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SAVE OVER $50: As of Feb. 21, the Sony ULT WEAR headphones are on sale for $148 at Amazon. This is 26% off their list price of $199.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony ULT WEAR Headphones $148.00 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $51.99 Get Deal

If you've been on the hunt for new headphones, look no further than Amazon. The retailer has had some great deals lately, even after the Presidents' Day sale event. One of our favorite deals we've spotted is on the Sony ULT WEAR headphones, which we consider to be the best picks for bass lovers in our roundup of the best noise-canceling headphones. If you've been looking for an audio boost, these are definitely worth a look.

The Sony ULT WEAR headphones have had a 26% discount at Amazon, dropping them from their list price of $199.99 to $148. This allows you to pocket over $50, which is a very nice deal. They're currently marked as a limited-time deal, so if they've caught your eye you'll want to act fast to get them at this price.

SEE ALSO: For gym rats and picky audiophiles alike, these are the 7 best headphones of 2025

As mentioned before, we consider these headphones to be the best for bass lovers in our roundup of the best noise-canceling headphones. This is because, "In addition to the equalizer in the app, the headphones have a dedicated ULT button that lets you bump up the bass on demand. The 40-millimeter driver keeps it sounding clear and not crispy, making these headphones a worthy competitor to the WH-1000XM5s, our top pick for the best-sounding noise-cancelling headphones."

Our review even had high praise for them, with Mashable's Miller Kern saying, "The Sony ULT Wear headphones prioritize bass and provide punchy sound without sacrificing quality at a relatively affordable price."

With a comfortable design, noice-canceling features, and excellent sound quality, the Sony ULT WEAR headphones are worth every cent. Don't miss out on this limited-time deal at Amazon.

There are a couple more headphone deals worth checking out right now alongside these. Also on sale at Amazon are the Sennheiser Accentum headphones, which have dropped to their lowest-ever price, and the Sonos Ace headphones are discounted there as well.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Thursday, February 21, 2025:

AcrossElevator alternative

• The answer is Steps.

Evil corporation on Apple TV+'s Severance

• The answer is Lumon.

Ring-shaped coral reef

• The answer is Atoll.

Aura of confidence

• The answer is Mojo.

___ Lanka

• The answer is Sri.

DownSeverely criticizes

• The answer is Slam.

One-on-one academic coach

• The answer is Tutor.

A head of our time?

• The answer is Emoji.

Preppy shirt

• The answer is Polo.

Show with a recently aired 50th anniversary special

• The answer is SNL.

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.

SAVE $60: As of Feb. 21, this Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle is on sale for $479.97 at Amazon. That's a saving of 11% on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle $479.97 at Amazon
$539.97 Save $60.00 Get Deal

The Kindle Scribe is the latest product to take book lovers by storm. Released in 2024, this new Kindle model combines reading and note-taking in one handy device. And if you're one of many who have been eyeing this product, Amazon has a great deal on an essentials bundle that you won't want to miss.

As of Feb. 21, you can save $60 on this Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle, now just $479.97.

SEE ALSO: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day is live. How to get free books during this enchanting event.

This deal comes with the Premium Pen so you can jot down notes and convert them to text as easily as writing in a notebook. Unlike the basic pen, this model comes with an eraser at the top so you can quickly remove mistakes just by flipping the pen. It is also battery-free and works through a special power source embedded in the Kindle Scribe, so there is no need to charge it.

It also comes with a 9W power adapter and a plant-based leather folio to store it away. According to Amazon, the plant-based leather is made from 76% renewable bio-materials (non-GMO corn, and viscose fiber from Forest Stewardship Council-certified sources) and 24% polyurethane.

This deal is specific to the 64GB model, but you can choose between tungsten and metallic jade.

Besides its note-taking abilities, the Kindle Scribe has a 10.2-inch 300 ppi Paperwhite display, glare and ink-free. Like the original Kindle model, it's perfect for sitting outside in the sun or in harsh lighting. And if you're someone who reads on the go a lot, the Scribe has the best battery life of any model, promising to last months on a single charge.

In October, 24-year-old Cait Camelia posted screenshots of her Hinge dating app bio on X. She chose cute, casual, and sexy photos of herself, par the course of a standout bio, but the prompts read, "The way to win me over is to get me a creative marketing job" and, "I want someone who can get me a creative marketing job." She included one corporate stock photo, a close-up of a handshake between two men in suits captioned, "This could be us." 

She's not looking for a partner — she's looking for a job.

SEE ALSO: Can AI save dating apps?

The job market is dismal for many, with job growth as of January 2025 falling short of analysts' expectations. Despite unemployment being slightly down from the latter half of last year (four percent as of January 2025, down from 4.2 percent in September 2024), it's become the norm for people to apply for hundreds of jobs for months on end. And, it isn't unheard of for people to land a job or make life-changing money from going viral, which is what Camelia sought. 

"A lot of people thought that I expected to land a serious job from Hinge, but my intention was always to post it on social media," Camelia, a graphic designer who wants to work in a different field, said. "I figured that it would do well, and at the very least, get some visibility for my work." 

Fresh out of a relationship that started on Hinge, she's not ready to return to the app for dating, so she turned to it for more eyes on her skill set. (Hinge didn't respond to Mashable's request for comment.)

Camelia knew it would garner a substantial amount of negative attention from men, which would, in turn, push it further on the algorithm. (She experienced this when she shared her graduation photos in a dress and heels, and it went viral in 2021. An incel comedian had a lot to say about what she was wearing when she graduated early with two majors.)

Although she muted the X thread as soon as it gained traction, she read some of the comments. "I saw some people be like, 'Oh, you're wasting people's time being on this app,'" she said. "I think a lot of men waste a lot of women's time being on the app without intention. So, I don't feel guilty." 

One might think Camelia should try LinkedIn, a site meant for professional networking. Although Camelia found success searching for a job there in the past, particularly by finding the hiring manager or founder's profile on the platform and reaching out directly, she said she doesn't think the platform has innovated much since she graduated in 2021. "It's not a great thing, especially because the job field feels very competitive right now, and it's really hard to find jobs where it doesn't seem like they just throw your resumé into a stack of hundreds."

At their core, both LinkedIn and dating apps aim to connect people, but they seem to have fallen behind as how we do that evolves. 

Job searchers and daters run into the same challenges

A recent survey from MyPerfectResume found that 81 percent of recruiters admit to posting a fake or already-filled job online. Employers do this to maintain a presence and to keep tabs on available talent. 

Knowing this is the norm can be discouraging. "Even during the application process, I'm telling myself, 'This is pointless. You're wasting your time, and can better use your time to try to find work you actually want,'" Dylan*, a 29-year-old in Brooklyn who works in hospitality, said. 

Unfortunately, it's become commonplace to put yourself out there and receive no response. Fortune even reported that LinkedIn's "Open To Work" tag could hurt job seekers more than it helps because they look "overeager."

Some dating apps, like Hinge, Bumble, or Feeld, allow users to see who liked them before matching. There could be hundreds to sift through, and others have an infinite swipe. "My basic feeling is that the vast increase in the number of options we have in all parts of our lives — not just dating and job seeking — has actually changed the way we approach making choices," JD Giovanni, a 33-year-old who was laid off from his magazine job earlier last year, said. 

This can look like always looking for the next best thing or presenting what psychologist Barry Schwartz refers to as decision paralysis, where people make decisions based on what's easiest to evaluate rather than most important to them. 

First impressions undoubtedly carry a lot of weight, but crafting custom cover letters and first messages on a dating app can feel like a colossal waste of time. "If I post a role for something generic, like an account executive job, it could end up with 300 applications in a day," Braxton Brown III, a senior recruiter at Prove, said. It's just not possible to efficiently read all of them and respond at that rate. 

When job candidates do finally land an interview, and when daters connect with someone, both groups share a very common experience: ghosting. A small study from 2021 stated that 85 percent of dating app users have been ghosted. 

"In the age of LinkedIn, you can trace the companies you apply to and the people you speak with," Max Coyne, a 36-year-old in New York who's been on the job hunt since July, said. After being ghosted, he checked the company's job listing. "I found that the role I was interviewing for was moved from remote in Brooklyn to remote in Ohio for $30k less salary after they reposted the job the same week they dropped off." In another interview process, he saw the would-be supervisor got an internal promotion and presumably moved into it without reaching out. 

Seemingly, employers and daters do not know what they want. "Often, hiring managers have a really hard job defining what they actually need in the role," Brown said. "I think a lot of people on the dating side also have a really hard time defining what they want in a person or what they want in a relationship." He said both groups seem to conflate "nice to haves" with critical needs.  

"People get the 'ick' for something that should not at all be a deal breaker, and they might be missing out on someone that meets 98 percent of their other qualifications. That is such a parallel that I see in my job every day," he said. "If a hiring manager sees that this person didn't go to this school or that school, they might be totally uninterested." 

The viral call for men who are 6'5" with blue eyes, work in finance, and have a trust fund illustrates some people's superficial wants in dating, but Brown said employers tend to get caught up in details of a resumé that mean nothing to the role. They typically end up with an employee who can't fulfill the responsibilities of the job. 

Failing to match

Dating apps as a subscription service is a flawed business model. Users want to be on them temporarily until they find someone (or multiple partners). On its face, making users pay for "better" matches is the quick route to lose them, especially among younger demographics widely reporting dating app fatigue. But given that major dating apps are part of a public conglomerate, their incentive is to increase shareholder value.

LinkedIn's Premium claims to offer four times more profile views and 14 times more connections — it's quantity over quality. While those leveraging the platform for thought leadership and content creation may benefit from it, those looking for jobs are left to bleed $29.99 a month (or more) to blindly trust an algorithm to expose their profiles to more matches, especially given how long unemployment lasts for so many people. 

A LinkedIn spokesperson didn't address this in a statement to Mashable but said romantic advances and harassment of any form violate its rules.

SEE ALSO: The Relationship Experience dating trend: like a situationship but so much worse

Plus, artificial intelligence has picked up greatly in both spaces. On the dating front, people can use AI to create a bio, message someone first, and flirt back. Realistically, it could just be two AIs talking to each other at this point.  

And, you can barely escape it off the apps. Apple introduced Apple Intelligence to read emails and even summarize texts, both commonly used in dating. (Picture this: you'll be able to read incoming break-up texts more efficiently or those rejection letters that pop up in your Gmail seven months later.)

In the job market, employers are using AI to screen resumés and make hiring decisions. As you'd expect, job seekers are writing resumés and cover letters with ChatGPT. The rise of AI in both the job market and dating may dull the skill sets required for both, from establishing wants and needs and communicating to negotiating and discernment. 

It's clear the platforms are favoring shiny, new-ish innovation versus listening to their users and catering to their needs, but that would require looking at the larger sociological shifts rendering both the old ways irrelevant and their new plans inadequate. 

In this harsh job market, Camelia is leveraging every platform she can. That is why she took to X with her mock dating app bio job application. She ended up hearing from a couple of women who attempted the same. One is a graphic designer who filled her bio with her artwork and landed freelance work, as did Camelia. Although she has yet to get a full-time job, she's been commissioned for freelance work and leads from a bunch of startup CEOs and independent content creators. She's also in the interview process with a major record label weeks later, all according to the plan. 

* Name changed to preserve privacy.

Alaska, largely unspoiled wilderness, looks like something out of The Lord of the Rings.

Researchers with the Alaska Volcano Observatory — which monitors the state's dynamic volcanoes — recently flew over Mount Spurr, a steep-sided volcano that has shown signs of unrest as quakes shake the mountain. The agency posted a video of its February swoop above towering Mount Spurr, showing vigorous plumes of vapor coming from the summit's fumaroles, or vents.

"Enjoy this spectacular video of the summit crater of Mt. Spurr, taken by AVO staff during fieldwork Feb 7," AVO posted on X, formerly Twitter. "The lake, which formed [in] summer 2024, is mostly covered in ice w/ some turquoise water visible. The fumaroles (steam/gas vents) are the source of the white vapor plumes."

SEE ALSO: What will happen when the next supervolcano erupts, according to NASA

As the plane approaches Spurr, you can spy the extensive snow-blanketed mountains in this geologically vibrant part of the world, an area on Earth's "Ring of Fire," where some of the colossal tectonic plates of our planet's crust meet and stoke volcanism. Then, you can look down into the cavernous, streaming summit crater.

Tweet may have been deleted

An eruption, however, is far from certain. Previous Mount Spurr eruptions have been accompanied by more quaking activity, ground deformation, and beyond as magma (molten rock) oozed up closer to the surface and amassed great pressure beneath the volcano.

Earth's "Ring of Fire," a region home to expansive volcanic arcs and ocean trenches. Credit: USGS

"Therefore, it is very likely that if an eruption were to occur it would be preceded by additional signals that would allow advance warning," the Alaska Volcano Observatory — an association of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the State of Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys — explained on its website.

Mount Spurr, located about 80 miles from Anchorage, Alaska, is currently labeled at an "Advisory" level, just one notch above "Normal," and below "Watch" and "Warning." A significant eruption could blow a considerable amount of ash into the atmosphere, impacting and altering air travel in transpacific commercial routes; it's dangerous for jet engines to ingest volcanic ash, which is actually comprised of tiny volcanic rock.

TL;DR: Relive your childhood by grabbing the Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro for $89.97 (reg. $159) — it comes preloaded with 70,000+ classic games.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kinhank Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro Retro Gaming Emulator & Streaming Console $89.97
$159.99 Save $70.02 Get Deal

Have the winter blues got you down? You could try to entertain yourself by doomscrolling yet again. Or, you could relive some of your best childhood memories with this retro-inspired gaming console.

The Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro Retro Gaming Emulator & Streaming Console comes with over 70,000 classic games from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s, letting you relive your childhood or college gaming days, and it even doubles as a streaming console. Grab it while it's available for $89.97 (reg. $159) with free shipping.

Rather than spend another night doomscrolling your social media feed, end your workday (or start the weekend) with classics like Super Mario, Street Fighter, and Pac-Man. All you need to do to set up the Kinhank is plug it into your TV, grab a controller, and dive right into the action. No extra installation or hardware is necessary.

Have a solo game night to decompress and relive your childhood by racing or completing puzzles. Or, invite your siblings or friends over to enjoy the console's multiplayer mode. It comes with two wireless controllers, letting you duke it out with your brother or best friend in Super Smash Bros. 

When you need a quick break from gaming, this retro gaming powerhouse lets you stream a movie or your favorite shows. Catch up on Severance or rewatch old cartoons in between gaming sessions.

Your new entertainment setup awaits. Indulge in some childhood nostalgia by yourself or with your favorite people by grabbing the Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro for just $89.97 with free shipping while supplies are still available.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Through March 30, grab a lifetime of cloud storage from Koofr on sale for $119.97 with coupon code KOOFR.

So many cloud storage services come with a monthly fee. It may feel cheap at first, but how many of those files are only there temporarily? With every month you pay for cloud storage, the value starts to fade. The cheaper overall alternative is to get cloud storage that lasts for life without needing to pay more than a one-time fee. Take a look at Koofr's offer for a 1TB lifetime cloud storage subscription for $119.97 with code KOOFR.

Koofr takes your privacy seriously with top-notch encryption for your files, both when they're being transferred and while they're stored. They also don’t track your activity, so you can rest easy knowing your data is secure and private.

What really stands out about Koofr is how flexible and user-friendly Koofr is. Whether you're on your smartphone, desktop, or using WebDAV, you can easily access and manage your files from anywhere. The interface is straightforward, so even if you're new to cloud storage, you’ll find it easy to use.

Plus, if you’re already using other cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon, or OneDrive, Koofr integrates smoothly, letting you handle everything from one place.

And for keeping your digital space in order, Koofr has some neat features. The Duplicate Finder helps you eliminate unnecessary duplicates, while advanced renaming options let you customize file links. This way, you can keep your files organized and your digital space clutter-free.

Keep your files safe and sound with a Koofr 1TB Cloud Storage lifetime subscription for $119.97 with promo code KOOFR until March 30.

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Koofr Koofr Cloud Storage: Lifetime Subscription (1TB) $159.99
$810.00 Save $650.01 Get Deal

TL;DR: You can get lifetime access to 18 online ethical hacking courses for $35 (reg. $1098) — that’s less than $2 per course.

You’re exhausted, underpaid, and wondering if this is all there is. Nope: Tech and cybersecurity jobs are booming, and they might be how you escape a job that doesn’t appreciate your talent or pay you what you’re worth. Plus, getting your foot in the door can be as simple as being self-taught and having the right certifications.

You may be thinking, ‘But that’s not me…,’ and we say, ‘Not yet.’ We have an excellent cybersecurity training bundle that could prepare you for jobs like penetration tester, security consultant, or security analyst, all of which are high-earning roles. Unlike college courses, these are only $35 while they’re on sale.

What you’ll learn, and what you can do with it

Have you ever heard the term ‘ethical hacking’? It’s what you’ll learn to do through these courses. Basically, you’ll think like the bad guys, simulating attacks on systems or networks so you can discover weaknesses or vulnerabilities and repair them before real threats happen. 

After learning about the tools and strategies real ethical hackers use, you might earn certifications to solidify your knowledge. This is what prospective employers will be looking for when you apply for jobs — not always a formal degree.

Still need some motivation to make this career change? Does it help to know that the median salary for an experienced ethical hacker is $212,000? Yeah, jump on this.

Study to become an ethical hacker with our $35 bundle of courses, normally $45.99. No coupon is needed to take advantage of this discounted price.

The All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle - $35

See Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Aleksa Tamburkovski The All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle $34.97
$1,098.00 Save $1,063.03 Get Deal

TL;DR: Save 27% on a refurbished HP EliteDesk, a mini desktop that comes with Windows 10 Pro, a keyboard and mouse, and 256GB of storage while supplies last.

Opens in a new window Credit: HP HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Mini Desktop (2015) 2.2GHz i5-9500T 16GB RAM 256GB SSD Windows 10 Pro (Refurbished) + Accessories Bundle $274.97
$379.99 Save $105.02 Get Deal

You might be thinking it's time for a home office upgrade. Your laptop may have been a trusty device, but you may be holding your productivity back by not upgrading to a desktop.

Desktops may have been large and clunky in the past, but you can get the performance and battery upgrade of a desktop without the clutter. Just add this mini HP desktop to your office. This compact, refurbished HP EliteDesk brings power in its sleek design, and it's now available for $274.97, or 27% off the usual price of $379.

This HP EliteDesk was awarded a grade "A" rating, meaning it'll arrive in near-mint condition with minimal wear and functions like new. The only downside of shopping refurbished is that inventory is limited.

Desktop power in a compact design

Your casual tasks and day-to-day work can get a performance boost with this EliteDesk's Intel Core i5 and 16GB of RAM. Run your Microsoft apps, Adobe Suite, or other programs simultaneously with minimal to no lag. You'll even be able to game on this mini desktop, and users can save photos, files, and other media locally, thanks to its 256GB SSD.

Adding to this desktop's enhanced processing and providing built-in security is Windows 10 Pro integration. This operating system is equipped with measures like BitLocker device encryption and Windows Information Protection services, features that aren't available on the free Home version of Windows 10.

Here's yet another pro of this desktop: the HP EliteDesk comes with a keyboard and mouse for increased productivity, so you'll only need to add a monitor. Plug in your peripherals through its variety of ports. 

All of these features are housed in an unobtrusive, sleek profile. Whether you're adding this to your home office or office cubicle, this desktop won't take up much surface area.

Take advantage of this limited-time offer on this refurbished HP EliteDesk Mini Desktop, now $274.97, while inventory is still available.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

The dating world is changing, again. Even though more young people are so over endless swiping, the best dating apps are still the easiest way to find...well, everyone. Whether you love 'em or hate 'em (and let's be real, it's kinda both), you need to know which apps are actually worth your time.

While you could ask a friend to set you up, look for other single people at bars, or rely on good old-fashioned serendipity to find true love (or a quick fling), dating apps let you find a match without leaving your couch.

SEE ALSO: The uncomfortable truth behind the lavender marriage trend

No matter how you feel about dating apps, you can't deny that many couples now owe their relationship to online dating. A 2022 survey from the Pew Research Center found that out of nearly 6,000 respondents, one in 10 partnered adults (those who were married, in a long-term relationship, or living together) met through a dating app. For adults under 30 and members of the LGBTQ+ community, 20 to 24 percent found their partner on the apps.

What is the best dating site?

Dating apps can be a lot, and with so many options, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. While Match Group (Tinder, Match, Archer, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and The League, among others) continues to dominate the market, you don't have to limit yourself to just one brand when looking for the best dating app.

SEE ALSO: How to stay safe on dating apps

For example, First Round’s On Me (FROME) is a newish app that's gained popularity for its date invitation feature. Choose a drink, date, time, and venue, and the app will send a personalized invitation to your potential match. Once a date is confirmed, it's locked into both users' calendars, and the in-app chat feature is activated 12 hours before the date.

Other apps like Pure cater to people open to ethical, non-monogamous relationships or threesomes. There really is something for everyone, including more traditional dating apps like eharmony, Facebook Dating (think Tinder Lite, for your grandma), and Christian Mingle, which swap endless scrolling for compatibility quizzes and faith-based connections.

The best dating apps of 2025

We take dating app research seriously. To find the best options for every kind of dater, including introverts, single parents, budget-conscious singles, working professionals, and LGBTQ+ users, we created profiles, swiped (and swiped, and swiped), and even sprung for premium features to see what they really offered. We also enlisted our own writers and editors to test these apps in their actual dating lives and report back with their findings. After all that, we factored in customer reviews, privacy features, and overall user-friendliness to create this definitive guide to the most reliable dating apps.

Good luck, babe.

If you go by definition, Apple's new C1 chip isn't the sexiest thing in the world.

Per Apple, it's "the first modem designed by Apple." Given that all previous iPhones also had some sort of modem chip inside — for example, the iPhone 16 sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon X71M — it's easy to overlook the C1 as just another chip that makes the iPhone do basic iPhone stuff like connecting to the internet.

But the Apple C1, which debuted in the company's new iPhone 16e, could be a bigger deal than you think. Apple says that C1 contributes to the iPhone 16e's "extraordinary battery life."

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone 16e doesn't have MagSafe, but there's a fix

The C1 chip was actually a very complex endeavor. Speaking to Retuers, Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies, said that that the baseband modem was manufactured with advanced 4-nanometer chipmaking technology, while the transceiver was made with 7-nanometer technology. It had to be tested with 180 carriers in 55 countries to make sure it works, well, everywhere.

Indeed, the iPhone 16e beats the iPhone 16 in battery life by a large margin (up to 26 hours of video playback vs. the iPhone 16's 22 hours of video playback), despite the two phones being roughly the same size.

Now, Apple sleuth Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple's C1 chip will also be used for the rumored "slim iPhone 17."

Tweet may have been deleted

And while Apple rarely discusses future products or plans, the Srouji told Reuters that "C1 is the start."

"We're going to keep improving that technology each generation, so that it becomes a platform for us that will be used to truly differentiate this technology for our products," he said. According to MacRumors, who quoted a source with a good track record as saying that Apple is already working on a C2 modem, which could be even more power efficient, as well as offer faster and more reliable 5G connectivity.

In practical terms, this could mean that Apple's rumored slim iPhone 17 will have a longer battery life than one might expect given its thin profile. The rest of the iPhone 17 lineup will still feature Qualcomm modems according to Kuo, but in the future, Apple silicon might finally take iPhones to a place where you can forget to charge them overnight and still have battery left at the end of the next day.

SAVE $12: As of Feb. 21, the Amazon Fire Stick 4K is on sale at Amazon for $37.99. That's a 24% discount on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire Stick 4K $37.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $12.00 Get Deal

Amazon's Fire TV Stick is one of the retailer's most popular products, and it's no secret why. It's a streaming device that plugs into your TV (or laptop) and lets you access platforms including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and more. It comes with a remote with Alexa built-in, helping you turn any TV into a smart TV, for less than $50.

And as of Feb. 21, you can get it for even less. The newest model of the Fire Stick 4K is currently reduced by 24%, now priced at $37.99.

SEE ALSO: The Amazon Fire TV 4-Series is at its lowest-ever price at Amazon

And there's no complicated setup for this device. These handy remotes are so simple to use, anyone can do it. Just pop the device into your TV's HDMI port, and that's it. You'll have instant access to a range of streaming platforms as well as many live channels.

And with the Fire Stick 4K, you can enjoy incredible 4K Ultra HD visuals with advanced HDR formats like Dolby Vision and HDR10+. This model also boasts a much more powerful processor and enhanced Dolby Atmos support than its predecessor, ensuring a smoother performance and better quality sound.

Head to Amazon to grab this great deal.

SAVE $100: As of Feb. 21, the Breville Barista Express Impress is on sale for $799.95 at Amazon. That's an 11% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Breville Breville Barista Express Impress $799.95 at Amazon
$899.95 Save $100.00 Get Deal

Barista-style coffee from the comfort of your own home is every coffee lover's dream, and with this Amazon deal, maybe it could soon be your reality. As of Feb. 21, you can find the impressive Breville Barista Express Impress reduced by $100, now $799.95.

This premium machine is the ideal choice if you take your coffee quality seriously. It has a fantastic impress puck system, meaning you don't need to use guesswork when trying to craft the perfect espresso. The intelligent dosing system automatically calculates the perfect amount of coffee, with adjustments for each dose for consistent results. Assisted tamping ensures a perfect finish, replicating professional barista techniques.

SEE ALSO: The best coffee machines for modern kitchens

The built-in grinder allows you to use a variety of beans, and the 25 grind settings let you pick between a fine or coarse bean. Other standout features include an integrated conical burr grinder and a Thermocoil heating system with precise temperature control.

If you're a latte or cappuccino person, the built-in steam wand lets you create perfectly velvety foam for any drink.

Ready to show off your barista skills? Head to Amazon to grab this great deal.

"I don't care that you're a stoner" are words any weed enthusiast would love to hear during a hangout sesh — ideally from the lips of Chappell Roan herself during an a cappella serenade of "Red Wine Supernova," but from any old date works, too. And while it's a tricky subject to bring up on a blind date or serendipitous meet-cute, putting the feelers out on a dating app can help you avoid any more awkward first dates with someone who's not about that life.

Past that, if ingesting weed in your preferred form comes to mind when listing off your hobbies, it's completely valid to prefer a match who would also enjoy a night of Netflix, the couch, and a laser bong.

SEE ALSO: 10 free dating apps worth trying in 2025 Is there a 420-friendly dating site? Yes, but...

Finding a weed-friendly partner doesn't require a weed-centric dating app, though a few of those technically do exist. High There! and 420 Singles would probably be considered the two "main" stoner dating apps, though "main" is a bit of a stretch considering the lack of an active user base. While we would love to find an active dating site just for marijuana users, user reviews point back to the same issues: Of the few profiles that aren't dead or bots, these apps often devolve into places to buy and sell weed.

SEE ALSO: The uncomfortable truth behind the lavender marriage trend

Luckily, there are plenty of mainstream dating apps that let you filter by interests or even mention your love for cannabis in your bio (regardless of whether or not recreational weed has been legalized and/or decriminalized in your state). That said, not all of these advanced matchmaking features for finding your fellow stoners are free. On Hinge, for example, you can't filter based on marijuana stance (or height, political views, or religion) unless you're a paid subscriber. Your best bet is to disclose your 420 status in your bio — just don't make it the primary focus.

Below, we've pulled the best 420-friendly dating apps of 2025. These apps are where the cannabis-loving community finds love (and maybe a smoke buddy). So skip the uncomfortable small talk and get straight to connecting with people who get it.

From tense employee reviews to Mark (Adam Scott) collapsing due to reintegration, a lot happens in Severance Season 2, episode 6 — so much so that one brief sequence may have slipped under the radar.

We're talking about Lumon employee Mr. Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) — the intimidatingly deep-voiced gentleman who conducts Milchick's review — breaking into a house to look at some documents.

But whose house is he entering, and what's the deal with the documents he finds? Let's recap.

SEE ALSO: 'Severance's Dieter Eagan story is more important than you think What does Mr. Drummond do in Season 2, episode 6?

While outtie Irving (John Turturro) is having dinner with Burt (Christopher Walken) and his partner, we see a shot of Mr. Drummond approaching Irving's unoccupied house. Producing a large set of keys, Mr. Drummond lets himself in, then opens a padlocked chest to reveal a set of jumbled documents.

Lifting up a "Kier Regional Road Map," Mr. Drummond finds a long list of typed names. At the top, someone – presumably Irving – has scrawled "Severed Employee List."

The pages appear to be an alphabetised list of every Lumon employee who has undergone the Severance procedure, along with details such as age, address, and the possible date the procedure was undertaken. There are also pencil notes next to some of the names. Beside "Doug Coleman," for instance – who apparently fractured his hand in a car crash and was involved in a subsequent lawsuit with the city over the placement of a stop sign – Irving has written: "Did the settlement lead to Severance?"

What are you up to, Irving? Credit: Apple TV+ Why does Irving have these documents?

Now this is the big question, isn't it? We already know that outtie Irving was obsessively drawing the exports hall – the entrance to the mysterious "testing floor" where Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) is sent in Season 1 – so it's clear that he has an interest in Lumon's secrets. But based on the discovery of the list, it seems like he may be far deeper in than we first thought.

Could he be actively working to track down Severed employees in order to bring Lumon's secrets to light? And could that have something to do with the phone call he makes on a pay phone in episode 5?

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode every Friday.

Severance's second season delivers a pair of complementary sex scenes that add further depth to the show's conversation around bodily autonomy and consent.

Episode 4, titled "Woe's Hollow," sees Innie Mark (Adam Scott) have sex with Helly (Britt Lower) for the first time during the Outdoor Retreat and Team-Building Occurrence (ORTBO). Except he isn't with Helly at all — he's with her Outie Helena Eagan, who is pretending to be Helly in order to keep an eye on the Macrodata Refinement Innies. Severance contrasts their intimacy with a horrifying dream Irving (John Turturro) has, highlighting that something is off even before we get the Helly/Helena reveal.

SEE ALSO: 'Severance' Season 2 may already be the best show of the year: Review

Two episodes later, once Helly has returned to Lumon, she and Mark decide to reclaim the memory Helena has taken from them. They have sex in an unused office, using a tarp to recreate the tent where Helena and Mark slept together. The result is far sweeter than episode 4's — no Irving nightmares here!

Yet each sex scene raises questions about the role of consent in a show where you can sever part of yourself and essentially create a new person within your body. There are so many levels here, from deceit surrounding Innie/Outie identities to the experience of a dormant consciousness during and after sex.

"One of the common mistakes about consent is that it can be understood as a black and white, yes or no decision," Michele Meek, associate professor of communications at Bridgewater State University and author of Consent Culture and Teen Films, told Mashable. "So what this show is really raising are some of the complexities of consent that make us really uncomfortable, but actually get right to the heart of some of the questionable and concerning yellow 'proceed with caution' areas are."

So what are the ethics of sex in a severed world? And is consent even possible in Severance?

Helena and Mark's sex scene raises questions about mistaken identity and informed consent. Adam Scott and Britt Lower in "Severance." Credit: AppleTV+

The Helena and Mark sex scene may feel strange in the moment due to its juxtaposition with Irving's nightmare, but it develops an extra layer of discomfort once we learn that Mark wasn't having sex with Helly at all. Their intimacy was under false pretenses, making it a violation of trust and lessening his agency. According to Planned Parenthood, sexual consent is defined as "freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific," so Helena's deceit makes informed consent an impossibility for Mark in this situation.

While the severance procedure is completely fictional, Meek likens the scene to the real-world possibility of someone thinking they were having sex with one person, only for them to unknowingly be having sex with their twin instead. "Under that circumstance, I could imagine that we would feel really uncomfortable with the fact that this person was consenting at the time, but that wasn't the person who they thought they were," Meek said. "So most of us would read that as non-consent."

The Mark and Helena incident falls under the legal and philosophical term of conditional consent, which specifies that if someone consents to an act under certain conditions. When these are not met — like Mark consenting to have sex with Helly, only for her to actually be Helena — the act is non-consensual. If a place includes conditional consent in their legislation, deceit like Helena's could legally be considered rape, making this scene a legal issue as well as an ethical one.

SEE ALSO: 'Severance's Dieter Eagan story is more important than you think

Another worrying angle to the Severance sex scene is the fact that Helena is using Mark for her own ends. She's surveilling the Innies from within, but she's also taking advantage of Mark's feelings for Helly in order to experience the kind of romantic relationship she may not be afforded in her outside life as a high-level Eagan. There's also a vengeful quality to her actions: In having sex with Mark before Helly, Helena can one-up her Innie, with whom she already has a tumultuous relationship.

"The fact that she's using him makes us really uncomfortable when we think about consent, because it feels unethical to have sex with someone for some other end that they don't know about," Meek said.

The Severance writing team did not take these questions of consent lightly. In an interview with TVLine about the Mark and Helena sex scene, Severance creator and showrunner Dan Erickson said they "talked about it quite extensively."

"In a way, both [Mark and Helly] have been used," he continued. "Mark thought he was with one person when he was actually sort of with a different person. And then for Helly, it's a very troubling thing to know that something like that happened without you being there."

Helly's realization of that fact plays out in devastating fashion in episode 6, "Attila," as she reckons with the fact that while her body may have that memory, she never will. "What sucks is she got to have that, and I didn't," she tells Mark. "That she used me to trick my friends, used my body to get close to you."

This talk spurs the two to have sex and create a memory for Helly. Severance frames the scene as tender, and understandably so: These are the romantic leads of the show! Yet the scene also raises a tricky new dilemma. What does sex between severed individuals mean for their dormant consciousnesses, who are unable to consent?

Helly and Mark's sex scene adds a wrinkle to consent and consciousness. Adam Scott and Britt Lower in "Severance." Credit: AppleTV+

Mark, Helly, and Helena aren't the only Severance characters affected by the "Woe's Hollow" sex scene. Outie Mark is also involved, even if he wasn't awake at the time. The same goes for him and Helena during Mark and Helly's sex scene. They may not be conscious, but they're in these bodies as well. Does this lack of consciousness from one inhabitant of a severed body then render every sexual encounter a severed person has non-consensual? Mark and Helly's encounter is certainly presented as consensual in "Attila," with the two even pausing to verbally confirm that they want to keep going — a key addition, as consent is ongoing and can be withdrawn at any point. But the question of their Outies lingers.

Does this lack of consciousness from one inhabitant of a severed body then render every sexual encounter a severed person has non-consensual?

"One of the major questions of consent has always been, 'Is consent what we say and do? Or is it what we think and feel?''" Meek said. "That's a very complex dichotomy. When we talk about things like affirmative consent, what we're really prioritizing is verbal action-oriented consent. And while that's really important, I think that most of us understand consent as an internal yes or no, so we can imagine a situation where someone says, 'yes' and means 'no,' or vice versa. I think that what Severance is highlighting is this real clear distinction between mind-body consent."

An Innie or Outie having no recollection of their alter ego's sexual past is one thing, but Severance has shown time and again that physical conditions move across the severance barrier. In Season 1, a news report reveals that a Lumon employee became pregnant during her time on the Severed Floor. Sudden pregnancy with no memory of how it happened is a horror story no matter how you spin it.

SEE ALSO: Every time 'Severance' hinted at that huge Helly twist

Similarly, in "Attila," Outie Burt's (Christopher Walken) husband Fields (John Noble) broaches the subject of sex during a dinner with Outie Irving (John Turturro). He's aware that Burt and Irving's Innies had a relationship, but not the extent of it. "Do you think you two ever made love at work?" Fields asks, adding: "There is a non-zero chance that the two of you had unprotected sex, and so I felt the right to ask."

The unspoken worry about STIs lingers, adding to the mind-body dilemma of sex in Severance. Imagine an Innie or Outie waking up in the Lumon elevator with an STI that they couldn't explain, or, like the unnamed Season 1 employee, finding out that they were suddenly pregnant even though they themselves hadn't been sexually active. Would these not constitute a violation of bodily autonomy, no matter how consensual the inciting sex had been?

Perhaps the closest analogy we have in real life to the situation of Severance's sexually active severed characters is sex under the influence to the point of blacking out, where someone may be unable to remember the sex act itself but can still feel its physical impact. But even that isn't a perfect comparison, because in Severance there will always be another consciousness within the body that may have consented to sex.

"If you are not of sound mind or body, then you cannot consent," Meek said. "You can't say yes with a gun to your head. Same thing if you're completely intoxicated or passed out or not conscious in some way, you can't consent. That's where we get the sense that this is an obvious case in the show, because they're not fully conscious, so how could they consent? But of course, there's more complexity here, too. I think that the whole point of it is that Severance is raising the question of, 'where do you draw the line here?'"

Severance has always been about consent, but Season 2's sex scenes bring that conversation to the forefront. Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, and Britt Lower in "Severance." Credit: AppleTV+

While Severance's Season 2 sex scenes have highlighted issues about sexual consent within the series, they're far from the first time that the show has addressed matters of consent in other situations.

In Severance's very first episode, Helly watches a pre-taped video of Helena before undergoing the severance procedure. In it, she reads a statement that says, "I give consent for my perceptual chronologies to be surgically split, separating my memories between my work life and my personal life."

Presumably, Mark, Irving, and Dylan's (Zach Cherry) Outies all had to read the same statement in which they consent to the effects of the severance procedure. But reading one statement and signing one Lumon contract does not make for total consent.

"Consent is a constant and has to be constantly renegotiated and updated. There's no presuming consent," Meek told Mashable.

Yet presuming consent is exactly what Lumon is doing every day. They take the Outies' decision to undergo severance as a cut and dry "yes" to do whatever they want with their bodies and Innies on the Severed Floor.

SEE ALSO: The cast of 'Severance' on getting lost in the ever-expanding hallways of Lumon

Lumon breaches that consent in multiple ways throughout Seasons 1 and 2. In the series premiere, Helly throws a speaker at Mark's forehead. When Mark leaves work that day with a minor head injury, Lumon tells him that he was hurt in a fall. The lie is a violation of Mark's trust and consent to work in an office where he won't come to physical harm. It's also another reminder of the mind-body divide at play: Outie Mark can't remember how he sustained the head injury, but his body bears the mark.

The Overtime Contingency is a further example of Lumon overstepping its bounds, a way to hijack workers' bodies at will. In Season 2, episode 2, Outie Mark claims he never knew about the OTC. Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) informs him that details of the OTC were in his hiring paperwork, but a onetime acknowledgment of the OTC doesn't mean Mark or the other Outies would consent to its use down the line since, again, consent is ongoing, even in non-sexual contexts.

These moments prove that Severance has always questioned the ethics of consent as it pertains to the severance procedure. But the addition of these complicated sex scenes in Season 2 — something the show already toed the line with in Season 1's Waffle Party — allows for a natural heightening of these dilemmas, as we so often place consent in a sexual context.

The intimacy of Severance's sex scenes may also push us to draw hard ethical lines about who is in the wrong and who is a victim, despite the purposeful complexities Severance has built into these scenes. (For her deceit and her role at Lumon, Helena certainly seems like the most clear-cut wrongdoer of the bunch.) But more importantly, these scenes' ethical intricacies force us to think harder about the troubling implications of severance. The concept is already unnerving to start with, but it grows more and more so from episode to episode. With that increased scrutiny, and with Severance's ever-intensifying study of bodily autonomy, the show invites us to further examine Lumon's true motives, and how its control winds itself into even the most personal of situations.

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode every Friday.

TL;DR: Through 30 March at the Mashable Shop, a lifetime subscription to AdGuard's Family Plan is on sale for £12.64 (reg. £134.51) when you use the discount code GUARD20.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription £12.64
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Online safety has never been more important — especially when it comes to protecting your family. As children spend more time online for both education and entertainment, they need a reliable solution to safeguard them from the dangers of the web.

AdGuard is a powerful tool designed to provide peace of mind for parents while offering a seamless browsing experience for the entire family. (And if you couldn't tell from the name, it also blocks adverts while you're browsing.) A lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan covers up to nine devices and is on sale for just £12.64 (reg. £134.51) for a limited time.

With its advanced advert-blocking module, AdGuard eliminates the constant barrage of annoying banners, intrusive pop-ups, and disruptive video adverts that ruin your browsing experience. But AdGuard goes beyond just blocking adverts; it also shields your family from harmful malware and phishing websites, acting as a fortress for your digital life.

For parents, AdGuard’s parental control feature is a game-changer. It allows you to restrict access to inappropriate and adult content so your children can explore the internet in a safe and secure environment. Whether they're doing schoolwork or watching videos, you can rest easier knowing they'll be protected from the dangers lurking online.

AdGuard is designed to work across all your devices, from smartphones to tablets, covering both Android and iOS operating systems. And this lifetime subscription includes continuous updates and new features.

Jump on this chance to protect yourself online for life with the AdGuard Family Plan for just £12.64 (reg. £134.51) through 30 March at 11:59 p.m. PT. Just be sure to use the discount code GUARD20 during checkout.

AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription - £12.64 | See Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: SwiftScan VIP gives you high-quality mobile scanning and document tools for life — all for £33.23 (reg. £158.25) with promo code TAKE30.

Opens in a new window Credit: SwiftScan SwiftScan VIP: Lifetime Subscriptionwith £33.23 at Mashable Shop
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Keeping track of papers doesn’t have to feel like a never-ending battle. With SwiftScan VIP, you can ditch the clutter and digitise your documents quickly and easily.

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FREE TRADING CARD EVENT: On Feb. 22, Five Below is running a free Pokémon trading card event. Score a free Pikachu promo card with select purchases. Check your nearest location here.

Opens in a new window Credit: Five Blow Five Below: Free Pokémon Trading Card Event + Free Pikachu Promo Card Learn More

Calling all Pokémon fans — there's a special event happening at your nearest Five Below store this weekend.

On Feb. 22, Five Below is hosting a free Pokémon trading card event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where attendees can swap cards with other fans. As part of this free event, you can also score a free Pikachu promo card with select purchases.

SEE ALSO: Pokemon Go players are actually training a giant AI model

It's important to note that not all Five Below will be participating, so we recommend checking your nearest location here and calling ahead to avoid disappointment. Once you've confirmed the details that matter, you can make plans to attend and get your hands on that free promo card.

Happy swapping!

FREE SLURPEE: On Feb. 21, get a free small Slurpee at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores. Check participating locations here.

Opens in a new window Credit: 7-Eleven 7-Eleven: Free Slurpee on Feb. 21 Learn More

We're not going to tell you how to spend your day. We're sure you've got big plans, and there's absolutely no way that you could adjust your schedule for a freebie. There's no way, right?

All we'll say is that, every Friday in February, customers can visit participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores to get their hands on a small Slurpee for free. There's no pressure from us to do anything with this information, but we should add that you should check participating locations before you cancel all your plans and set off in search of this beloved beverage.

SEE ALSO: Domino’s is releasing a pepperoni perfume for Valentine’s Day. Here's how to get yours for free.

Each customer can get only one free small Slurpee each, and this free giveaway is only valid supplies last. But those are the only catches. This is one of those rare moments when customers can genuinely get something for nothing.

Stop what you're doing and grab your free Slurpee on Feb. 21.