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Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest 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 Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: What different athletes play on

• Green: 10 pins

• Blue: Important to the Super Bowl outcome

• Purple: Baseball positions and players

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Playing surface

• Green: Bowling terms

• Blue: Super Bowl LIX TD scorers

• Purple: Fielders

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 Sports Edition #153 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Playing surface - FIELD, GROUNDS, PITCH, TURF

• Bowling terms - BUMPER, GUTTER, LANE, POCKET

• Super Bowl LIX TD scorers - DEJEAN, HURTS, SMITH, WORTHY

• Fielders - CATCHER, CECIL, PRINCE, SHORTSTOP

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.

Are 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 Mashable

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 23 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 23 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Oh, this old thing?

These words are things people spend a lot of money on.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The words are something an avid fan might collect.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Collectibles.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for February 23

• Plushie

• Comic

• Vinyl

• Bobblehead

• Stamp

• Collectibles

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.

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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 February 23 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Actions involving friction

• Green: Methods of keeping food fresh

• Blue: Toppings for breakfast foods

• Purple: Things people say they spill

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Rub Together

• Green: Ways to Preserve Food

• Blue: Breakfast Condiments

• Purple: Proverbial Things That Are Spilled

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 #623 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Rub Together: GNASH, GRATE, GRIND, SCRAPE

• Ways to Preserve Food: CAN, FERMENT, FREEZE, PICKLE

• Breakfast Condiments: BUTTER, HOT SAUCE, JAM, SYRUP

• Proverbial Things That Are Spilled: BEANS, GUTS, MILK, TEA

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 February 23

Are 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.

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 February 23 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 February 23, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A playful aquatic mammal.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter T appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter O.

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...

OTTER.

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 February 23

Reporting 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.

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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 Saturday, February 22, 2025:

AcrossSize between sm. and lg.

• The answer is Med.

Sharp parts of forks

• The answer is Tines.

Cutting device in a woodworking shop

• The answer is Bandsaw.

Louise ___, Pulitzer-winning author of "The Night Watchman" and "The Mighty Red"

• The answer is Erdrich.

Faux meat option at Thanksgiving

• The answer is Tofurky.

Songs, informally

• The answer is Tunes.

Drug also called acid

• The answer is LSD.

DownConsciously focused on the present moment

• The answer is Mindful.

Evasive maneuvers

• The answer is End run.

Wished for

• The answer is Desired

Kind of deck with four suits: wands, cups, swords and pentacles

• The answer is Tarot.

Tackles of the quarterback

• The answer is Sacks.

"Oh yeah? Wanna ___?"

• The answer is Bet.

Preschooler's repeated question

• The answer is Why.

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.

Scientists have discovered that the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way buzzes with activity, shooting out a nonstop stream of flares into space. 

A new study using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has revealed a variety of light coming from the black hole Sagittarius A* — or rather its accretion disk, the ring of rapidly spinning material that surrounds it. 

While some flares are reminiscent of the ephemeral flickers of a candle, lasting just seconds, others are gigantic eruptions, blasting out a half-dozen incredibly bright jets on a daily basis.

These new findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters this week, could help astrophysicists better understand black holes and how they interact with the gas and dust around them. They also may provide new insight into the evolution of the Milky Way.

"We saw constantly changing, bubbling brightness," said Farhad Yusef-Zadeh, the Northwestern University astronomer who led the study, in a statement. "And then boom! A big burst of brightness suddenly popped up. Then, it calmed down again. We couldn’t find a pattern in this activity. It appears to be random."

SEE ALSO: He found a Milky Way black hole 50 years ago, and finally got to see it The first image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, released to the public in May 2022. Credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration

Scientists at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which runs Webb and the Hubble Space Telescope, are calling this the longest, most-detailed research of Sagittarius A*, pronounced "A-star," to date. The study is based on 48 hours of observation time in eight to 10-hour durations over the course of a year. 

Black holes were little more than a theory 50 years ago — a kooky mathematical solution to a physics problem — and even astronomers at the top of their field weren't entirely convinced they existed. 

Today, not only are supermassive black holes accepted science, they're getting their pictures taken by a collection of enormous, synced-up radio dishes on Earth. Supermassive black holes, millions to billions of times more massive than the sun, are thought to lurk at the center of virtually all large galaxies.

What we know is this: Falling into a black hole is certain death. Any cosmic stuff that wanders too close reaches a point of no return. But scientists have observed something weird at the edge of black holes' accretion disks, similar to the swirl of water around a bathtub drain. A tiny amount of that stuff can suddenly get rerouted. When that happens, high-energy particles can get flung outward as a pair of jets, blasting in opposite directions, though astronomers haven't quite figured out how they work.

The video above shows some of the Webb telescope data from April 7, 2024, covering 9.5 hours of observation, with a big flare appearing toward the end.

Yusef-Zadeh and team are trying to help get to the bottom of that. They've likened the new observations to solar flares, but capable of shining across 26,000 light-years of space. Webb saw brightness changes over short timescales, meaning they are coming from the black hole’s inner disk, not far outside its so-called event horizon, that previously mentioned point of no return.

Yusef-Zadeh speculates the biggest and brightest flares are like magnetic reconnection events, a process in which two magnetic fields crash and release accelerated particles, traveling near the speed of light. The shortest bursts may derive from minor disturbances in the accretion disk, similar to solar flares which occur when the sun's magnetic field jumbles, compresses, and erupts.

"Of course, the processes are more dramatic because the environment around a black hole is much more energetic and much more extreme," he said. "But the Sun’s surface also bubbles with activity."

The next step will be to observe Sagittarius A* for a longer, uninterrupted period of time to see if the flares repeat or are indeed random.

From time to time, the U.S. military shows glimpses of its X-37B spaceplane, which can travel to space for years at a time.

We just got another glimpse. The U.S. Space Force — which took the reins from the Air Force's expansive military operations in space in 2019 — has released a view the robotic craft took from Earth's orbit. You can see a portion of the X-37B and an outstretched panel above a view of a partially shadowed Earth.

"An X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in [highly elliptical orbit] in 2024," the Space Force posted on X. "The X-37B executed a series of first-of-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel."

SEE ALSO: A dramatic total lunar eclipse is coming. You don't want to miss it.

This is the seventh mission of the X-37B, which orbits 150 to 500 miles above Earth to explore reusable space vehicle technologies and conduct long-term space experiments. The plane was originally built by Boeing for NASA, but the project transferred to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, in 2004. At nearly 30 feet long, it's one-fourth the size of NASA's retired Space Shuttle.

An image of Earth captured by the U.S. Space Force's X-37B spaceplane. Credit: U.S. Space Force Tweet may have been deleted

The X-37B's "aerobraking" maneuver mentioned above involves using close passes by Earth's atmosphere to produce drag, ultimately allowing it to switch orbits without burning too much of its finite fuel.

"This novel and efficient series of maneuvers demonstrates the Space Force's commitment to achieving groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space," former secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall explained in 2024.

But the spaceplane, which most recently launched in Dec. 2023, isn't coming back home just yet. The mission is "now continuing its test and experimentation objectives," the Space Force said. After that, the craft will plummet through our planet's atmosphere and land on a runway — an event the U.S. military has released images of in the past.

The military clearly wants to promote the X-37B's successes — without revealing too much about its outer space exploits.

An unassuming loophole might be giving the U.S. government and its private contractors free rein to withhold evidence of unidentified craft traveling well above our skies — in outer space.  

That's the argument made by former Capitol Hill policy advisor and attorney Dillon Guthrie, published this January in the Harvard National Security Journal, a publication run by Harvard Law School. Guthrie spent three years as a legislative assistant to Senator John Kerry covering national security issues and later worked directly for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He describes this UFO loophole as a kind of "definitional gap."

"Congress has redefined what were formerly called 'unidentified flying objects' [UFOs] to first 'unidentified aerial phenomena' [UAP in 2021], and then the following year to 'unidentified anomalous phenomena' [also UAP]," Guthrie told Mashable.

As Americans have been learning a lot lately in the age of Elon Musk's DOGE, the devil is in the details when it comes to the nation's large and complex federal bureaucracies. And an antiquated, mid-century sci-fi concept like "unidentified flying objects" packed a lot of assumptions into one short acronym. That's a reality lawmakers determined would hinder good faith efforts to seriously investigate more credible cases of UAP reported by U.S. military personnel in recent years.

Did the Navy pilots who witnessed the now notorious 2015 "GoFast" UFO, for example, really see something that was aerodynamically "flying"? Or was it just floating, like a balloon? Was it or any other strange airborne sighting truly a hard physical "object"? Or were these cases all something more amorphous and temporary, like the plasmified air of ball lightning? 

SEE ALSO: Aliens haven't contacted us. Scientists found a compelling reason why.

As a term, UAP has offered a more broad and empirically conservative bucket for some of these still as-yet-unexplained events, categorizing them in a way that is not just more palatable to scientists and government officials; it has also made it harder for secretive U.S. defense and intelligence agencies to dodge the new annual reporting requirements now mandated by Congress, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Or, that's the idea, in theory. 

A careful study of the NDAA's most recent definition for UAP, as Guthrie noted in his new article, indicates that "data of any unidentified, spaceborne-only objects may be exempt."

"Under that current statutory definition, there are three kinds of unidentified anomalous phenomena," Guthrie told Mashable. "The first are airborne objects, or phenomena, that are not immediately identifiable. The second are submerged objects [or phenomena] that are not immediately identifiable — so, these would be unidentified objects in the 'sea domain,' or underwater."

"And then there's this third category of UAP, which are 'transmedium objects,'" he continued, "those that are observed to transition between, on the one hand, space and the atmosphere, and, on the other hand, between the atmosphere and bodies of water."

"Just under that strict reading of the definition," Guthrie said, "there is no spaceborne-only UAP." 

NASA's UAP independent study team during a public meeting on May 31, 2023 at the space agency's headquarters. Credit: NASA / Joel Kowsky

Any U.S. intelligence agency or branch of the military, in other words, that tracked a spacecraft circling (but respecting) Earth's border would be free to legally withhold that incredible hard data from Congress. And dozens of very recent cases like this may very well exist: Last November, the Defense Department's official UAP investigators with its All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) disclosed that no less than 49 of last year's 757 cases in their annual unclassified report involved strange sightings of UAP in outer space. 

AARO's 2024 report emphasized, however, that "none of the space domain reports originated from space-based sensors or assets; rather, all of these reports originated from military or commercial pilots or ground observers." But, Chris Mellon — formerly a minority staff director for the Senate Intelligence Committee and a deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Intelligence under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush — believes that this lack of sensor data is likely "a failure of reporting."

"Why is it that none of America's unparalleled space surveillance systems captured and reported what these pilots observed?" Mellon asked in an essay for the technology news website The Debrief this month. 

"Did these systems actually fail to capture any data, or is this another case," the former Pentagon official continued, "in which the information is simply not being shared with AARO or Congress? If the pilots and ground observers were mistaken, cross referencing with these systems could help confirm that as well."

A Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) System site located on Diego Garcia island in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Credit: U.S. Space Force Tweet may have been deleted

Mellon, a longtime advocate for transparency on UAP, recounted his own past government service experience supervising one of these systems, the Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) stations now managed by the U.S. Space Force. First established in the 1980s to effectively spy on spy satellites and other foreign orbital platforms, GEODSS can track objects as small as a basketball sailing 20,000 miles or more above Earth's surface.

"Many years ago, I asked a colleague visiting the Maui GEODSS site to inquire if the system had recorded anything 'unusual' in the night skies lately," Mellon recalled. "Sure enough, just a month or so earlier, the system recorded what appeared to be 4–5 bright objects traveling parallel to the horizon." 

GEODSS personnel reportedly were baffled. These gleaming objects appeared to be at once too slow and consistent in their trajectory to be meteors but too fast, hot and high up in space to be any known aircraft. 

"Site personnel had no idea what the objects were and, in those days, had no incentive to acknowledge or report the data," according to Mellon. "That incident occurred in the 1990s, when the GEODSS system was far less capable than it is today."

And, as Guthrie told Mashable, the full suite of America's space monitoring, missile defense and early warning platforms could easily be recording critical, perhaps world-changing evidence about UAP — which could reveal if it's another nation's advanced spacecraft, something mundane, or something truly unknown. Data from these systems — including the Space Fence, NORAD's Solid-State Phased Array Radars (SSPAR), the Space-Based Infrared Monitoring System (SBIRS), and others — could also be kept under wraps based on just this one technicality. 

"If there are no requirements to report on spaceborne-only UAP," Guthrie said, "then there are no requirements by elements of the defense and intelligence communities to report on those objects using these especially sensitive space collection sensors."

"Our ballistic missile defense people were very concerned."

The now well-known 2004 USS Nimitz "Tic Tac" UFO incident, made famous by The New York Times in 2017 and testified to under oath in Congress, included the monitoring of similar objects in space, according to veteran Navy radar operator Kevin Day. Then a senior chief petty officer supervising radar efforts onboard the USS Princeton, a guided-missile cruiser with the Nimitz carrier strike group, Day told Mashable that crew tasked with looking out for ICBM warheads saw these unexplained tracks moving up at 80,000 feet.

"Our ballistic missile defense people were very concerned," Day told Mashable.

Greater engagement with these kinds of potential UAP risks does not appear to be on the way from some of the United States’ best unclassified collection tools — the worldwide network of astronomical observatories and satellites managed by NASA. Despite much fanfare around NASA’s announcement of a dedicated director of UAP research in 2023, the position has been left quietly vacant since September 2024, according to a recent statement from the space agency’s press office.

Guthrie chalks the crux of this problem up to "an absence of overarching political oversight."

"There have been so many agencies that have been alleged to have been or currently be involved in the UAP matter," he explained. "It's all too easy for any of these agencies to pass the buck."

Tweet may have been deleted

Guthrie hopes lawmakers will take-up the advice offered by former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo, who told Congress last November that it should "create a single point-of-contact responsible for a whole-of-government approach to the UAP issue." 

"Currently, the White House, CIA, NASA, the Pentagon, Department of Energy, and others play a role, but no one seems to be in charge," Elizondo added, "leading to unchecked power and corruption."

Beyond redefining the strict legal definition of what UAP means, or even creating a new acronym that would bring "clarity to this issue," Guthrie argues that this more centralized, whole-of-government approach could also help close-up these kinds of loopholes.

"Breaking down those stovepipes," as Guthrie put it, "and along with those stovepipes the ability of a particular agency to just say, 'Oh, we don't feel the need to further act on this matter.'"

Hours after Coinbase said the S.E.C. was dropping a lawsuit against it, another major cryptocurrency exchange reported a potentially record-setting theft.

The fight to ban TikTok is far from over.

It started in 2019, when U.S. legislators first started banning TikTok from government devices, but it reached a fever pitch in 2024 when then-President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that would ban TikTok unless it divested from its parent company, ByteDance. This all happened because of a fear that TikTok poses a national security threat since its parent company is based out of China and subject to Chinese intelligence laws which could theoretically force ByteDance to give its data to the Chinese Communist Party, a U.S. adversary. 

The ban eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, with First Amendment Rights activists swarming to oppose the ban, since Americans have a First Amendment right to receive information from abroad, including propaganda. The Court eventually ruled to uphold the TikTok ban in a unanimous decision. And the ban did go into effect (for about 12 hours). That is, until now-President Donald Trump said he would extend the period of time before the law goes into effect. Now, the app is running and back on App Stores — at least, until Trump's extension runs out on April 5.

TikTok says it likely won't sell, but the only way to stop a U.S. ban now is for another company to step up and buy it. Most of the details about these talks aren't public, and we won't know for sure who's at the helm of the short-form video app until the deal is signed, but that doesn't stop rumors from flying. For instance, for a while we all thought Elon Musk, the CEO of X, SpaceX, and Tesla, was going to buy TikTok, but that was before he came out and said he didn't have any plans. Here's who might actually be in the talks to buy TikTok:

Oracle

Last month, it was reported that the software company Oracle, along with a group of other outside investors, would be taking control of the app. According to NPR, who got the exclusive on the deal, it was being negotiated by Trump's White House and would allow ByteDance to retain a minority stake in the company; Oracle would oversee the app's algorithm, data collection, and software updates. Trump later denied he was working on a deal with Oracle, Reuters reported, but maintained that he was working with "very substantial people" about a deal. Trump even said he would "like Larry [Ellison] to buy it," referring to Oracle chairman.

MrBeast

YouTube and TikTok star Jimmy Donaldson, who you probably know as MrBeast, is apparently looking to buy TikTok along with a group of investors.

“Okay fine, I’ll buy Tik Tok so it doesn’t get banned,” he posted on X in January. Albeit spelling TikTok incorrectly, his lawyers confirmed to CNN that he was serious.

Project Liberty and Kevin O'Leary

Canadian investor and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary said he would "love to work with Trump" on a deal to buy TikTok, according to CNBC. He also joined in on a bid along with Project Liberty Founder Frank McCourt on "The People’s Bid for TikTok," which offered ByteDance $20 billion in cash.

Steven Mnuchin

Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC in March 2023 that he started an investor group to buy the app but didn't give any details. He helped Trump broker a deal in 2020 that would have Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in TikTok but obviously that didn't pan out.

Perplexity AI and the U.S. Government

The U.S.-based search engine Perplexity AI put in an offer to create a new U.S. holding company called "NewCo" and then to merge with TikTok, Reuters reported. The holding company would mean the U.S. government would get up to half of the new company in future, which could lead to some pretty serious First Amendment concerns.

Microsoft

According to Reuters, Microsoft is also in talks to buy TikTok. The details aren't public.

Bobby Kotick

As IGN reported in March 2024, the former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick reportedly wanted to buy TikTok. The details aren't public and it's unclear if that reported interest has turned into anything solid.

Rumble

The Twitch rival is also thought to be interested in buying TikTok, and even put in an offer in March 2024.

Amazon

In 2024, Forbes reported — with the assistance of a former TikTok employee — that Amazon was also in talks to buy the app. The details here aren't public.

The U.S. government's sovereign wealth fund

Trump has suggested that a sovereign wealth fund in the U.S. could buy TikTok, the BBC reported. This could lead to some First Amendment concerns with regard to what kind of content is policed on the app. Content moderation is one thing on a private social media app, but would hold a whole host of issues when the moderators are a government organization.

There are a number of compelling reasons to catch the looming March 13-14 total lunar eclipse, which will be visible in the entire lower 48 states and greater Americas.

Perhaps the best one is that no two such eclipses are the same. That means, weather permitting, you'll witness something unique.

Total lunar eclipses occur when the sun, Earth, and moon are in alignment, allowing Earth to cast a shadow on the moon and block most sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. But our planet's atmosphere still allows red wavelengths of light to squeeze through, illuminating the moon in reddish, rusty, orangish, or crimson colors. Crucially, both the fickle conditions in Earth's atmosphere, and how deeply the moon passes through Earth's shadow, impact how light is ultimately projected onto the moon. This means different, and even unexpected, light shows.

"It's part of the thrill," Bennett Maruca, an astronomer at the University of Delaware who has witnessed a number of total lunar eclipses, told Mashable. "You don't know exactly what you're going to get."

SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.

Totality — meaning when the moon is totally within Earth's shadow — will begin at 11:26 p.m. PDT on March 13, 2025 / 2:26 a.m. EDT on March 14 / 06:26 UTC, lasting for 65 minutes. And the reddening progresses over hours, as the moon gradually moves into the Earth's shadow. (Technically, the eclipse starts with slight dimming on March 13 at 8:57 p.m. PDT / 11:57 p.m. EDT / 03:57 UTC). So, weather permitting, you'll have ample opportunity to see these bloody colors in action.

During a total lunar eclipse, the sun, Earth, and moon are in alignment. Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio A map showing how the Americas will have the opportunity to witness a total lunar eclipse on March 13-14, 2025. Credit: NASA

The first major factor at play in the amount of light and coloration illuminated on the moon is what's transpiring in our atmosphere, as sunlight must pass through our skies.

"Dust and clouds can affect the ultimate color of the moon during this event, which means that each total lunar eclipse ends up being somewhat unique and ultimately 'reflective' of the state of our own planet's weather," Eric Edelman, the planetarium director at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium, told Mashable.

For example, if there's lots of dust in the atmosphere — such as expansive dust clouds from the Sahara desert — you'll generally get a redder eclipsed moon, Edelman noted. Storms play a role in impacting how the penetrating light hits the moon, too. And volcanic eruptions — which can blast prodigious amounts of ash and gas high into the atmosphere — can dim lunar eclipses, as volcanic particles impede light that would otherwise get refracted towards the moon.

"It can be quite surprising."

The other significant player in the moon's illumination is how far the moon travels into Earth's shadow (called the "umbra," and visualized in the short NASA video below). When passing closer to the shadow's center, the moon is illuminated with the darkest colors — to deep browns and even purples. When passing nearer to the shadow's edge, the moon is illuminated with rusty, orange colors. The coming March 2025 eclipse, then, may be more on the rusty spectrum.

But the moon won't be all the same color. Our expansive natural satellite, some 2,159 miles across, will be illuminated by different parts of Earth's shadow, meaning it will display some of those darker colors, as well as the lighter rusty colors. "That's one of the cool things about this eclipse," noted Maruca. "You see the color gradient."

Witnessing totality will mean a late night, or early morning, for many of us. But Maruca emphasizes it's worth it. It'll be a one-of-a-kind space light show. And you don't know exactly what you're going to get.

"It can be quite surprising," Maruca said.

TL;DR: We have fewer than 50 refurbished MacBook Airs left in stock at $230 (reg. $999).

A MacBook for $230 might sound too good to be true if you haven’t heard of refurbished laptops. But this model, restored to like-new condition and backed by a 90-day warranty, is an excellent choice for anyone on a budget but still craving Apple quality.

Check out this laptop’s specs:

• Run Microsoft Office, browse the web, and multitask with an Intel Core i5 and 8GB of RAM

• Enjoy a 13.3-inch display with Intel HD Graphics 6000 when you’re working or streaming movies in bed

• Download programs or store files with a 128GB SSD

• Work all day without having to find an outlet with the laptop’s 12-hour battery life

Don’t miss this refurbished MacBook Air deal — they’re selling out fast at $230 (reg. $999). No coupon is needed to get this price.

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TL;DR: Enjoy wireless CarPlay, Android Auto, and built-in streaming services with the PlayAIBox Wireless Adapter, on sale now for $84.97 (reg. $129) while supplies last.

Tired of plugging and unplugging your phone for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? The PlayAIBox Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Wireless Adapter offers you the freedom and convenience you want on the road. For just $84.97 (reg. $129), this compact gadget upgrades your car with seamless wireless connectivity and built-in streaming services like Netflix and YouTube.

While hands-free convenience for your maps and music is amazing, this adapter also lets you download apps directly from Google Play, store media on external SD cards, and even mirror your phone screen for an enhanced experience.

Whether commuting to work or heading out on a road trip, the PlayAIBox transforms your ride into an entertainment hub, giving you everything from navigation to streaming in one easy-to-use system.

No more fussing with cables. This adapter supports wireless connectivity for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This means you stay more focused on the road. With dual compatibility for iOS and Android, it works across more than 800 car models and lets you run multiple apps at once, thanks to its Allwinner A133 chip.

Whether you're in extreme heat or freezing cold, the PlayAIBox is built to last with a working temperature range of -30°C to 75°C. And for those long drives or downtime at the rest stop, simply switch over to YouTube, Netflix, or Disney+ for hours of entertainment, all from your car's display.

Keep your digital world at your fingertips without the clutter of cables. Stay connected, stay entertained, and drive confidently with this game-changing wireless adapter.

The PlayAIBox Wireless Adapter is on sale for $84.97 (regularly priced at $129) while this offer still lasts. Inventory is limited.

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Opens in a new window Credit: RochasDivineMart PlayAIBox Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Wireless Adapter with Streaming Service Support $84.97
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TL;DR: Ditch the AI clutter and get one tool that does it all — the 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan is available for a one-time payment of $99.99 (reg. $540).

Managing multiple subscriptions for all your creative and professional needs? That’s more juggling than anyone needs — and it’s pricey, too.

Get a lifetime subscription to 1minAI on sale for $99.99 — it's a single platform packed with the tools you’d normally need a bunch of apps to accomplish. From content writing and image editing to data analysis, 1minAI has you covered — all in one convenient spot.

1minAI makes it easy to handle a variety of tasks with a user-friendly setup, so you’re not wasting time hopping between different tools. It includes everything from AI-driven writing assistance to design and photo editing options, letting you switch between projects without the constant app shuffle.

Plus, 1minAI gives you 4,000,000 credits each month, plus the chance to earn up to 450,000 extra credits monthly, giving you plenty of space to test, create, and explore without worrying about extra fees.

While AI tools are incredibly helpful, they aren’t perfect — and 1minAI is straightforward about that. You’ll get support with drafting, designing, and brainstorming, but human editing and oversight can bring your projects to the next level. Think of it as an AI sidekick that keeps things running smoothly, while you remain the creative mastermind.

Simplify your creative process and boost efficiency with 1minAI’s Business Plan lifetime subscription — all for $99.99, with no monthly fees.

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Opens in a new window Credit: 1min.AI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription $99.99
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TL;DR: The NanoPhone packs essential smartphone features into a tiny, portable design for 50% off at $99.97 until March 30 (reg. $199).

Sick of lugging around a phone that’s practically the size of a tablet? If you’re someone who values portability without sacrificing functionality, then the NanoPhone could be exactly what you need. This little powerhouse — on sale for $99.97 — includes the smartphone features you need into a device so compact, it could practically disappear in your pocket.

Despite its small size, which is literally the size of a credit card, the NanoPhone doesn’t skimp on the essentials. It comes equipped with a clear, responsive touchscreen that makes navigation a breeze, whether you're scrolling through your contacts or browsing the web. The intuitive interface is designed to keep things simple, so you can easily manage calls, texts, and apps without the bulk of a standard smartphone.

The NanoPhone also includes a built-in camera, perfect for capturing those on-the-go moments when you don’t have your full-sized device handy. Plus, it supports Bluetooth connectivity, so you can pair it with wireless headphones or a smartwatch for a seamless experience.

Battery life won’t be an issue either. The NanoPhone is designed to last throughout your day, whether you’re making calls, streaming music, or checking your emails. And with expandable storage, you can carry all your essential apps, photos, and files without compromise.

Whether you’re hitting the gym, going for a run, or just want to travel light, the NanoPhone is a practical solution that could fit your lifestyle.

Small in size and big on features, it's ready to go wherever life takes you.

Get the NanoPhone Miniaturized Smartphone on sale for half off at $99.97 (reg. $199).

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Opens in a new window Credit: Mutant Design Lab NanoPhone - A Miniaturized Smartphone Packed with Mega Features! $99.97
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TL;DR: Hurry and grab lifetime access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more with a Microsoft Office 2019 license for Windows at $34.97 through February 23.

Your credit card is exhausted from all of today’s subscription fees. While you probably don’t want to cancel Peacock and never see the ending of Yellowstone or say goodbye to two-day shipping with Prime, you could swap your Microsoft 365 subscription for a Microsoft Office lifetime license.

Instead of spending $7 monthly (or $70 yearly), you can pay once and use the apps as much as you’d like. For a little while longer, the Windows software suite is on sale for $34.97 until February 23.

What apps are included?

Microsoft Office 2019 isn’t the newest version available, but it’s the cheaper one for people who just need to use the apps and don’t care about what they look like inside. However, it does have a classic, timeless design.

Here's a list of the apps you get:

• Word

• Excel

• PowerPoint

• Outlook

• OneNote

• Publisher

• Access

Differences between Microsoft 365 and a lifetime license

This purchase is a no-brainer if you aren’t taking full advantage of Microsoft 365’s OneDrive storage, mobile app access, and cloud-based backups. Those just wanting the apps should be more than comfortable with a Microsoft Office download.

You might actually like this license more than the subscription. The apps are downloaded directly onto your PC instead of hosted on the cloud. While this does mean there are no built-in cloud backups, you don’t have to worry about the hassle of trying to work offline.

Plus, now that Microsoft added Copilot’s AI features to Microsoft 365, you might be looking for a way to escape them. Not everyone is crazy about having a virtual robot interfere with their work, and these classic apps won’t ever bug you about it.

The price drop on this lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2019 for Windows ends soon, so get your download for $34.97 until February 23 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows $34.97
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Public and private alarm has spiked since Elon Musk officially began executing the so-called Department of Government Efficiency's agenda by gaining access to sensitive databases, dismantling federal agencies, and unceremoniously firing workers by the thousands.

But now there is another reason to worry about DOGE: Scammers are capitalizing on increased interest in its actions in order to defraud people of cryptocurrency, according to the online protection company McAfee, which researches and monitors digital scams.

Specifically, the scammers are taking advantage of confusion about Musk's DOGE initiative and dogecoin, a cryptocurrency founded in 2013 that Musk has also publicly spoken about. Indeed, Musk apparently derived DOGE's name from the doge meme.

Musk is such a fan of the meme, which features a breed of dog known as a shiba inu, that he once replaced X's famous bird with a picture of the doge icon for a limited time. He also recently posted without comment on X, the social platform that he owns, a cartoon rendering of the shiba inu holding an American flag surrounded by the phrase "Department of Government Efficiency."

Tweet may have been deleted

The scams that McAfee spotted have largely featured Musk or DOGE in some capacity. Some also include a similar logo. The most prominent schemes invite victims to send dogecoin to a private wallet, with the promise that they'll receive more dogecoin in return.

But DOGE has nothing to do with dogecoin. And victims certainly won't receive free dogecoin in return for their contribution.

"The fact that people don't really understand that they're two very different things just adds a lot of confusion," McAfee chief technology officer Steve Grobman told Mashable.

Grobman said it was unclear why victims might believe that they'd profit off giving their dogecoin away. He speculated that Musk's status as the richest person in the world might be persuasive to victims who are hopeful that he'd part with dogecoin simply because he can.

Additionally, Groban said that scammers can be convincing when they promise guaranteed returns or high profits, and they frequently use the likeness of trusted public figures to promote fake coins or crypto investments.

It's worth noting that big events that involve Musk, like SpaceX launches, tend to attract scammers and command consumers' attention, while cryptocurrency is generally rife with fraud and insider trading.

But on Thursday Musk himself, as well as President Donald Trump, gave people reason to believe that DOGE might be sending money back to American taxpayers in the form of dividend checks, courtesy of the alleged savings DOGE has yielded. Musk floated the idea of a "DOGE Dividend," which would reimburse taxpayers, courtesy of the alleged savings from DOGE's cost-cutting measures and savings; Trump originally suggested a $5,000 refund.

DOGE has claimed an estimated $55 billion in savings so far, but experts say its calculations don't add up. Nevertheless, the prospect of a dividend may give scammers an even bigger opportunity to pounce on unsuspecting victims than they have now.

One scheme McAfee spotted cloned the official DOGE website but added a button to "Claim $DOGE bonus." Victims who provide between 10,000 $DOGE, (roughly $2,500) and 1,000,000 $DOGE (about $250,000) will supposedly receive between 30,000 $DOGE (around $7,500) and 3,000,000 $DOGE (about $750,000).

Grobman said that the scams leveraged classic techniques for deceiving victims, like creating a sense of urgency and portraying the exchange as a limited opportunity to make money.

He recommended strategies for identifying such schemes, like not engaging with an unknown entity in any financial exchange; never sending your cryptocurrency to an unverified wallet; using means of payment that have fraud protection, like a credit card; and carefully studying websites and email addresses for signs that they are legitimate, such as a .gov address.

He also warned against visiting websites that might capture your email or platform credentials. Some crypto scams are designed to harvest victims' personal information or steal the contents of their crypto wallet. In general, Grobman said that if something appears too good to be true, it probably is.

Still, the hype around crypto is becoming widespread. In addition to Musk's own embrace of crypto, the public may also be more receptive to exploring the currency given that Trump launched a memecoin of his own just days before his January 20 inauguration.

The Trump family and its partners made over $100 million from $TRUMP and that's just from the trading fees alone, according to an analysis performed by the New York Times. While a few outliers appeared to get rich, more than 810,000 crypto wallets have lost a combined $2 billion so far, according to the Times. Still, some observers may see a scam that seems affiliated with DOGE and think their bet is worth the risk.

Tweet may have been deleted

Potential victims of DOGE-related scams may also be intrigued by efforts that seem to link their participation with a broader effort to contribute to and achieve so-called government efficiency, like the DOGE website clone.

Musk's DOGE has already posted an open call on X for the general public to send the entity any tips for reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. With consumers invested in a game show-like search for government spending that they find fraudulent, some may feel like a "reward" promised by these scam websites could be a real offer.

Grobman said scammers operate much like legitimate businesses by testing certain strategies, amplifying what works and ditching what doesn't.

"We see some testing going on right now," Grobamn said, referring to the scams invoking DOGE. "If they get good returns from these tests, they'll double down on them."

It's a simple truth: Where there’s a Dyson product, there’s a dupe, and that holds especially true for Dyson beauty products.

The brand entered the beauty sphere in 2016 when it released the now-iconic Supersonic, a hair dryer with an innovative design that maximized airflow and minimized hair damage. Eight years later, it remains the most highly-praised hair dryer on the market, making it clear that Dyson's beauty tech bet was more than a success. While it’s an impressive product, it also retails for $429 — a price that you don't need to pay for an exceptional at-home hair dry.

SEE ALSO: I tested the best Dyson Airwrap dupes under $300: The Shark FlexStyle is no longer your only option What makes the Dyson Supersonic special? 

The Supersonic first made waves because, in typical Dyson fashion, it brought an upgraded, futuristic design to an everyday product.

Dyson is known for this aesthetic, but the sleek look also has a function. The ring-shaped head ditches the vented and coiled model of the traditional hair dryer and houses the tiny V9 motor in the handle. The combination of the V9 motor and the Air Multiplier technology makes for a dryer that clocks in at only 1.8 pounds yet still delivers a powerful airflow that’s notably quieter than the roar of a traditional dryer. That extra strong airflow also makes this dryer less reliant on heat and keeps hair damage to a minimum.

SEE ALSO: All the best skincare tech that we tested and loved, and some that we didn’t

To further minimize damage, the Supersonic also measures the air temperature up to 20 times per second and uses a built-in ionizer to minimize static and give hair a sleek finish, which brings us to a quick ionizer science lesson.

Ionizers are pretty common in higher-end air dryers. Why? They blow negative ions at wet hair to reduce static electricity by sealing the hair cuticle and taking down the power of that positive ionic charge (aka what's causing that annoying frizz). As negative ions make contact with hair, they're also dispersing the positive ions of water, therefore cutting down on your drying time and reducing damage in the process.

Basically, it's one of the reasons the Dyson Supersonic provides such quick and excellent results and why hair dryers with ionizers cost more money — they do more than simply dry hair.

SEE ALSO: Best vacuum cleaners 2025, from cordless stick vacuums to robot vacuums

Magnetic attachments designed to easily snap onto the blow dryer round out the futuristic feel of the Supersonic, with five included — a styling concentrator, a flyaway attachment, a diffuser, a gentle air attachment, and a wide tooth comb. It's a nice array of included nozzles, even for high-end dryers, which might typically include three to four attachments at the most.

Why is the Dyson Supersonic so expensive?

At $429, the Supersonic is definitely an investment. However, you're paying for a high-end motor that's built to last, multiple heat settings to protect hair, an innovative design, and of course, the ionic tech. Other dryers from popular hot tool brands like T3, ghd, and Harry Josh boast some similar features and run you anywhere from $150 to $350, but none quite capture the magic of the Supersonic.

SEE ALSO: Honest review of Ruggable: Are the washable rugs worth the price?

When I tested the Supersonic, I found that it had a luxe feel that stands out from other hair dryers. But don't forget: the Dyson Supersonic is now almost 10 years old.

Last year Dyson did release the updated Supersonic Nural (more info in the FAQ section below), but it's not a drastically different product, with the main upgrade coming in the form of smart features, including improved temperature regulation and attachment detection. I will be testing the Nural and the other smart hair dryers like it that have hit the market for this guide, but for the time being, the dupe selections below reflect comparisons to the original Dyson Supersonic.

Even with the first Supersonic being an older model, there is something to be said about it standing the test of time. On the other hand, Dyson competitors have had plenty of time to develop alternatives, all at a fraction of the price.

What is the best dupe for the Dyson Supersonic?

There are a lot of luxury blow dryers and dupes that look like Dyson but skimp on quality. A good rule of thumb: Avoid the $40 Amazon knockoffs that copy Dyson's signature fuchsia and nickel design. I promise they won't perform the same, and you'll be lucky if they last six months.

Instead, I tested a bunch of hair dryers, some that look similar to the Supersonic, and some that look nothing like it. I wanted to find the best hair dryers that replicate the Supersonic experience: That is to say, they give a hair dry that feels quick, easy, and at least a little luxurious.

Below, you'll find my deep dive into the five best Dyson Supersonic dupes.

TL;DR: Learning fits any schedule with a lifetime subscription to Headway Premium, and it's only £37.96 (reg. £237.28) through 2 March when you use the discount code LEVELUP20. 

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Sometimes, you can sit down with a book everyone else liked and still get absolutely nothing out of it. It doesn't matter if you're a speed-reader, that's still a lot of lost time, and life gets busy. 

If you want a faster way of getting to the meat of a good book, check out Headway. Headway is a mobile app that summarises a ton of nonfiction bestsellers into quick, actionable insights. You can use these either as a lesson in their own regard or as a way to see which books are actually worth reading in full, and a lifetime subscription is on sale for £37.96 (reg. £237.28).

Just head to the Mashable Shop and use the discount code LEVELUP20 to take advantage of this special pricing.

There's finally time to learn

Headway gives you access to a huge collection of titles, and its library is growing all the time. There are already over 1,500 books, with 30-50 more added every month. Headway even gives you an incentive to keep learning and growing by gamifying the whole process. See how many days you can keep your streak going. There are even achievements for the completionists. 

The insights you get from Headway summaries are a quick way to learn the key lessons from a book. It's not quite the same experience as reading the full text, but nothing's stopping you from going back and diving in once you know a book is worth the time. 

Headway tailors recommendations to your unique interests, so every summary aligns with your aspirations. Whether you prefer reading or listening, professionally narrated audio versions let you learn on the go. 

Join over 15 million other users and find time to learn. 

Use the discount code LEVELUP20 to get a Headway Premium Lifetime Subscription through 2 March. 

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