions of butts and nipples are OK "so long as these body parts are obscured in the first listing," as laid out in the mature content policy.
As for non-realistic content — like drawings — total nudity and sex acts "without visible genitalia or anuses" are allowed, but non-realistic images of explicit acts aren't.
Etsy is also banning nudity for human models, including "gluteal clefts and female nipples/areolas." If you're selling a sexy item of clothing, for example, you must censor body parts, use a mannequin, or opt for just photographing the clothing.
SEE ALSO: The Supreme Court bolsters age verification rules for porn sitesAdditionally, Etsy prohibits the sale and advertising of sexual services and "fetishized items" like worn underwear and feet pics. Depictions of illegal acts are also prohibited, like non-consensual sex and incest.
"Sexual language" concerning incest or "referencing familial relationships" will also be banned now. The examples Etsy lists are "Daddy's slut" and "Choke me Mommy." As of publication, these terms are still searchable on Etsy, and so is nude content. Searches for "porn" come up blank.
"Etsy has long had policies prohibiting certain mature content and providing guidance on appropriately listing adult items. Today, we are building on this foundation, updating our standards, and introducing more rigorous guidelines," Etsy VP of trust and safety, Alice Wu Paulus, wrote on the site's forum in a post called "Strengthening Our Approach to Mature Content on Etsy."
Wu Paulus went on to say that Etsy will begin enforcing these changes on July 29 and will remove non-compliant listings. Etsy will apparently also communicate with sellers who may need to update their listings in the upcoming weeks. The VP ends the post by stating that these efforts are to "keep Etsy and [its] community safe."
This move is an addition to the continued crackdown on online sexual content — and the people who post and sell it — that's reached a crescendo in recent years. Such content is banned from most major social media platforms (except X), for example, while credit card companies and finance apps often ban people in sex industries. Legislatively, more and more states are enacting age-verification laws around adult content (that likely don't work).
Etsy declined to comment beyond Wu Paulus's post.
UPDATE: Jun. 28, 2024, 3:44 p.m. EDT Mashable updated this article to add a response from Etsy.
Ahead of Sunday's Season 2 finale, AMC renewed its TV adaptation of Interview with the Vampire for a third season. Cue cheers and fainting (not from blood loss)!
Tweet may have been deletedSeasons 1 and 2 of Interview, unsurprisingly, focused on the first novel in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, Interview with the Vampire. What will Season 3 be about?
SEE ALSO: 'The Bear' falls victim to its own success: Full Season 3 review Interview with the Vampire Season 3The next season will adapt the second book in Rice's vampire series, The Vampire Lestat. As you would expect, this novel focuses on the character Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid). We saw a hint of The Vampire Lestat in Season 2 during a flashback to Lestat's first meeting with the vampire Armand (Assad Zaman), and when Lestat mentions his former lover, Nicki. Season 3, however, will take an even bigger bite from Lestat's story. (The AMC show has also planted Easter eggs for other books in the series.)
This is a summary of what IWTV Season 3 will hold, as shared in AMC's press release:
Resentful of the perfunctory portrayal in the trashy best-seller Interview With the Vampire, the Vampire Lestat sets his story straight in a way only the Vampire Lestat can — by starting a band and going on tour. Gabrielle. Nicholas. Magnus. Marius. Those Who Must Be Kept. They join Louis, Armand, Molloy, Sam, Raglan, Fareed and others we can’t tell you about yet on a sexy pilgrimage across space, time and trauma. No Auto-Tuning. No Trigger Warnings. All Feels Amplified.
That's right: It's time for rock star Lestat. Other names in the announcement, like Lestat's mother Gabrielle, are getting fans excited.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Reid also shared his excitement over the growing cast of characters, saying, "For me, Gabrielle, Lestat's mother, is such an amazing character. I really can't wait to meet her and see what that character is like, and I also think the dynamic between Gabrielle, Louis and Lestat is really interesting, so I'm very keen to see how that unfolds."
On Lestat's music career, he told THR, "Because we have [composer] Daniel Hart helming the music of the show, I'm very excited to see whatever he creates, and to be working with him on that is astonishing." Hart is a frequent collaborator with filmmaker David Lowery, having composed music for Lowery's films since 2013's Ain't Them Bodies Saints, and he has also worked as a touring musician for bands such as St. Vincent and Broken Social Scene.
AMC hasn't released more details about the season, including when it'll air, but fans can read the 1985 novel The Vampire Lestat for a taste of what's coming. The modern-day portion of the series is set in 2020s Dubai, as journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) interviews Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and Armand for his exposé on vampires. Since The Vampire Lestat takes place post-publication of the titular interviews with vampires, fans are already speculating what a 2020s music career for Lestat will look like: Promoting music on TikTok? Brat prince summer?
Some AMC shows, including IWTV, will soon be available to stream on Netflix, though no release date has been announced. For now, Interview with the Vampire airs on AMC and AMC+.
Yet another piece of AI news makes one wonder, "Who asked for this?" Meta is rolling out AI chatbots based on real creators.
That's right! You might soon be able to DM with an AI chatbot on Instagram that a creator made to mimic themself. Isn't that...something?
SEE ALSO: Meet the stans who DM their faves about their dayMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself made the announcement.
"Rolling out an early test in the U.S. of our AI studio, so you might start seeing AIs from your favorite creators and interest-based AIs in the coming weeks on Instagram. These will primarily show up in messaging for now and will be clearly labeled as AI," he said.
Popular creators likely get more messages than they can begin to parse through, so this will be a way for them to outsource that work to AI. Though one could say — and I would say — talking with a chatbot is far from having a genuine conversation.
Instead of having a human interaction with a creator or celeb you admire, you can speak to some artificial amalgamation of their personality. A shadow of the real thing. Plato would be proud.
SEE ALSO: AI-generated 'All Eyes on Rafah' online movement provokes debateTechCrunch reported that Meta will begin the rollout with just 50 creators and a limited number of Insta users before expanding it over the next couple of months and then doing a full launch by August.
Maybe some folks will find the experience novel, but it feels like another AI solution in need of a problem. There is something so lonely about chatting with an AI version of a real person. Anyway, you'll soon be able to do just that on Instagram.
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