Feed aggregator

25 years since the 1999 film, "Cruel Intentions" has been rebooted as a TV series. Watch the trailer.

More teens want to see friendship on screen, not romance.

Last year, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that teens and young adults think there's too much sex and romance in TV and movies, according to its annual Teens and Screens report out of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers (CSS). This year's report found that the figure went up: 63.5 percent of adolescents want stories focused on friendship and platonic relationships, up from 51.5 percent last year.

SEE ALSO: Why do I feel lonely when I have friends?

The number of adolescents who said sex and sexual content aren't needed to advance the plot of TV shows and movies also jumped, from 47.5 percent last year to 62.4 percent this year. Additionally, 46 percent are interested in more asexual and/or aromantic characters on screen, up from 39 percent last year.

"The romance doesn't need to be the biggest part of the plot. The relationships need to involve less jealousy and the plot shouldn't fixate so much on the relationship being formed. They really aren't that dramatic," said an anonymous 17-year-old quoted in the report. "It would also be awesome to see more diverse groups such as queer people in romantic relationships. That's more realistic for the real world and I like seeing more representation."

The report clarifies that survey questions regarding romance and sex weren't shown to younger adolescents aged 10-13. Those 14-24 years old were asked, however, around 1,200 participants surveyed in early August this year. CSS considers ages 10-24 "extended adolescence," when young people form their own opinions and gain independence.

Ten- to 13-year-olds were asked about friendship, though, CSS's founder and executive director Yalda T. Uhls confirmed to Mashable. As one anonymous 12-year-old commented, "I think more friendships should be shown. And just because boys and girls are friends doesn't mean they have to be romantic."

Young people seem to be tired of "the same dated and unrelatable romantic tropes on screen," Alisha J. Hines, director of research at CSS, said in the press release. "Teens and young adults want to see stories that more authentically reflect a full spectrum of nuanced relationships."

"Teens and Screens" also offers insights unrelated to romance. One is that teens love fantasy, with 36.2 percent saying they most wanted to see that genre. Adolescents want to see "hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds" and less content about the rich and famous. No Succession or The White Lotus for them, supposedly.

The study also found that around a third of adolescents (31.1 percent) consider social media the most authentic media space — but almost half (45.1) cringe when they watch portrayals of social media in TV and movies. Despite the social media love, 48.1 percent of adolescents say they talk about TV and movies more than they talk about social media.

Teen respondents actually prefer going to the movies during opening weekend over other leisurely activities like going to a concert or playing a new video game as it's released. According to the study, however, they'd rather see a story about friends rather than lovers.

All the insights about young people's thoughts on TV and movies can be found at the full "Teens and Screens" report.

SAVE $299.01: As of October 23, get the Apple MacBook Air (M2 chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $699.99, down from $999, at Amazon. That's a 30% discount and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple MacBook Air (M2 chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $699.99 at Amazon
$999.00 Save $299.01 Get Deal

Some apples are rotten right to the core (yes, that's a Charli XCX reference). But when it comes to MacBooks, you can occasionally score a ruby-red deal. The holidays are almost upon us, so whether you want a new laptop of your own or you want to give the perfect gift to someone else, you can save big right now on a MacBook you'll love using, thanks to its portable size and incredibly lightweight frame.

As of Oct. 24, get the Apple MacBook Air (M2 chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for just $699.99 at Amazon. That's $299.01 off its normal price of $999 and a 30% discount. That's the lowest price we've seen so far.

SEE ALSO: Snag the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for its lowest price yet

The MacBook Air is the thinnest and lightest MacBook yet at just 2.7 pounds. It has a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display and boasts over 500 nits of brightness and support for a billion colors. Beyond that, it's powered by the Apple M2 chip, an 8-core CPU, and 24GB of unified memory. It's ready as-is for Apple Intelligence as well, so you don't have to splurge on the newest MacBook to take the new AI-based features Apple has up its sleeve for a spin.

With 18 hours of battery life, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, and two Thunderbolt ports as well as MagSafe charging, the MacBook Air is super convenient and useful to have around, whether you're using it to stay connected with work or just browsing the internet and catching up on email each day. No matter what you use it for, it's a steal at this price, so grab one while they're still in stock.

We've just entered Week 8 of the NFL season, but — since that's nearly halfway through the regular season — some teams are already pretty much cooked.

There are four teams with just one win: the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, and Carolina Panthers. If you're a fan of any of those teams, for instance, your 2024 season is pretty much done, barring a huge miracle. And if you root for one of the seven two-win teams — the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, L.A. Rams, and New Orleans Saints — then you probably need a slightly smaller miracle. As the saying goes, there's always next year.

As a matter of fact, it might be time to start thinking about next year. Pushing off your hopes to the next season is a tale as old as time. As a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers — perhaps the sports franchise most associated with tanking — I empathize with fans of bad NFL teams who have already turned their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft.

SEE ALSO: How a Monday Night Football mishap may have exposed deep problems with Google Search

We've taken the time to collect some of the best online resources for fans of teams that stink to help you better prepare for next year's draft. After all, hope springs eternal.

Tankathon

The NFL has relatively simple draft rules compared with the NBA's arcane lottery system. But Tankathon remains an indispensable resource for teams that suck. It's a website that tracks where each team would stand in the next year's draft, according to the results thus far in the season.

Here's how the 2025 draft would look right now, for instance.

Congrats, Pats fans. Credit: Tankathon

Scroll down a bit, and you can also find Tankathon's Mock Draft for 2025, which is far too early to take seriously but still fun to look at.

The Panthers trying again at QB is interesting. Credit: Tankathon

If your NFL team is trash, think of Tankathon as a hub of hope. It's where you go to remind yourself that at least a good draft pick is coming. It's a place where you get to think of the potentially good players of the future rather than the bad ones of the present.

The Ringer's NFL draft coverage

I'm a big fan of The Ringer's NFL coverage, especially their podcast — hosted by Danny Kelly, Danny Heifetz, and Craig Horlbeck — that oscillates between covering the draft and fantasy football, depending on the time of year. Right now, the pod is centered on fantasy football, but it will switch over as the draft nears. However, the outlet still provides in-depth coverage of the college games and the draft, which you can find on its NFL Draft landing page. The site also has perhaps the best and most intuitive draft guide around. The 2025 version hasn't been released yet, but it always features incredibly in-depth scouting reports, digestible summaries, and an easy-to-navigate design.

SEE ALSO: How much would it really cost to watch every NFL game on TV? Draft experts

Now's the time to start beefing up on the college players your team might draft. There's a whole cottage industry based around prognosticating players' transition from college to the pros.

Here's a quick list, with links, to some of the NFL draft folks I've read, listened to, or otherwise appreciated over the years. Note that some of these people also cover the NFL at large, so you may get varying content.

• Todd McShay, the former ESPN stalwart, just launched a podcast on The Ringer.

• Dane Brugler, NFL draft analyst at The Athletic, puts out a yearly comprehensive guide dubbed The Beast.

• Lance Zierlein does NFL draft coverage for the league's media outlet.

• Ben Solak, who covers the NFL as a whole for ESPN, does a great job with the draft and breaking down how the game works for the average fan.

Mock drafts

As previously noted, Tankathon has a constantly updated mock draft, but it's far from alone. If your team is awful, it's fun to constantly check in on who you might take in the draft, according to different outlets. Even this early in the season, you can find mocks on CBS, Fox Sports, and ESPN. And you can keep Googling throughout the year because many outlets update their mock drafts weekly.

YouTube highlights

Granted, this one's a bit kooky, but if your team is crap, then YouTube highlights might be just the thing you need. Hear me out: Instead of lamenting over your bad team, watch old clips from when they were good. Sure, the Patriots are godawful now, but you can watch 30 minutes of every single touchdown pass Tom Brady threw to Rob Gronkowski. Yes, the Titans are hapless at the moment, but you can still watch clips of Derrick Henry running over people while wearing a Tennessee uniform.

Your football present might stink, but at least you have the future draft prognostications and past triumphs to tide you over until next season.

The United States and Nigeria often collaborate. But the arrest of an American worker strained their diplomatic relations.

It's happening - albeit a little later than originally planned.

On Wednesday, Tesla had its quarterly earnings call for Q3 2024, with the financials looking healthy: Revenue and earnings went up year over year (8% and 17%, respectively, with Tesla's energy generation and storage business performing exceptionally well (a 52% increase). The company's profitability increased, making up for quarterly deliveries which, at 470,000, were slightly lower than expected.

But after the somewhat disappointing 'We, Robot" event, in which Tesla showed us a robotaxi, robovan and a robot which won't hit the market for years, the big question was: When is the company launching that cheaper car it promised a while ago?

The short answer is: We don't really know what is being launched. But we do know a bit more about when it's being launched.

"Preparations remain underway for our offering of new vehicles — including more affordable models — which we will begin launching in the first half of 2025," the company said in its earnings report.

While this is vague — we don't know how many new models are coming, and which one of them will come first — it gives hope that the company will launch a more affordable Tesla (perhaps the rumored Model 2) fairly soon.

Tesla did provide a little more info about this during the call. "As Elon and Vaibhav both said, it’s our plan to meet that in the first half of next year. Our mission has always been to lower the cost of our vehicles to increase the adoption of sustainable energy and transport. Part of that is lowering the cost for current vehicles," a company rep said, before CEO Elon Musk jumped in and started talking about the Robotaxi (CyberCab) which he says will cost "30k" "with incentive."

When asked for more clarity on when, exactly, Tesla plans to launch the "$25,000 non-robotaxi regular car model," Musk went into a rant about the future being all about "autonomous electric vehicles," before saying that "having a regular 25K model is pointless."

"It would be silly. Like it would be completely at odds with what we believe," he said.

It sure appears he was talking about the Robotaxi, as he reiterated: "What we designed is optimized for autonomy. It will cost on the order of — cost roughly 25K, so it is a 25K car. And you can — you will be able to buy one exclusively if you want. So, it just won't have steering wheels and pedals."

(Do note that Elon is contradicting himself by saying the CyberCab (Robotaxi) will cost $25,000 after claiming it will cost $30,000 with incentives (so, roughly $37,000) just minutes ago).

SEE ALSO: Tesla's Optimus robots at 'We, Robot' event were not very autonomous

All of this makes it incredibly unclear as to what, actually, is being launched in the "first half of 2025," given that the Tesla is planning to launch the Robotaxi "before 2027" but no sooner than 2026. Will the current models get cheaper? Will there be a "more affordable" new Tesla that costs more than $25,000 but still less than the cheapest Model 3, which costs $42,490 before incentives? Will it just be some sort of a trimmed down variant of the Model 3 or Model Y? We'll have to wait and see.

A national security memorandum detailed how agencies should streamline operations with artificial intelligence safely.

Megan Thee Stallion appeared on "The Tonight Show" and spoke about her newfound love of "Sex and the City" before rating the main characters.

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

We all have the best intentions when it comes to entertaining the kids — outdoor activities, board games, sports classes, wood whittling — but it doesn't always turn out that way. Screens are just too handy and easy. Not to mention parents are generally exhausted from the reality of the working week and, well, parenting.

Indeed, it's only a matter of time before you'll turn to technology to save the day. Nothing captures the attention of a child like a desktop, tablet, laptop, or mobile, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's time to just accept it. And let's be honest: Modern kids have never known a world without the Internet and screens.

The problem, of course, is that the internet is full of danger for kids, including explicit materials, bullying, and cyber criminals. Fortunately, there is a solution in the form of parental control software. If that sound a bit new and scary, here's a quick explainer and a selection of the best options to keep your kids safe.

What is parental control software?

In the most basic terms, it's a software that helps you to manage all the devices your kids use — as well as the way they use them. It's all about making sure the online world is a safe space for your kids to explore. Though you should chat with your littles ones about the importance of safety before you let them loose online or implement any software.

How does parental control software work?

Parental control software lets you keep tabs your child's phone, tablet, or computer via an app. You can monitor internet searches and browsing history, as well as block inappropriate apps (or block distracting apps during homework hours) or even limit device usage all together. It's less invasive than physically going through their phone or computer. And when kids know that their activity is being watched or managed, they're more likely to practice better cyber safety habits.

What's a safe amount of screen time for kids?

It's easy to get sucked into scaremongering over kids' screen time. It's not the end of the world if kids have more screens than parents would like, and parents should give themselves a break when it comes to relieving the stress of parenting with a little screen time. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests very limited screen time for children under two years old, an hour a day between the ages of two and five, and two hours between the ages of five and eight. Beyond that it's important to talk to your child about responsible screen use. Problems associated with too much screen time include weight gain, sleep problems, and general inactivity.

What is geofencing?

Parental control software can also help keep tabs on your kid when they're not at home. Though most have GPS and some sort of basic "Where's my child?" function, only a select few software options offer geofencing, which is a big help for parents juggling the schedules of multiple children.

This location-based service lets you set up virtual boundaries around where a child should or shouldn't be, as well as a specific time that the child should be there. Let's say that your child goes straight from school to a sports practice three times a week. The geofencing feature will monitor their phone's location and will alert you if your child doesn't show up to the scheduled area on time. Teenagers may even enjoy not being bombarded with "Where are you?" texts. Geofencing can also be used to monitor web time when your child is in a designated location. For instance, some parents may disable games or social media during school.

What is the best parental control software?

There are plenty of parental control software options out there for you to consider, with something for every family. We have researched everything on offer and lined up a selection of the very best services, including software from big names like Kaspersky, Qustodio, and Norton. Basically, we've done all the hard work for you.

These are the best parental control software options for 2024.

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

File sharing has come a long way since LimeWire — but users of torrenting sites may still have security and privacy fears.

This is where a VPN can help.

What is a VPN?

VPNs encrypt data leaving your computer and make it impossible for others to see what you’re downloading. To the uninitiated, these virtual private networks assign a virtual IP address to obscure your real location from others, which is important when sharing snippets of files with other users of a torrenting client, especially if what you’re sharing is copyrighted material. (This is of course illegal and we do not condone it!)

Do you need a VPN for torrenting?

Torrenting is a great way to share big files (freeware apps, movies, books, etc.) that are in the public domain. This is because you download parts of them from a number of users instead of from a single place, so the demands are less on any one server and downloads are faster. But in return for accessing files from other people’s computers, you are expected to reciprocate. Without a VPN, this could leave you vulnerable to security scams, viruses, malware attacks, and even legal action if you’ve shared a copyrighted work (even a single song). 

Therefore, VPNs with extra security measures are in demand. Other important criteria for choosing a VPN include a clear privacy policy, un-throttled bandwidth, fast download speeds, and value for money.

What is the best VPN for torrenting?

Whether you’re looking for a VPN that’s extra secure with shared IP addresses, or simply the one that’s easiest to use, we’ve rounded up the best VPNs for torrenting so the only searching you have to do will be for content to share.

These are the best VPNs for torrenting in 2024.

We wouldn't go as far as to say that football can solve all of life's problems, but it can help with pretty much everything life throws at you. Feeling down? Watch a live game. Nervous? Catch up on last night's action. Bored? Watch highlights from your favourite match.

Whatever your problem, football is the solution.

Fortunately for all football fans out there, the Premier League is back, which means there is something to watch almost every weekend. But what if you didn't have access to all of these games? We know this is an absolutely terrifying thought, but it's important to face your fears.

There are two scenarios that would cause you to lose access to the Premier League. The first is that you're travelling in a location without broadcasting rights. The second is that you're based in the UK, and you aren't subscribed to a service with access to the Premier League. Even if you are subscribed to these channels, there is no guarantee that they will be showing the fixture you absolutely need to watch. This is all very scary stuff, but please remain calm.

There really isn't any need to panic, because there is one effective solution to both of these issues. You can use a VPN to watch the Premier League this season.

What is a VPN?

VPNs are security tools that provide protection for your information by creating a private network that hides your real IP address. Your online activity is untraceable and secure, because all of your online traffic passes through an encrypted tunnel. Nobody can see into the tunnel, and everything inside the tunnel is protected against online threats like hackers, viruses, and malware.

This act of hiding your real IP address is what tricks streaming sites into thinking you are based in another country.

Do you need a VPN to watch the Premier League?

All broadcasting services have digital borders, meaning not all countries can show Premier League fixtures. However, with the help of a VPN, you can hide your real IP address and location, which means you can trick leading streaming services into thinking you’re based somewhere with those precious broadcasting rights. It's all about bypassing online restrictions to watch more content from all over the world.

If you're abroad with a VPN, you can make your subscription think you're back home by connecting to a server based in the UK. If you're in the UK without access to these services, you can watch the best sport streaming sites from all over the world by securely connecting to a server in that location and bypassing geo-restrictions.

What is the best VPN for watching the Premier League?

Once you have established that you're going to need a VPN to watch the Premier League, the tricky process of picking a service begins. Deciding that you need a VPN is actually the easy part. There are absolutely loads of VPNs out there, so it can be a difficult task to pick the right option for you. This is where we can save you a lot of time and hassle.

We have checked out everything out there and assessed how well these services unblock streaming sites. We've also taken into consideration things like connection speed, server network, and number of simultaneous connections. Basically, we've done all of the hard work and lined up a selection of the best VPNs for watching the Premier League.

It's worth taking some time to properly consider everything in this list, because we have tried to track down something to suit everyone and every budget. Take your pick from the likes of ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark. You just need to pick a favourite and start streaming.

These are the best VPNs for watching the Premier League in 2024.

Stephen Colbert joked about rapper Eminem's appearance alongside Barack Obama at a rally for VP Kamala Harris in Michigan.

SAVE $69.27: As of Oct. 24, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is on sale at Amazon for $260.72 on Amazon. That's a 21% saving on list price, and the lowest it's ever been on Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 $260.72 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $69.27 Get Deal

If a smartwatch upgrade is on your wishlist, you'll be browsing the internet for deals on the classics: Garmin, Apple, and Samsung. Price and release dates can have a big impact when shopping, so we think you'll love this deal on the latest Galaxy watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. Take a look at what we thought when we compared it to the Apple Watch Series 9.

Only released this summer, the watch has already seen several discounts but is currently reduced to its lowest-ever price at Amazon. As of Oct. 24, you can snag this smartwatch for $260.72. This is for the 44mm option with Bluetooth connectivity and in Silver. However, there are discounted options across all variations.

So what's so special about this model? Design-wise it is still very similar to its predecessor, but this version benefits more from Galaxy-AI. This includes starting your day with a personalized Energy Score, a stat based on what you did yesterday, how you slept, and how much activity you've done.

SEE ALSO: Score Samsung Galaxy Watches up to 43% off at Amazon

It includes all the usual data such as sleep monitoring, fitness levels, and heart rate tracking, but at a much more advanced level. With sleep tracking, the watch can signal whether you may be suffering from sleep apnea. While you sleep, the watch tracks your breathing patterns and oxygen levels, using AI to identify issues that may indicate episodes of sleep apnea.

Galaxy AI improves fitness tracking too, using your previous workout data to give you an idea of how you are progressing. Whether you're running, cycling, swimming, or doing other activities, the Galaxy Watch 7 will give you great stats and insights.

This is a limited-time deal on Amazon, so if you're interested, don't waste any time.

The Daily Mini Crossword is one of the many popular daily word games available on Mashable. Powered by Arkadium, the mini crossword offers a speed round of puzzle fun with clues that are sure to challenge experienced crossword enthusiasts.

But there's no need to let the challenge get in the way of your enjoyment! If moments are turning to minutes after getting stuck on a clue, find the answers you need to progress right here.

And when you're done, check out the many other word games you can play on Mashable, including a full-size crossword.

Also, if you get stuck on any other daily word games, such as Wordle, Connections, or Strands — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 24 SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to Daily Mini Crossword for Thursday, October 24, 2024:

AcrossKind of lamp

• The answer is Lava.

Crossed ones fingers

• The answer is Hoped.

Oscar or Tony

• The answer is Award.

Leafy flavor enhancers

• The answer is herbs.

NYU's Tisch School of the ____

• The answer is Arts.

DownLet down

• The answer is Lower.

Separated

• The answer is Apart.

Not adjectives or nouns

• The answer is Die Hard.

Throws in the mix

• The answer is Adds.

Laughing sound

• The answer is Haha.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

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

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