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The internet has fallen in love with a baby hippo — yes, again — and this time, it's an adorable little girl named Moo Deng.
Moo Deng is a two-month-old female pygmy hippopotamus at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. And, to be fair, she is so freaking cute.
Moo Deng, whose name translates roughly to "bouncy pig," according to the BBC, has gotten lots of love online after the zoo began posting pics of her.
The love comes from her cuteness and the fact that baby hippos are somewhat strange creatures. They're a bit slimy and wet at all times. They're simultaneously cute and a little gross. They're pudgy, waddling, and fantastic. So, of course everyone loves Moo Deng.
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 deletedThe internet has been obsessed with a baby hippo before. Everyone was, and some remain, obsessed with the Cincinnati Zoo's hippo Fiona, who Mashable rightly described in 2018 as the "world's most beloved hippo." Though maybe Moo Deng is now competing for that title.
A new iOS 18 beta feature aims to stop thieves from selling stolen iPhone parts.
According to Beta Profiles, a site for Apple beta software info, the upcoming iOS 18 update will have something called Activation Lock for valuable iPhone parts.
Tweet may have been deletedActivation Lock is an existing anti-theft feature for Apple devices within the Find My app. If you think your iPhone has been stolen, you can prevent it from being used by remotely activating Activation Lock. But this has led to stolen iPhones being taken apart for valuable parts like batteries, cameras, and sensors that are then sold on the black market.
SEE ALSO: All of Apple's new iPhone 16 phones are capable of faster wired chargingNow, as discovered in the iOS 18 Release Candidate (RC), which is the final build before it's released as a beta update, Activation Lock will work for iPhone parts. According to an Apple announcement in April explaining the upcoming feature, here's how it works: "If a device under repair detects that a supported part was obtained from another device with Activation Lock or Lost Mode enabled, calibration capabilities for that part will be restricted." Apple will ask for the user's account information to verify the ownership of the part.
Some say rendering parts useless will contribute to e-waste. Right to Repair advocates have also pointed out that it might hamper the secondhand and refurbishing market. "Apple trying to kill the second hand parts market. Now no repair shop is going to buy parts because they won't have any way to know if it is 'unlocked,'" said one X user. "How many people do you think will bother to 'unlock' their battery before trade in or disposal?"
Tweet may have been deletedBut for many, closing a loophole within the iPhone black market is a welcome change. The iOS 18 update will be available on September 16 to those with iPhone XR or later.
We gathered all the best sex toy deals this week:
Our top picks for the week of Sept. 13: Lovehoney 24-Day X Womanizer Couples’s Sex Toy Advent Calendar $199.99 at Lovehoney (save $331.77) Get Deal The Handy The Handy Starter Collection $222.30 at The Handy (save $24.70) Get Deal Zumio Zumio Iyana $80 at Zumio (save $55) Get DealAs a person who writes about sex toys for a living, I can definitively say that you can never have too many. I have boxes and boxes of 'em in my apartment, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
SEE ALSO: How to clean your sex toys, according to three expertsIf you feel the same way, but you’re not too excited about paying full price for the latest and greatest, I’ve got some good news: there are hundreds of sex toys on sale this week at Lovehoney, Lovers, and tons of other retailers.
Here are a few I thought were worth a spotlight:
Lovehoney Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Our pick: 24-Day X Womanizer Couples’s Sex Toy Advent Calendar $199.99 at LovehoneyLovehoney is the place to find discounted sex toys. You can often find some pretty high-end brands like LELO and WeVibe for up to 50% off, depending on the week.
Lovehoney has several sales throughout the year, especially during the holidays. Right now, you can get up to 50% off Tracey Cox and Lifelike Lover products (and many others) and up to 30% off LELO toys, including the Smart Wand 2, which is my absolute favorite LELO product. You’ll also get a gift if you spend $79 or more — today’s free toys include a panty vibrator, a remote control cock ring, a finger-ring vibrator, and nipple suckers.
Lovehoney also dropped its ever-popular 24-Day X Womanizer Couples’s Sex Toy Advent Calendar, and it’s on sale for just $199, down from the usual $530.77. It includes a Womanizer Liberty 2 and the We-Vibe Sync Lite, plus a bunch of other goodies like a penis stroker, a jeweled butt plug, massage oil, and more.
The Handy Opens in a new window Credit: The Handy Our pick: Starter Collection $222.30 at The HandyOK, fellas, this one's for you. The Handy is an innovative sex toy company created by a guy who realized there wasn't really a good masturbation device for penises on the market. It’s a Norwegian company, and they’re way above the shoddy quality of your typical "pocket pussy" type devices.
Today, you can get the Starter Collection for $222.30. It includes The Handy masturbator, a TrueGrip Gen 2 Sleeve, and a True Grip PRO Band. Everything you need to get the best automated handjob of your life, probably.
The Starter Collection is available directly from The Handy's website. You can also shop The Handy on Amazon, where you’ll see a 14% discount on the Dream Collection and 10% off the Mermaid Collection.
The Handy is also developing a smart vibrator called the Oh! (They’ve already sent me one, so we’ll see if it’s any good.) It’s supposed to sync with music, like your Spotify playlist, and vibrate to the beat. The coolest feature is that you can pair the Oh! with The Handy, so it makes for a cute couple’s experience.
Zumio Opens in a new window Credit: Zumio Our pick: Zumio Iyana $80.00 at ZumioZumio is an underrated brand that has some super innovative clitoral vibrators. They look a little bit like a dental tool, with a small, round spinning head that provides very focused, powerful stimulation.
If you’re a clit queen and want to feel something that’s new and different from your standard bullet vibrator, I highly recommend checking out Zumio. (I own the Zumio Xena, but it’s currently sold out.)
Right now, you can get up to 40% off all Zumio products as a part of its Double Trouble Summer Sale. This means the Sadie and Iyana are both on sale for $80, down from the usual $135 price tag. Or, you can get both in a bundle for $189, regularly $270.
It's Friday the 13th, so why not feature some frighteningly low prices to head into the weekend? We've searched Amazon's lengthy list of daily deals and found a few standouts worth adding to your cart from brands like Samsung, Ultimate Ears, SimpliSafe, and Anker Soundcore.
Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day on Sept. 13. If none of these catch your eye, be sure to take a look back at our top picks from Wednesday, Sept. 11 and Thursday, Sept. 12. Many of those are still live, including a record-low Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet and over $600 off a fancy robot vacuum and mop combo.
Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (256GB, Unlocked) $1,499.99 at AmazonReleased only two months ago, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 just got its first big discount. The super pricey foldable usually starts at $1,899.99, but as of Sept. 13, you can slash 21% off and get the 256GB model for $1,499.99 instead. The Z Fold 6 keeps the same winning formula from the Z Fold 5 when it comes to fundamentals — cameras, battery capacity, and memory. But it makes a few tweaks and adds a few extras that make it even better, including a thinner, wider, and brighter display with enhanced resolution, a boost in Snapdragon power, and a boat load of AI-powered tools from the Galaxy AI suite. If you want more storage, the 512GB version is also on sale for 20% off, knocking the price down from $2,019.99 to $1,619.99.
Opens in a new window Credit: SimpliSafe SimpliSafe 9-Piece wireless home security system $179.99 at AmazonOur top pick for a home security system, we love SimpliSafe for its comprehensive systems, affordable pricing, and endless customization options. The nine-piece system is on sale for just $179.99 at Amazon as of Sept. 13 — that's 40% off its usual cost and it comes with a base station, keypad, four entry sensors, two motion sensors, and a wired indoor security camera. You can always add on more cameras, doorbells, key fobs, sensors, and more to cover your entire home. Plus, you can get around-the-clock professional monitoring with a monthly subscription (your first month is free!).
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon 50-inch 4-Series 4K Fire TV $329.99 at AmazonWhile it's not the fanciest TV in the Fire lineup, the 50-inch 4-Series Fire TV is a solid pick for most people. It's equipped with 4K Ultra HD entertainment with HDR 10, on-board Alexa, and four HDMI inputs for connectivity. Plus, if you're already using a Fire TV Stick, it'll have your custom-arranged apps waiting for you when you login to your Amazon account. If you're a Prime member, you can slash about 37% off with the code 55PRIME and get it for just $329.99 as of Sept. 13. For non-Prime members, it'll cost you $379.99, which is still a decent deal at 27% off.
Opens in a new window Credit: Ultimate Ears Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 Bluetooth speaker $79.99 at AmazonA newer iteration of our favorite sub-$100 Bluetooth speaker, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 is back on sale for just $79.99. That's 20% in savings. The Wonderboom is quite the powerhouse for a speaker that fits in the palm of your hand. While we haven't tested this model, we have tested its predecessor and found it had "excellent sound for its size and plenty of useful features that come in handy when you're taking it on the go." It's rugged enough to endure drops from up to five feet, can be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes, and has an impressive 14 hours of battery life. Plus, it comes in some fun color varieties.
Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Soundcore Space A40 noise-cancelling earbuds $47.99 at AmazonOur sister site PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) tested Anker's Soundcore Space A40 earbuds and found that they "ultimately outshine both of Anker's older top-rated models." They specifically credited their secure fit, strong audio performance, and excellent battery life — which tops off at 50 hours. They also feature adaptive noise cancellation that can be customized in the app and fast charging that gives you an extra four hours of battery life in just 10 minutes. As of Sept. 13, they're on sale for just $47.99 — a new record-low. That's 40% in savings.
None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.
2024's brutal streak of tech layoffs continues to grow.
Verizon is the latest company to announce cuts, saying on Thursday that it expects to lose 4,800 employees by March, with about half of those leaving in September, per MarketWatch. The telecom giant also said it will charge up to $1.9 billion before taxes in severance pay. As recently as February, Verizon reported it had 105,400 full-time employees, so about 4.5 percent of its headcount will be cut by the end of March.
SEE ALSO: T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon were all tested for speed. Which one won?This year has been a vicious year for tech layoffs. Big companies like Twitch, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Amazon, and now Verizon have announced cuts in one form or another since January 1. Last month, Intel announced it would cut more than 15,000 employees.
As always, best wishes to those affected by Verizon's layoffs.
There's truly never a bad time to buy a laptop. Chances are that at any given moment, you'll be able to find a worthwhile machine on sale, whether you're looking for something to game on or simply browse the web. And if you can't find something on sale, worry not, because we're bona fide experts at finding all the best deals, no matter what you're looking for.
Check out our top laptop deals of the day below.
SEE ALSO: Home office starter kit: Everything you need to build a productive workspace Best laptop deal Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Chromebook 311 (Intel Celeron N4500 CPU, Intel UHD GPU, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) $129.00 at Best BuyIf you're a no-frills laptop shopper who isn't looking for any bells and whistles, going the Chromebook route is probably the right choice for you. The Acer Chromebook 311 is the perfect "I just need to send an email and then log off" computer, combining portability, speed, and a price that you just can't pass up. Snag one on sale at Best Buy while you can, just $129 for a limited time (that's $70 off).
More laptop dealsAcer Aspire 5 15 Slim (Intel Core i5-13420H CPU, Intel UHD Graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $449.99 $529.99 (save $80)
Lenovo Flex 5i (Intel 12th Generation Core i5 CPU, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $449.99 $679.99 (save $230)
Samsung Galaxy Book4 (Intel Core 7 Series 1 CPU, Intel Graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $549.99 $899.99 (save $350)
HP Envy 2-in-1 (AMD Ryzen 7 8000 Series CPU, AMD Radeon Graphics, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $699.99 $1,099.99 (save $400)
Lenovo Yoga 7i (Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 1 CPU, Intel Graphics, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $729.99 $1,049.99 (save $320)
ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 1 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $799.99 $1,299.99 (save $500)
Apple MacBook Air (M2, 13 inches, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $799 $999 (save $200)
Apple MacBook Air (M3, 13 inches, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $929 $1,099.99 (save $170)
Dipping your toes into the PC gaming world by starting with a gaming laptop can be a cost-effective way to get into the hobby, and this discounted model from Dell is a solid option. It's got good internals (including an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU), and features a massive 16-inch, 1600p QHD display. If you want a mid-budget gaming laptop with decent speed and visuals, this Dell rig could be your perfect match. Get one at Best Buy for $350 off the usual price, just $1,249.99.
More gaming laptop dealsAcer Nitro V Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i5-13420H CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $649.99 $779.99 (save $130)
MSI Thin 15 Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7-12650H CPU, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4050 GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $759.99 $899.99 (save $140)
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7-13650HX CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $969.99 $1,149.99 (save $180)
HP OMEN 16-inch Gaming Laptop (Intel 13th Generation Core i9 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $999.99 $1,399.99 (save $400)
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming Laptop (Intel 13th Gen Core i7 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,199.99 $1,599.99 (save $400)
MSI Katana A17 Gaming Laptop (AMD Ryzen 9-8945HS CPU, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4070 GPU, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $1,699.99 $1,999.99 (save $300)
Is there anything more calming than perusing the aisles of Target, iced coffee in tow, hoping to find one or two not-so-pricey knick-knacks that you probably don’t need but must have? (Coffee cups, notebooks, and mud masks get me every time.) For some reason, the Target “experience” is unlike shopping anywhere else, and you’ll almost always walk out with more than you intended.
But this week, your wallet might be in luck — we’ve found deals on everything from vacuum cleaners to small countertop appliances, electronics, and more. The only caveat? Some of these deals are exclusive to Target Circle members, so you’ll need to sign up to get them (don’t worry, the basic account is free).
Best vacuum deal Opens in a new window Credit: BISSELL Our pick: BISSELL CrossWave All-in-One Wet Dry Vacuum $199.99 at TargetThe BISSELL CrossWave All-in-One Wet Dry Vacuum is currently $199.99 for Target Circle members. This deal ends tomorrow, Sept. 14.
The CrossWave is a wet-dry vacuum that covers multiple surfaces, including tile, sealed wood, laminate, carpet, and more. Its two-tank technology separates the clean and dirty water, so you're not redistributing dirt and grime as you clean. Plus, the antimicrobial-treated fresh start filter helps protect it from odors (if you have a pet, this is a nice bonus).
Best countertop appliance deal Opens in a new window Credit: Keurig Our pick: Keurig K-Mini $59.99 at TargetKeurig machines aren’t cheap, so when we spotted this Keurig K-Mini for just $59.99, we thought it’d be worth sharing.
The Keurig K-Mini is a compact (it’s less than five inches wide), single-serve coffee maker that can brew coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and other K-Pods in a variety of cup sizes (six, eight, 10, and 12 ounces). It’s ideal for small spaces like home offices or dorm rooms.
Best TV deal Opens in a new window Credit: VIZIO Our pick: VIZIO D-Series 40-inch Class 1080p LED Smart TV $159.99 at TargetIf you need a new TV, the VIZIO D-Series 40-inch Class 1080p LED Smart TV is on sale for $159.99 — a budget-friendly price for a smart TV.
This VIZIO model has full-array LED backlighting, SmartCast capability so you can watch your faves (there are also 250+ free channels available), two HDMI ports, and a V-Gaming Engine that auto-optimizes display settings for gaming.
SAVE $200: As of Sept. 13, the already budget-friendly Acer Aspire 3 laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor, 12GB RAM, and 512GB of storage is on sale for just $299.99 at Target. That's 40% in savings.
Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Aspire 3 (Intel Core i5, 12GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $299.99 at TargetThere's nothing wrong with splurging on a fancy laptop if you have the money to blow, but for everyone else, budget-friendly models like the Acer Aspire 3 will do just fine.
As of Sept. 13, the 15.6-inch Acer Aspire 3 with an Intel Core i5 processor, 12GB RAM, and 512GB of storage is on sale for just $299.99 at Target. That's 40% off its usual cost of $499.99.
If you're looking for a machine that can power complex tasks like editing video or gaming with high-end graphics, look elsewhere. The Acer Aspire 3 is for folks who need a basic laptop that can handle basic tasks with ease — from browsing the web to streaming a Netflix show to answering work emails. Our sister site PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) dubbed the older AMD model with lower specs their favorite budget laptop. The version on sale at Target gets you a better processor, more memory, and four times the storage on sale for the same price.
This model also packs three USB ports and an HDMI 2.0 port, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and a lightweight body (just 3.75 pounds). The battery life could definitely be better at about nine hours, but that's still plenty of time to complete basic tasks, play games, watch a few episodes of your favorite series, complete an online course, and send a few emails.
A new laptop doesn't need to cost as much as your rent — especially if you're only using it for everyday tasks. Snag the specced out Acer Aspire 3 for just $299.99 while you can.
Whether you’re a seasoned digital nomad with a favorite internet café in every corner of the globe or you’re planning your first trip, working while roaming the world is awesome — and tricky. While your next flight, train, or bus will be late more often than not, your work always has to arrive in your boss’s inbox on time.
Being a successful digital nomad is hard work, and if you want to make enough money to keep traveling, you’ll need to buckle down and, well…work. Let’s get to it with these insider tips on how to get your digital workload done while living the lifestyle you’ve always wanted. Who knows? You might even get paid to travel the world as Shift’s Chief Nomad Officer.
Navigate your WiFi connectionsInternational mobile data plans can be costly. That said, when traveling, your best bet for staying connected with your work team via phone or laptop is almost always a public WiFi connection.
Before you leave, contact your hotel or coffee shop where you’ll be traveling to confirm they have solid WiFi. Asking about the download speed (100 Mbps should be enough for video calls, FYI) is also smart.
Keep your devices juiced upOutlets can be hard to find while exploring faraway beaches and jungles, so you’ll want to charge your devices between 80 and 100 percent as much as possible. Packing a lightweight, portable power bank as a backup will also save you a few headaches if you’re venturing off-grid. One with 20,000mAH capability should charge your phone up to three or so times and your laptop at least once, in a pinch.
Use tools that boost productivityUtilizing digital work tools like Shift, a browser designed to streamline your digital to-do list, allows you to spend more time exploring while on the road. According to The Harvard Review, you can lose up to four hours a week just from toggling between different apps, tabs, and email accounts.
But when you download and use Shift as your browser, your productivity kicks into high gear.
Opens in a new window Credit: Shift Shift Browser Free 14-day advanced trial Learn MoreThe productivity browser allows you to seamlessly access over 1,500 apps, connect all your emails and accounts, and manage everything you need for work, life, or travel from one centralized window. Shift also syncs all your calendars into one streamlined view, so you’ll always know when your next meeting or call from home is across time zones.
Protect your devices from the elementsSafeguarding your phone and laptop with impact-proof covers is a no-brainer, but if you’ll be spending a good chunk of time in a tropical climate, it’s also a good idea to bring silica gel packets, the same ones that get packed into many boxed items. Place the bead packets and your devices into an airtight container at night to absorb moisture and keep your electronics from swelling up.
Get paid to travel as Shift’s Chief Nomad OfficerThe best way to dial in the remote work lifestyle from abroad is to get out there and be a digital nomad. Shift is currently looking for one adventurous person to travel the world for a month as the brand’s Chief Nomad Officer, using Shift as their power browser. Shift will pay the Chief Nomad Officer up to $10,000 for travel expenses, and in exchange, the Chief Nomad Officer will create and post content that shows the world how Shift streamlines and empowers their on-the-go lifestyle. Get your passport ready and apply here.
Opens in a new window Credit: Shift Chief Nomad Officer Get paid to travel the world on behalf of Shift Learn MoreJust remember, working while traveling requires thoughtful preparation — but with the right digital tools, like Shift, you can turn any location into a productive workspace. Whether you're managing multiple accounts or balancing work across time zones, Shift streamlines your workflow so you can focus on what matters most: exploring the world while staying on top of your game.
And if you're lucky enough to be Shift’s Chief Nomad Officer, you'll be living proof that with the right setup, the world truly can be your office.
Girlhood, in all its pain, wonder, and perplexity, is a complicated business to accurately capture on screen. It's so confusing some times. Relationships between mothers and daughters during adolescence? Same deal. From Lady Bird to Mermaids, coming-of-age films about girls often explore the awkwardness of early sexual experiences alongside the tense, precarious relationships between girls and their mothers.
The debut feature and Sundance Film Festival hit from Indian writer-director Shuchi Talati, Girls Will Be Girls explores this complex time through understated, intense performances from Preeti Panigrahi and Kani Kusruti, respectfully intimate cinematography and editing, and a minimalist, loaded script. It's a stunning, poignant film that lends agency and inquisitive empowerment to its young protagonist, whose "no bullshit" philosophy brings a fresh perspective to portrayals of adolescence.
SEE ALSO: 'Girls Will Be Girls' trailer teases a tale of teen awakeningIt's a period of conflict, anxiety, miscommunication, pressure, and misdirected angst. Don't act like you don't remember.
What is Girls Will Be Girls about? Preeti Panigrahi as Mira. Credit: Modern FilmsAt the core of the film is 16-year-old Mira (Panigrahi), a studious, determined girl whose burgeoning exploration of sexual desire and first love is thrown into confusing, infuriating disarray by her mother Anila (Kusruti), whose own adolescence wasn't as full of such awakenings.
Set in the 1990s, the film introduces Mari as a model student at her conservative boarding school in the Himalayas. She's head prefect, a stickler for the rules, acing her grades, and pulling up other students on their uniform errors. Teachers even trust her with the school keys. But she's quite a solitary person, favouring studies over friendship. When Mira develops a crush on 17-year-old classmate Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), she's resolved to follow her physical impulses — importantly, on her terms. However, her mother's constant presence frustrates her, impeding her yearning for maturity and experience with Sri (and remember, this is the '90s, so they've got no social media to chat after school on, only parental landlines).
But it goes further than pure supervision. Anila's strange closeness and (let's be real) flirtation with Sri triggers Mira's jealousy and unease, driving an awkward, loaded wedge between mother and daughter. With Talati's simmering script in the hands of the film's extraordinarily talented leads, director of photography Jih-E Peng uses elegant cinematography to amplify both the tension and tenderness between them.
Preeti Panigrahi and Kani Kusruti are magnificent Kani Kusruti as Anila and Preeti Panigrahi as Mira. Credit: Modern FilmsGirls Will Be Girls paints an exquisite portrait of complicated mother-daughter mechanics in the teen years, with exceptional performances from Panigrahi and Kusruti. As Mira, Panigrahi imbues her character with confidence, determination, and an unwavering stare. She privately defies societal expectations of teen girls while operating well within their parameters publicly. Meanwhile, Kusruti conceals a dynamic force of a woman within Anila, one protective of her daughter while seemingly mourning a teen awakening of her own.
Despite the main narrative concerning Mira's coming-of-age, the constant tension between her and Anila proves the heart of the film. Mira covertly attempts to buy time for sexual experimentation with Sri, frustrated by her lack of freedom. Anila, craving attention within her own marriage to Mira's perpetually absent father, begins to strangely compete with her daughter whenever Sri is around. A subtle and deeply resentful battle of access and maturity is weighed between mother and daughter, in which Anila constantly takes up the space Mira yearns for.
The thing is, both Mira and Anila know exactly what each other are doing. Every time. They don't directly say what they're thinking about each other, but anyone who's had a mother-daughter relationship will know those looks. Their charged interactions, edited to perfection by Amrita David, radiate with annoyance, loaded comments, and fierce glaring, not directly acknowledging their issues but making their disdain or defiance clear. Panigrahi and Kusruti's performances range from playfulness to suspicion to suppressed rage, all without ever screaming at each other. It's impeccable, and a different kind of anger than explored in Everything Everywhere All At Once but just as palpable.
Girls Will Be Girls gently explores early sexual experiences without judgment Director of photography Jih-E Peng uses elegant cinematography. Credit: Modern FilmsAmid this tension over space and maturity, Girls Will Be Girls gives Mira ample time to embrace and investigate her sexual awakening, an awkward, relatable journey performed with bold courage by Panigrahi and Kiron, and sensitively handled by Talati, Peng, and David.
A true academic, Mira is determined to explore her newfound desires with all the scrutiny of an exam to study for. She's both fascinated by all of it and self-conscious of Sri's experience. Captured with handheld, intimate close ups and sound design, Mira's exploration feels non-judgmental. Talati doesn't seek to either glorify or vilify, letting the camera simply sit on minuscule moments of analysis, closeness, forgiveness, and betrayal.
In a confident, considerate performance from Kiron, Sri channels a maturity beyond his years, unfussed by Anila's concerns and easily assuaging her. And in a world saturated with teen dramas and coming-of-age films where girls are robbed of their agency, Mira's confidence and Sri's respect for her boundaries are incredibly refreshing.
Girls Will Be Girls demonstrates how boys are protected, girls are blamedThough it's not the main storyline, one of the persistent realities underlining the film is the double standard of how boys and girls' behaviour is considered within the school environment, a place which fosters misogynistic actions when it should be a vital base for unlearning them. Talati contrasts the strict conservatism of the boarding school — the left-right-left marching orders over the opening credits, wide shots of students standing to attention in perfect order at assembly — with both the burgeoning sexual tension between teenagers and the rampant harassment girls suffer from their male classmates.
Male students' abhorrent behaviour is largely allowed to run by the school while female students are blamed — especially for their skirt length. "Be careful with boys," the girls are instructed by their teacher. "Don't talk to them more than necessary. You're getting older, you need to be careful." Talati wields sound as an important tool here, thanks to sound team Carole Verner, Laure Arto, and Colin Favre-Bulle; boys' whispering is easily audible in the silent classrooms and halls, with only the sound of a camera snapping unmasking the act of upskirting.
Whe Mira rejects the advances of her classmate, his vengeance is supported not only by his male peers but the school environment itself. Mira is shamed by her teacher as being "inappropriate" for hanging out with Sri. When Mira endures a terrifying experience, she doesn't call the police or the teachers, she calls Alina. It's through Mira's experiences that Girls Will Be Girls shows how vital education institutions are to fighting these systems of oppression. As Rachel Thompson writes for Mashable, "Tackling male violence means fighting misogyny on a societal level. That means educating boys and men about masculinity, gender roles, male entitlement, and their behaviour towards women and girls in all contexts, public or private."
Ultimately, the film isn't a lecture on this, but instead uses showing not telling to make it clear. Girls Will Be Girls manages to gently but authentically explore the complexities of girlhood through excellent performances, a minimalist script that trusts its actors, and superb, close cinematography. It's a tough job, to find unique ways to explore teen sexuality in cinema, but Talati defines a new perspective with a truly mesmerising film.
Girls Will Be Girls hits cinemas in the U.S. Sept. 13 and in the UK and Ireland on Sept. 20.
This review discusses sexual violence, abuse, and mentions eating disorders.
Five years after the publication of Lisa Taddeo's bestselling non-fiction book, Three Women, its TV treatment has finally hit the small screen.
Starring She's Gotta Have It's DeWanda Wise, Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley, GLOW's Betty Gilpin and In My Skin star Gabrielle Creevy, the series — just like Taddeo's book — looks not just at the relatively unexplored and often oversimplified world of female sexuality, but also how women are punished for these desires in a patriarchal world. Taddeo co-wrote the series with Tell Me Lies' Chisa Hutchinson, with House of Cards producer Laura Eason as showrunner.
SEE ALSO: Author Lisa Taddeo on 'Three Women,' sexual desire, and how we judge other womenSimilar to the painstaking reportage Taddeo undertook to write her book, Three Women's 10-episode run (each running at roughly an hour) takes a really deep dive into the story, with mixed results.
What is Three Women about? Shailene Woodley as Gia (based on Lisa Taddeo). Credit: StarzThe series brings to our screens the stories from the near decade Taddeo spent interviewing three American women about their sexual desires, how society has impacted the way they manifest, and how they feel about expressing them.
The book was released in 2019 during the height of the #MeToo movement. Taddeo's incredibly in-depth study into three real women – Maggie, Lina, and Sloane — and their bodily, emotional, and sexual desires aligned perfectly with a wider narrative of women demanding to be heard.
Who plays the Three Women? Gabrielle Creevy as Maggie. Credit: StarzCreevy plays Maggie, who reflects on an abusive, coercive relationship between herself and her teacher years prior. The series covers said real-life teacher Aaron Knodel's trial, and the misogyny embedded in the justice system, especially when it comes to crimes of sexual violence. Creevy carries the story with a steely innocence, knowing that what happened to her was wrong but often feeling silenced and bullied in response to her efforts to seek justice.
Wise is striking as Sloane, a restaurant owner and mother who deviates from her husband Richard's (Blair Underwood) rules when it comes to their polyamorous relationship; he predominantly chooses her matches. Sloane struggles with feeling limited without choice, especially when she meets Will (Blair Redford) and forges a new connection — only to be met with slut-shaming comments from different people in her life, including her husband. Wise navigates this performance with warmth, grace, and humour, but balances it with incredibly precise fury when needed — and boy, is it needed. Though Sloane's story is relatively underserved throughout the series, she delivers of the show's most impactful lines about the stigma, guilt and shame around desire: "If [it] makes me a bad person, even if it makes me the worst person, I still want what I want."
Featured Video For You What hooked Blair Underwood to work on 'Three Women'?The character of Indiana homemaker Lina is brought to life with soft vulnerability by Gilpin. Lina is left wanting due to the lack of intimacy in her marriage, and starts to seek it elsewhere as desire starts to eat at her. Additionally, she harbours intense, complicated feelings for her high school boyfriend, who neglected her after she was raped as a teenager.
Lina's friendship with writer Gia (a character played by Woodley and based on Taddeo, who is expanded upon considerably in the TV series) is fraught, intense, and dysfunctional — a source of support but also codependence. Woodley's Gia is compelling, as she navigates grief from losing her parents at a young age, as well as other fertility and health issues while fighting to finish her book before she runs out of money. Her portrayal of these issues is important, and devastating at points, but ultimately detracts from the stories of the three women that Taddeo so carefully and artfully portrayed in her book.
How does the Three Women TV adaptation hold up? DeWanda Wise and Blair Underwood as Sloane and Richard. Credit: StarzIn the book, Taddeo switches perspectives between chapters to hear from the different women, but in the show, the hour-long episodes make the switching difficult to follow and for the viewer to feel close to each story. Each woman’s account requires time and sensitivity, and these jarring roadblocks don't allow time to sit with the complexities of their sex lives. A key issue with Three Women is honouring the dramatisation of these true stories without veering into documentary territory, or stretching out the narrative too much. Three Women is, unfortunately, at times guilty of the latter.
It makes sense to flesh out more of Taddeo’s book in a 10-episode TV series, but it also results in us spending episodes away from each story, meaning narratives as intense as Maggie's disappear from our screen for too long. Maggie's story explores a much darker area of grooming, consent, and abuse. We witness her teacher's use of love-bombing and manipulation in haunting scenes in episode 8 (fittingly named "Twilight"), where the show explores the role of novels like Stephenie Meyer's romanticise abusive power dynamics.
We also see the appalling ways that survivors are treated when they report such abuse, with Maggie being asked what she wore when she was around Knodel, as well as endless interrogations around her own morality. Like the 2020 TV series A Teacher, which also offered a nuanced portrayal of teacher-student grooming, Maggie's story stands as a poignant example of how feelings of desire can be manipulated.
Three Women covers myriad aspects of female health issues, sexuality, and desire on screen Betty Gilpin as Lina. Credit: StarzThat being said, while the pacing and characterisation choices might detract from the wider story, and the show is still ultimately limited in whose story gets to be told, Three Women does try to cover more variation on the female sexual experience than shows that precede it.
Through the series' many, many sex scenes, we see examples of stealthing (an act of sexual violence when someone either lies about putting a condom on or removes it without the other person's permission), period sex, as well as masturbation. It brings into sharp relief the acute, overwhelming nature of desire, causing us to reflect on the ways that society often shames women for these feelings. By seeing these cravings up close, as well as the way women are often violated by men's desire, we are confronted with the realities of the female sexual experience – both the liberating and the damaging.
When it comes to the duty Three Women pays to the stories told about women's bodies, we also see the debilitating impact of endometriosis pain and the dismissive nature of both Lina's husband and medical professionals about it. We also see Sloane's grappling with an eating disorder as well as the aftermath of a miscarriage.
So often, the stories told around women’s bodies, as well as on-screen portrayals of female desire, feel either sanitised, romanticised, or one-dimensional, leaving out the nuance, messiness, and guilt that come with living in a patriarchal society. Three Women hits back against this norm.
Three Women is ultimately an empowering watch Shailene Woodley as Gia. Credit: StarzWhat's refreshing about Three Women isn't just its close look at so many areas of the sexual and desire spectrums for women, but also its focus on different women's walks of life. While Sex and the City and Girls, for example, portrayed sexual exploration from a specifically metropolitan, New York City-centric, white point of view, Taddeo's characters are based on real-life women from middle parts of America, including North Dakota and Indiana. The result is a more holistic portrayal of women's sex lives — though it must be pointed out, three of the four lead actors are white women.
Ultimately, Three Women is about feeling heard and hearing others. All three women express the empowerment they feel at telling their story to someone, and Gia is empowered by hearing them. As Sloane tells Gia, "I'm tired of stories of women not winning."
It's debatable whether any of the women "win" in a wider sense – but perhaps their stories being told, and the people the TV series will touch as a result, is a victory in itself.
How to watch: Three Women is now streaming on Starz.
If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.
If you feel like you’d like to talk to someone about your eating behavior, text "NEDA" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected with a trained volunteer or visit the National Eating Disorder Association website for more information.
I don't know what Sabrina Carpenter put in her "Espresso" tune to make it so addicting, but on the new AirPods 4, it sounds like it's been brewed to perfection.
To give you some background, the entry-level AirPods have always been sans active noise cancellation (ANC). If you wanted to block unwanted noise, you'd have to upgrade to the AirPods Pro 2.
But then, the Cupertino-based tech giant dropped the fourth-generation AirPods on Sept. 9 at the "Glowtime" Apple event. In other words, the new AirPods 4 are now more "Pro" than ever. Not only do they have ANC, but they also have Conversation Awareness, Transparency Mode, and Adaptive Audio.
You may be wondering, "Is the ANC on the new AirPods 4 any good?" Let me walk you through my brief experience with them.
SEE ALSO: Apple gets FDA green light on AirPods Pro hearing aid mode Apple AirPods 4 hands-onI had an opportunity to demo the new AirPods 4, and before I popped the earbuds in, I feared that they wouldn't fit.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / MashableI was one of those 'Is there something wrong with me?' AirPods users who had to purchase ear hooks to supplement my first-generation AirPods Pro because they kept falling out. (It seemed like everyone else had their AirPods Pro secured, but because my ears are an anomaly, I had trouble keeping them in.)
However, to my surprise, the AirPods 4 fit super snug. Shaking, tilting and bobbling my head, the AirPods didn’t move an inch. How could this be?
Secure fitApple said that it analyzed thousands of ear shapes and over 50 million data points using advanced technology to design a more secure and precise fit (for most people) on the AirPods 4. And let me tell you, whatever Apple did during its analysis, it worked — for me at least.
I've got a set of unusual ears, and despite their weird, atypical shape, the AirPods 4 had a tight fit in my canal without taking a tumble.
Active noise cancellation is surprisingly goodNext, I fired up one of my favorite songs of the year: Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso." There was a white noise simulation in the demo room, similar to the drone of an airplane, and then I turned on active noise cancellation.
Whoa!
It was as if the noisy world around me disappeared, allowing Carpenter's sugary sweet vocals to take center stage. Even if you're not in a crowded room nor a noisy street, you don't realize how cacophonous your surroundings are until you turn on ANC. From the tick-tock of a nearby clock and distant traffic to the hum of an air conditioner to the buzz of a refrigerator motor, these environmental sounds negatively affect the immersion of your listening experience.
"Espresso" already sounds like a warm vanilla brew with a frothy finish, but with ANC on, it felt like Carpenter was serenading me in a cozy soundproof café while I sipped on a pumpkin spice latte.
Why was I blown away? Well, for starters, it's darn-near unheard of to find ANC in an open-ear design like the entry-level AirPods. The AirPods Pro 2, for example, have silicon tips that create a tight seal in consumers' ears, making it easier to block external sounds alongside ANC technology.
But open-ear designs like the AirPods 4 are tricky because they don't fully seal your ears, leaving 'em somewhat exposed. However, Apple managed to pull it off, thanks to a mélange of upgraded microphones, the H2 processor, and cutting-edge computational audio.
I'm eager to put the AirPods 4 to the test in more challenging environments, like airports, for example. The AirPods Max, in my opinion, are the best active noise cancellation headphones. It's unlikely that the AirPods 4 will be able to compete with the AirPods Max, but I'm curious to see whether it could be a portable alternative with some trade-offs.
The AirPods 4 come in two models: one with ANC and one without. AirPods 4 with ANC costs $179 via Best Buy while the model without it will set you back $129.
Opens in a new window Credit: Kimberly gedeon / Mashable Apple AirPods 4 with ANC $179.99 at Best BuyApple's Vision Pro has a way of showing the world a virtual version of you while you interact with others in virtual reality. Unfortunately, this very feature – called Persona – could've been used by hackers to steal a Vision Pro user's sensitive data.
The security flaw was discovered by a group of six computer scientists from the University of Florida's Department of Computer Science, and it was first reported on by Wired.
The GAZEploit attack, as it was dubbed by the researchers, works by tracking the eye movements of a user's Persona to identify when they're typing something on the Vision Pro's virtual keyboard. The researchers discovered that users tend to direct their gaze onto specific keys that they're about to click, and were able to construct an algorithm that identified what the users were typing. The results were quite accurate; for example, the researchers were able to identify the correct letters of users' passwords 77 percent of the time. When it came to detecting what people were typing in a message, the results were accurate 92 percent of the time.
The researchers disclosed the vulnerability to Apple back in April, and Apple fixed it in visionOS 1.3, which came out in July. In the release notes, Apple says that the flaw enabled inputs to the virtual keyboard to be inferred from Persona.
"The issue was addressed by suspending Persona when the virtual keyboard is active," Apple wrote in the release notes. Vision Pro users who haven't yet updated to the latest version are advised to do so as soon as possible.
While simply disabling Persona while the user is typing was a pretty simple fix, the flaw does raise the question of just how much info a malicious hacker could infer just by observing a virtual version of you.
SEE ALSO: Apple Vision Pro: I watched a Billie Eilish concert in Bora Bora — and I didn't need to spend a pennyThe researchers said that the attack hasn't been used against someone using Personas in the real world. But what makes this attack particularly dangerous is that it only requires a video recording of someone's Persona while the person was typing, meaning an attacker could still use it on an older video. It seems that the only way to mitigate this issue is to erase any publicly available videos where your Persona is visible while typing; we've reached out to Apple for clarification on what can be done to protect your data.
Foldable phones aren’t exactly new on the market, but — as an iPhone user gradually being lured over to Android — I was pretty excited when I first heard about the Motorola Razr+. Previous editions of the Razr caught my attention when they were first announced, but lackluster reviews had me hesitating. Yes, I used (and loved) my Razr V3 back in high school, but a foldable phone in 2024? It seemed more like a gimmick than genuinely useful, but the updated Razr+ had me intrigued, so I decided to try it out for myself.
Using a foldable phone for the first time is weirdStraight out of the box, the 2023 Motorola Razr+ was a bit bigger than I expected. It’s more elongated than other smartphones I’ve seen — it’s over an inch longer than my iPhone 11 Pro, despite being nearly identical in width — which makes it feel slightly awkward in the hand. It’s also longer than other foldable phones I’ve seen on the market, like the 5.67-inch Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, despite having similar widths and identical thicknesses.
This phone is loooong. Credit: RJ Andersen / MashableFolded, however, the Razr+ is a portable dream. It’s a slim 0.59 inches closed, making it easy to slip into any pocket, and I was shocked by how much I liked the form factor from the get-go. Is it weird the first time you fold it? Absolutely. But is it sturdy and durable? Surprisingly, yes.
The external display is also an immediate win, especially given its upgraded size. The 2023 Razr+ boasts a 3.6-inch pOLED display along with a 6.9-inch FHD+ flexible AMOLED main display, both of which are colorful, bright, and responsive. The device itself runs on Android 13, and — with 256GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM — the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor makes this phone fast and fun.
The Motorola Razr+ helped me cut down my screen timeWhen I first heard about foldable phones, I had a sneaking suspicion that I would like them. Using the Motorola Razr+ proved me right…and then some. Not only is it incredibly portable and convenient, but the external display changed how I interacted with my phone on a regular basis. While you can customize the apps on the external display, I chose to limit what I placed on that screen, and I basically turned it into a modified “dumb phone.”
Look at that pink!! Credit: RJ Andersen / MashableI could read text messages, make calls, view my calendar, listen to Spotify, and check the weather…but anything else required opening the phone itself. As a result, my phone usage plummeted. I wasn’t scrolling on social media, watching YouTube videos, or playing games as much as I used to, which made the Razr+ a much-appreciated companion to my work-from-home life.
The external display has clutch benefitsEven for those who aren’t trying to cut down on their screen time, the upgraded external display is wicked cool for a few other reasons. Not only is it almost a full inch bigger than the 2022 Razr, but that extra space actually makes sense. You can watch videos, play games, make payments, check email, and more — and it’s easy to customize the external display to your own preferences.
No more finding a ledge or scrounging for a book to prop your phone up for photo ops. Credit: RJ Andersen / MashableBeyond that, one of my favorite features was the ability to use the external display as an image preview for the back camera. Not only did it make taking selfies a breeze, but — as someone whose partner isn’t the best at taking flattering photos — I loved being able to pass him the phone, view the photo before he captured it, and adjust accordingly. Add in the ability to bend the phone at a 90-degree angle and place it on any surface without needing a stand or tripod? I can absolutely understand how a foldable phone is worth the hype, especially for content creators on the go.
The camera left something to be desiredWhile I loved how the external display changed the game when it came to taking photos or recording video, I found myself disappointed with one major area: the camera quality itself.
First things first, I’m definitely not an expert in this area. I have a background in portrait photography, so I know how to capture a great photo, but camera specs definitely aren’t my forte. However, I did some research and found that other users were similarly frustrated with the Razr+. It’s not that the camera quality is bad, but it’s just…OK.
The Motorola Razr+ (2023) comes with two rear cameras — a 12MP (f/1.5, 1.4µm) primary camera with optical image stabilization, as well as a 13MP ultra-wide (f.2/2, 1.12µm) — and a 32MP (f/2.4, 0.7 µm) front camera. There’s also an overwhelmingly large amount of camera software built in — including dual capture, live filters, auto night vision, pro mode, Google Lens integration, and more — but while some of it was fun to play with, none of it really wowed me.
Are the photos better than my old iPhone 11 Pro? Absolutely. But are they anywhere near as good as other smartphones on the market? Not in my opinion.
The video quality, in particular, was my biggest gripe. Even in good lighting, none of the cameras did a great job of capturing detail on my face, so my features were ever-so-slightly blurred. I tried switching to 4K — and snapped a quick selfie in the same lighting, which looked fantastic — but nothing seemed to work. Did it have great color balance? Yes. Was the sound quality better? Absolutely. However, I still found myself reaching for my iPhone to record video, especially if I was posting on TikTok.
I’m not sure the Razr+ can replace my iPhoneUnfortunately, those weren’t my only issues with the Razr+. The phone runs a little hot, the built-in speakers aren’t great, and the 3800 mAh battery doesn’t quite last as long as I’d hoped with heavy use. That being said, I did find myself using this phone less than normal — which was a huge plus in my book — so I was able to make the battery life stretch simply because I wasn’t on my phone as often.
For me, flip phones aren't fully back. Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable Is the Motorola Razr+ worth it?For casual users — or diehard fans of foldable phones — it’s definitely worth considering. Retailing at $999 (and frequently on sale), it’s definitely a better phone than any of its predecessors, enough so that it feels like a worthy opponent to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5. The upgraded external display is fantastic, the phone itself is reliable and easy to use, and it comes in super fun colors, like the iconic viva magenta.
If you’re on the fence, or if you’re looking for a fantastic camera, then you might want to look elsewhere. It’s not that the 2023 Motorola Razr+ is bad, it’s just…not great, either. It’s a solid phone with some solid specs, but it’s solid — not spectacular. If solid is OK with you? Go for it. If you’re looking for spectacular, this probably isn’t it.
Motorola Razr+ (2023) $599.99 at Amazon
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