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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A protective covering.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

SHELL

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To be in on a secret.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 22, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

PRIVY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Strangely.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 22 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 22 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

ODDLY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

To sag.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for May 22 Hurdle Word 4 answer

DROOP

Final Hurdle hint

Brushed away dirt.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

SWEPT

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Watch AMD reveal its future plans and products at Computex 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan.

See all the highlights from Google's annual 2025 Developers Conference in Mountain View, California. Check out the latest updates from Android XR to Gemini Live, and more.

Google showed off its Android XR Glasses with built-in Gemini Live AI capabilities and video cameras at the annual Google I/O Developers Conference in Mountain View, California. 

You've probably heard that statistic that every search on ChatGPT uses the equivalent of a bottle of water. And while that's technically true, it misses some of the nuance.

The MIT Technology Review dropped a massive report that reveals how the artificial intelligence industry uses energy — and exactly how much energy it costs to use a service like ChatGPT.

The report determined that the energy cost of large-language models like ChatGPT cost anywhere from 114 joules per response to 6,706 joules per response — that's the difference between running a microwave for one-tenth of a second to running a microwave for eight seconds. The lower-energy models, according to the report, use less energy because they uses fewer parameters, which also means the answers tend to be less accurate.

It makes sense, then, that AI-produced video takes a whole lot more energy. According to the MIT Technology Report's investigation, to create a five-second video, a newer AI model uses "about 3.4 million joules, more than 700 times the energy required to generate a high-quality image". That's the equivalent of running a microwave for over an hour.

The researchers tallied up the amount of energy it would cost if someone, hypothetically, asked an AI chatbot 15 questions, asked for 10 images, and three five-second videos. The answer? Roughly 2.9 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is the equivalent of running a microwave for over 3.5 hours.

The investigation also examined the rising energy costs of the data centers that power the AI industry.

The report found that prior to the advent of AI, the electricity usage of data centers was largely flat thanks to increased efficiency. However, due to energy-intensive AI technology, the energy consumed by data centers in the United States has doubled since 2017. And according to government data, half the electricity used by data centers will go toward powering AI tools by 2028.

This report arrives at a time in which people are using generative AI for absolutely everything. Google announced at its annual I/O event that it's leaning into AI with fervor. Google Search, Gmail, Docs, and Meet are all seeing AI integrations. People are using AI to lead job interviews, create deepfakes of OnlyFans models, and cheat in college. And all of that, according to this in-depth new report, comes at a pretty high cost.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Purchasing custom-made OnlyFans videos could soon land you in prison in Sweden.

The Swedish parliament just passed a new law that updates the country's existing sex purchase legislation and criminalizes the purchase of custom-made pornographic content.

Basically, consuming pre-made pornographic material is still legal in Sweden. However, the purchase of custom-made content on platforms like OnlyFans or paying for live cam shows is now illegal in Sweden and punishable as a crime akin to prostitution.

The new law takes effect on July 1 and carries a sentence of up to one year in prison.

The law is only applicable for the buyer, as Sweden's prostitution laws only ban buying sexual acts, not selling them. Online sex workers charge a premium for custom-made content on platforms like OnlyFans, making it a lucrative revenue stream for some performers.

The New York Post reports that the new Swiss law received "cross-party backing" in the Swedish parliament, including from the country's left-wing Social Democrats party.

Just this month, two U.S. Senators introduced a bill that would redefine obscenity in a way that would effectively ban pornography. Attempts to broadly ban pornography outright haven't yet been successful in the U.S., but the Swiss law could represent a new line of attack for American anti-porn activists.

In recent years, some Republican-led states have limited access to online porn through onerous age-verification requirements laws. These laws, which require adult websites to collect a user's ID in order to access their content, have resulted in major platforms like PornHub blocking users from those states altogether.

Watch all the highlights and reveals from Qualcomm's press conference at Computex 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan.

The social media company called only a handful of witnesses as it sought to prove it helped Instagram and WhatsApp after acquiring them.

Ms. Powell Jobs has privately said her philanthropy needed to practice more austerity, according to people who heard her remarks.

What’s the one app no creator should live without? At the 2025 Webby Awards, Mashable posed that deceptively simple question to a dozen digital trailblazers walking the red carpet, and while the answers varied, a few clear themes emerged.

First and foremost: If you're not editing on the go, are you even creating? From CapCut and Snapseed to Lightroom and Canva, creators are in agreement that your content is only as good as your edits. Raw footage? That’s cute. But polished, scroll-stopping posts? That’s the standard.

Creators also emphasized the need to stay inspired and organized. Pinterest was a go-to for visual brainstorming, while Notes — yes, that simple little default app on your iPhone — got a shoutout for being the unsung hero of idea dumps and to-do lists. "You need to write your thoughts down and make sure you have your to-do list," said Caleb Simpson, known for asking New Yorkers what they pay in rent.

Then, there’s the matter of mental space. Whether it’s zoning out with Block Puzzle or centering yourself with Calm, even the busiest creators need a digital breather.

SEE ALSO: How 4 creators use CapCut to edit their TikTok videos

But let’s be real: this wouldn’t be a conversation about creators without at least a few of them saying TikTok is the one app you absolutely need. Three out of the 12, in fact. Because where else are you going to watch, trend, and go viral all in a day's work?

Here’s what each creator said they can’t live without:

• The Rizzler (@itztherizzler): TikTok

• Jake Shane (@octopusslover8): Calm

• Jools Lebron (@joolieannie): CapCut

• Achieng Agutu (@noordinarynoire): Lightroom

• Logan (@logagm): TikTok

• Michelladonna (@michelladonna): CapCut

• Lana Rae (@lanaslifeee): Pinterest

• Caleb Simpson (@calebwsimpson): Notes

• Kamie Crawford (@kamiecrawford): Canva

• Miss PepperMint (@peppermint247): Snapseed

• Cliff Tan (@dearmodern): TikTok

• Chris Klemen (@chrisklemens): Block Puzzle

Whatever your creative process looks like, there's an app for that. And odds are, it’s already in your favorite creator's pocket.

Like the vast majority of people, my smartphone is often the first thing I look at in the morning and the last thing I look at before falling asleep. My iPhone serves as my alarm, my GPS, and my music player. Most importantly, it's the primary way I communicate with loved ones and stay on top of an evolving and overwhelming news cycle. I’m not alone in this regard. 

A recent Pew study indicates 86 percent of American adults say they “at least sometimes” get news from a smartphone. Another study found that 20 percent of Americans feel “overloaded by information.” While these numbers provide some useful insights, many existing studies of American media consumption and social media use fail to closely analyze — or omit entirely — a key segment of the population: Asian Americans. Compared to the average American, Asian Americans have drastically different media consumption habits. For first-generation and limited-English proficient individuals, these contrasts are even greater. 

SEE ALSO: How a Threads post helped me find community and beat loneliness The need for nuance 

I use WeChat, for example, to lurk in extended family group chats, watch cooking videos, and see pictures of my cousin’s newborn baby. But for first-generation Chinese Americans like my parents, WeChat — a popular instant messaging and social networking platform used by members of the Chinese diaspora — is a key source of local, national, and international news. This subtle difference highlights a larger problem in current research, which flattens a diverse community of dozens of ethnic groups into a high-achieving, tech-savvy monolith, and assumes someone like me, who was born and raised in the United States, has the same habits as newer arrivals and English-language learners. Despite Asian Americans being the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, many conversations around misinformation and media literacy do not consider Asian Americans

Such misconceptions and the limited nuanced research into Asian American media consumption habits inspired my team at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC to learn more. We conducted 12 focus groups with 101 Asian American individuals between the ages of 15 and 91. We curated diversity across ethnic groups, immigration generation, and English-language proficiency in the participants we recruited. Through the sessions, we tested hypotheses about media consumption based on anecdotal evidence and personal experiences. These sessions had additional personal connections for me: They took place where I grew up (metro Detroit), where I went to college (Washington, D.C.), and where I live now (the San Francisco Bay Area).

We must better understand the insidious ways misinformation impacts our communities.

It was an opportunity to hear directly from the diversity of voices in my community, and a rare chance to document the experiences of Asian Americans in their 70s and 80s (and even a few in their 90s). We learned a humbling fact: Survival was their central concern on a daily basis — not politics. When talking about older generations’ susceptibility to misinformation, I sometimes find myself making dismissive comments about “lack of political understanding” or “political apathy.” Hearing the worries of these folks underscored the importance of empathy and understanding why certain individuals may scorn or turn away from politics.

American centrism obscures reality

Language limitations play a part, too — but not in the way many may think. In an American context, people usually refer to how limited English fluency impacts an individual’s abilities to consume news, forcing them to turn towards alternative media sources. In contrast, we found that limited fluency in the languages of their parents or ancestors made it more difficult for second- and later generation Asian Americans to keep up with news from their home countries, subjecting them to “U.S.-centric” views of the world. I fall into this category. While I consider myself Chinese-English bilingual when it comes to speaking and listening, my Chinese reading and writing abilities are around an eighth-grade level. As a result, I gravitate towards English-language sources. 

A media outlet cannot simply translate from English into, say, Korean and expect their content to be digestible or understandable to all Korean Americans.

Communicating cultural context and nuance, which isn't as straightforward as translating the text from one language to the other, is also important. A media outlet cannot simply translate from English into, say, Korean and expect their content to be digestible or understandable to all Korean Americans. Factors like immigration generation and language ability impact the sources individuals seek out, and translated resources have limitations, two issues our report, "Beyond Language Translation: Asian Americans, News and Information Seeking, and the Circulation of Problematic Narratives Online," dives into. 

Building a more culturally-relevant media environment 

Across the demographics we interviewed — from residents in metro Detroit suburbs to San Francisco’s Chinatown — individuals cited more trust in local news than national outlets, describing them as more insulated from partisan politics. I was happy to hear this — in the various places I have lived, local news sources have always helped me feel connected to and informed about my immediate community. At a time when credible journalism is increasingly paywalled and attacked by politicians, it is more important than ever to protect news at the hyper-local level. And well-informed communities are best equipped to navigate and combat misinformation, conspiracy theories, scams, and more.

To ensure Asian Americans have access to accurate and relevant information, we must uplift media education designed by and for communities. Vietnamese American elders who are skeptical of non-traditional media sources should be offered in-language media literacy courses addressing their skepticism in a culturally competent, empathetic manner. Younger Asian Americans who get their news through social media and are experimenting with generative AI need training on ethical, safe use. Rather than simply offering translated voting materials, community organizations should educate community members on how elections may be different in the United States compared to individuals’ home countries. 

And more than ever, we must better understand the insidious ways misinformation impacts our communities — and how we can fight back.

Jenny Liu is the senior manager of disinformation and misinformation policy for Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC, a nonprofit advocacy network dedicated to advancing the civil and human rights of Asian Americans in pursuit of a more equitable society. This column represents the opinions of the author.

A summer reading insert recommended made-up titles by real authors such as Isabel Allende and Delia Owens. The Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer have apologized.

Are OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and iPhone designer Jony Ive getting married? In a manner of speaking.

In an announcement blog post that's giving major engagement photo vibes, OpenAI announced it will start building AI hardware with the iconic iPhone designer, a big win for the AI company.

On Wednesday, the ChatGPT maker announced that it had acquired Ive's startup, which is simply called io. The purchase price is nearly $6.5 billion, according to Bloomberg, which would make it OpenAI's biggest acquisition to date. The official announcement didn't contain much detail and mostly consisted of Altman and Ive gushing about each other. The lovey-dovey blog post (attributed to "Sam & Jony") certainly makes the union sound like a marriage.

"Two years ago, Jony Ive and the creative collective LoveFrom, quietly began collaborating with Sam Altman and the team at OpenAI. A collaboration built upon friendship, curiosity and shared values quickly grew in ambition. Tentative ideas and explorations evolved into tangible designs. The ideas seemed important and useful. They were optimistic and hopeful. They were inspiring. They made everyone smile. They reminded us of a time when we celebrated human achievement, grateful for new tools that helped us learn, explore and create...We gathered together the best hardware and software engineers, the best technologists, physicists, scientists, researchers and experts in product development and manufacturing. Many of us have worked closely for decades. The io team, focused on developing products that inspire, empower and enable, will now merge with OpenAI to work more intimately with the research, engineering and product teams in San Francisco."

Fortunately, an accompanying video posted on OpenAI's X page has more concrete information.

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There's plenty of gushing there too, but the gist is OpenAI is going to make AI-powered devices with Ive and his io team. The initiative is "formed with the mission of figuring out how to make a family of devices that would let people use AI to create all sorts of wonderful things," said Altman in the video.

Altman also shared that he has a prototype of what Ive and his team have developed, calling it the "coolest piece of technology the world has ever seen."

As far back as 2023, there were reports of OpenAI teaming up with Ive for some kind of AI-first device. Altman and Ive's bromance formed over ideas about developing an AI device beyond the current hardware limitations of phones and computers. "The products that we're using to deliver and connect us to unimaginable technology, they're decades old," said Ive in the video, "and so it's just common sense to at least think surely there's something beyond these legacy products."

Ive is famous for his work at Apple, where he led the designs for the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Steve Jobs even described Ive as his "spiritual partner."

OpenAI's move into hardware with a legendary designer, no less, shows the company has no signs of slowing down in terms of dreaming up new products. Just yesterday, Google launched a fleet of AI products, including XR hardware, indicating to some that it had caught up with OpenAI. But OpenAI just unlocked another new realm in AI competition. OpenAI says it plans to share its work with io and Ive starting in 2026.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2024-25 Europa League final for free on discovery+. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League gets most of the attention, and that makes sense because the very best teams in Europe are competing in that competition. But that doesn't mean you should ignore the Europa League. Some of the most entertaining football in recent years has been played in the Europa League, with up and coming teams fighting it out for a moment in the spotlight on the European stage.

If you want to watch the 2024-25 Europa League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Europa League?

The Europa League is an annual football club competition organised by UEFA. It is the second-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the Champions League and above the Conference League.

The defending champions are Atalanta.

When is the 2024-25 Europa League?

The 2024-25 Europa League is the 54th edition of the club competition (and the 16th since it was rebranded from the UEFA Cup). This year's competition runs from July 11 to May 21.

How to watch the 2024-25 Europa League for free

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United in the 2025 Europa League final is available to live stream for free on discovery+.

All you need to do is sign up for a free account to watch this final on discovery+. This free live stream is not available all around the world, but anyone can secure access 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 live stream the 2025 Europa League final for free on discovery+ from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United for free from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

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

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

4. Sign up for a free account on discovery+

5. Live stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United for free from anywhere in the world

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

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the 2024-25 Europa League without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the Europa League?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is 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.

Live stream the Europa League for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Enjoy serious data security at an affordable price with a lifetime subscription to the Internxt Cloud Storage 10TB plan for A$437 with code STORAGE20 through 1 June. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Internxt Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 10TB Plan AU$437
AU$4,682 Save AU$4,245 with code STORAGE20 Get Deal

Are you tired of hitting the storage limits on free cloud storage services like Dropbox? If you're looking for somewhere dependable and secure to keep your precious data, Internxt is an excellent option. It's an open-source platform with end-to-end encryption so that you can trust your files will remain safe and private. 

Right now, you can bypass expensive monthly fees and secure a lifetime subscription to Internxt Cloud Storage's generous 10TB plan is available for just A$437 (reg. A$4,682) with code STORAGE20 through 1 June. 

This cloud storage service truly values your privacy

Get serious about securing your important data with Internxt. They make privacy their top concern, so you can rest easy knowing your files are safe and the platform values transparency with its users. 

Though you may not have thought about it, traditional cloud storage providers can monetize user data with targeted advertising and data sharing. There's also the worry of data breaches or surveillance with these bigger companies. 

This is where Internxt shines — you don't have to worry about your data being accessed. They offer end-to-end encryption. That means data will be encrypted on the sender's device and only decrypted for the receiver, so not even Internxt can access it. 

Internxt also has an open-source policy. That means their code is publicly available, offering total transparency to users. They're also GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant, which means they adhere to strict European laws that protect user privacy and data security.

Like the popular cloud storage options, Internxt offers cross-platform compatibility and easy integration across devices and operating systems. And unlike the competitors with monthly or yearly subscriptions, this lifetime subscription won't cost you a penny more after purchase. 

Enjoy a massive amount of storage with a service that prioritizes privacy with this lifetime subscription to the Internxt Cloud Storage 10TB plan for A$437 (reg. A$4,682) with code STORAGE20 through 1 June. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

You may have heard by now that after five excruciating years away, Fortnite is finally available on the iOS App Store again. While it's a big victory for developer Epic Games in its ongoing fight with Apple, Fortnite fans should also tip their caps to some other big tech companies.

Late last week, we reported that Fortnite was once again stuck in app store limbo. After Epic Games submitted the app for review, a court filing revealed that Apple would not approve the app unless the court told them to. And that's exactly what happened.

On Monday, May 19, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers issued a court order for Apple to reinstate the game (or prove that it had a legal reason not to do so), and 24 hours later, Fortnite was back on iPhones, per The New York Times. This is the same judge who issued an extraordinary contempt order a few weeks ago, in which she accused Apple of deliberately violating her ruling in this case.

The latest order from the court was another undeniable victory for Epic Games, which has been providing regular updates on the app's approval on X (and throwing quite a bit of shade Apple's way in the process).

However, Epic got some assists along the way. Microsoft, for instance, filed an amicus brief on Tuesday in support of Epic's ongoing legal case against Apple, per The Verge. The Windows maker has wanted to launch a mobile Xbox store on iOS for a while now, but Apple's reluctance to allow apps to steer users to external payment sources (thus circumventing Apple's in-app purchase commissions) has prevented that from happening.

SEE ALSO: 'Fortnite' is back on iOS in the U.S. after 5 years

Music streaming giant Spotify can also claim some credit here, for a couple of reasons. One is that Spotify joined Microsoft, Meta, and X in filing a separate brief in support of Epic Games last year. Another is that, after a court order forced Apple to stop its external payment shenanigans, Spotify became the first big-name app to let users make payments outside of the app without any restrictions.

Epic and Apple have been embroiled in a legal battle over this issue since 2020, and the legal fallout is still ongoing for Apple. It's been quite the journey for the popular battle royale video game and its fans. Having said all that, it seems like the worst part is finally over, and people in the States can once again play their favorite game on their iPhones. Just remember the other tech company friends you made along the way.

In a live music landscape often dominated by inflated ticket prices and impersonal stadium shows, The All-American Rejects are flipping the script.

The band recently kicked off a "house party" tour, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Instead of arenas or overpriced amphitheaters, the band is offering fans a chance to host a literal house party with a live, pop-up performance from the band themselves. So far, they've played a backyard in Chicago, a bowling alley in Minneapolis, on someone's lawn in Columbia, Missouri for a bunch of college grads, and on the quad at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Fans can even apply through the link in the band’s Instagram bio to bring the show to their city.

The "house party" concept leans heavily into nostalgia, which is a smart play for a band whose early 2000s singles "Dirty Little Secret" and "Move Along" helped define an era of pop-punk adolescence for millennials. But it’s not just about revisiting the past. This tour taps into something deeper: the intimate, communal energy of early DIY shows that forged lasting connections between bands and their fans. And it has landed the band on FYPs across the country.

SEE ALSO: For fans, Ticketmaster is misery business

Perhaps partly because of its online popularity, it’s not just longtime listeners showing up. These intimate shows, often held on college campuses or in public spaces, are introducing The All-American Rejects to a new generation of fans who weren’t around when the band ruled TRL, but who instantly get the appeal of a sing-along anthem in a backyard with no wristbands required.

Even more remarkable? These shows are mostly free to attend. In a time when Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing has made big concert experiences unattainable for many, this feels less like a gimmick and more like a rebellion. The All-American Rejects are bringing live music directly to fans — no dynamic pricing, no service charges, no $25 parking.

At a recent stop in Minneapolis, the All-American Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter delivered a fiery, heartfelt speech that quickly went viral — a clip of the moment, posted by @marissamccall, has racked up over one million views on TikTok. Speaking to a packed crowd, Ritter captured the spirit of the house party tour with blunt honesty: "I want to thank you for coming out and giving a shit about a rock’n’roll band that supports the common man. We’re not trying to sell you finance tickets to Coachella, we’re not trying to sell you Ticketmaster fucking penalty fees, we’re not trying to sell you $25 parking. We’re just trying to sell you some songs you might have grown up with, and let you fucking let go with us in this non-denominational church of rock'n'roll."

The message — part middle finger to concert bloat, part love letter to fans — struck a nerve. Online, fans praised the band for keeping things grounded, authentic, and centered on the music. In an industry increasingly ruled by algorithms, corporate markups, and VIP upgrades, Ritter’s words felt like both a rebellion and a revival.

As one commenter on TikTok put it, "The HARDEST recession indicator. we are SO back."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

In an interview with KBIA in Missouri, Ritter explained how the idea for the tour came about: "The whole thing about this has been sort of like this weird synchronistic happenstance of reactivity. We played this random house party [in Los Angeles], and it was like, of all the shows we played in the last 10 years, it was, like, this big wake-up call to the reality of, 'Oh, this is why we started doing this.' We played in house shows. We played backyards, VFWs, and I just told my manager, 'That worked. Let’s do that.'"

And they are. One lawn, quad, and bowling alley at a time.

Google announced a ton of new products and features at I/O, the company's annual developer conference.

We've compiled a full list of everything announced, but in case you heard about that jaw-dropping $250 a month AI Ultra plan, you might be wondering which of this stuff is actually free.

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Many of the new state-of-the-art tools are bundled into the AI Ultra plan (or the AI Pro plan, which is $20 a month). But for the more casual AI user, Google also has some cool new features you can try right now. Here's a roundup of all the free AI features from Google I/O.

SEE ALSO: Welcome to Google AI Mode! Everything is fine. AI Mode comes to Search

The public release of AI Mode in Search was one of the big announcements at yesterday's keynote. Many of the features Google touted are free, which makes sense since Google, like most search engines, is free. As of Tuesday, Google has started rolling out AI Mode in the U.S., meaning users will start to see a tab at the top of the page that takes you to a chatbot interface instead of the traditional list of search results.

That may not sound like a big deal, but it basically signifies the nail in the coffin for traditional search and Google's full-on pivot to AI-powered search. AI Mode is free and available now to users in the U.S.

A Virtual try-on fashion tool and a new shopping experience Google now lets you try on clothes virtually. Credit: Google Credit: Google

Since it's a big part of Google's revenue-driving flywheel, shopping got a lot of airtime with the AI Mode announcement. AI Mode is connected to the Shopping Graph, so you can browse products in a whole new way. Eventually, you'll be able to use an agentic feature to price track and buy a product on your behalf. The agentic shopping tool will also be free (not counting the cost of the purchase) and is rolling out in the coming months.

Google also announced a virtual try-on shopping feature, which Mashable's Haley Henschel described as Cher Horowitz's Clueless closet come to life. That feature is free, but currently only available in Google's testing ground Labs. You can sign up to try the feature yourself. We're also eager to try this tool out IRL, and will report back.

Gemini Live and other features fall outside of the $250 a month price tag

Many of the AI features for the Gemini app require at least a $20 a month subscription to the AI Pro plan, and at most, a $250 a month subscription to the AI Ultra plan. But there were a few free features nestled in the keynote. Gemini Live, which is live chatting with Gemini through camera and screen sharing, is now free and available to Android and iOS users with the Gemini app. With this tool, you can show Gemini the world through your camera and ask questions. Spot a weird bug? Gemini Live can help you identify it. Need to translate a menu? Gemini Live can do it.

A new image model: Imagen 4

Yes, it's pronounced just like "imagine." At the I/O keynote, Google also announced Imagen 4, the latest version of its image generator. To date, we haven't achieved spectacular results with Gemini's image generation tools, and this is another feature we're keen to test out. If you want to play around with the new Imagen 4 model, you can try it online in the Gemini app and the experimental Whisk tool. It's also being integrated into Google Slides, Docs, Vids, and other Workspace products.

Google says Imagen 4 is particularly good at fine textures, such as clothing and other textiles. Here are some of the images Google shared to promote the new model:

AI-generated image. Credit: Google AI-generated image. Credit: Google AI-generated image. Credit: Google Free Gmail features for Google Workspace

Some of the more cutting-edge AI features for Google Workspace like live translation in Google Meet and AI avatars in Google Vids require paid plans. But we also saw some free AI features for Gmail.

That includes personalized Gmail smart replies that match the user's style and tone, automated inbox cleanup with Gemini, and appointment scheduling within emails that pull in availability from your calendar. These free features are rolling out next quarter, so you can't try them out just yet.

A preview of the personalized Smart Replies coming to Gmail. Credit: Google Google's coding agent Jules is free... for now

Google released its agentic coding assistant in Labs earlier this year. And now, Jules is available for anyone to try out. The tool is designed to operate "asynchronously," meaning it can do coding for you while you're working on something else.

While in beta, Google says Jules is free, although there are usage limits. Also, it likely won't be free forever. "We expect to introduce pricing after this beta as the platform matures," said Google in the announcement. So if you're curious, try it now before the price hammer drops.

SPEND $100, GET $30 BACK: Through May 25, get free $30 e-gift cards with all purchases of $100 or more (up to three times) from Chewy with code CELEBRATE.

Opens in a new window Credit: Chewy Chewy National Pet Month sale Spend $100, get a $30 e-gift card with code CELEBRATE Shop Now

If you missed Amazon's pet sale last month, Chewy is now the spot for pet supplies deals in honor of National Pet Month.

Not that pet parents ever wait for a special title to spoil their children, but it would be wise to do a little extra stocking up this week: Chewy is once again rewarding customers who spend $100 with a free $30 gift card. The best part is that each customer can do this three times, potentially reaching $90 in savings on the pet supplies you'd buy eventually anyway. Use code CELEBRATE at checkout to unlock the promo through May 25.

SEE ALSO: 50+ of the best Memorial Day deals and sales already live: Mattresses, Bluetooth speakers, outdoor furniture, and more

The gift card promo applies to the expected stuff like food, treats, litter, and flea and tick supplies from brands like Blue Buffalo and Fresh Step. But the code also works on a ton of more fun Chewy supplies that add some extra comfort to the home where your pet lives rent-free: Shop cat trees, dog beds, and seemingly unlimited pages of toys.

If there's one thing people on the internet love doing, it's showing off — in all its various forms, like flexing (literal or not), humble-bragging, fishing for compliments, whatever. Hell, Instagram became popular for this very reason. TikTok's latest trend is more of the same.

People all over TikTok are posting about their "holy f-ing airballs." You might be wondering what that means, which is fair because it's a pretty nonsensical phrase. The trend basically goes like this: 1) post something about yourself 2) post someone's incorrect expectation of that thing 3) call that expectation a "holy f-ing airball." (For the non-sports people, an "airball" is when you completely miss a shot.)

Typically speaking, the point of the post is to say something like, "Oh, you thought I'm a runner who likes to do fun 5Ks, well, joke's on you, I'm a world-class marathoner." The idea is to subvert expectations in a way that's likely a brag — lots of viral posts, for one reason or another, seem to also subvert the idea that folks would think they're right-wingers. Here are a few popular examples of the trend.

It makes sense that this trend has taken off; people love bragging, posting about themselves, and proving others wrong. So for the next few days or so, get ready to see even more f-ing airballs.