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FREE LEGO: On May 17-18, build a Lego Ninjago Thunderfang model at participating stores and take it home with you for free.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego: Free Ninjago Thunderfang Learn MoreThe time has come for another Lego make and take event. Following in the footsteps of the Steering Wheel, Valentine's Day Heart, Mother's Day Bouquet, and Grogu events, fans can build a Lego Ninjago Thunderfang model at participating stores and take it home with them for free.
Visitors to select Lego Stores on May 17 (from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.) and May 18 (from 12-2 p.m.) can take part in this giveaway. The Lego Ninjago Thunderfang model will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis, at participating locations, while supplies last. There's a limit of one build per participant, but don't let that stop you from attending.
SEE ALSO: Lego builds life-size F1 cars for Miami GP — made of 400,000 Lego bricksSomething important to note about this Lego Ninjago Thunderfang model is that it's not available for purchase. So by getting involved in this free giveaway, you're getting your hands on an exclusive item that money cannot buy.
Build and take home an exclusive Lego Ninjago Thunderfang model for free on May 17-18.
TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Texas with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.
The big news in the world of porn is that more than a third of U.S. states have introduced restrictions for online adult content, including Texas. With the introduction of age verification laws, millions of users in Texas are now unable to access Pornhub. There are complicated reasons for this restriction, but thankfully, the workaround is simple.
If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Texas, we have all the information you need.
How to unblock Pornhub for free in TexasVPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.
Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:
Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub
Visit Pornhub
The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for Pornhub?ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, 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 streaming speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Unblock Pornhub for free in Texas with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Florida with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.
More than a third of U.S. states have introduced restrictions for online adult content, including Florida. With the introduction of age verification laws, millions of users in Florida are now unable to access Pornhub. The reasons for these restrictions are complicated, but the workaround is not.
If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Florida, we have all the information you need.
How to unblock Pornhub for free in FloridaVPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure server in another location. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.
Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:
Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub
Visit Pornhub
The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for Pornhub?ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, 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 streaming speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Unblock Pornhub for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream Manchester United vs. Athletic Club for free on RTBF Auvio. The best service for live streaming sport is ExpressVPN.
Manchester United surprised everyone by beating Athletic Club 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final matchup. It has been a really tough season for Ruben Amorim's side, but they've looked great in this competition. They have one foot in the final already, but the job is not done yet. They still need to focus in front of their own fans to make sure their spot in the final is booked.
If you want to watch Manchester United vs. Athletic Club for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Manchester United vs. Athletic Club?Manchester United vs. Athletic Club kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on May 8. This fixture takes place at Old Trafford.
How to watch Manchester United vs. Athletic Club for freeManchester United vs. Athletic Club is available to live stream for free on RTBF Auvio in Belgium.
RTBF Auvio is geo-restricted to Belgium, so if you're away from Belgium for this fixture, you'll have to use a VPN to get access to your usual coverage. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Belgium, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access RTBF Auvio from anywhere in the world.
Unblock RTBF Auvio by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Belgium
Visit RTBF Auvio
Stream Manchester United vs. Athletic Club in the Europa League for free
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to provide free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to RTBF Auvio without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Manchester United vs. Athletic Club before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for ServusTV?ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on ServusTV, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Austria
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% 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 Manchester United vs. Athletic Club for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Spurs have almost confirmed their spot in the Europa League final, likely against Manchester United. They beat Bodo/Glimt 3-0 in the first leg, so barring an embarrassing collapse in the second leg, they will secure their place in the showpiece event taking place on May 21.
If you want to watch Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur?Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on May 8. This fixture takes place at the Aspmyra Stadion.
How to watch Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur for freeBodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.
ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Austria, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access ServusTV from anywhere in the world.
Unblock ServusTV by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria
Visit ServusTV
Stream Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League for free
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to provide free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to ServusTV without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for ServusTV?ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on ServusTV, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Austria
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Stream Bodo/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free with ExpressVPN.
The galaxy far, far away just watched a massacre on Andor. But did it understand what it saw — and will viewers in our galaxy?
Andor season 2, episode 8, 'Who Are You?' isn't just the darkest moment in the show; it may be the darkest moment the Star Wars franchise has ever seen. Stormtroopers on Ghorman, a prosperous planet with a mineral the Empire needs to build its Death Star, attack a square full of defenseless protestors. This draws rebels into a firefight where both sides are looking for a propaganda victory.
Before the slaughter comes an excruciating buildup. Courageous protesters gather in the square, already the site of a previous Imperial massacre, chanting "We are the Ghor! The galaxy is watching!" And they have good reason to think so. The events are apparently being covered live by a handful of galactic journalists — although as Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy confirms, those journalists are working for the Empire's Ministry of Enlightenment.
"They're there to sell the story" of a phony attack by rebels on an Imperial depot, Gilroy says. Later, we see them focus their reporting on "Imperial martyrs" — dead Stormtroopers and Imperial employees, basically. RIP Syril, who almost figured out what his bosses were up to, never getting to answer Cassian's question (the episode title). And RIP Ghorman itself, victim of what Senator Mon Mothma later calls a "genocide."
Where does 'the galaxy is watching' come from?But what about that iconic (and ultimately ironic) phrase, "the galaxy is watching?" If you hear an echo of a phrase from protests closer to home, "the whole world is watching," that's exactly what Gilroy intended.
"It's universal enough that I can use it," Gilroy says, citing its usage by protestors during the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011 — when NYPD officers conducted one of the largest mass arrests in U.S. history.
In fact, the chant goes further back than that and may originate with the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s. Bob Dylan did some of the popularizing, using it as a line in a song on his seminal 1964 protest album "The Times They Are a-Changing."
Historically, the most famous use of "the whole world is watching" was by anti-Vietnam War protesters outside the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968. The protestors were correct; the event was being carried live by U.S. networks and picked up around the globe.
But as on Ghorman, it didn't end well. The world's observation didn't stop National Guardsmen and Chicago PD from attacking with clubs. And it didn't stop the nation's most famous journalist, Walter Cronkite, from having to apologize on national TV to the mayor of Chicago for calling his security forces what they clearly were: thugs.
SEE ALSO: How 'Andor' fulfills George Lucas' plan for 'Star Wars'Connecting Andor to anti-Vietnam protests also puts Gilroy in line with the origins of Star Wars itself. Lucas, who was set to direct the hard-hitting Vietnam picture Apocalypse Now before choosing his space fantasy passion project instead, fully intended the Empire to represent the U.S. military in Vietnam — defeated by technologically inferior forces.
And as dark as 'Who Are You?' is, it's not the first genocide we've seen in what is often considered a franchise for children. As Tony Gilroy points out, there are two mind-bogglingly large genocides in the original Star Wars — the Death Star's annihilation of Princess Leia's home planet, and the destruction of the Death Star with millions of lives aboard.
"You know, there were no cameras on Alderaan," Gilroy notes wryly. "I guess it's in keeping with our show — if you keep the camera down on the ground instead of in space, you feel it more."
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's The Mini crossword answers for May 8 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: To inscribe
Green: Used in a popular card game
Blue: Leads in action-packed films
Purple: The second half of each word is the same
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Commit to paper
Green: Needs for playing Yahtzee
Blue: Heroes of action movie franchises
Purple: ___Stick
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #697 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayCommit to paper: AUTHOR, COMPOSE, PEN, WRITER
Needs for playing Yahtzee: CUP, DICE, PENCIL, SCOREBOARD
Heroes of action movie franchises: BOND, JONES, OCEAN, WICK
___Stick: CANDLE, CHOP, JOY, YARD
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 8Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
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.
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.
Strands 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 MashableBy 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 preferrined pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 8 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 8 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Well, fancy that!The words are wealth-related.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words are used to describe luxurious things.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Ooh Shiny
Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for May 8Lavish
Deluxe
Ornate
Snazzy
Ooh Shiny
Extravagant
Gaudy
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.
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for 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 today: Hints and answers for May 8 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.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for May 8, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Warm weather.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no recurring letters.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is...
BALMY.
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.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 8Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
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.
Now operating in cities like L.A., San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, the robotaxis of Waymo have driven nearly 57 million miles, according to the autonomous vehicle company. With all those miles under its (timing) belt, the Alphabet-owned operation recently released a research paper highlighting some impressive data.
Waymo's report centered on incidents between its vehicles and "vulnerable road users." Compared to human drivers, Waymo's self-driving, electric Jaguars encountered 92 percent fewer crashes with pedestrians that resulted in injuries, 82 percent fewer crashes with cyclists involving injuries, and 82 percent fewer crashes with injuries that involved motorcyclists. There was also good news for car-to-car crashes, with 96 percent fewer injury-involving intersection crashes among Waymos, compared to human drivers, and 85 percent fewer crashes with suspected serious or worse injuries.
"It’s encouraging to see real-world data showing Waymo outperforming human drivers when it comes to safety," Jonathan Adkins, Chief Executive Officer at the nonprofit Governors Highway Safety Administration, said in Waymo's press release. "Fewer crashes and fewer injuries — especially for people walking and biking — is exactly the kind of progress we want to see from autonomous vehicles."
With Waymo planning additional service in Washington, D.C., Miami, and Tokyo, can we expect further progress in road safety in the cities Waymo operates in? Possibly, says David Kidd, the Senior Research Scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. While Waymo has demonstrated its individual cars are often safer than human drivers, the company's service is not ubiquitous enough to show that it makes a city's entire road network safer, Kidd tells Mashable. Waymo's effective technology and positive safety record are good signs that we may get there one day, Kidd adds.
SEE ALSO: Smooth, silent, strange: What it's really like to hail a robotaxi What are your takeaways from Waymo's recent safety report?Kidd: Waymo has done several of these reports, and they have been diligent about being very transparent about the methods they used to get the data they have. They’ve built on and expanded on previous [reports]. This is ... the most comprehensive look of the safety of their AVs to date, and the results are really encouraging.
Compared to other AV efforts from Tesla and General Motors' Cruise, Waymo seems to be finding the most success. Why?I can’t speak to Waymo's strategy and philosophy and the differences between Waymo and Cruise and other AV companies, but certainly what stands out is Waymo is making a concerted effort to do research demonstrating the safety of the vehicles on real roads and being public about it. So they publish the research, and they also are now putting information about crashes and exposure, or millions driven in different deployment areas, on their website so anyone can go and replicate what they’ve done or do their own analyses. No other company is doing that right now, and it’s something we would hope other companies would follow Waymo’s lead in and be transparent.
The number of pedestrians and cyclists killed by cars has been steadily climbing for years. Can Waymo make the argument that they can help reduce those numbers?Crashes with pedestrians have been increasing since 2009; I think there's been an 83 percent increase in fatal pedestrian crashes since that year (Kidd is referencing a report from 2022, showing a 40-year high for pedestrians killed by cars). And it certainly is the case that these automated vehicles are really good at keeping themselves from getting into conflicts with pedestrians, as this study provides evidence for; it’s going to help with the issue. The caveat is that AVs are not deployed everywhere, they’re certainly not in everyone’s driveway and not accessible to everyone so if we’re really going to tackle that pedestrian crash problem, it’s going to take multiple types of counter measures and solutions ranging from the technology in cars we can buy today like pedestrian automatic braking, changes in infrastructure that reduces conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles, as well as changing things that can make drivers more aware, as well as pedestrians aware, of their surroundings and pay more attention to distracted driving and distracted walking.
SEE ALSO: Robot, take the wheel: What you need to know about autonomous vehicles rolling out across the U.S. Since consumers cannot buy their own AVs yet, will we see significant decreases in crash deaths when automated cars are only available on a rideshare basis?The natural extension of what Waymo has done is to better understand how the deploying of their vehicles inside of a city or inside a transportation network affects the overall safety of that network. They’ve done a good job of showing several times that their vehicles crash less often and are involved in fewer crashes than humans in that same deployment area. What they need to show is, if they have 100 Waymo vehicles or 1,000 Waymo vehicles, then is the transportation system in that area safer for everyone? That’s kind of the next piece — do we get shared safety benefits?
Waymo really demonstrated they can develop a technology and algorithms that take sensor information and make the vehicle operate safely. Can we take some of those learnings and improvements and apply them to the technology in vehicles you and I can buy? There’s a rumor they are potentially collaborating with Toyota; hopefully that’s one thing that comes out of it — Waymo takes their gains and algorithms and software and what they’ve done in the self-driving arena and apply it and translate it into the safety technology that Toyota and other automakers put into the vehicles that are sold to consumers today. That’s where I think you’ll see more rapid advances where the AVs advance conventional vehicles.
Tell us more about how AV technology can help all cars be safer.Some of the more proactive things are when you’re approaching an intersection and the vehicle is able to see that there are other cars coming and make a prediction that some other vehicles are going to cross your path and not going to stop — it’ll slow you down to avoid the conflict.
AVs can illustrate the potential and some reasons why human drivers slip in terms of behavior and the way they operate vehicles and why they get in crashes. It’s not anything that’s unknown to us right now. The biggest contributor to crash deaths, and have been perpetual really, is speeding, impairment, like alcohol impairment, distractions is another component, but really speeding and impairment are huge and automated vehicles follow laws; they don’t speed and they’re not impaired. That alone is going to eliminate a lot of deaths.
The U.S. Justice Department is suing Google (or Alphabet Inc., if you prefer), and in testimony today, Apple Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue dropped a bombshell in the courtroom: Apple is now "actively looking" at focusing its Safari web browser on AI search instead of Google Search.
As Bloomberg reported, the revelation marks a "seismic shift for the industry."
The default search tool used by a web browser with only 18% market share might not seem like a seismic announcement, but it's further proof that a massive shift is underway. And that shift threatens one of the foundations of the internet as we know it: Google Search.
As of this writing, Alphabet stock is down 7.5 percent for the day, a sharp drop.
Why AI search mattersIncreasingly, some users are relying on AI chatbots like ChatGPT for their web searches. Just today, the AI company Anthropic announced a new API that would expand the search capabilities of its Claude AI models. ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has also been encroaching on Google Search's territory, first with the introduction of ChatGPT Search in October 2024 and more recently with new shopping features.
Now, even Apple is signaling a shift toward AI search — and away from Google. Due to the dominance of Apple iPhones, Apple's approach to search will have much wider impacts across the web.
Apple also stands to lose significant revenue as a result of the Justice Department's lawsuit, which highlighted the payments Google makes to Apple to use Google as the default search engine on Safari.
In his testimony, Cue seemed to defend the relationship, which nets Apple $20 billion a year. By highlighting the inevitable shift toward AI search, Cue suggested that Google's search monopoly is naturally coming to an end.
The news isn't all bleak for Google, however.
The company's Gemini AI model has surged to the top of some AI leaderboards, largely due to the truly mind-boggling amount of data Google has at its disposal. And Google itself is diving headfirst into AI search, first with the introduction of AI overviews, and then with the beta for AI Mode, a new chatbot-style search tool.
If the trend wasn't clear before, it is now: the era of Google Search is ending, and the era of AI search is nigh.
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.
We're just a handful of days away from the next big Samsung announcement.
The Korean tech giant sent an invite to members of the media for a new Unpacked event, set to take place on Monday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch it live on Samsung's website or its YouTube channel, too.
SEE ALSO: Our favorite expert-tested TV brands include LG, TCL, Hisense, and Samsung Beyond slim, huh? Credit: SamsungThe two-tone graphic is very simple, in that the only thing on it besides the date of the stream is the phrase "Beyond slim." That sorta gives the game away. While we expect Samsung to launch new foldable phones this year, most rumors and leaks point to an imminent announcement of the ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge in all its glory. Barring a huge surprise, we expect to learn more at the upcoming Unpacked stream.
The new thin Galaxy phone has been leaked to death at this point, with all available information pointing to it being Samsung's thinnest non-foldable phone ever.
We'll all find out together on Monday.
Is this really what ChatGPT thinks of me?
An angry, beardless man with nothing in his life but a roommate and a fake pumpkin on a shelf?
The original... Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable ...and the final result. (AI-generated image) Credit: ChatGPTYou may have seen the latest viral ChatGPT image trend: "Create an exact replica of this image, don't change a thing." Users then redo that process 99 more times, with the image shifting slightly in each iteration. People have been plugging in their own photos to test out the results, and a mutating image of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has also gone viral on Reddit and X. When you make a copy of a copy of a copy, the results naturally degrade over time. And after 100 iterations through ChatGPT, the results can get truly strange.
To quote a famous Rick & Morty episode, "And far enough down the line...there be monsters."
To AI critics, this trend is proof that when AI models train on their own output, the end result is infinite slop — an artificial intelligence ouroboros. But is that really what's going on here?
I decided to try the trend myself, and in doing so, realized this trend isn't all it's cracked up to be. I tried plugging this prompt into ChatGPT using the 4o model, and it repeatedly refused to replicate my photo without changes. "I can’t make an exact copy of the image, but I can generate a new, highly similar version using AI based on its content," the AI chatbot said. And when I pressed, it still refused, saying, "I understand your request, but I can’t create an exact replica of a photo."
I was finally able to get the chatbot to do my bidding by using the OpenAI API and the prompt I mentioned earlier. And the results are typical of similar experiments.
I asked OpenAI about this trend, and I'll update this post if I hear back. But based on my attempts to replicate the replication trend outside of the API, it seems clear to me that ChatGPT isn't actually trying to create an exact replica of users' photos in the first place.
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.
“In times of tyranny and injustice when law oppresses the people, the outlaw takes his place in history,” reads text shown in the very opening scene of director Ridley Scott's 2010 film Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe. At least, it's supposed to.
However, over the past few days, this now 15-year-old take on the classic story has gone viral on internet forums and social media.
Why? Because viewers noticed that the usual text in the movie's intro had been seemingly removed from the streaming version of the film on Amazon Prime Video.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed."Apparently Amazon/Bezos has edited out the opening exposition text from Robin Hood (2010)," read one post with more than 1 million views on X.
Dozens of other X posts on the topic also went viral with hundreds of thousands of views.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.It wasn't just on X either. On Reddit, users posted about the removal of the Robin Hood text, with one viral post on the subreddit r/movies receiving nearly 4,000 upvotes. Amazon users even took to the official Amazon forums to complain about the issue.
This may seem like a trivial online conspiracy, but viewers weren't wrong about the missing intro. Users took screenshots and screen recordings to show how the Ridley Scott film's intro was supposed to look and then compared it to the Prime Video version.
In these conspiratorial times, viewers were quick to blame Jeff Bezos, the billionaire who founded Amazon. In February, Bezos decided to get involved with editorial decisions at The Washington Post, which he owns, in order to revamp the editorial section with a libertarian bent. Furthermore, Bezos was also one of the big tech founders to donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund earlier this year.
Some online wondered: With the removal of Robin Hood's blatant anti-authoritarian message, was this a sign of censorship to come?
Thankfully, that does not appear to be the case. A source at Amazon tells Mashable that viewers reporting the missing text were likely watching the Ultra High Definition version of the movie on Prime Video. When the film distributor provided Amazon with the movie in 2020, it apparently sent a version of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood that did not include the opening quote. The source told Mashable that Amazon has since requested the correct version of the movie with the intro text intact.
As of this writing, it appears that Amazon has now fixed the issue, and the correct version of Robin Hood with the opening message is now streaming on Prime Video.
One of the most anticipated movies out of SXSW this spring, Drop is the latest from filmmaker Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) and Blumhouse (M3GAN, Five Nights at Freddy's). Dubbed "solidly fun" and "a great date night movie" by Mashable's Film Editor, it's a popcorn thriller with some depth. It features The White Lotus star Meghann Fahy as its leading lady, alongside Brandon Sklenar (It Ends With Us), who are "a demented pleasure to watch."
If you missed it in theaters, you can now get in on the action at home. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch Drop.
What is Drop about?Written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, Drop follows widowed mother Violet (Fahy) as she gets back on the dating scene. On her first date in years, she starts receiving anonymous airdropped threats on her phone that put her son (Jacob Robinson) and babysitting sister (Violett Beane) at risk. As it turns out, a masked intruder is in her house and monitoring her every move. The only way she can save her family is by killing her date.
Check out the official trailer:
Is Drop worth watching?Despite a less-than-excellent opening weekend, debuting in fifth place at the box office — behind A Minecraft Movie, The King of Kings, The Amateur, and Warfare — Drop has already earned more than double its $11 million budget since its release. Earning $27.7 million worldwide to date, that's a pretty good sign for a low-budget horror. Critics and audiences both have been loving it to boot. Drop currently holds an 84 percent critic rating and 79 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes — a pretty impressive feat for a popcorn thriller.
"Jacobs and Roach's script is so full of twists that while you may see some coming, others will undoubtedly catch you by sweet surprise. Whether relishing in the situational comedy of an awkward first date or combatting mysterious and malevolent forces, Drop's characters are a demented pleasure to watch," Puchko writes in her review. "All of these successes mean that Drop is charming enough to make up for its biggest flaw. In the climax, when the plot takes a big swing with a dubious but pivotal kill, you might well eye-roll over the unlikelihood of such a demise, but you won't get the ick."
How to watch Drop at home Credit: Universal PicturesIt's time for audiences to show up for Drop from their couches. There are a couple ways to watch at the time of writing — and the streaming debut will expand your options at a later date. See the details below.
Buy or rent it on digitalDrop made its at-home debut on major digital platforms (Prime Video, Apple TV, etc.) on April 29, 2025. The film is available to buy for $24.99 or rent for $19.99. While it's certainly tempting to save a few bucks and opt for the rental option, just be aware that you'll only get 30 days to watch the film and just 48 hours to finish it once you start. If you choose to buy it instead, then it's yours to keep.
Here are some quick links to rent or purchase Drop:
Prime Video — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99
Apple TV — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99
Fandango at Home — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99
Google Play — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99
While Universal has yet to announce when Drop will make its streaming debut, we know that as a Universal Pictures film, it'll premiere on Peacock. Based on the digital-to-streaming trajectory of previous Universal movies, it will most likely hit Peacock between the end of June and the end of July. Blumhouse's other recent horror flick, Wolf Man, and fellow Universal horror hit, Abigail, started streaming about two months after their digital debut, while other Universal films like Fall Guy and Twisters had a longer window of three months or so.
Don't have a Peacock subscription? You can sign up for as low as $7.99 per month with ads or $13.99 per month without. But before you get ahead of yourself, be sure to check out the best ways to save some money on a subscription below.
The best Peacock streaming dealsBest Peacock deal: Save 17% on an annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription $79.99 per year or $139.99 per year (save 17%) Get DealThe best Peacock deal on any given day is the annual subscription deal. You'll get 12 months of streaming for the price of 10 if you pay for a year upfront. The annual Peacock subscriptions cost just $79.99 per year with ads (which breaks down to about $6.67 per month) or $139.99 per year without ads (which breaks down to about $11.67 per month). That's about 17% in total savings.
Best Peacock deal for Xfinity customers: free Peacock Premium for eligible accounts Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock / Xfinity Peacock Premium Free for select Xfinity customers Learn MoreAre you an Xfinity customer? Be sure to check the eligibility details below, as you might be able to score a Peacock Premium subscription for free. Here's a breakdown of who is eligible for the deal or you can head to Xfinity.com for more details.
Xfinity Internet users on the Gigabit or Gigabit+ plans can get Peacock Premium (with ads) for two years (offer ends June 25, 2025) for free.
Xfinity Internet customers who are Diamond or Platinum Xfinity Rewards members can get Peacock Premium for free by redeeming a reward for it. Sign in at xfinity.com/rewards and choose Peacock as a reward. Then, wait for your email (it may take a few hours) with instructions on activating the offer.
NOW TV customers can also receive Peacock Premium as part of their service.
New customers with Xfinity Internet and an X1 TV Box, Flex streaming TV Box, or a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity can get Peacock Premium for free for six months.
Students can get an entire year of Peacock Premium at a discounted rate of $2.99 per month instead of $7.99. That's a total of just $35.88 for the year. You'll have to verify your student status via SheerID to get the unique promo code that will unlock the savings. Just note that it can only be used once, and after the promo year is up, you'll be charged full price again.
Best Peacock deal for first responders: Save $4/month Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for First Responders and Medical Professionals $3.99 per month Get DealFirst responders and medical professionals are also able to score a Peacock Premium subscription at a discounted rate. Just verify your first responder or medical professional status via SheerID, and you'll get a unique promo code that will drop the cost of a subscription from $7.99 per month to just $3.99. If you continue to meet verification qualifications, you can renew the deal each year — although you may have to go through the verification process each time and receive a new promo code. Learn more about eligibility terms and requirements.
Best for active military and veterans: Save $4/month Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Military $3.99 per month Get DealActive duty U.S. military service members, Reservists, National Guard members, veterans, or U.S. military retirees can also score a Peacock Premium subscription for a discounted rate of $3.99 per month instead of the usual $7.99 per month. You'll have to prove your military status using SheerID and retrieve a promotional code to activate the offer. Eligible military personnel who continue to meet requirements can redeem the deal annually.
Best for teachers: Save $4/month for one year Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Teachers $3.99/month for 12 months Get DealTeachers can get in on the savings as well. For one year, educators who can verify their status on SheerID can get Peacock Premium for just $3.99 per month. However, once the promotional period ends, you'll be charged full price. Be sure to cancel before the year ends.
Best for Instacart users: free Peacock Premium for Instacart+ subscribers Opens in a new window Credit: Instacart / Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription Free for Instacart+ subscribers (save $79.99/year) Get DealIf you sign up for Instacart+ for $99.99 per year, you'll unlock a free Peacock Premium subscription. And that's on top of free grocery delivery, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders. That's a $79.99 per year value tacked on to your Instacart+ subscription for free. Not to mention, if you're new to Instacart+, you'll get a free two-week trial to test the waters. If you wait until the streaming release of Drop, you could even watch it for free during the trial period.
Best for JetBlue members: free Peacock Premium for one year for Mosaic status members Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock / JetBlue Peacock Premium Free for one year for Mosaic status members Get DealIf you're a JetBlue TrueBlue Mosaic status member, you can get your first year of Peacock Premium for free through July 2025 (a $79.99 value). If you don't have Mosaic status, you can earn 1,000 free TrueBlue points when you sign up for Peacock. Learn more about eligibility and terms over on Peacock's special offer page.
Big Mouth is about to say farewell with its eighth and final series, one of the big TV moments coming this summer. And in the trailer, things are as awkward as puberty can get.
As Maury the Hormone Monster (Nick Kroll) says, "It's the end of a very gross era."
In Season 8, the Bridgeton teens (Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, and more) tackle another round of adolescence with their supernatural aides, and judging by the video above, they've still got some horrendous, wondrous, perpetually terrifying growing up ahead of them.
Luckily, there's a host of guest voice stars to enjoy along the way, including Cynthia Erivo, Holly Hunter, Keke Palmer, Steve Buscemi, Quinta Brunson, Kristen Wiig, Ali Wong, Billy Porter, Natasha Lyonne, Nathan Fillion, Thandiwe Newton, Aidy Bryant, Stephanie Beatriz, Chelsea Peretti, Rosie Perez, Lena Waithe, and more.
I come to you bearing horrible news: Netflix is coming for your short-form content-trained brain.
Netflix unveiled a whole host of changes coming to its platform in a blog post on May 7, and among them is "a new way to discover," aka a vertical video feed much like TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts. One more place to doomscroll.
"In the coming weeks, we’ll be testing a vertical feed filled with clips of Netflix shows and movies to make discovery easy and fun. You'll be able to tap to watch the whole show or movie immediately, add it to My List, or share with friends," Netflix said in its blog post. The vertical video change is only affecting the mobile version of the Netflix app.
SEE ALSO: All the changes coming to Netflix: New homepage, AI searchOf course, it'll be interesting to see how this actually works. Most — if not all — of the content available on Netflix is shot horizontally, which isn't ideal for vertical viewing. But this isn't a particularly surprising move from Netflix. Short-form video content is king, and people are already watching whole movies on their TikTok For You Page. And, as TechCrunch points out, this comes at a time in which competition among platforms for viewer attention is at an all-time high, with audiences looking for quick entertainment over long-form viewing.
Put simply: Our attention spans are short, and Netflix is trying to keep up.
Another preview of the vertical video feed from Netflix. Credit: Netflix"We know that swiping through a vertical feed on social media apps is an easy way to browse video content," Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim said in a press briefing, according to The Verge. "And we also know that our members love to browse our clips and trailers to find their next obsession."
Not all users are sold on the change. The preview image of the new vertical feed nods to the Netflix series Nobody Wants This, which feels a bit literal. In a Reddit thread about the move, one user posted sarcastically: "LETS GOOOOO AI AND TIKTOK. Movies as TikTok feeds, chat gpt, grok, maybe we can get some bitcoin in there too?" Another user said, "Enshittification comes for us all." "why does everything keep getting worse," another user commented.
Netflix also announced that it is going to redesign its entire homepage, bring generative AI to search and discovery, and update its recommendations.
SAVE $40: The Kindle Paperwhite Kids is on sale at Amazon for $139.99, down from the list price of $179.99. That's a 22% discount.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids $139.99 at AmazonWe're well into May which means summer vacation is just a few weeks away. If the kids have reading on their summer vacation agenda, Amazon has a great deal in store today that will double as the perfect end-of-school gift.
As of May 7, the Kindle Paperwhite Kids is on sale for $139.99, marked down from the normal price of $179.99. That's a savings of $40, or a 22% discount. It also matches the lowest price we've ever seen Amazon offer.
Amazon's family of Kindle e-readers is extensive these days, and the Kindle Paperwhite Kids comes packed with features for young readers. For starters, it comes with no extra apps or games, which minimizes distractions. But it also comes with Kindle's Paperwhite display technology, which is as close as it gets to reading an actual physical book. This model comes with 16GB of storage, so kids will be able to download plenty of books to read on this summer's road trip. The kid-friendly cover is also great for keeping the device safe.
SEE ALSO: JetBlue has one-way summer flights to Europe on sale for as low as $199The display measures seven inches, and the glare-free screen is ideal for reading in the sun or bright rooms. Amazon is also tossing in a free six months of access to Amazon Kids+, which is full of kid-friendly books.
If you're hoping to keep kids on track with reading this summer, the Kindle Paperwhite Kids is currently on sale for $139.99, which is the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon. It'll be the perfect summer break companion, and it makes for a thoughtful gift to celebrate the end of the school year.
Not since Fleabag's Hot Priest stirred collective longing has the internet shown such fervor for priestly proceedings.
As 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on Wednesday to begin a first round of voting for a new pope, the internet erupted with memes, speculation, and a surprising amount of enthusiasm for Vatican procedure. The mood online is equal parts solemn liturgy and stan culture, as people anoint their preferred successors, share edits of their favorite cardinals, and dissect centuries-old rituals like they’re scenes from Edward Berger's Conclave.
And it's not just Catholics watching with fascination. The internet has turned the Church’s succession protocols into a kind of fandom. Think March Madness brackets, but for princes of the Church. Think thirst posts about cardinal vestments and Latin chants set to Brat-style club-pop.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.And at the center of it all is @PopeCrave, a fan account dedicated to the Conclave movie, and by extension, to the spectacle of the real-life papal succession.
With posts that blur the line between cinephilia and church gossip, Pope Crave has become a hub for papal content, complete with fancams, liturgical drip analysis, and side-by-side cassock comparisons. The account now boasts self-appointed "correspondents" on the ground in Vatican City, live-tweeting cardinal arrivals, crowd reactions, and even the color of the smoke with the breathless energy of red carpet coverage. It’s reverent, ridiculous, and deeply online, capturing the surreal moment when centuries-old Church ritual becomes fandom spectacle.
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. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.So why is the internet, an ecosystem not exactly known for its deep liturgical literacy, so obsessed with the papal conclave?
Part of it is the drama. The conclave has all the hallmarks of prestige TV (or an Oscar-nominated film): secret meetings, ancient rituals, power struggles, and a world-historical decision made behind locked doors. Add centuries of tradition, elaborate costumes, and the closely watched chimney of the Sistine Chapel, and you've got a plot that writes itself. It’s Succession meets Game of Thrones (maybe a dash of Mean Girls, too), but with incense.
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.It also helps that the whole thing moves fast. Unlike so many real-world political processes, the conclave historically wraps up in days, sometimes even hours. There’s an urgency to it, a beginning, middle, and end that fits perfectly within a TikTok-sized attention span. You don’t need to track a months-long primary season; you just need to know what color the smoke is.
And then, of course, there’s irony. Online fascination often starts with a single meme or fandom joke and quickly spirals into sincere investment. What begins as cosplay for canon law suddenly becomes a full-on obsession, complete with favorites, feuds, and fan theories. It’s not that the internet has found religion; it’s that it’s found a storyline with stakes, spectacle, and a very stylish supporting cast.
Whether the fascination fades with the smoke or lingers long after a new pontiff is announced, the conclave’s moment in the algorithmic spotlight says something about what captivates us now. In an age of fractured attention and constant scrolling, it turns out that even the most ancient of rituals can go viral.
President Donald Trump's cryptocurrency $TRUMP has been called a "conflict of interest," a "constitutional crisis," and blatant "corruption."
However, for 58 cryptocurrency wallets, Trump's memecoin has been quite profitable, according to CNBC.
This week, CNBC shared data from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, which states that 58 cryptocurrency wallets have made more than $10 million from investing in the $TRUMP coin. In total, these wallets have made $1.1 billion in gains. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of crypto wallets have lost money on the Trump memecoin.
It should be noted that this does not necessarily mean that 58 people have made millions off of Trump's cryptocurrency, as one individual can hold multiple crypto wallets. It's unclear who holds these crypto wallets.
A recent analysis from Bloomberg found that 19 of the top 25 $TRUMP memcoin holders who registered on the $TRUMP website leaderboard have their holdings in foreign exchanges that prohibit U.S. customers. Of the top 220 $TRUMP holders on the leaderboard, 76 percent of them used similar foreign exchanges.
Earlier this year, a report found that Trump and his companies had already made around $100 million from $TRUMP off of trading fees alone. Now, Axios puts that number at $320 million.
Of course, not everyone is making money off of $TRUMP.
The Chainalysis report found that 764,000 out of around 2 million crypto wallets that have held the memeocoin lost money on $TRUMP. A report from The New York Times in February found that $TRUMP holders had lost around $2 billion total at the time.
Trump and his companies, which control most of the $TRUMP supply, launched their memecoin the Friday before his presidential inauguration in January. $TRUMP quickly skyrocketed overnight and reached highs of more than $70 the next day. However, the value of $TRUMP has plummeted since then. $TRUMP currently sits at around $10.
Last month, in an attempt to seemingly boost the value of the memecoin, Trump announced that the top 200 $TRUMP holders would be invited to a dinner with the president. Around $100 million $TRUMP tokens were bought on crypto exchanges following the dinner announcement, according to The Washington Post. As a result, Trump's crypto companies further profited off of the subsequent boost in trading fees due to the surge of activity.
Mashable reached out to Chainalysis to confirm the accuracy of the $TRUMP report; we'll update this story if we hear back.