- Help
- Google+
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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: To show off
Green: Areas to watch the game
Blue: They wear blue and orange jerseys
Purple: They share the second half of the word
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Boast
Green: Stadium seating sections
Blue: New York Knicks
Purple: ___Stop
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 #238 is...
What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition todayBoast - CROW, GLOAT, GRANDSTAND, SHOWBOAT
Stadium seating sections - BLEACHER, LOGE, SUITES, UPPER DESK
New York Knicks - BRIDGES, HART, MCBRIDE, TOWNS
___Stop - BACK, JUMP, PIT, SHORT
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.
Apple's new and AI-improved Siri that was showcased at last year's WWDC still isn't ready, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Significant upgrades to Siri—including the ones promised nearly a year ago—are unlikely to be discussed much and are still months away from shipping," said Gurman in an-depth report that detailed Apple leadership's reported failures to recognize the significance of generative AI for consumer tech products and subsequent issues in rolling out a smarter Siri driven by powerful LLMs and onscreen awareness.
SEE ALSO: iOS 19 rumors: Every feature we've heard of so farAt Apple's WWDC 2025, which is less than a month away on June 9, the event will reportedly instead highlight "various non-AI software upgrades" like the reported interface design overhauls to make the operating systems for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac more in the style of the Vision Pro, said Gurman.
Reports of Siri trouble have been brewing for a while now. Apple's promise of a more personalized and context-aware version of the voice assistant hasn't yet come to fruition, and instead we've seen minor updates like the ability to type to Siri and even examples of Siri getting worse. Apple even pulled a commercial with actor Bella Ramsey, featuring Siri being able answer who they had had lunch with by pulling up relevant calendar details, over accusations of false advertising.
Gurman reports that Apple is working on a Siri-specific LLM, internally dubbed "LLM Siri" which will reportedly resolve many of the underlying infrastructure issues. Until then, don't expect much from Siri at this year's WWDC.
TL;DR: Create anything, even NSFW art, with a lifetime subscription to Imagiyo for only A$62.
Digital creativity has never been more accessible, yet many of us remember the days when crafting a single image meant wrestling with layers and plugins for hours on end. Now there’s a way to generate stunning visuals in seconds simply by typing a description of what you have in mind.
Imagiyo uses Stable Diffusion AI alongside FLUX AI to turn text prompts into high-quality images ready for commercial use, and there aren’t many limits to what you can create. Here’s what that means.
What art can you make with ImagiyoWhat do you want to make first? It only takes a brief description to put Imagiyo’s advanced algorithms to work, and unlike other image generators, Imagiyo actually lets you really follow your creativity. Craft stunning landscapes, visualize characters from books, or go for something a little more daring. Imagiyo supports NSFW content creation. Just set your prompts to private and let your mind run wild.
Imagiyo’s commercial-use license means you can take some of the images you generate and incorporate them into client projects, social media campaigns, or personal portfolios without fear of copyright issues.
Each month, you receive 500 image-generation credits and can submit up to two prompts at once. Unused credits roll over, so you never lose access to your creative potential. Best of all, Imagiyo delivers your purchased engine updates and feature improvements automatically, ensuring you always work with the latest AI models.
You have until June 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get an Imagiyo AI Image Generator lifetime subscription for A$62 (reg. A$772).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window Credit: Imagiyo Imagiyo AI Image Generator: Lifetime Subscription (Standard Plan) AU$62Somehow, we've already reached the unofficial start of summer: the Memorial Day 2025 deals are here.
SEE ALSO: Amazon's Memorial Day Sale has already started — shop tech, home goods, and moreThough Memorial Day isn't technically until May 26, plenty of brands kicked off their sales early. Leading the way are mattress deals, followed by home and kitchen deals. Below, we've gathered up all the best deals so far ahead of Memorial Day, and will be adding to this list as more deals go live.
Best Memorial Day mattress dealsAmerisleep: Save up to $1,000 on mattresses
Avocado: Take 10% off sitewide
Bear: Save 35% on mattresses and get two free pillows
Big Fig: Take 25% off sitewide with code MEMDAY
Birch: Save 25% sitewide and get two free pillows with a new mattress with code MEMDAY25
Brooklyn Bedding: Take 25% off sitewide
Casper: Take up to 30% off on mattresses
DreamCloud: Save up to 60% on mattresses
Helix: Take 25% sitewide and get two free products with Helix Luxe or Elite mattress
Leesa: Save 30% on mattresses and get a free sleep bundle
Layla: Get free pillows with ever mattress and take up to $1,018 off bundles
Mattress Firm: Take up to 60% off and get a free adjustable base with select mattresses
Naturepedic: Take up to 20% off organic mattresses
Nectar: Save up to 50% on mattresses and 65% on bundles
Nest: Save up to $1,321 on new mattresses and get a free bundle
Puffy: Take up to $1,350 off with code MEMORIALDAY
Purple: Take up to $700 off on a mattress and base, plus 20% off bedding and pillows, now through June 3
Saatva: Save up to $600 on mattresses
Sleep Number: Save up to 50% on smart beds
Tuft & Needle: Save 20% on select mattresses
Viscosoft: Take 25% off all mattress toppers
WinkBeds: Save $300 on all mattresses
Bedding
Brooklinen: Take up to 78% off sheets and pillowcase sets
Citizenry: Save 20% sitewide
Coyuchi: Take 20% off sitewide
Double Stitch: Save up to 50% with code CS50
Eli & Elm: Save up to 40%
Naturepedic: Take up to 20% off organic bedding
Nest: Take up to 60% off bedding
Parachute: Save 30% sitewide
Puffy: Save 15% on all mattress accessories including sheets and pillows
Silk & Snow: Save up to 32% on bedding bundles
Tuft & Needle: Take 30% off on select bedding
Branch: Take up to 15% off home office furniture
Dyson: Save on cordless vacuums and beauty products, including the Supersonic Nural hair dryer
Home Depot: Save up to 25% on gardening supplies, 30% on outdoor furniture, and 35% on select appliances through May 28
Overstock: Save up to 60% off patio furniture
Revival: Spend $250 to $499 to take 10% off, $500 to $749 for 15% off, $750 to $!499 for 20% off, and $1500 and more for 25% off
Ruggable: Take 20% off sitewide with code MEMDAY, excluding select pillows, pet beds, spot cleaners, gift cards, and swatches
Simplisafe: Get any new system for 60% off, plus a free outdoor camera ($199 value) when you sign up for professional monitoring
Tumble: Save 30% on all washable rugs
Windmill: Save up to 25% on the Windmill air conditioner
Anker Soundcore: Save 15% on speakers with code OUTDOOR15
Best Buy: Save on laptops, OLED TVs, smart watches, and more
HP: Save up to 55% on select laptops, PCs, printers, and other HP tech
Lenovo: Save up to 50% off on ThinkBooks, desktops, chromebooks, monitors, and the X1 Carbon Gen 12
Ultimate Ears: Save $30 off $150, $70 off $250, and $150 off $450
HydroFlask: Save up to 25% on best sellers, including tumblers, lunch boxes, and accessories
Made In: Save up to 25% on cookware
Ninja: Select outdoor grills are 15% off with code OUTDOOR15
Ooni: Save up to 20% on pizza ovens, oven accessories, and cookware
Owala: Take 30% off 24-ounce and 40-ounce tumblers through May 26
Sodastream: Save 25% sitewide
Eyebyedirect: Take 30% off lenses and 20% off frames with code MDWDEAL through May 25 and take 30% off designer brand glasses with code DB30 through May 26
Shark: Save up to $300 off select products, plus 20% off select hair care with code BEAUTY20
Solawave: Take 35% off kits
Memorial Day is just a few days away, which means it's time to think about every amazing outdoor adventure you have planned for summer of 2025. If last year's gear got put away wet and dirty, it's time to consider some upgrades. Instead of doing this the Thursday night before leaving for a weekend adventure on Friday, spend Memorial Day weekend sorting through your gear and deciding what needs a refresh.
Coincidentally, the REI Anniversary Sale is on now through May 26 and has thousands of deals that take up to 30% off outdoor gear. Snag a new paddle board, replace the cooler, finally keep in touch with a Garmin inReach, or get a cozier sleeping bag.
Plus, if you happen to be an REI member and you see something that's not on sale, use code ANNIV2025 to take 20% off. A lifetime membership to the REI Co-op costs just $30 which means joining to apply to 20% coupon could mean the membership has already paid for itself.
In terms of what's on sale during the REI Anniversary Sale expect to see 30% off tons of REI Co-op brand gear, 20% off REI bicycles, and up to 25% off tons of camping gear from Nemo, Kelty, Therm-a-Rest and more. Below are some of our favorite deals or you can spend hours browsing the entire sale selection.
Best camping deal Opens in a new window Credit: REI REI Base Camp 4 Tent $331.79 at REIThe outdoors is a wonderful place to spend sunny weekends but it's no time to skip out on sleeping. You'll want to head out with a cozy sleeping set-up which relies on a functional tent, and that's where the REI Base Camp 4 Tent comes into play. It's part of the brand's Anniversary Sale which means you'll be saving 30% on the tent, scoring it for $331.79 instead of the normal price of $474.
In terms of function, the Base Camp 4 Tent is ready to sleep you and three friends with its durable materials that are also water repellent. The wide two door means no sleeper is trapped inside and everyone will have easy access for that inevitable 1 a.m. latrine trip. Of course, the pockets and hang loops make camp organization much easier.
More camping dealsSea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Bag (3 pack) — $52.39 $69.95 (save $17.56)
GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Base Camper Cookset — $67.39 $89.95 (save $22.56)
Kelty Low Loveseat — $97.39 $129.95 (save $32.56)
Helinox Chair Zero — $104.89 $139.95 (save $35.06)
Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket (two person) — $149.19 $199 (save $49.81)
Sea to Summit Traveller 45F Down Sleeping Bag — $149.19 $199 (save $49.81)
Coleman Cascade 222 2-Burner Camp Stove — $164.99 $220 (save $55.01)
NEMO Dagger OSMO 2P Tent — $374.89 $499.95 (save $125.06)
You've tried out the paddle boards from the local rental shop and decided it's a great way to get out on the water, but have you tried your own? Bote makes some impressively designed paddle boards and the Bote Wulf Aero is on sale during the REI Anniversary Sale for $475.09, down from the usual price of $559. At 10 feet 4 inches in length, the Bote Wulf means you can spend the day out on the water instead of on the crowded shoreline and the included travel bag means everything is so much easier to carry to the lake. You'll also get a three-piece adjustable SUP paddle, a hand pump, a coiled leash, and a removeable Aero center fin, and an Aero repair kit.
More outdoor gear sales at REINRS Ninja PFD — $119.89 $149.95(save $30.06)
Garmin inReach Mini 2 — $299.99 $400 (save $100.01)
Cannondale Topstone 3 Bike — $1,119.93 $1,400 (save $280.07)
Salsa Journeyer Sora 700c Bike — $1,169.09 $1,299 (save $129.91)
Watch all the biggest announcements from Nvidia's keynote address at Computex 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan.
In an era where most YouTubers chase growth at all costs, Outdoor Boys creator Luke Nichols is walking away at the height of his channel’s explosive rise.
In just the past 18 months, the channel has gained around 12 million subscribers. But instead of capitalizing on that momentum, Nichols is stepping back, citing the toll it's taking on his family.
"Because of people stealing my content and posting it on other platforms, my family and I have been viewed about 4 billion times, in addition to the 2.8 billion views on YouTube," Nichols says in his goodbye video. "The sheer volume of fans trying to contact me, trying to take pictures with me, or just trying to come up and talk to me in public, it can be a bit overwhelming at times."
What makes Nichols’ decision so unusual is how sharply it runs against the current of influencer culture, where visibility and virality are everything. A study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that creator jobs have grown 7.5 times in four years, making the sector the fastest-growing driver of U.S. GDP, now valued at $4.9 trillion.
However, for Nichols and his wife, the costs of that attention are becoming too high.
"My wife and I — we both have real concerns about what this will do to our family if I keep growing my YouTube channel at this pace," he explains. "And the time to stop is before this problem gets so out of hand that my family and I can’t live normal lives."
He won’t be uploading to the channel for a while, though he mentioned the possibility of "one big dump" of videos featuring unfinished projects if he finishes them. In the meantime, though, Nichols says it’s time for him to move on so he can help his kids achieve their dreams.
The fan response on social media has been overwhelming, filled with both support for his decision and sadness over his departure.
Rip outdoor boys
[image or embed]
Outdoor Boys is one of the goats on the platform for all time. There’s so much you can learn from the way that channel is run, the way the videos are made, and the way he approaches success. Big loss— there’s nobody else like him.
[image or embed]
Memorial Day is just around the corner, and you know what that means: Sales galore. As usual, Amazon is ahead of the game with up to 55% off select items from Amazon devices, kitchen items, home goods, electronics, and more, so shoppers can start prepping for summer. The sale started on May 16 and runs through Monday, May 26.
SEE ALSO: Best Memorial Day mattress deals in 2025 that are already live: Shop Nectar, Brooklyn Bedding, Purple, and moreOf course, these deals might get even better as the holiday gets closer. (We’ll be keeping an eye on prices and updating this story regularly.) But there’s no harm in snatching up a few discounts now, especially for high-demand items with limited availability.
Here are some of the best Amazon Memorial Day sales you can shop now.
Best tech deal Amazon Fire Max 11 64GB 11" 2000x1200 Tablet $174.99 at AmazonThe Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet is currently on sale for $174.99, down from $229.99. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve seen for this tablet (around $139.99 in November), but it’s still a pretty good deal for a newish tablet (it’s a 13th-gen, released in 2023).
The Fire Max 11 has an 11-inch display, 64GB of storage (you can expand it to up to 1 TB with a micro-SD card), and 14 hours of battery life. It’s ideal for streaming your favorite shows or reading e-books on the go. (You can game on it, too.) It’s also equipped with Alexa and compatible with the Amazon Stylus Pen.
More tech dealsBlink Mini 2 — $19.99 $39.99 (Save $20)
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K — $29.99 $49.99 (Save $20)
Apple Pencil (2nd gen) — $99 $129 (Save $30)
Amazon Fire TV Cube — $99.99 $139.99 (Save $40)
Amazon eero 6+ mesh WiFi system — $224.99 $299.99 (Save $75)
Right now, you can get the Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum cleaner for just $149.97, down from $199.99. That’s 25% off and only $10 away from its lowest price ever.
This isn’t a Dyson, but it’s still a good vacuum if you want something that’s lightweight and cordless. The Levoit LVAC-200 has a suction power of 70 AW and a run time of up to 50 minutes with the Crevice or Pet Tool in Eco mode. You can also really get into those tight spots with the LED lights and 180-degree rotation.
More vacuum dealsShark HV371 Rocket Pro DLX — $139.99 $199.99 (Save $60)
Shark Pet IX141 — $179.99 $259.99 (Save $80)
iRobot Roomba (Q0120) — $199.99 $249.99 (Save $70)
Dyson V8 Plus — $349.99 $469.99 (Save $120)
Shark AI Ultra — $349.99 $599.99 (Save $250)
The Char-Broil Patio Bistro TRU-Infrared Electric Grill is currently on sale for $131.93, down from $249.99. That’s a 47% discount and a whopping $118.06 in savings. Again, it’s not the lowest we’ve seen on this grill (the lowest was $125.99), but it’s still a solid deal.
This is a great option for those who don’t have a lot of outdoor space or don’t want to deal with propane or charcoal. (Just be sure to read your lease! Some apartments don’t allow grills on balconies.) The TRU-Infrared technology cooks up to 50% juicier food (according to the manufacturer), and the grill has 320 square inches of cooking space, so you can still grill up plenty of food for friends and family.
More outdoor dealsCuisinart indoor/outdoor electric grill — $129.99 $149.99 (Save $20)
Blackstone 28-inch flat top gas grill — $223.78 $249.99 (Save $26.21)
Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 — $279.99 $344.99 (Save $65)
GET 50% OFF: As of May 19th, the JBL Quantum 200 Wired Over-ear Gaming Headset is currently on sale for $29.95, down from $59.95, for a savings of 50%, or $29.95.
Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Quantum 200 Wired Over-ear Gaming Headset $29.95 at AmazonThis is a deal that your teammates will appreciate. If your co-op gaming buddies are always complaining about fans running in the background of the voice feed, or your dog snoring on the floor during Horde Night, a good gaming headset with a voice-focused mic will make all the difference. There's also the over-ear immersion element that comes with excellent sounding headphones — yeah that's a nice perk for you.
Right now, the JBL Quantum 200 Wired Over-ear Gaming Headset is on sale for $29.95. Get it now and save 50%.
SEE ALSO: Get $70 off a Corsair keyboard that's made to game. The best audio deals available nowSoundcore by Anker P20i True Wireless Earbuds — $19.99 (List Price $39.99)
Sony WH-CH520 Wireless Headphones — $38.00 (List Price $59.99)
JBL Flip 6 Portable Bluetooth Speaker — $99.95 (List Price $129.95)
Bose SoundLink Flex Portable Speaker — $148.00 (List Price $149.00)
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones — $298.00 (List Price $348.00)
JBL Bar 300 5.0ch Compact Soundbar — $299.00 (List Price $399.95)
This JBL headset is meant to envelop. The headphones rock 50mm audio drivers with 20Hz - 20kHZ response and spatial audio. Wired with a PC splitter, they'll connect to PC, Xbox, or anything that has a standard 3.5mm audio jack.
These aren't just headphones. The headset features a responsive, flip-up boom mic. The mic is directionally oriented and tuned to your voice, so it cuts background audio that would otherwise get picked up by a computer mic. This means it will emit traffic sounds from outside your apartment, or your partner knocking around in another room.
Right now, May 19th, the JBL Quantum 200 Wired Over-ear Gaming Headset is on sale for $29.95, for a savings of 50%.
Memory foam cups your ears and envelops them, insulating you from the outside world, and staying comfortable even during long gaming sessions.
If you're on haircare TikTok, there's a good chance you've heard of head spas. Popular in Japan, these relaxing treatments not only involve massaging and cleaning your scalp, but can also involve a scalp analysis to provide personalised tips on caring for your hair.
Now French haircare brand Kérastase has launched the K-SCAN, an AI-powered scalp and hair analysis tool helping professionals provide such insights during your regular hair appointment.
K-SCAN results measuring dandruff, hair diameter diversity, and dirty pores. Credit: Amanda Yeo / MashableOffered as a complimentary add-on to any service in participating Kérastase-affiliated salons, a K-SCAN scalp analysis simply requires a hairdresser to snap a photo of your scalp using the handheld device. Taken with a microscopic camera under white LED light, cross-polarised white light, and UV light, the picture is then analysed by Kérastase's AI algorithm with results immediately displayed on a tablet.
SEE ALSO: I tried 6 Dyson Supersonic dupes that are actually worth the hypeKérastase states that the K-SCAN was developed by L'Oréal Groupe researchers in Paris, who tested it on hundreds of people from China, France, and Mauritius Island ranging from 18 to 60 years old. Of these trial participants, 79 percent were female and 21 percent were male. Kérastase's in-house AI algorithm was subsequently validated by training it on over 12,000 images.
Mashable checked out the K-SCAN during its trial launch, the tool being released in Spain and Australia in advance of its rollout in the U.S. and globally. There are still a few kinks to smooth out, but considering the usefulness of its insights plus the fact that an analysis costs zero dollars, I'd certainly ask for a K-SCAN the next time I visit the salon.
Kérastase's K-SCAN AI analysis vs a Japanese head spa K-SCAN results showing a scalp microbiome indicator, hair diameter, and hair density. Credit: Amanda Yeo / MashableGoing in, I was curious as to how the K-SCAN would compare to a normal, non-AI scalp analysis. I'd previously paid for a scalp assessment at a Tokyo head spa a few years ago, relying heavily on Google Translate to communicate with the very patient attendant in charge of my consultation. Taking several photos of my scalp with a microscopic camera, she informed me that my scalp was dry (I'd erroneously believed it to be oily) and that my fears of hairfall were unfounded (I remained unconvinced).
SEE ALSO: The Shark FlexStyle is still better than the Dyson AirwrapWhile this was undeniably useful information, I left the session without a clear action plan. With the exception of cutting out shampoos designed for oily scalps, I largely continued my lacklustre hair care routine as usual, unsure of what to change or how. Though they told me I should be moisturising my scalp, I'd never heard of a scalp moisturiser before, and I wasn't sure what to get or how to apply it.
K-SCAN results showing a person's scalp and hair profile as well as personalised Kérastase product recommendations. Credit: Amanda Yeo / MashableMy K-SCAN analysis was both more and less thorough, being more of a quick, practical assessment than a relaxation experience. While the Japanese service took several photos of different areas of my scalp, the K-SCAN was satisfied with working off just one image.
However, the hairdresser operating the device did ask me a few quick questions before we began, such as how often I wash my hair; whether I've coloured or permed it; if my scalp gets itchy; and whether I wear a lot of headbands or hats. Kérastase told Mashable that hairdressers are trained in how to use the K-SCAN and decipher its results.
Once we got to the actual scan, the hairdresser used a tablet to show me the photo of my scalp under different lights and applied filters. For example, one image drew little green boxes around every follicle to calculate my hair density, while another used UV light to assess my scalp microbiome. Kérastase's AI analysed the photo to detect such information, comparing it to the scalp images it had been trained in order to evaluate what it meant.
K-SCAN results showing a live scalp view under white light, cross polarised light, and UV light. Credit: Amanda Yeo / MashableThe K-SCAN then gave me a scalp and hair profile, which quickly confirmed the Japanese head spa's assessment. Yes, my scalp is dry, and yes, my concerns about hair loss are more based in paranoia than reality. It also indicated that my scalp's microbiome is healthy — according to the hairdresser, the UV image should be "lit up like a Christmas tree."
Having my previous analysis corroborated was a reassuring signal regarding the K-SCAN's accuracy. It was also gratifying to see the results clearly conveyed visually, which helped me understand the analysis. The hairdresser then used the results of my K-SCAN assessment to recommend a personalised Kérastase Fusio-Dose hair treatment, choosing a concentrate and booster that would address my specific issues (Sahara-grade dryness in my case). Following the treatment they did a second K-SCAN to compare my before and after, though the only real difference was that my scalp was slightly irritated from the massage.
SEE ALSO: Is the Dyson Supersonic still worth it?Even so, Rome wasn't built in a day, and years of frizzy hair takes more than one salon session to truly address. The real test would be whether following the K-SCAN's advice yielded noticeable results in the long term.
K-SCAN results showing before and after photos following a hair treatment under white light, cross polarised light, and UV light. Credit: Amanda Yeo / MashableWhile the Tokyo head spa gave me information about my scalp health, I wasn't sure what to do with it. In contrast, the K-SCAN recommended three specific Kérastase products for my dry hair: the Nutritive Bain Satin Riche shampoo, Nutritive Nutri-Supplement Scalp Serum, and Chronologiste Intense Regenerating Mask. The hairdresser even helpfully walked me through how to apply the serum.
Of course, these are fairly pricey products and the recommendations are contained to Kérastase's range. Yet even if you have no intention of investing in Kérastase haircare, getting the K-SCAN's recommendations is still useful in helping formulate a routine, as well as guide your search for more affordable alternatives.
K-SCAN hair analysis results sent right to your inbox An email from Kérastase showing the results of a K-SCAN. Credit: Amanda Yeo / MashableI was assured that the K-SCAN's results would be emailed to me after my salon appointment. However, while the information I ultimately received was still useful, I was disappointed to find it comparatively sparse.
Though the pictures of my scalp were the most interesting part of my K-SCAN analysis, none were included in Kérastase's email. Instead, it merely consisted of several sliding scale graphs, the veracity of which was questionable. For example, while my in-salon results said that my scalp microbiome was high, the email told me it was low. The hair density slider also sat near the middle of the graph yet erroneously gave me a score of 54/200 instead of out of 100.
Further, while the email did provide the list of Kérastase products the K-SCAN recommended, it consisted only of photos and names without context. At the salon the K-SCAN had shown me the order in which they'd be applied, as well as what each one did. It's simple enough to look the products up online for a more complete picture, but I would have appreciated it if this information were provided in the email. Having a clear plan laid out would have been reassuring, especially for hair care novices.
Kérastase's K-SCAN is a small, handheld device. Credit: KérastaseI would also have liked to have the images of my scalp for comparison if I were to return for another K-SCAN in the future. The hairdresser told me that the K-SCAN's scalp pictures are wiped at the end of each day, so it isn't as though your regular salon will keep a database documenting your hair's health.
It's a win for scalp privacy, but it does mean that repeat customers won't get to enjoy the satisfaction of tracking months of progress. If you do go to a K-SCAN, I'd recommend taking photos of the tablet screen for your own records.
Since my K-SCAN, I've certainly felt less confused and directionless when it comes to haircare. It's difficult to tell whether Kérastase's products specifically have made a difference, or whether it's my new K-SCAN-informed focus on moisturising my dry hair and scalp which has played the bigger part. Whichever the case, Kérastase's K-SCAN was invaluable in informing my new routine, which has my scalp feeling more comfortable and hydrated, and my hair slowly looking softer, healthier, and less frizzy.
You can find a participating K-SCAN salon near you via the Kérastase website.
It turns out Apple's upcoming ultra-thin iPhone will probably be pretty light, too.
The latest leak about the rumored iPhone 17 Air comes courtesy of user "yeux1122" on the Korean Naver blog, as spotted by MacRumors. According to the blog, which has been correct about these sorts of things in the past, the new thin iPhone will weigh just 145g. Per MacRumors, that would put it somewhere between the 2020 iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 Mini in terms of weight.
SEE ALSO: The battle of the mid-range phones: Google Pixel 9a vs. iPhone 16eIn other words, it's pretty light. That would be almost 20g lighter than the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which is the most notable competitor to the iPhone 17 Air that exists right now.
The Naver post also indicates that the iPhone 17 Air has a 2,800mAh battery inside of it. That pales in comparison to a lot of other modern smartphones, like the budget Google Pixel 9a, which has a 5,100mAh battery. However, battery capacity isn't necessarily a "the bigger number is always better" situation, and making an ultra-thin phone requires some compromises. The leak also suggests Apple could use a high density battery, which would increase its capacity to an extent.
Most expect the iPhone 17 Air to be announced in September of this year, along with the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup.
Starting on Monday, May 19, you can watch live as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella kicks off the company's annual developers conference, Microsoft Build 2025.
This year, Microsoft Build is being hosted in Seattle, and Nadella will join other Microsoft leaders for a series of livestreamed events. The opening keynote is scheduled to take place on May 19 from 12:05 to 2:00 p.m. EST. Nadella will be joined by Microsoft Chieft Technology Officer Kevin Scott for the opening session. According to the official description from Microsoft, "Satya Nadella and Microsoft leaders share how Microsoft is creating new opportunity across our platforms in this era of AI."
How to watchYou can register to participate in Microsoft Build virtually at the Microsoft website. But the easiest way to watch the event is to catch it live on YouTube.
We expect Microsoft Build to include new announcements about Microsoft's ChatGPT-powered AI tool, Copilot. You can also look for "the latest in Copilot, Azure, GitHub, and Windows AI innovations."
The event lineup features several highlights, including the keynote with Nadella, a Day 1 deep dive session titled "Unpacking the Tech," and a live recording of Scott and Mark Learn To...— a podcast that will explore key coding insights and takeaways from the Build event.
On the topic of code, it's worth noting that during his last public appearance, Nadella revealed that AI is now responsible for writing 30% of Microsoft’s code.
Here’s the thing about grief: it never goes away. As much as our culture would lead us to think, I’ve learned that it’s not a problem that needs solving with stages. Stages imply that you’ll eventually reach an endpoint, a resolution of some sort. Grief doesn’t allow for that. But you should allow yourself to feel all the emotions that come with grief as you learn to live with it.
I lost both of my parents within three years — my father in Sept. 2021 and my mother in Aug. 2024. As an only child raised in a tight-knit family, I knew what it meant to feel a deep, undivided love (we were just the three of us). So this combined grief of losing them both close together has been devastating and cracked open a childhood fear I’ve carried for as long as I can remember.
Since then, I’ve had to navigate the chaos, numbness, and quiet revelations of grief. I’ve heard this journey described in all kinds of ways — and honestly, they’ve all had a point. I’ve read the books. I’ve tuned into the podcasts. I’ve gone through counseling. Each voice added something — and yet, nothing can fully capture the experience.
Now more than ever, I find myself traveling back to relive what I thought were happier times - a period of my life when I had fewer concerns and my glasses were more rose-colored. With the tap of a button, I can stream the TV shows that defined my childhood, listen to an AI-generated playlist of songs I once put on mixtapes in high school, and rediscover the rare paperback novels I enjoyed during my bookworm days.
I can now find a different kind of comfort in the media I consumed when I was younger. I can enjoy these pieces of pop culture through a different lens as they provide new insights into what I’ve been experiencing lately. I can appreciate them in a new way as they help me process the anxiety, sadness, anger, exhaustion, loneliness, gratitude, and every other complicated emotion that comes with grieving.
These are my favorites:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 5, “The Body”BTVS skillfully explored the initial moments following the (natural) death of Buffy’s mom. “Mommy,” Buffy whimpers before rushing to her, reverting to a child-like vulnerability I now know all too well. Series creator Joss Whedon captured the isolation and dullness in the minutiae of such a life-changing event, describing it on the DVD commentary as "the black-ashes-in-your-mouth numbness of death” that develops while trying to comprehend the incomprehensible.
When I had to say my final goodbye to my mother in the hospital, my mind flashed through all the alternatives to this outcome while I was suddenly faced with a list of seemingly mundane tasks in the aftermath. Not unlike the titular heroine from one of my all-time favorite shows.
“Mary Jane” by Alanis MorissetteThis deep cut from 1995’s Jagged Little Pill, the definitive album of my adolescence, was once a seemingly wistful ballad about a friend in trouble. Now, thirty years later, it cuts even deeper, speaking to the all-consuming despair that can dominate one’s mental health. Mary Jane represents anyone who’s ever felt lost in a world that keeps moving while you remain paralyzed with your racing thoughts, stuck in an emotional state you think will never end.
The Golden Girls, Season 6, “Ebbtide’s Revenge”Losing my mom was like losing a buffer that once protected me from the realities of certain family dynamics. Having no siblings, I can’t quite relate to Dorothy’s loss of her brother Phil, but this capsule episode from the iconic sitcom allowed me to recognize how the loss of my mom affected members of my extended family.
Sophia, having lost her only son, remains stoic throughout, finally breaking down in the final scene after she realizes her disdain for Phil’s wife, Angela, was really a cover for the shame, doubt, and guilt she held onto for a child she never understood.
Other PeopleAnticipatory grief is beautifully conveyed in Chris Kelly’s feature directorial debut that stars Jesse Plemons as David, a writer who returns home to care for his dying mother (an astonishing Molly Shannon). The movie eerily reflects my own relationship with this sense of dread, chronicling a year in David’s life as he learns more about his family and his issues with loneliness while coming to terms with the inevitable. The dramedy also features a running gag involving Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” as an inescapable tune popping up during inopportune times, including a scene where David breaks down in a supermarket while shopping for laxatives. Not too long ago, I had a similar experience with Sabrina Carpenter’s “Feather” inside a Dollar Tree in Florida while shopping for antacids.
Sex and the City, Season 4, “My Motherboard, My Self”Miranda mourns the loss of her mom in Philadelphia, a hundred miles away from her friends, in this episode that taps into the isolating loneliness of grief (this was me in Florida, thousands of miles away from my friends in L.A.). This episode also demonstrates the importance of found family during times of crisis when Carrie, Charlotte, and Samantha demonstrate their sisterly love by traveling to the City of Brotherly Love for their grieving friend. Though Miranda was surrounded by her family, there was nothing like the solace she found in her friends, particularly when Carrie joins a solo Miranda in the funeral procession and grabs her hand – a small moment that resonates with me more than it did twenty years ago.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ KluneKlune’s novel was published just two weeks after my father passed away. Still, it wasn’t until three years later and after my mother’s death that I read it and re-examined my relationship with death. Much like the main character in the book, a lawyer named Wallace who dies and finds himself tethered to a quaint tea shop that acts as a rest stop for souls before they enter the afterlife, I found myself confronting what it means to let go.
While Wallace reevaluates his life and finds an unexpected romance with the “ferryman” who runs the shop, reintroducing him to the concepts of kindness and empathy, I found myself doing the same (while also finding my own romance IRL).
Klune’s mysterious and fascinating world may enchant anyone who’s dealing with loss, but for me, it has helped me accept grief as a silent passenger riding alongside me on this journey.
“Hold On” by Wilson PhillipsWhile this mid-tempo pop classic from 1990 was memorably used to comedic effect in the finale to 2011’s Bridesmaids, it also holds a special place in my heart. I have always associated it with my first international trip as a child. My parents and I traveled to Japan to visit my father’s homeland, and the long flight from New York felt like an eternity to a kid like me. Keeping me occupied, besides my tattered copy of John Bellairs’s The Curse of the Blue Figurine, was the airline’s rotation of songs, which included “Hold On.” I knew the lyrics by heart by the time we landed in Tokyo, but now those lyrics work as a mantra, encouraging me to embrace my grief journey, to take care of myself, and to stay present.
Nostalgia is always an alluring trip to take, and sometimes it’s difficult to leave its comforts behind and return to present-day reality. But after revisiting these particular pieces, I can feel a renewed sense of purpose, of gratitude, just like Wallace feels at the end of Under the Whispering Door. I know I will keep honoring and recognizing my grief as the state of unexpressed love that it is — because I still have so much more of it to give.
I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years, and have seen firsthand how technological advances in equipment, software, and AI can impact the creative process. Throughout my career, I’ve been behind the camera, in the edit bay, and in writers’ rooms. I’ve seen how this industry works and how it’s always changing, often because of technology.
When I went to NYU for film school, I experienced firsthand how deeply tech is intertwined with the creative process. I learned to edit 16mm film on a Steenbeck, then later edited tape-to-tape on a VCR (might be aging myself with those references). These days, however, I edit TV series with powerful computers and apps, like AVID and Adobe Premiere.
Through all of it, I’ve seen how technology continues to reshape the way we create content, making the production process faster, smarter, and more accessible. I’ve always kept up with the latest innovations in gear, apps, and workflows, not just because they’re cool, but because they show us what’s possible and help us maximize our creative potential. Technology can't replace the human touch, but it might be able to help us better express ourselves to one another.
Whether it’s new, AI-driven functions in software that help to speed up post-production, or apps that let you control your whole lighting setup from your phone when creating your own content, these tools are changing the way we tell stories by helping us bring ideas to life in more efficient and inventive ways.
Maybe we should give these new technologies a try for ourselves. And if we don't like 'em, at least we now know that through firsthand experience, rather than hearsay. It's all part of cultivating your craft as a creative, because when you know how to wield skills and tools well, you can tell engaging stories and share them with the world.
In the past few years, AI has wreaked havoc on the education sector. It’s quickly become a multi-billion dollar industry, hailed by some administrators as the future of learning while other faculty scramble to address the fallout, including the rampant cheating that AI chatbots enabled almost overnight. It has felt particularly threatening to the subject I teach—writing—where many students struggle, and the temptation to turn to AI is irresistible.
But paradoxically, the AI invasion hasn’t convinced me that learning to write will is about to become obsolete. I recognize in many of my students the impulse that led me to become a writer: the human need to express oneself and, in so doing, to relate to others. In fact, confronting the possibilities and limits of AI for writing lets me explore with my students why we write in the first place, and to consider what technological tools can and can’t do to help us.
The arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022 reminds me of a quote from High Fidelity, the 1995 Nick Hornby novel that later became a movie starring John Cusack and a limited series starring Zoë Kravitz. “One moment they weren’t there, not in any form that interested us, anyway, and the next you couldn’t miss them; they were everywhere, all over the place.” The quote is about how 13-year-old boys suddenly started noticing girls who, up to that point, had just been other boys’ sisters. Now they were girls, and the boys wanted… “actually, we didn’t know what we wanted,” writes Hornby.
For me, this quote could just as easily apply to the arrival of AI chatbots. Suddenly, they were everywhere — in every news article I read, in conversations with fellow faculty and other writers, and, before long, in my students’ writing. Midway through the semester, I noticed that students who had previously written clunky, awkward prose were suddenly turning in polished, if generic, five-part essays. AI was everywhere, all over the place.
Right on the heels of the chatbots came tools to help teachers detect their use. First, there was GPTZero, a winter break project by Princeton University senior Edward Tian that received significant media coverage. Tian was hailed as a hero by educators, a model student who put his coding skills to use to protect academic integrity. Other copycat tools followed, like the unimaginatively-named ZeroGPT, all promising greater levels of accuracy and reliability.
TurnItIn, a widely used plagiarism detector built into many universities’ learning management systems, even had its own AI checker. It came with all kinds of disclaimers indicating that its assessment may not always be accurate, so it shouldn’t be used as the sole evidence against a student accused of cheating. In short, TurnItIn, and all the others like it, were not reliable. It turns out detecting AI is no easy task, and just as quickly as new detectors came out, new ways to get around them appeared.
What’s worse is that the AI detectors never seem to agree with one another. Pop in a bit of text from a student essay and one website will assure you that the text was human-written (“Zero percent AI!”). But input the same text into a different site and it might tell you it is most likely AI. Both will provide convincing reasons. How can a teacher approach a student with an accusation of AI plagiarism without concrete evidence, or really any way to get that evidence?
There's also the questionable legality of feeding student writing — if that’s what it was — into a third-party website. And while many of us who teach writing defaulted to protective policing tactics at first, our colleagues in other disciplines and departments heralded the arrival of AI, encouraging students to use it and singing its praises openly in faculty meetings. Mixed messages were rampant.
A collaborative approach to AI literacyAround this same time, I had my sights set on a new teaching position that was specifically geared toward teaching professional writing, more firmly in my wheelhouse. After I was offered the job, I openly worried to my wife about the wisdom of taking a job teaching professional writing when some commentators and pundits were announcing the end of such trivial and time-consuming pursuits as writing.
When I took the job, I approached it from the beginning as a challenge. Professional writing would change, and I could help students think through what its future might look like. Rather than dictate rules while I was still trying to understand the impacts myself, I wanted to give students a stake in their own relationship to the technology. Many of my students are English majors; like me, they feel the need to write. So what role did they want AI to play in their future careers?
In the first week of my first semester, I worked with students to create an AI policy we could all agree on. Using AI for brainstorming and pre-writing was okay. Putting assignment prompts into a chatbot and asking for a completed essay was not. I stress that college writing has never been about a finished product; writing is thinking, and I want to see them think on the page. We agreed that students should disclose if and how they used AI. This ensured that if there was AI use, my first response wouldn’t be punitive, but constructive. We could talk about how AI helped, or didn’t. This also allowed me to get a better sense of how students were fitting AI into their workflow and to determine where it could actually be helpful.
This semester, a student turned in an essay that was full of great ideas and well-crafted sentences, though, as I was grading it, I commented in the margin that it seemed to jump around a bit. So, I actually laughed out loud when I got to the AI disclosure at the end of the essay and read that the student had only used AI to help with the order of the ideas.
What’s human about writing?The process of figuring out AI together has led to some amazing, even existential, conversations, the kind I thought we could no longer have in an era where college education is often seen as little more than career training. It turns out that one of the best ways to begin a conversation with students about the role of AI in writing is to simply ask: why do we write?
Now we have class discussions about how writing allows us to share experiences, alter perspectives, and engender empathy. It quickly becomes clear that in all kinds of writing, a human consciousness is assumed — and desired. I ask students to imagine a scenario in which I present them a poem so moving it brings them to tears, and then I reveal that it was written by AI. How would that make them feel? Some say they’d be okay with it, but most say they’d feel cheated. They cried, in the imagined scenario, because they empathized with the experience of the human writer behind the words. No writer, no empathy.
Another discussion takeaway that assures me AI won't make writing obsolete is the surprising connections only human minds can make. It's a delight to get to know my students through their writing.
I have always found it funny that I have a difficult time memorizing students’ names until I read their first essays. I come to know my students by seeing the interesting connections their minds make. Writing is thinking, and by getting a sense of how they think, they come more fully alive.
The same goes for me. When I try to remember the early days of ChatGPT, why am I reminded of a line from a novel that was published 30 years ago, lodged in my memory by a movie released 25 years ago? I don’t know why my mind makes that connection, but I love that it does. I’m reminded that my own writing has the ability to surprise me, that writing really is thinking, and I often don’t know my own opinions until I set them down in words. AI can write, but it’s not really thinking, so teaching students to think remains as important as ever.
Finding a job is already frustrating enough — the endless applications, cover letters, and long bouts of waiting for responses that might never arrive. Now it seems jobseekers will increasingly be forced to debase themselves even further by interviewing with glitchy, inhuman AI bots.
TikToks of folks interviewing with artificial intelligence-powered "interviewers" have gone viral recently. Now, before we go any further, it's important to acknowledge that some of these TikToks are fake or labeled as some version of satire. But there are others that appear to be very real.
A detailed report from Slate over the weekend, for instance, talked with folks who said they'd been forced to interview with an AI bot. One such example was Kendiana Colin, who posted a viral TikTok showing an AI bot that couldn't stop saying "vertical-bar pilates" during an interview for a job at a stretching studio. It is genuinely creepy and darkly funny.
“It was very disrespectful and a waste of time,” Colin told Slate.
She's hardly alone in her experience. Another viral video appears to show an interview bot getting stuck in a loop of saying "when, when, when" and "let's circle back." There is something fitting about the bot getting stuck in a loop of corporate speak. That TikTokker told Newsweek this was an actual interview for a real job and not satire.
If you peruse around TikTok you'll see lots of other AI interviews of unclear veracity. But it's interesting that AI interviews have become such a thing online that now they're being parodied or faked to draw eyeballs.
This video, for instance, went viral despite being posted by an account clearly labeled as satire.
The thing is, the satire isn't far from the real thing. Despite that viral TikTok being fake, it's pretty much the same as the real pilates interview. And there are companies out there selling AI bots as hiring solutions. The Slate report noted the pilates "interviewer" was from a start-up called Apriora.
So next time you apply for a job, just know you might have to suffer through a glitchy AI bot to earn that offer.
Fear Street: Prom Queen, Netflix’s latest installment in the Fear Street film franchise, promises more slashery goodness for fans of Leigh Janiak's highly successful trilogy that kicked things off in 2021 with Fear Street Part One: 1994, Part Two: 1978, and Part Three: 1666. The new horror entry, adapted from R.L. Stine's 1992 novel, finds the Class of 1988 in danger as a hooded killer stalks prom queen candidates throughout the halls of Shadyside High.
The movie (premiering on Netflix on May 23) is based on the 1992 R.L. Stine novel of the same name, and judging by the trailer, images, and character posters, co-writer and director Matt Palmer may have taken some liberties with the material. Which, as a die-hard fan (the photo above is from my own collection of all 100 Fear Street books), I’m not entirely mad at.
So, as an OG fan deeply connected to the book series that dominated shelves in the ‘90s, I have certain expectations for Prom Queen and look forward to the potential Netflix can further squeeze out of this budding horror franchise. Here’s what I’m anticipating:
Bloodiest. Prom. Ever.Compared to 1980’s Prom Night movie — the granddaddy of prom-themed slashers that starred Jamie Lee Curtis and unrelated to R.L. Stine’s novel — Fear Street: Prom Queen is poised to take the crown when it comes to a kill count. Actually, make that: a kill count that doesn’t involve any telekinesis (gotta give Carrie her flowers). I’m expecting literal murder on the dance floor. Lots of it.
We haven’t heard the last from Camp NightwingIn Fear Street Part Two: 1978, we saw campers and counselors alike get brutally butchered at the doomed sleepaway camp (again, thanks to the Shadyside curse), and according to the trailer for the 1988-set Fear Street; Prom Queen, we get a shot of a bulletin board memorializing the massacre that took place 10 years earlier. Could one of the Camp Nightwing survivors make a cameo in the new movie? Is there a connection between our killers, separated by a decade?
There’s something about the faculty at Shadyside HighWhile the cast of Prom Queen is filled with fresh talent and rising stars, it also features a who’s who of veteran actors we’ve loved for years. Chris Klein (the American Pie franchise) and Lili Taylor (Mystic Pizza, The Conjuring) play faculty members interacting with the Class of 1988, while Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) brings a parent's perspective to the growing horror as the student body count piles up. Casting these familiar faces could be reason enough to assume that some of these adults have a more peculiar role to play in the prom night mayhem.
No matter the decade, mean girls are timelessR.L. Stine’s book may have come out in 1992, but it tapped into the competitive nature of teen girls that still exists today, especially when it comes to winning the crown on prom night. Whatever the decade, there will always be rivalry, and Fear: Street: Prom Queen seems to demonstrate plenty of it. Why set it in 1988, though? Easy: the music and fashion were just more iconic, and the wilder the hair, the meaner the girl. Plus, back then, no one had smartphones to help them elude a serial killer. Slashing teens is just easier this way.
Prom Queen’s killer could easily be supernaturalAs we’ve learned from Fear Street Part Three: 1666, Sarah Fier was used as a scapegoat for the curse on Shadyside, which was really a result of the Goode family’s deal with the Devil, turning residents into mass murderers throughout the centuries. So, it makes sense that the slasher stalking our teens in Fear Street: Prom Queen could be another everyday citizen possessed by the evil forces that have plagued this town.
A playlist to die forSpeaking of the trailer, the inclusion of Belinda Carlisle’s highly repeatable “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” is a shining example of music supervision brilliance. And if Fear Street Part One: 1994 taught us anything, it’s that producers like Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping know how to set the tone of an era, even with a new creative team behind the camera. So, expect a giant wave of nostalgia in the form of a soundtrack filled with mid-to-late-80s pop hits. I’m thinking “Need You Tonight” by INXS, “Together Forever” by Rick Astley, and “Tell It To My Heart” by Taylor Dayne, just to name a few.
After the prom ends…With Fear Street being one of the biggest YA series in publishing history, Netflix currently has its hands on a franchise ripe with possibilities. There’s so much more material to adapt for future films. For instance, R.L. Stine’s much-beloved Cheerleaders trilogy follows a pair of sisters on Shadyside High’s cheer squad battling an evil spirit that possesses their pom-pom-shaking BFFs. And let’s not forget Fear Street’s holiday-themed horrors: Silent Night turned Christmas cheer into fear (spawning two sequels), Halloween Party trapped costumed guests inside a mansion with a killer, and long before Heart Eyes sliced and diced couples, Broken Hearts gave us a memorable Valentine’s Day slasher.
As Fear Street continues to make its mark on pop culture, there’s a special thrill in knowing the fandom is alive and well. I still keep the original paperbacks in mint condition, proudly displayed. A framed collage of my favorite cover art by Bill Schmidt hangs in my hallway, alongside a note from R.L. Stine himself — one I received after my very first fan letter. (I recently had him re-sign and personalize it when I met him for the first time at an event earlier this month.) This is my small shrine to a series that shaped my love for reading, writing, and all things horror.
Fear Street: Prom Queen premieres on Netflix May 23.
While playing music is my favorite part of what I do, you need more than just a soundtrack in today's world to tell an engaging story and build an audience.
Music was my first passion. Growing up on 90’s hip hop, I’d listen to Hot 97 radio and make mixtapes for my friends with tracks by Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg and others. Shortly after moving to NYC for college, I quickly found myself engulfed in club culture and started DJing, eventually playing at legendary clubs like Bungalow 8, Gold Bar, Lotus, PM, Suede, Hudson Terrace and more.
Little did I know that this love for sharing music would take me around the world. Today I own and operate my own DJ and creative consultancy businesses. Technology allows me to tell my stories in beautiful and inventive ways, which is a crucial part of what I do.
I use a variety of tools to help me create content. For shooting video & photo, I use an iPhone, Canon EOS R5 Mark II and Fuji X100VI mirrorless cameras, a GoPro Hero 7 action camera, an Insta 360 camera, and sometimes a DJI Mavic Pro 2 for some epic b-roll. For clean audio, you gotta have the Rode Wireless Pro. I also find myself using various 35mm film and point-and-shoot digital cameras for fun nostalgia vibes.
For editing, I use editing apps like Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Adobe Premiere Pro interchangeably between my Macbook Pro and my Windows PC. Using apps like Stemverter and Logic Pro to help me quickly make remixes and edits for when I’m DJing live with Serato DJ or Rekordbox. And Adobe Photoshop’s generative fill feature has been an incredible creative tool eliminating boundaries for photo touch ups and canvas expansion.
Familiarity with these tools helps me collaborate with other creators effortlessly and allow me to tell more engaging stories. These tools allow me to not only create engaging content efficiently, but to also collaborate with other creators to help visually communicate the story of what I love most: sharing music with the world.
Since 2019, I have made $17,000 through the Rover app and an additional $10,000 in earnings by doing freelance pet-sitting. My lifelong love of animals has transformed into a sustainable way to supplement my income, and has helped me pay off debt, save money, and fund my goals.
Pet adoption boomed in 2020 due to higher levels of social isolation and increased time spent at home. In 2024, 66% of U.S. households owned a pet, and that year the U.S. pet industry market brought in $152 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association. With $13 billion reportedly allocated to pet boarding and walking, now is the perfect time to explore whether this side hustle is right for you.
The good news? Making money as a pet sitter or walker has never been easier.
I got started on RoverRover, the world's largest online booking service for pet care, was my first step into making this side gig a reality. Founded in 2011, Rover is operational in 17 countries and is used by over two million pet parents, according to their website. I found that using Rover as an independent contractor was the quickest way to build my clientele and get my services shown to a network of people in my local area.
When you sign up for Rover, you pay $25-35 for your background check, wait a few days for it to clear, then set up your profile.
Your Rover profile is the first thing potential clients see, so how you craft it matters. Use a clear, well-lit, professional picture as your profile picture and create a concise, engaging bio showcasing your skills, experience, and personality. Your profile is about making a good first impression and sharing with potential clients why they should hire you.
The author's Rover profile. Credit: Vee WeirIn my bio, I share my history as an animal lover and pet sitter, my availability, my medical experience, and a little blurb showcasing my quirky, relatable humor. Look at other sitter profiles in your area and try to make yours stand out.
The author's bio on Rover. Credit: Vee Weir Important things to rememberSet competitive pricing. Do this by analyzing your competition. If you're just getting started, lowering your prices is a great way to gain new customers.
Testimonials are gold. The more of them you have on your Rover profile, the more likely potential clients are to trust you. Always ask for a testimonial after a job. If you don't have any testimonials from past clients, you can email friends and family members to get your first reviews on your page.
Keep your services accurate. Nothing is worse than when a potential client tries to book a service or time and you have to tell them you're unavailable. Keeping your availability accurate creates a seamless experience for you and your clients.
Your Rover calendar mattersOn apps like Rover and Wag, everything runs on an algorithm. Because of this, keeping your services, communication, and calendar up-to-date is rewarded by being shown to a larger group of potential clients in your area.
My success on Rover has been due in part to being a remote worker with wide availability. While other sitters may not be able to take jobs in the middle of the work week, I can. This flexibility gives me an edge over the multiple sitters in my area. Update your calendar daily, and respond to inquiries as quickly as possible. These statistics can penalize you or reward you.
Be realistic about how much you will be able to make. I live in an area of the country where spending money on pets is not only accepted but encouraged and expected. You may not live in the same demographic. Your geographic location and availability are heavy factors in the success of Rover and pet sitting in general.
Pet care non-negotiablesWhile ensuring a positive client experience should be a top priority, your own safety and security are paramount. Scheduling a meet and greet or brief meeting where you meet your potential client and their pet is a non-negotiable. During this meeting, you can assess the reactiveness of an animal, communicate with the owner about their quirks and needs, learn about the pet's details, and decide if you want to take on the job. I never skip meet and greets; I advise anyone in this job to make them a standard operating procedure.
A second non-negotiable is sending clients photos and/or videos during your stay with their pets. Communication is key for Rover, and this action will result in higher rates of testimonials and rebookings. An extra I like to throw in for new clients is a handwritten note and a treat for their pet. Always ask about allergies or restrictions before gifting!
The pros of using RoverI prefer Rover to other pet care booking services for a few reasons. Rover offers a 24/7 support line, which I've used before and found very helpful in an emergency. They also provide insurance for pet owners who book through them.
Through Rover, you are eligible for up to $25,000 reimbursement in vet care with a claim related to injury to either the pet owner's or sitter's pets, property damage to the pet owner's home caused by a sitter or dog walker, and certain out-of-pocket medical costs for third-party injuries.
On the marketing side of things, using Rover means you have a built-in customer base without doing any marketing or paying for exposure. It's a ready-made network to tap into and start making money immediately.
Rover also offers a slew of services that aren't just limited to dog walking. You can board dogs in your home, house-sit in someone else's, do drop-in visits, and do dog training and grooming if you're qualified. If staying overnight in other people's homes isn't your thing, you can focus on building a drop-in-based business.
Remember that gigs and side hustles are easier to maintain if you like what you're doing. If you are burnt out on house-sitting because you're away from your bed, take a break. Don't run yourself into the ground when there are options for you to make money in other ways on one app.
The cons of using RoverWhile there are plenty of pros to Rover, there are a few concerns to be aware of. First, the market is often saturated with other dog sitters. It may take time to book a job initially, even if you have several verified reviews. As I mentioned earlier, the pet industry is in a sustained boom, and people are jumping on the opportunity.
Since Rover is popular and has a built-in network, the app charges pet sitters 20% for each pet care job. This is a fee I gladly pay because of the benefits I reap from booking through Rover; it's just the cost of participating in this industry when you're just getting started. As you become more reputable, you might start getting referrals outside of the app as well, or can offer your services in other community forums.
Speaking of costs, keep in mind that Rover does not automatically set aside any money for taxes. I am not a tax expert, but over the last six years I've saved 30% of my dog-walking profits in an Ally high-yield savings account, and I've never had an issue paying my independent contractor bill come tax time. No matter what side gig you decide to try out, always save money for taxes. The IRS wants a piece of that income, too.
Pet sitting has been one of the most rewarding jobs I've doneHaving a side hustle or learning a trade outside of your primary profession has many benefits, including pursuing a different skill while getting paid for it. While the last few years of my professional life have been unpredictable, pet care has been a constant. Being a Rover sitter has provided me with money to pay my bills and continue my standard of living throughout turbulent economic times.
Give dog sitting a try if you want to make extra money and get paid to hang out with animals you love.
During the pandemic, human connection was distant and hazardous. Closeness became life-threatening, gathering felt like it became illegal, and Zoom calls were the only link to other people. What was meant to be a “see you later” in two weeks became months of isolation, which turned into years of disconnection for some.
A report from the Surgeon General found that half of adults experience loneliness, and many Americans are still feeling the ramifications of quarantines, distancing protocols, and unlimited screen time some five years later. What’s worse is that loneliness is not just a feeling; it’s an epidemic that correlates to cognitive decline, hypertension, mental health disorders, diabetes, infectious diseases, and more.
I was one of these lonely people. So I decided to do something about it this year. I found an in-person hobby that has quickly become an important part of my life in the unlikeliest of places: Threads.
A trip to Denver changed my lifeFor this story to make sense, we first have to go back to June 26, 2022. If you live in Colorado and are a sports fan, you may recognize this date as the day the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup against the Tampa Bay Lighting.
That day also happened to be Pride in Denver, so my partner and I decided to make the trek from Boulder to Denver to take in the sights and activities. We weren’t completely unaware of the “big game” happening, but we weren’t traveling for that purpose. We ended up at a bar with an interesting mixture of rainbow boas and Avalanche jerseys.
I will never forget becoming mesmerized by the high-intensity skating, the fans, and the energy I felt in downtown Denver that day. It was like returning to the “before times” while simultaneously stumbling upon something new that I couldn’t explain.
When Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen scored the tie-breaking goal, I was hooked. Hockey was about to become my new personality.
I attended my first Avalanche game at Ball Arena with my partner a few months later, which only made us fall more in love with the sport and the organization. Player jerseys were ordered, commemorative game pucks began magically showing up at my house thanks to FedEx, and shows like Letterkenny were on repeat.
Credit: Vee WeirI realized that it wasn’t just the aesthetics of being a hockey fan in a hockey state or the game of hockey itself that was addicting; it was the community that pulled me further in.
Knowing the inside jokes of the home broadcasting team, making trade predictions with other hockey enthusiasts on Facebook, and following players' careers across the NHL became a ritual that deepened my connection to the sport and other people. This new world was immersive, welcoming, and strangely wholesome for a sport with blades, clubs, and in-game brawls.
The author and her partner at Ball Arena on Dec. 12, in which the ticket promo included a photoshoot on the ice after the game. Credit: Vee WeirI quickly expanded my interest from just Avalanche hockey when the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) announced its inaugural season in 2023. Women’s hockey exploded, and that’s when I started thinking, “If Taylor Heise can do it, why can’t I?"
Have I played hockey before? No. Have I skated in hockey skates before? No. Did I want to try it anyway? Absolutely.
So I posted on ThreadsAs a neurodivergent woman who hadn’t made friends in years, I knew that trying a new sport with new people in new places would be a big step for me. So, like any decent millennial, I turned to the internet first. Perhaps someone would advise me on how to start playing a new sport at age 32.
I did not expect the response I received when I posted on Threads.
Credit: Vee WeirThrough this single post, I was instantly connected with people who not only loved hockey like me, but played hockey and had found friends doing it. I was lucky to befriend Sarah Speights, a WACH (Women’s Association of Colorado Hockey) board member, who directed me to the Denver Women’s Hockey League (DWHL).
Credit: Vee Weir Credit: Vee WeirFrom there, I signed up for the DWHL’s free hockey 101 clinic, and I began my hockey player journey with skates Sarah gave me and gear that was loaned out to me by the DWHL.
Credit: Vee WeirI began skating lessons, attended the hockey clinic, and signed up for the league immediately.
Credit: Vee WeirI also attended the Denver PWHL Takeover Tour in January, and experienced over 14,000 women’s hockey fans (many of them also players) in one building. The community reaffirmed that I had to get on the ice.
A month later, I convinced my partner to sign up for a second, co-ed league. Now we’re either playing or practicing at ice rinks one to two times a week.
Don't give up on social mediaPeople give social media a lot of flak, but in 2025 there’s still a glimmer of its original purpose: creating community.
If you’re struggling with finding a chosen family or community, like so many of us are, I suggest digging into your current interests. Is there a way you can become more involved in what already sparks joy for you? Can you research within online communities and find local gatherings? Are there reduced cost or free options to begin with?
I asked myself those questions and discovered a hobby I love, people who share that interest, and more community connection. It all started with a post on Threads and old, free gear. Stop worrying about looking good, give this a try for yourself, and see what happens.
Take a New York Minute to Review Your Recovery Plan Don Henley is right: everything can change in a New York...
I Lost all of my Photos In every disaster I have ever responded to from here to...
Boston's most important responders: Bostonians The people of Boston are to be congratulated for being...
3 Values Your Business Continuity Plan Should Have Your business lives with risk every day from competitors...
Take a New York Minute to Review Your Recovery Plan Don Henley is right: everything can change in a New York...
Digital Privacy: A Catch 22 Mobility, convenience, accessibility and real-...
3 Values Your Business Continuity Plan Should Have Your business lives with risk every day from competitors...
I Lost all of my Photos In every disaster I have ever responded to from here to...