Feed aggregator

IKEA's collaboration with Xbox is now live, offering nine new gaming-inspired furniture pieces and accessories. Called the YXSTABY collection, an IKEA spokesperson told Mashable the collaboration was named after a small locality in Sweden, which was chosen because it includes the four letters on the Xbox controller's buttons: X, Y, B, and A.

SEE ALSO: IKEA and Xbox have collaborated on a gaming furniture collection: Launch date, price, lineup

The YXSTABY collection was previously unveiled at Gamescom in August, showing off nine pieces co-designed by the teams at IKEA and Xbox. These range from an innocuous TV stand on castor wheels to a stool designed to look like a giant thumbstick from an Xbox controller. As such, there's a mix of products depending on how obvious you want the gaming references in your interior design choices to be. 

Credit: IKEA

One of the most attractive pieces is the YXSTABY Gaming D-pad controller platter, which is subtle enough that it doesn't immediately register as gaming-related. While intended to hold remote controls and gaming controllers, the platter could also be used for other items that need a dedicated tabletop space, such as fruit. The reflective stainless steel material does pick up fingerprints incredibly easily though, so it's best used for purposes that don't require too much handling.

Credit: IKEA

Another surprising item in the YXSTABY collection is the X-shaped green Gaming D-pad cushion. While its shape and colour may make it difficult to style in your home, Mashable's first impressions are that it's unexpectedly useful. The X configuration not only makes it comfortable and convenient to hug, but can also provide an excellent resting place for your arms. This offers great utility whether you're gaming, relaxing, or even if you have arm pain. (A family member with arm pain who tried out the Gaming D-pad cushion found it very helpful, and quickly expressed interest in getting one.)

The collection also includes the YXSTABY Gaming lounge chair, which bears design similarities to IKEA's popular POÄNG armchair. However, rather than wood veneer, the Xbox collaboration uses galvanised steel rods for its structure, features Xbox green stitching, and has a mesh pocket under the seat for stashing controllers. Mashable's brief testing during an IKEA event found that yes, if you pay attention you can feel stored items through the polyester padding when sitting on the chair, though fortunately it wasn't uncomfortable.

Credit: IKEA

While IKEA will carry most of the YXSTABY collection for a while, and has plans to expand its gaming-related offerings further, not all the products will be available for long. IKEA's spokesperson told Mashable that the YXSTABY Gaming thumb stick stool will only be available for a year, so it's a good idea to pick it up soon if you're interested.

IKEA and Xbox's YXSTABY collection is available from Oct. 1 in store at IKEA, and will be available online in the U.S. from Nov. 30. Availability varies by region, with Australians able to pick up the collection both in store and online now.

SAVE $900: As of Oct. 1, you can get $900 off the Dreame LiDAR robot lawn mower when you take advantage of an Amazon coupon. That brings the price down from $2,699.99 to $1,799.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame LiDAR Robot Lawn Mower $1,799.99 at Amazon
$2,699.99 Save $900.00   Get Deal

With October Prime Day (Oct. 6-7) just around the corner, Amazon is already stacked with early deals. There's so much happening around this event that you'd be forgiven for missing a huge coupon deal on one of the most desirable gadgets in tech-land right now, the robot lawn mower.

As of Oct. 1, the Dreame LiDAR robot lawn mower is available for $1,799.99 with an Amazon voucher. All you need to do is check the voucher box on the listing, and you'll save a total of $900 off the regular list price of $2,799.99. This deal also comes with the Dreame LiDAR robot lawn mower 4-piece ultimate care kit for free (worth $275).

According to the price tracker camelcamelcamel, it's the lowest-ever price for this model.

The Dreame LiDAR Robot Lawn Mower lives up to the name — it's an absolute dream for garden lovers. Particularly garden lovers who are short of time, energy, or enthusiasm for doing the hard work of cutting the grass themselves.

It's a powerful machine that combines LiDAR with advanced Binocular AI Vision to navigate your garden. It maps out the space and has the smarts to recognize and avoid over 300 obstacles. It has various modes, edge-cutting technology, and the ability to adjust to different types of grass. Everything's controlled by an app, which is another way of saying that the Dreame LiDAR robot lawn mower does the work so you don't have to.

Get the Dreame LiDAR Robot Lawn Mower for $1,799.99 with an Amazon voucher, saving you $900.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by our shopping experts

• Apple iPhone 18 Pro — free at T-Mobile 

• Paramount+ — $0.99 for 2 months with code p2mcs26prem

• Apple iPad Pro — $1,899 $2,099 (save $200)

• TCL 85-Inch Class QM8L Series TV — $2,497.99 $3,999.99 (save $1,502)

TL;DR: Watch France vs. Italy in the Nations League for free on TF1. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The UEFA Nations League is showcasing a number of really interesting fixtures this week, but France vs. Italy might be the best.

Italy lost its opening game against Belgium but bounced back with a famous 4-1 victory over a struggling Turkey last time out. France has beaten Belgium and Turkey under new boss Zinedine Zidane, and they'll be confident of securing another three points at the Stade de France.

If you're interested in watching France vs. Italy in the Nations League from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is France vs. Italy?

France vs. Italy in the Nations League kicks off at 2.45 p.m. ET on Oct. 2. This fixture takes place at the Stade de France.

How to watch France vs. Italy for free

France vs. Italy in the Nations League is available to live stream for free on TF1.

TF1 is geo-restricted to France, 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 France, meaning you can live stream France vs. Italy for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream France vs. Italy for free by following these simple steps:

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

2. Download the app to your device of choice

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

4. Visit TF1

5. Watch France vs. Italy for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch France vs. Italy without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for TF1?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on TF1, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including France

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream France vs. Italy for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

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.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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

Idiot.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

MORON

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To inflict.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 2, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

WREAK

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Determination.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 2, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Oct. 2, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

MOXIE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Old school dance.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

DISCO

Final Hurdle hint

Punctuation.

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

COMMA

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

If the divorce at the center of War is, as its title suggests, an all-out war, then the end of the show's first episode is one hell of an opening shot.

SEE ALSO: Yes, 'War's shocking episode 1 ending was inspired by Olivia Wilde's custody serving

Throughout the episode, actor Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) plots to serve her husband, tech mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West), with divorce papers. Little does she know, he's caught wind of her intentions and is planning a quick counter.

Carla's legal firm, Taylor & Byrne, decides to serve Morgan via email after the premiere of her latest film. However, Morgan's firm, Cathcarts & Sons, has something far more brutal in mind: serving Carla while she walks the red carpet at her premiere. It's a jaw-dropping moment, one that nods to how Jason Sudeikis' legal team served Olivia Wilde custody papers at CinemaCon.

"I was so excited to shoot that scene because of the level of hiding that she would have to do," Miller told Mashable in a junket interview. "It felt like acrobatics, to some degree. What a nightmare to be in that position, with everybody looking at you and having to hide how wounded you are."

West added: "It's delicious to play one thing when the audience knows something else is going on, and they're in on the secret. That's really fun to play, smiling while you're twisting a knife."

West and Miller dive deep into the scene in the interview above, along with series creator George Kay and director Ben Taylor.

New episodes of War premiere Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

At first glance, legal drama War is focused on the imploding marriage of actor Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) and tech mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West). But really, it's just as focused on the lawyers handling their divorce.

SEE ALSO: Yes, 'War's shocking episode 1 ending was inspired by Olivia Wilde's custody serving

War introduces two fictional rival law firms: Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne. The former represents Morgan, while the latter represents Carla. Both firms come with an army of partners, each with their own agendas. It's a lot to keep track of, especially in the show's jam-packed first episode. But don't worry: We've got you covered with this guide to everything Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne.

Who works at Cathcarts & Sons? Nina Sosanya, Pip Torrens, and Dominic West in "War." Credit: Sky / HBO

Cathcarts & Sons, mostly referred to as Cathcarts in War, is a true London institution. A storied past and deep pockets have helped it carve out a powerful space for itself in the legal world, and its partners are ready to put all that power to use in Morgan and Carla's divorce.

SEE ALSO: Archie Renaux breaks down 'War's game-changing mole twist

Heading up the charge are partners St. John Smallwood (Pip Torrens) and Beatrice Ubosi (Nina Sosanya). The former's caustic wit burns almost any opponent he cross paths with, while the latter's intimidating influence has earned her the nicknames of "Queen Bea" and "Her Majesty." More junior members of the firm involved in the case are David Schill (Miles Jupp) and Suzie Levitniik (Kartanya Maynard).

Who works at Taylor & Byrne? Phoebe Fox, James McArdle, and Sienna Miller in "War." Credit: Sally Mais / Sky / HBO

Taylor & Byrne is a far newer firm than Cathcarts, founded by married couple Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle) and Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox). The pair is expecting a child, and they're hungry to make a true name for themselves. Carla's case could be the one that rockets them to legal stardom, or it could tank them financially. Those sleek offices cannot be cheap!

Adding to the pressure of the case is the fact that Serena used to work with Beatrice at Cathcarts, so she's got an extra chip on her shoulder when it comes to going up against them.

Nicholas and Serena aren't in this alone. Like the Cathcarts team, they've got several associates working with them, including Michael Stefano (Nick Mohammed) and Nora Okafor (Akiya Henry), both of whom are only briefly introduced in episode 1. Other key members of the team are barrister Budgie (Celia Imrie) and training associates Saeed Masood (Shaheen Jafargholi) and Molly Giordano (Emma Laird).

The newest addition to the team is junior associate Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux). However, as the end of episode 1 reveals, he doesn't really work for Taylor & Byrne. Instead, he's a mole for Cathcarts, hired to send them any information about Carla's case. It's a dangerous move by a clearly bloodthirsty firm. Will Taylor & Byrne try to match Cathcarts' level of ruthlessness? Or will they attempt to keep as much of a moral high ground as they can in the midst of a dirty divorce?

New episodes of War premiere Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

All's fair in love and War, including espionage.

SEE ALSO: Yes, 'War's shocking episode 1 ending was inspired by Olivia Wilde's custody serving

HBO and Sky's legal drama introduces ambitious lawyer Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux). He's just moved back to London after working at a Manhattan law firm, and he's on the hunt for a job in family law. However, as the first episode goes on, that job seems increasingly elusive. The firms he's interviewing at aren't impressed by his slick confidence or his time in New York. According to his references, his time there was far less successful than he claims it was.

Still, by the episode's end, Johnny somehow winds up with a prime job at law firm Taylor & Byrne, helping represent actor Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) in her divorce from tech mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West). Unfortunately for him, he didn't land the position on merit alone. His hiring was actually orchestrated by Morgan's law firm, Cathcarts & Sons.

Knowing Johnny would be interviewing with Taylor & Byrne, Cathcarts offered him a job — not to work directly for them, but to be a spy within Taylor & Byrne's team. To make sure Johnny landed the job, Cathcarts' partner St. John Smallwood (Pip Torrens) called a friend at Johnny's old law firm and asked them to give Taylor & Byrne a glowing recommendation. That recommendation plus Johnny's reveal he was entertaining an offer from Cathcarts were all law partners Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle) and Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox) needed to bring him onboard.

SEE ALSO: From Cathcarts and Sons to Taylor and Byrne, here's your guide to 'War's rival law firms

Johnny's new status as a mole is bad news for Taylor & Byrne, but it could be even worse news for Johnny. If his secret gets out, he could be blackballed from the profession he claims to love so much. Why take the risk?

"Desperation is the more straightforward answer," Renaux told Mashable in a junket interview. After all, Johnny spends the whole episode being rejected, then is made a laughingstock by his girlfriend Bella's (Honor Swinton Byrne) posh friends.

"He's from a sort of background of just hustling and fighting by any means possible," Renaux continued. "'I'm going to achieve my goals, and if it's going to have to be this way, so be it.' He's moving so fast, and things happen so quickly that he hasn't really got time to think."

Cathcarts could also see major blowback should anyone discover their ruse. As Morgan so rightly asks his team: "Are you out of your mind?"

"If they get found out, they get struck off, basically, from the legal world," series creator George Kay told Mashable in a junket interview. "They've structured it in such a way that if they get discovered, they can say, 'Discovered about what? We know nothing about this guy.' There's little defense mechanisms in there."

War's creative team and cast consulted with a lawyers to get a real sense of the petty infighting that goes down between firms. Did the idea of Johnny's mole arc stem from any of those consultations?

"I don't think it has happened in real life, but it's the sort of idea lawyers have," Kay said. "It's where their mind would go, which is the real part of it."

New episodes of War premiere Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Between honey traps and legal moles, War's first episode is already brimming with dramatic twists. It saves its best — and nastiest — for last.

SEE ALSO: Archie Renaux breaks down 'War's game-changing mole twist

The new legal drama follows the contentious, high-profile divorce between actor Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) and tech mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West). Throughout War's first episode, the pair each plot how to kick off the divorce proceedings, all while hiding their plans from the other. Carla's legal firm, Taylor & Byrne, opt to serve Morgan via email after the premiere of Carla's new film, The Milliner. Morgan's legal firm, Cathcarts & Sons, opts for something much filthier.

The episode ends with Carla and Morgan walking the red carpet at The Milliner premiere. As she signs autographs, a Cathcarts lawyer walks up to her and serves her with divorce papers.

Morgan serving Carla in public at an important career event immediately recalls how Jason Sudeikis' legal team served his ex-partner Olivia Wilde with custody papers in 2022. A process server served Wilde while she was onstage at CinemaCon, promoting her second feature film, Don't Worry Darling. In a 2026 appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Wilde described the experience as "one of the most fucked-up things that I went through" and "incredibly traumatizing." In 2022, sources told Variety that Sudeikis "had no prior knowledge of the time or place that the envelope would have been delivered."

SEE ALSO: From Cathcarts and Sons to Taylor and Byrne, here's your guide to 'War's rival law firms

The parallel between Wilde's real experience and Carla's fictional one wasn't an accident.

"There's a nod to the Olivia Wilde serving at the end of the pilot of War," series creator George Kay told Mashable in a junket interview. "We had lots of chats in the writers' room about all of these kinds of crazy things that go on in celebrity divorces."

When Carla receives the divorce papers, she immediately puts on a brave face for the many cameras and fans lining the red carpet, none of whom know the contents of the envelope.

"I was so excited to shoot that scene because of the level of hiding that she would have to do," Miller told Mashable in a junket interview. "It felt like acrobatics, to some degree. What a nightmare to be in that position, with everybody looking at you and having to hide how wounded you are."

As for Morgan, who looks on as Carla's life implodes, West described his reaction as "smiling while you're twisting a knife."

The episode ends with the pair taking photos together as if nothing is wrong, holding it together in public before presumably tearing each other to pieces in private.

"The fact that they're successful in being able to hide it says a lot about them as characters, because I think I would have left my premiere at that point and gone and cried in a bathroom," Miller said. "But not these two, because they are formidable."

New episodes of War premiere Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 2, 2026 Back meaning

The rear part of an object or person.

Bankroll meaning

To provide money for a project.

Fund meaning

A pool of money or resources set aside for a specific purpose.

Support meaning

To bear the weight of something physically.

Index meaning

An alphabetical list in the back of a book used for references.

Little meaning

Small is size or amount.

Middle meaning

A central location that is halfway from two sides or boundaries.

Ring meaning

A circular band that's worn on the finger, typically made of silver or gold.

Common meaning

Happening often.

Routine meaning

A regular, fixed or customary way of doing things.

Standard meaning

A level of quality.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Stock meaning

A share of ownership in a corporation.

Number meaning

A mathematical symbol, value or word that represents a quantity.

Real estate meaning

Property consisting of land and any permanent structures attached to it.

Rib meaning

A curved bone in the chest that protects the lungs.

Time meaning

The continuation of existence and events.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're good with money.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for October 2, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Money

• Green: Digits

• Blue: Usual

• Purple: Superior

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Finance

• Green: Fingers

• Blue: Customary

• Purple: Prime ___

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1209 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Finance: BACK, BANKROLL, FUND, SUPPORT

• Fingers: INDEX, LITTLE, MIDDLE, RING

• Customary: COMMON, ROUTINE, STANDARD, STOCK

• Prime ___: NUMBER, REAL ESTATE, RIB, TIME

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you're sneaky.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 2, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: On the sly...

The words are related to hiding.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe doing things undercover.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Sneaking Around.

NYT Strands word list for October 2

• Shifty

• Furtive

• Sneaking Around

• Stealthy

• Devious

• Covert

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a lender.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 2 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

High interest.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter U appears twice.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter U.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

USURP

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Meta has been treating its AI data centers as experimental facilities to claim billions of dollars in federal research tax credits, a strategy the company's own accountants reportedly flagged as legally risky. The savings reportedly grew from $700 million in 2023 to $3.9 billion in 2025.

How can a company worth $1.8 trillion be worried about saving $3.9 billion? Well, because the priorities of any publicly traded company are profits, then stock price, then market cap, then penny-pinching, and then the cycle repeats.

The Meta story underscores something simple: the people building the most powerful technology on Earth will push the rules when money is on the line. Yet they now ask us to trust them on safety, to believe they are putting financial gain aside to do the right thing.

Give me a break.

SEE ALSO: AI leaders say they want safety, but on whose terms?

Everyone is spinning over whether AI chatbots could go rogue. Will it happen? Can it be stopped? Is the threat real, or a hoax? Here's a better question: who do we trust to tell us the truth, and to act when it matters?

The canaries in the coal mine are chirping, and there's more than one bird. OpenAI announced it is shelving its newest model because it didn't quite meet the bar on safety. Anthropic's CEO has warned that, within a year, AI could be capable of directing a swarm of agents that takes over the internet. Even Pope Leo has told reporters that the concerns of AI experts are not fake news. Reports of AI escaping users' control are escalating, and surely there are more than we know about.

I spent 30 years in corporate America. In all that time, I never once saw a company do something that would hurt its performance and stock price simply because it was the right thing to do. Not once. That isn't cynicism; it's how incentives work, amplified by relentless pressure to cut costs and drive up profits.

So when AI leaders say they are deeply concerned, I believe they mean it. I just don't believe it will last. OpenAI shelved that model. Good. But was that goodness of heart, or fear of lawsuits, as stories of AI misbehavior multiply?

I can't imagine any of these companies willingly hobbling their stock price by holding back the next, better model while a competitor races ahead. Self-regulation only works if competitors cooperate, and cooperating against your own profit is a fairy tale. 

Every company in the AI race will have a reason to go one more step. The thirst for money, profit, and a higher stock price will win out every single time, even if humanity is at risk.

Yet self-regulation is exactly what President Trump endorsed yesterday after meeting with tech leaders. "There's a belief that there should be tremendous self-regulation," he said, pointing to existing oversight at the Justice Department and the FBI. He offered no coordinated government framework, which is precisely what this moment demands. He has also called fears of runaway AI a "hoax."

The AI lunch attendees all signed an AI agreement that Trump said is  "morally binding." If we are relying on morality to save the day, we are screwed.

The doomsday scenario

Consider what a serious AI failure could look like: drained bank accounts, disrupted hospitals, exposed medical data, scrambled supply chains, blackouts, grounded airlines and trains. There is no light switch and no single plug to pull. Stopping it would take coordination across agencies, deep technical expertise, and leaders who believe the threat is real enough to act before the damage is done.

SEE ALSO: Is an AI 'kill switch' a real thing?

That capacity lives in agencies that have lost enormous talent. FBI Director Kash Patel has thinned the agency's cyber and counterintelligence ranks through firings and reassignments. The Pentagon, under a defense secretary more worried about testosterone levels and height-weight measurements, has pushed out or lost at least 25 top leaders, with more to come, including the heads of both Cyber Command and the NSA. 

The Justice Department has seen more than 10,000 departures, many in cybersecurity. FEMA, which we'd need if grids fail or water systems are infiltrated, has endured deep staffing and funding cuts.

And what if AI disrupts our health care system and we all get sick? We have a worm-brained health secretary who has overseen a massive loss of brainpower while focusing on anti-vaccine measures instead of outbreaks. Between March 2025 and mid-2026, the CDC's active civil service workforce fell 30 percent, from roughly 12,700 employees to fewer than 8,900.

Those who remain are not necessarily incompetent, but hard-won expertise in how systems break — and how to contain a digital fire — is walking out the door. If AI is as capable as its creators insist, it can presumably see that too. A rogue system wouldn't need to defeat our defenses. It would just need to outpace them.

So which should we fear more? An AI that goes wrong, or an industry with every incentive to keep racing, paired with a government too depleted to intervene? There is no right answer, and that should keep us all up at night.

This article represents the opinions of its writer.

John Casey is a columnist at Raw Story, the Advocate, Daily Beast, and Outsports. He's also the author of Love: The Heroic Stories of Marriage Equality.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Booster Display Box is on sale for $353.99 at Amazon, down from its $378.88 typical price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokemon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Booster Display Box (36 packs) $353.99 at Amazon
$378.88 Save $24.89   Get Deal

The base Mega Evolution set is rapidly becoming one of the most expensive in the modern Pokémon TCG right now, but a new Amazon price cut has brought the 36-pack Display Box down by nearly $25 ahead of Prime Day.

As of Oct. 1, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Booster Display Box is $353.99 at Amazon through third-party seller Collectors Expedition. That trims $24.89 from the list price, a discount of roughly 7%, with free delivery currently included.

With 36 booster packs inside, you’re paying approximately $9.83 per pack before tax. Each booster contains 10 random trading cards, leaving you with 360 cards to open across the full display.

SEE ALSO: The best early Prime Day deals on Pokémon, including 30th Celebration trading cards for below market price

Amazon still isn’t the cheapest place to buy the box if you’re open to buying it elsewhere. Walmart is also selling the same 36-pack Mega Evolution Booster Box for $344.95 with free shipping, while TCGplayer sellers have gone considerably lower with English unopened copies available for as little as $308 shipped. That’s only a cent above its current market price of $307.99.

If you’re hoping to pull a particular card, you can buy any single Mega Evolution Pokémon card right now on TCGplayer — including the stunning golden MHR Mega Lucario ex. 

SAVE $36.31: As of Oct. 1, the Coleman Sundome 4-Person Camping Tent is on sale for just $81.86 on Amazon ahead of its fall Prime sale (normally $117.99). That's a 31% savings and its lowest price of the year so far.

Opens in a new window Credit: Coleman Coleman Sundome 4-Person Camping Tent $81.86 at Amazon
$117.99 Save $36.13 Exclusive to Prime members. Get Deal

Everyone knows that early fall is the best time to buy camping equipment. (And if you didn't, now you do!) Retailers are now slashing prices on their remaining summer gear to clear their inventories before winter. Case in point: Amazon just put a Coleman tent on sale for its lowest price all year.

Typically $117.99, the navy blue Coleman Sundome 4-Person Camping Tent is only $81.86 right now — a 31% discount. Note that it's still full price on Coleman's website.

For reference, the same tent was about $2 more expensive during Amazon's summer Prime Day sale in June and $1.31 pricier during Prime Big Deal Days 2025, according to the price-tracking site camelcamelcamel. The only time it's been significantly cheaper than it is now was on Black Friday 2024, when it hit an all-time low of $67.99.

This is one of the best outdoor deals we've spotted in the lead-up to Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale on Oct. 6 and 7, aka "October Prime Day." You do have to be a Prime member to claim it, but trial members count.

Coleman describes this tent as being "ideal for camping in warm weather." It can fit one queen-sized air mattress, sets up in 10 minutes, and features a ground vent to prevent its interior from getting stuffy. Plus, there's an E-port on the side in case you'd like to run power inside. (FWIW, we've also spotted some very good deals on portable power stations ahead of Prime Big Deal Days.)

SAVE OVER $80: As of Oct. 1, the Lego Speed Champions Ultimate F1 Collector's Pack is back to its lowest-ever price of $188.99 at Amazon, but only for Prime members. That's $81 off its full price of $269.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Speed Champions Ultimate Formula 1 Collector's Pack $188.99 at Amazon
$269.99 Save $81   Get Deal

With just a few days left to go until Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon has started dropping some early Prime-exclusive Lego discounts for members to score. Among them is the Lego Speed Champions Ultimate F1 Collector's Pack, which has returned to its lowest-ever price of $188.99.

We saw this deal pop up during June's Prime Day event earlier this year, and it's a pretty solid cut from its $269.99 list price. Overall, you're saving $81 on this collector's pack, but again, keep in mind it's an exclusive offer for Prime members. If you haven't signed up yet, check out our guide to signing up.

SEE ALSO: 30+ early October Prime Day deals: We found live deals on Bose, Lego, and Apple

This is a stacked package for F1 fans. Inside, you'll find 10 sets that feature the F1 grid from the 2025 season, measuring over one inch high, eight inches long, and three inches wide. Altogether, they make a grand total of 2,601 bricks. You're getting the Ferrari SF-24, Red Bull RB20, Mercedes-AMG W15, Aston Martin AMR24, Visa Cash App (VCARB) RB01, Kick Sauber C44, Alpine A524, Haas VF-24, Williams Racing FW46, and McLaren MCL38.

You'll also get a limited-edition poster featuring all 10 F1 teams, a nice bonus alongside all the brick-built vehicles. If you're buying it for a fan, it's sure to make their day.

If you're a Prime member, don't miss out on this chance to save on the Lego Speed Champions Ultimate F1 Collector's Pack before Prime Big Deal Days.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by our shopping experts

• Apple iPhone 18 Pro — free at T-Mobile 

• Paramount+ — $0.99 for 2 months with code p2mcs26prem

• Apple iPad Pro — $1,899 $2,099 (save $200)

• TCL 85-Inch Class QM8L Series TV — $2,797.99 $3,999.99 (save $1,202)

The energy in the lobby of Alice Tully Hall was kinetic on the night of Sept. 30, as press, patrons, and the public eagerly awaited the New York Film Festival's New York premiere of You Can See Everything. The documentary's existence went from a well-kept secret to an internet sensation when A24 dropped a teaser on Sept. 6 showing notorious Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes having an intimate conversation with heralded comedian Nathan Fielder. 

The project seemed preposterous, like something born from MadLibs or a brain-rot meme. However, the world premiere at a secret screening at the Telluride Film Festival, which was timed to the teaser debut, not only proved this movie was real, but also launched much buzz and absolutely unhinged rumors about what it contains.  

SEE ALSO: NYFF 2026 preview: 14 films you'll want to see (and how)

The New York crowd was downright giddy to see for themselves if You Can See Everything, co-directed by Fielder and Lance Oppenheim (Primetime), could live up to the hype. Personally, I was dubious. Holmes had already been the subject of the heralded book Bad Blood, an Alex Gibney documentary called The Inventor, the podcast series The Dropout, and Hulu's dramatic adaptation of the same name, which starred Amanda Seyfried as Holmes. What could be left to say on this subject? 

Well, I was wrong. Because the answer there is plenty. And You Can See Everything is a masterwork of interrogation, not only of the whole Holmes situation but of documentary as a form itself. And if you're thinking that sounds dry, let me confirm some of the rumors. Yes, there's full-frontal nudity, outrageous statements, bonkers twists, and laughs big and uncomfortable. But there's something more cerebral and unnerving that makes this not exactly a crowdpleaser, but a real stunner.

You Can See Everything is ridiculous on its face. 

Why Nathan Fielder? It's a question he asks Holmes in the film's first half, as he's a comedian known for blurring the lines of reality and performance with shows like Nathan For You and The Rehearsal. Holmes responds with a warm smile and an answer that is intriguingly elusive, as much of her answers will be. Over and over, she insists she's being transparent and truthful. But as that much-talked-about teaser clip suggests, it's hard to trust her, and harder to tell if she's telling the truth. 

Making the movie more bizarre, You Can See Everything began shooting in the 36 days before Holmes turned herself over to authorities to begin her prison sentence for fraud. And during that time, not only did she allow Fielder and his crew of seven into her home with her children and her fiancé, Billy Evans, but she invited him to move into their cramped beach house in the San Diego neighborhood of Del Mar. And he did. 

This should make the audience question Fielder's perspective on Holmes, as he might be accused of getting too close with the subject he's meant to investigate. But this is precisely what You Can See Everything wants you to question — but not just this. 

The film begins with camera angles and conversations between Holmes and Evans (or Liz and Billy, as they call each other) as if we're a fly on the wall. Then, Fielder becomes visible, lurking from a corner or outside their home. He is the audience surrogate in these moments, curious but looking from the outside, trying to make sense of this infamous woman. However, as the film progresses, his getting closer to Holmes and her family puts Fielder in the position of those she's beguiled and impressed before. 

Through Fielder and Oppenheim's suffocatingly intimate approach to the cinematography, we're strapped to his hip on the experience. You Can See Everything is shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is like that of an old-school television from the '90s. This concentrates the audience's attention on to a smaller area, more specifically to the claustrophobic close-ups of Fielder, Holmes, Evans, and others. A multi-camera setup in the home means that the speaker and the spoken-to are caught on tape, so that we can see every microexpression, every flinch or twitch. And in that way, we — like Fielder — are forced to look Holmes in her unblinking eyes and determine for ourselves what is truth and what is a lie. And it's not easy. 

You Can See Everything is a fabulous mindfuck.

Even after all the internet rumors, the most surprising bit — that's not a spoiler — is that Holmes goes to prison around the halfway point of the nearly three-hour-long movie. After that, Fielder and Oppenheim's access to her becomes extremely limited. So, they begin to use reenactments to continue telling their story. That's a standard documentary tool. But the way they use reenactments introduces a new wrinkle in parsing the reality of Holmes' story. As in The Rehearsal, Fielder brings in an actor to play opposite him to recreate moments the crew couldn't catch on camera. And, similar to The Rehearsal, he has conversations with the actor to get a deeper understanding of the interaction. However, because the original interactions are not recorded, it's only Fielder's memory that they can pull from. Even as they read through his scripts, he questions his own memory. His perspective is challenged repeatedly within the film, with the actor even accusing him of liking Holmes too much to be objective. 

This is the core of You Can See Everything that makes it about more than Holmes. Documentaries themselves can never be objective, because they are — as Holmes says — human stories. When the frame is chosen, what is kept in is just as crucial to what is cropped out. When the edit comes together, the moments that are deemed meaningful versus unimportant shape the message. So, while You Can See Everything challenges you to question Holmes and Fielder, it also challenges its audience to think more broadly about documentary and news media. Objectivity is an impossibility. We are creatures of blood and emotion, driven by impulse and a need to protect ourselves from the reality of how we are capable of hurting others. 

It's not just Holmes who is questioned on this point in the film. And so, You Can See Everything becomes an interrogation of how we decide what's true. As a movie, it's a hell of an experience. Personally, I gasped, shouted, laughed, and even gagged. But as a work of art, it's one that's sure to live on for its bold choices, interrogation of form, and for Fielder's brave vulnerability in exposing his own doubts and shortcomings. 

You Can See Everything was reviewed out of the New York Film Festival and will open in theaters on Oct. 16. 

Scroll through social media, and you'll likely see the same sentence repeated over and over: "I am Jane Doe."

From comedians to authors to creators to everyday users, people are lending their names to a movement aimed at protecting the identity of the former Cornell University student who alleges that seven Chi Phi fraternity members sexually assaulted her in 2024.

Why? The movement gained momentum after political commentator Michael Tracey publicly solicited information identifying the woman, who filed her civil lawsuit under a pseudonym. "Let's see if anyone has the 'balls' to name this Jane Doe so we can all evaluate her veracity," he wrote Sept. 28. He followed up that he would be "happy to publish her name and identifying information" and that "this is 100% permitted under the First Amendment."

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

That prospect sparked an immediate response from people who wanted her identity kept private. Doxxing generally refers to exposing someone’s personal information online without their permission. In this case, supporters are pushing back against the idea that bringing allegations into public view should also mean opening the woman’s personal life to scrutiny.

SEE ALSO: Instagram put a warning on Florence Pugh's 'Cornell 7' post. Why?

Their answer has been to make themselves part of the search. On Threads, participants are posting "I am Jane Doe," sometimes pairing the declaration with their own names and inviting others to do the same. "I guess this is a thing now," Tracey wrote Sept. 30 about the trend.

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

The repetition serves two purposes: showing solidarity and, for some participants, making searches for the woman’s identity less useful.

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

On TikTok, women are overlaying "I am Jane Doe" on their videos and often share their own experiences with sexual assault. In a Reddit thread, users are taking the idea further by supplying deliberately false names. Their hope is that search engines and AI tools will pick up those posts, returning a jumble of conflicting identities to anyone searching for the Cornell accuser.

"Of course I know the identity of Jane Doe, the plaintiff against Cornell and the Cornell 7. Jane Doe is Robert California," one commenter wrote, referencing the character from The Office. Another joked, "Jane Doe's name? Nunya. Nunya Business."

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

Some commenters warned that reposting identifying information, even to condemn its disclosure, could spread it further. "I've seen so many people quoting it and dunking on the guy, which only serves to spread this poor woman's identity to more people," one wrote.

The campaign follows a September civil lawsuit alleging that seven Chi Phi fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted the former student at Cornell’s fraternity house in October 2024. She is also suing Cornell and other defendants over their alleged failures to protect her and respond adequately. (The allegations remain contested.)

No criminal charges were initially filed. On Sept. 28, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced a renewed investigation and preparations to present the case to a grand jury.

Whether the posts can protect her anonymity remains uncertain. But the response shows how quickly people online can mobilize — and how that attention could help keep pressure on the institutions handling her allegations as the case moves forward.

The tech giant will refund $7.25 million in Prime membership fees to affected customers and pay an additional $1 million to settle the suit brought by the District of Columbia.

With a plan to fully electrify its fleet by 2040, FedEx recently took a big step toward that goal by purchasing 2,000 EVs that will enter service in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2027.

The Tennessee-based package carrier is buying the vehicles from California startup Harbinger for over $200 million, according to InsideEVs.

If the report’s numbers are right, it’s a good investment; the trucks are anticipated to save FedEx $40 miillion in fuel costs each year and, with each EV truck engineered to last 20 years, that’s $800 million in savings.

SEE ALSO: How California's high-speed rail is already helping the planet

Over the same period, the new trucks aim to prevent 1.7 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

The medium-duty EV trucks can travel between 140 and 210 miles on a full charge; Harbinger officials say a 20-to-80 percent charge takes less than an hour on a fast charger. 

FedEx has about 175,000 vehicles on the road, according to its own estimates. The company’s climate goals include exclusively purchasing electric trucks by 2030. By 2040, the company is committed to having all its pickup and delivery vehicles be zero-tailpipe emission models, including contracted transportation.