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Xiaomi, which produces smartphones and consumer electronics, delivered 135,000 E.V.s last year after tapping China’s robust manufacturing supply chain.

Severance Season 2, episode 7 finally gave us an insight into what's happening to Gemma (Dichen Lachman) on the ominous "testing floor" — and as you probably already guessed, none of it's good.

We've already broken down "Chikhai Bardo" in detail, with theories on everything from what those different doors mean (and how they connect to the MDR files) through to what Lumon is actually trying to accomplish by putting Gemma through all this.

SEE ALSO: Can consent exist in 'Severance'?

Other fans have made similar speculations since the episode aired, with Reddit user u/MysteryRawDog arguing that Lumon's main aim appears to be completely severing a person from any negative life experiences.

Reddit

When Mashable's Belen Edwards spoke to Severance creator Dan Erickson about episode 7, his comments seem to support this theory.

"I will say what's interesting here is that she's going through these painful or unpleasant experiences and then she's leaving, and the question that's being asked throughout the episode by Dr. Mauer (Robby Benson) is, to what degree is anything leaking through?" Erickson said. "Is she walking out of that room with any emotional echo of what she was going through in that room? So far it seems that she's not, so that's the throughline that I think is happening with what's going on in those rooms."

Another big question, however, concerns the final door. What about "Cold Harbor", the room that Gemma has yet to go in, but which shares a name with the file Mark (Adam Scott) is working on?

Well, following on from the idea that each room represents a different form of suffering, one commenter on Reddit speculated that "Cold Harbor" might be related to death.

Credit: Reddit

"I think Cold Harbor will be the death of another, and the miscarriage scene was foreshadowing," they wrote.

It makes sense, doesn't it? The name "Cold Harbor" already evokes the concept of death, and it's also one of the most intense experiences of suffering a person can experience. If Lumon is trying to sever feelings of grief, it seems likely that this would be one of the final negatives life events that they work a test subject like Gemma up to. Mark and Gemma also have their own personal connections to grief — Gemma through the miscarriage, and Mark through the miscarriage and the loss of Gemma. Would this make them the ideal test subjects?

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

A new cryptocurrency called $Libra bilked investors out of $250 million. It had been promoted by President Javier Milei.

SAVE 50%: As of Feb. 28, the Razer Kishi V2 mobile gaming controller is 50% off the original price. Get the cloud gaming device for just $49.99 for a limited time.

Opens in a new window Credit: Razer Razer Kishi V2 $49.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

Cloud gaming isn't exactly a new concept anymore. All three of the big gaming companies — Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox — have already dipped their toes into the cloud gaming waters in various ways. While none of their endeavors have proven to be all that game-changing to this point, cloud gaming by and large still holds a lot of promise for the future of how we play.

If you haven't yet made the foray into cloud gaming yourself, grabbing a mobile controller that can snap onto your smartphone is a great start. One such controller, the Razer Kishi V2, is currently 50% off at Amazon, sitting at just $49.99. If you've wondered what it would be like to play the classic GTA games and more on your phone, now's a good time for you to find out without breaking the bank.

SEE ALSO: Gaming starter kit: All the gear you need to play like a real gamer

The Razer Kishi V2 comes in two versions: One that's compatible with iPhone, and one for Android users. It couldn't be easier to set up — just pull the two handles apart, put your smartphone in the middle, and connect it through the charging port. After that, you're free to stream whatever games your internet connection can handle, as well as any games that you've downloaded through your respective app store or a third-party app like Netflix (which has a surprisingly good library of mobile games, if you didn't already know). It may seem like a small difference, but adding a mobile controller to your phone is anything but.

Add cloud gaming to your repertoire with a Razer Kishi V2 mobile controller — get one for just $49.99 at Amazon for a limited time, which is 50% off the usual price.

SAVE $320: As of Feb. 28, you can get the Acer Aspire Vero 16 (Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 1, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for just $379.99, down from $699.99. That's $320 off the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Aspire Vero 16 (Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 1, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $379.99 at Best Buy
$699.99 Save $320.00 Get Deal

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal on a capable and eco-friendly laptop than the Acer Aspire Vero 16, which is currently available for just $379.99 at Best Buy.

As of Feb. 28, you can snag this 16-inch laptop for $320 less than the MSRP of $699.99, making it an incredibly budget-friendly option for students, remote workers, or anyone in need of a reliable laptop without breaking the bank.

SEE ALSO: Here's how you can get some of our favorite AI laptops from CES 2025

The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is an eco-friendly device built with recycled materials. It’s also paint- and VOC-free, and its packaging is made from 90% recycled paper. You’ll also notice that the “R” and “E” keys are backward, a subtle nod to the device's sustainable design and Acer's commitment to reducing waste and environmental impact. Even the touchpad is made with reclaimed ocean-bound plastic.

Under the hood, the Acer Aspire Vero 16 has an Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 1 processor, 8GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage, which should be more than enough power and capacity for most everyday tasks like web browsing, document writing, video streaming, and light photo editing. It has a 10-hour battery life and Windows 11 Home pre-installed, so you're getting a well-rounded package that checks all the boxes for a budget-friendly, eco-conscious laptop.

SAVE $34.51: As of Feb. 28, get the Apple AirTag (4-pack) for $64.49, down from its usual price of $99. That's a discount of 35% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple AirTag (4-pack) $64.49 at Amazon
$99.00 Save $34.51 Get Deal

Do you find yourself misplacing things when you need them the most? Maybe you can never find your keys when it's time to leave the house. Or maybe you just need to keep an eye on your luggage once it leaves your hands at the airport. Whatever the case may be, you can benefit from a smart tracker like Apple's AirTags. And right now, you can get some for their lowest price yet.

As of Feb. 28, get the Apple AirTag (4-Pack) for $64.49 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $99. That's $34.51 off its normal price and a discount of 35%. It's also the lowest price we've tracked for this 4-pack set.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone 16e review: Battery life king

Apple AirTags are some of the easiest smart trackers to use if you're part of the Apple ecosystem. You can use it to keep an eye on whatever you want, whether you throw a tag in a purse or bag, attach it to a keyring, or even a pet's collar. It's as easy as holding an AirTag and registering it with your iPhone, naming it, and assigning a purpose (backpack, wallet, keys, etc.)

From there, the AirTag uses the iPhone's Find My app to track your items down. If you need to find something, just open Find My, choose the item you want to find, and your phone uses Apple's network of devices via Bluetooth to track its location. Your phone will give you directions to find the tag, and if you aren't seeing it, the tag can even play sound to help. It couldn't be easier.

If you're tired of losing things, this might be your best bet, as four AirTags should be enough to help you stay on top of finding all those important goodies of yours without having to pay an arm and a leg.

SAVE $250: As of Feb. 28, you can get the Sonos Arc for just $649, down from $899. That's a $250 price cut.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sonos Sonos Arc $649.00 at Walmart
$899.00 Save $250.00 Get Deal

If you’re looking for a soundbar that can bring your movies and music to life with rich, immersive audio, the Sonos Arc is a solid choice, and right now, you can snag it for $250 less than usual.

As of Feb. 28, you can get the Sonos Arc soundbar for just $649 at Walmart (it’s this price on the Sonos website, too). That’s a $250 discount off the sticker price.

SEE ALSO: The Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar is the closest I've gotten to movie theater sound at home

The Sonos Arc is a smart soundbar that delivers Dolby Atmos surround sound for a cinematic-like experience. You can control it with the Sonos app, the TV remote, Apple AirPlay 2, or your voice (Amazon Alexa is built right in).

When you’re not using the soundbar for TV, you can stream music from your favorite services like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and more. You can also buy additional Sonos speakers to create a whole-home audio system.

Donald Trump's election in 2024 was supposed to usher in the golden age of cryptocurrency.

So, why has Bitcoin lost nearly 20 percent of its value since his inauguration?

Cryptocurrency is notorious for its volatility, so sharp declines and surges are not unexpected. However, Bitcoin and the broader crypto market have mostly seen steady growth, with values climbing across the board. In fact, Bitcoin even broke the six-figure mark for the first time following Trump's election.

Here’s why Bitcoin is falling, and how much of it actually ties back to Trump.

$TRUMP actually hurt the crypto space

A few people made a lot of money when Trump randomly launched his $TRUMP memecoin just a few days before his inauguration. The token was technically the most successful memecoin launch ever as $TRUMP surged from basically worthless to around $75. The Trump family and its associates reportedly made $100 million in trading fees, without selling any of their $TRUMP holdings. 

SEE ALSO: Crypto scammers are using Elon Musk's DOGE to defraud people

However, for most average investors, $TRUMP was a loss. According to the New York Times, more than 810,000 crypto wallets have lost a combined $2 billion so far.

This, combined with other Trump-affiliated meme coin failures, like $MELANIA and the Argentinian President Javier Milei-promoted $LIBRA, has removed billions of dollars from the crypto market.

Other memecoins have undoubtedly been hit the hardest, as crypto speculators pulled their money out of other tokens, invested it in these mainstream ones, and then lost their money. However, you can guarantee that Bitcoin also feels reverberations from this.

Trump's pro-crypto actions underwhelm so far

This is potentially a temporary effect, depending on if Trump pulls through for his crypto backers.

Money from the cryptocurrency lobby helped propel Trump to victory last November. In exchange, the crypto industry expected Trump to end federal government investigations into crypto outfits, ease regulation, and help pass pro-crypto laws.

Trump has delivered on a few things. For example, Trump's SEC dropped its lawsuit against the U.S.'s largest crypto exchange, Coinbase. The president also signed an executive order shortly after his inauguration to broadly promote the use of crypto.

But, other than aiding very specific companies and vaguely promising to do something for the industry at large in the future, Trump hasn't done much else. It's been just over a month since Trump became president again, so he still has plenty of time to deliver for crypto. However, Trump hasn't done enough for the fast-moving industry. With Trump extracting money from the industry for his own personal gain with his meme coin, investors aren't feeling so bullish about Trump and crypto anymore.

The largest crypto heist ever

Roughly $1.5 billion has just been stolen from one of the world's biggest crypto exchanges, Bybit. That's the largest heist ever in crypto and amounts to more than half of all the crypto stolen last year. Hackers and scammers are targeting crypto more than ever, and security incidents like this aren't helping ease investors' concerns.

SEE ALSO: The biggest crypto heist ever: $1.5 billion stolen from Bybit cryptocurrency exchange

While Bybit has since made customers whole with the help of loans and large deposits, customers are still fleeing the platform. In just one night, as much as $5.3 billion was withdrawn from the platform. 

With the market uncertain and investors distrusting those overseeing their holdings, crypto investors are withdrawing their money.

Trump's economy

Speaking of market uncertainty, it's not just cryptocurrency. Trump and Elon Musk's mass firing of federal workers, economic policy that changes at Trump's whims by the minute, rising costs of goods, and Trump's constant threat of new tariffs have led to a very shaky economy. The markets are generally down, and despite some in the crypto industry pretending cryptocurrency is immune, crypto very much follows those same trends.

While Trump may deliver on crypto's hopes for less regulation, the real question is whether people will have any money left to invest by the time he gets there. The crypto market will soon find out.

SAVE $30: As of Feb. 28, the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is on sale at Best Buy for $169.99. That's 15% off its list price of $199.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Watch FE $169.99 at Best Buy
$199.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal

Investing in a smartwatch doesn't need to break the bank. If you're looking for an option that covers the health and fitness basics, there are quite a few budget-friendly watches to choose from. The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is one such smartwatch with a more affordable price tag, but what's even better is it's currently on sale at Best Buy.

The 40mm Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is currently on sale at the retailer for $169.99, $30 off its list price of $199.99. This deal applies to all of the available colors as well, so you can save on black, blue, and pink model.

SEE ALSO: The best smartwatch for every wrist

This smartwatch has everything you need to start tracking the basics of your workout routines, including step counts, active minutes, and calories burned among other features. And when it comes to health, some of the Galaxy Watch FE's features include ECG monitoring and heart rate measurements along with a sleep tracker that helps you keep an eye on your patterns.

Stay on top of your health and fitness goals with the sleek Samsung Galaxy Watch FE smartwatch, down to $169.99 at Best Buy.

If you're looking to get a more fitness-focused device instead, the Garmin vívoactive 5 is currently on sale at Amazon. And if you're an Apple user looking to invest in one of their smartwatches, the Apple Watch Series 10 is also discounted right now at Amazon.

“I’m just worried that it’ll be a shock to people when it happens.”

SAVE $130: As of Feb. 28, the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds are on sale at Best Buy for $199.99. That's 39% off their list price of $329.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sennheiser Sennheiser Momentum Sport Earbuds $199.99 at Best Buy
$329.99 Save $130.00 Get Deal

If you're an athletic individual looking to pick up some new earbuds to keep you entertained during your workouts, look no further than Best Buy. The retailer is offering some great deals on earbuds across the board right now, but if you're looking for a sporty pair, the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds are on sale for $130 off.

This has dropped the price of the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds from $329.99 to $199.99. Not to mention, picking up these earbuds will also set you up with YouTube Premium for free for three months if you're a new subscriber. With this, you can test out these earbuds right away on a wide variety of videos and music.

SEE ALSO: The best wireless earbuds: Our top 8 picks for the best sound on the go

While these earbuds boast great sound quality and noise cancelation to help you stay in the zone with your workouts, they can also track your heart rate and body temperature, which makes them an excellent fitness tracker to have around. On top of that, they're shock, dust, and sweat-resistant, making them a sturdy pick to keep up with your routines.

If you've been looking to upgrade your workout earbuds, don't miss out on this deal on the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds at Best Buy.

Outside of workout earbuds like these, there are a few more earbud deals that are worth checking out right now. Also from Sennheiser, you can save on the Accentum true wireless earbuds at Best Buy and the Beats Studio Buds have had a very nice discount.

Amelia Dimoldenberg casts aside the Chicken Shop Date setting for something a little more glamorous in the Oscars pre-brunch video above, sitting down with Anora star Mikey Madison to chat about everything from Las Vegas weddings to pole dancing.

The highlight? Their respective attempts at doing American and English accents.

For the best Chicken Shop Date episodes so far, we've got you covered.

It seems all the preparations Katy Perry made to host the MTV Video Music Awards in 2017 are going to come in handy — this time on an actual trip to space. 

"I’ve been training with @MTV in zero gravity, eating astronaut ice cream, and I’m on a group text with Buzz Aldrin and Neil deGrasse Tyson," she said then on Instagram, before donning an iridescent spacesuit and swinging on wires over the stage. 

Now she'll be boarding Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, along with a few other celebrity and high-profile crewmates: CBS Mornings' Gayle King and Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez, who founded Black Ops Aviation, an aerial film and production company. 

The so-called NS-31 mission — which doesn't have a launch date but is expected to happen this spring — will be the 11th carrying passengers for the company. The spaceflight will travel more than 60 miles up in the sky to kiss the Kármán line, where Earth's atmosphere and outer space meet.

SEE ALSO: Scientists found huge beaches on Mars likely from a long gone ocean View this post on Instagram

Perry and the all-female crew will count themselves among the United States' latest civilian astronauts. To date, Blue Origin has taken 52 people to the space boundary. 

Rounding out the crew will be former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics scientist and social activist Amanda Nguyen, fashion-designer-turned-film-producer Kerianne Flynn, and Sánchez, who captured a lot of attention in January when she accompanied Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, at President Donald Trump's inauguration. 

"If someone would have told me that I would be able to go to space one day," Sánchez said in an Instagram reel, "I would have definitely, well, I don't know, laughed. I can't believe it's happening." 

Lauren Sánchez, between Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, captured a lot of attention at President Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson - Pool / Getty Images

King, aka Oprah's bestie, is equally gobsmacked. When CBS announced her upcoming crew assignment, the network released a video with a montage of the morning host, including a clip of her talking to correspondent Mark Strassman at a prior launch. 

"Gayle, sooner or later, we're going to get you up there," he said. 

"Mark's got jokes this morning," King said. 

These are the six women going to space on Blue Origin's New Shepard flight. Credit: Blue Origin New Shepard rocket blasts off from Blue Origin's West Texas launch pad. Credit: Blue Origin

It's unclear how much training the women will receive before the launch from Van Horn, Texas, or how much their seats cost. Neither Blue Origin nor CBS spokespeople responded to questions from Mashable. 

In 2021, the company auctioned off the first ticket for New Shepard and donated the earnings to its foundation, Club for the Future, for space-focused charities. The winner of the seat paid $28 million, according to Blue Origin. But some guests have been able to ride for free.

Katy Perry hosts the MTV VMAs in an iridescent spacesuit. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Since initiating its human spaceflights, Blue Origin has become known for its onboard celebrities and providing short flights for wealthy passengers. The company sent Good Morning America host Michael Strahan up in December 2021. Prior to that, it flew the space captain of America's heart, Star Trek star William Shatner, who was among the oldest people to fly in space at the ripe age of 90. Ed Dwight, NASA's first Black astronaut candidate, also took a Blue Origin flight last year at the age of 90.

Former Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson was readying for a space journey in March 2022 but missed the opportunity after the launch date had to be rescheduled. 

Blue Origin says this will be the first crew composed only of women since the Soviet Union cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963.

SAVE $100: As of Feb. 28, Bose QuietComfort headphones are on sale at Best Buy for $249. That's 28% off their list price of $349.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones $249.00 at Best Buy
$349.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal

High-quality headphones often come with a hefty price tag. Thankfully, though, quite a few of these headphones receive some very nice discounts throughout the year so you can scoop them up while saving some cash. That's currently the case with the Bose QuietComfort headphones, which are down by $100 at Best Buy.

This has dropped their price from $349 to $249, which is a nice deal to take advantage of while it's still available. Not to mention, picking up these headphones also gets you YouTube Premium for free for three months if you're a new subscriber, so you can give them a test run on some exciting videos.

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

If you've been looking to upgrade your current headphones, the Bose QuietComfort are worth every cent. Living up to their name, they boast a comfortable fit so you can listen to your favorite tunes, audiobooks, podcasts, and more for longer. And with excellent sound quality paired with noise-canceling technology, you'll be fully immersed in what you're listening to. You can even adjust the sound you're listening to through Adjustable EQ in the Bose app, making for a more personalized experience.

This deal may not stick around for long, so don't miss out on $100 off the Bose QuietComfort headphones at Best Buy.

There are quite a few more headphone deals floating around right now that are worth checking out. If you're an Apple user, you can score $50 off the AirPods Max (USB-C) at Best Buy. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones are also discounted there right now.

This modern-day space photo has it all.

There are currently three landers, on three different exploration missions, en route to the moon. One of them, Intuitive Machines' Athena, just looked back home, and captured more than just a glorious view of Earth. Also in the frame is the SpaceX rocket stage that helped propel the lander into space, along with three other payloads released by the rocket.

Another way of looking at this scene: It's a NASA-funded private moon lander released into orbit by a private company's workhorse rocket on a space rideshare with other companies. This is the modern space exploration paradigm.

"After liftoff on Feb. 26, Athena established a stable attitude, solar charging, and radio communications contact with our mission operations center in Houston," Intuitive Machines, which previously had a hard lunar touchdown in 2024, posted on X.

"The lander is in excellent health, sending selfies, and preparing for a series of planned main engine firings to refine her trajectory ahead of lunar orbit insertion, planned on March 3. Intuitive Machines is targeting a lunar landing opportunity on March 6," the company added.

SEE ALSO: Why landing a spaceship on the moon is still so challenging

On the right side of the image is the Athena lander and four of its landing legs. On the bottom is the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, surrounded by three other payloads (smaller white dots). And beyond that, of course, is our cloud-covered planet.

The legs of the Athena lander, a SpaceX rocket stage, and other payloads as viewed by the lander. Credit: Intuitive Machines Tweet may have been deleted

Intuitive Machines plans to land Athena in Mons Mouton, a lunar mountain near the moon's south pole. This southern region is rich in water ice, and is relatively close to where NASA intends to bring astronauts in mid-2027. "Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission represents a significant leap forward in lunar exploration, ready to demonstrate water hunting infrastructure services on the Moon’s surface," the company explains on its website. The lander is equipped with a drill to investigate these south pole resources.

The mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which is comprised of robotic technical and science endeavors that support the crewed missions that will soon return to the moon.

Also currently en route to the moon is Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, which the Texas-based company intends to land on March 2. The other craft is Japanese company ispace's Resilience lander, which will attempt landing in late spring.

There's certainly lots of enthusiasm about these moon endeavors. But landing on the moon remains daunting, largely because it's a world with virtually no atmosphere to slow spacecraft down. A craft must plummet to the surface almost perfectly, as thrusters fire to slow its descent onto a surface teeming with pits and craters.

At 15, I downloaded Grindr, uploaded a photo of my bare chest, and created a profile with a fake alias. Initially uncomfortable, my curiosity grew as I encountered usernames like '"looking for young" and "discreet hookups only." Seeing LGBTQ+ sexuality displayed so openly was a relief and made me realize, Oh, there are gay people everywhere.

Months of deleting and redownloading Grindr culminated one night after a long day of school, dance and homework. The Grindr notification sounded, and the guy I chatted with the night before was back online, suggesting we meet. Despite my hesitation, his "now or never" pleas led me to crawl out of my bedroom window.

My parents were supportive and open-minded when raising my younger sister and me. They did almost everything right, according to many trusted parenting experts, by granting me freedom and lessening restrictions as I grew into an older teenager. I also know that the reverse of this, commonly known as helicopter parenting, can drive a wedge between kids and their parents, leading to rebellion. Because of these widely accepted truths, I believe the urge to explore sexuality as a teen is natural. 

So why do many LGBTQ+ kids seem to find that independent exploration online instead of offline? 

Teenagers who identify as heterosexual are not only allowed to explore their sexuality openly and comfortably but are celebrated for doing so (e.g., nearly every adolescent film and television show of the last 75 years). But in 2023, one-fourth of high schoolers in the U.S. identified as LGBTQ+, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. Of that one-fourth, many are likely in school environments that make them feel unsafe when exploring as openly as their heterosexual counterparts. And they are outnumbered. I believe this to be a large reason why LGBTQ+ teens turn to the online world for exploration and connection — like I was clearly craving when I snuck out of my house — leading to queer teens being 3 times more likely to experience unwanted or unsafe interactions online. 

That night ended when I saw the guy's truck turn down my street. I hid behind a bush, deleted the app after his messages and stayed off Grindr until college.

After hearing about experiences like this, most people feel lost and confused about who to blame. Was it Grindr’s fault for allowing a minor to weasel their way onto an adult hookup app? The parents that didn’t know the app was downloaded? What about Apple, which couldn’t prevent the adult-only app from being downloaded by a 15 year old? To answer this, I think about who I would blame if my puppy, Stormy, suddenly got sick from a chemical in her newest chew toy. I would first wonder why the toy didn’t go through thorough safety testing; then I would ask why a store allowed it on the shelves in the first place.

This logic is missing when tech executives continue to shift the blame back and forth between the app itself and the app marketplace. Both the Apple App Store and Grindr were responsible for my safety.

A lot has changed for better and worse about Grindr since my time on the app. Just this year, the company established new safety and privacy features. Grindr also has seen more users speaking openly about a diminished user experience. 

Apple just released new child safety features for the Apple App Store. But it is not enough. While not showing and advertising apps rated as inappropriate to kids is an important step, it does not account for developers who mis-rate their apps. Apple claims their app store is a “safe place for kids,” but in a report I worked on with my colleagues at Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether Action, we found 200+ risky or inappropriate apps in the Apple App Store rated as appropriate for kids as young as 4. What is the fix for this?

SEE ALSO: Apple's child safety changes put more of the onus on app developers

I still believe that Apple’s App Store will continue to be a risk for youth unless it implements third-party reviews of app ratings. Just like movies, television programs, and video games, these experts would assess the risk to children and give an age rating in the best interest of kids – not the best interest of Apple or the app developer.

Big Tech must be held accountable for building safe products and services. Clearly, app store marketplaces still have serious changes to make, but the tech companies developing these apps must design them with safety as the top priority. This includes thorough ways of verifying age, especially considering many of these apps are accessible without a mobile app. Lives depend on it.

As we continue navigating tech safety, we have to balance new measures with privacy concerns. Adding additional steps like ID verification is an uncertain act for many LGBTQ+ youth in the Trump era. Basically, we have to ensure our data is protected from entities who could hurt us.

So, whether it’s a mother, like Kristin Bride, who lost her son after he was cyberbullied on anonymous apps he got off of the App Store or the queer teens assaulted after sneaking out to meet someone they met on a hookup app, Big Tech’s negligence is contributing to harm, and it must stop.

Lennon Torres is an LGBTQ+ advocate who grew up in the public eye, gaining national recognition as a young dancer on television shows. With a deep passion for storytelling, advocacy, and politics, Lennon now works to center the lived experience of herself and others as she crafts her professional career in online child safety at Heat Initiative, aiming to bridge the gap between online safety and LGBTQ+ representation through intentionally inclusive strategies. Lennon’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennon-torres-325b791b4/

In deep space, far beyond our solar system, astronomers have spotted loads of super-Earths, mini-Neptunes, and hot Jupiters.

But only once have they found an "ultra-hot Neptune" — a Neptune-size world orbiting extremely close to its star. A year lasts under a day on this scorching planet, dubbed "LTT 9779 b." After discovering this curious world in 2020, scientists have now used the powerful James Webb Space Telescope to peer into the exoplanet's atmosphere and better grasp how such a world works.

"Finding a planet of this size so close to its host star is like finding a snowball that hasn't melted in a fire," Louis-Philippe Coulombe, a researcher at the Université de Montréal's Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets who led the study, said in a statement. "It's a testament to the diversity of planetary systems and offers a window into how planets evolve under extreme conditions."

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

LTT 9779 b, nearly 30 times Earth's mass, is certainly extreme. It's tidally locked to its star — like the moon is locked to Earth — meaning that one side of it incessantly seared by its star, while the other is dark and cooler. LTT 9779 b is nearly 3,630 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 Celsius) on its dayside. That's hotter than lava.

The research team peered at LTT 9779 b for 22 hours, using an instrument on the Webb telescope called a spectrograph to reveal the composition of the planet's exotic atmosphere. (Similar to a prism, spectrographs spread an object's light into a spectrum of colors, revealing what's present or not in a far-off place.)

They found clouds very unlike ours (which are made of water vapor) composed of silicates, which are minerals that make up rocks on Earth. These clouds were on the planet's western dayside, as opposed to its hotter eastern hemisphere, suggesting that strong winds on LTT 9779 b transport atmospheric elements around the planet.

A conception of LTT 9779 b, located 262 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way galaxy, can be seen below. It depicts how highly reflective mineral clouds condense on the "slightly cooler" western dayside, but then evaporate when the planet's potent winds push these clouds to the hotter eastern dayside.

An artist's conception of the "ultra-hot Neptune" LTT 9779 b. Credit: Benoit Gougeon / Université de Montréal

Scientific attempts to understand this profoundly rare — as far as we know — world are just beginning.

"We haven’t finished piecing together the information about this planet yet," Jake Taylor, a scientist in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford who also worked on the study, explained. "We are currently using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope to study the dayside cloud structure in more detail to learn as much as possible."

To date, astronomers have confirmed 5,834 exoplanets, with thousands more awaiting confirmation.

The Webb telescope's powerful abilities

The Webb telescope — a scientific collaboration between NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency — is designed to peer into the deepest cosmos and reveal new insights about the early universe. It's also examining intriguing planets in our galaxy, along with the planets and moons in our solar system.

Here's how Webb is achieving unparalleled feats, and likely will for decades to come:

- Giant mirror: Webb's mirror, which captures light, is over 21 feet across. That's over two-and-a-half times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope's mirror, meaning Webb has six times the light-collecting area. Capturing more light allows Webb to see more distant, ancient objects. The telescope is peering at stars and galaxies that formed over 13 billion years ago, just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. "We're going to see the very first stars and galaxies that ever formed," Jean Creighton, an astronomer and the director of the Manfred Olson Planetarium at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, told Mashable in 2021.

- Infrared view: Unlike Hubble, which largely views light that's visible to us, Webb is primarily an infrared telescope, meaning it views light in the infrared spectrum. This allows us to see far more of the universe. Infrared has longer wavelengths than visible light, so the light waves more efficiently slip through cosmic clouds; the light doesn't as often collide with and get scattered by these densely packed particles. Ultimately, Webb's infrared eyesight can penetrate places Hubble can't.

"It lifts the veil," said Creighton.

- Peering into distant exoplanets: The Webb telescope carries specialized equipment called spectrographs that will revolutionize our understanding of these far-off worlds. The instruments can decipher what molecules (such as water, carbon dioxide, and methane) exist in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets — be they gas giants or smaller rocky worlds. Webb looks at exoplanets in the Milky Way galaxy. Who knows what we'll find?

"We might learn things we never thought about," Mercedes López-Morales, an exoplanet researcher and astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics-Harvard & Smithsonian, previously told Mashable.

TL;DR: This bundle of 14 online guitar lessons is on sale for $29.97 (reg. $39.99) — that’s just over $2 per course.

Picking up a guitar that makes you look like Jimi Hendrix is easy — the hard part is figuring out what to do next. Most people start with guitar books or YouTube tutorials but don’t stick with them because there’s no structure. If you want to become the next “Voodoo Child,” take real guitar classes.

Despite what most people think, you don’t have to trek to weekly classes or get lectured when you make a mistake — just sign up for online guitar lessons. The package we offer is completely asynchronous, meaning you can take it at your own pace. Lifetime access is currently on sale for $29.97 (reg. $39.99).

Make Jimi Hendrix proud

What you found is the perfect balance between structure and flexibility. It’s a good idea to set a goal — maybe something like taking one lesson each day or practicing for two hours weekly — but you choose when you set aside the time for it. 

The courses can be taken in any order, but you’ll notice there’s a logical progression if you look closely:

• Guitar Technique

• Beginner Guitar Lessons Crash Course

• Fingerstyle for the Curious Guitarist

• Songwriting for the Curious Guitarist

Feel free to skip around if you’re a fast learner and getting bored, or stray from our suggestion if there’s something you’d rather learn first. You build your learning plan and have lifetime access to all course materials for future reference.

Teach yourself guitar with a little help from this discounted course bundle, now $29.97 (reg. $39.99). No coupon is needed to get this price.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dan Dresnok The Complete Beginner to Expert Guitar Lessons Bundle $29.97
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TL;DR: Get half off a Sam’s Club membership for just $25 (reg. $50) before codes sell out.

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Prices for groceries are out of control. Eggs feel like a delicacy. When will things return to "normal?" Nobody can be sure, but we aren’t waiting around. Shoppers have been saving on groceries at Sam’s Club for decades, and now is an opportune time for you to see what the hype is about with 50% off an annual membership.

Until we sell out of discounted codes, you can join Sam’s Club for only $25 (reg. $50). This offer is only for new members or those with cards that have been expired for over six months. Bonus: You can share the membership with anyone in your household.

Getting through these uncertain times at Sam’s Club

You may have shied away from Sam’s Club because you think they only have wholesale groceries and household items, but that’s not true. Sure, some items are sold in large quantities, but others are individually packed.

Plus, have you ever considered that purchasing in bulk may still be more cost-effective, even if you’re a single person or a small family? You could freeze items for later use or share items with friends, family, or neighbors and split the cost.

And that’s just the grocery list items. Sam’s Club members also save on gas, which adds up no matter how frequently you have to fill your tank. You’ll earn your membership fee back in no time.

Take advantage of this Sam’s Club membership deal before codes are sold out: $25 (reg. $50).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: You can get a Windows 11 Pro upgrade key on sale for an all-time low price of $17.97 (reg. $199) — each upgrades two compatible PCs.

Your computer might be due for an upgrade — and not just because it’s been feeling slow. Windows is undergoing big changes, and holding out with version 10 will leave you behind in more ways than one. 

Here are just three reasons why you should upgrade to Windows 11 Pro (though we can think of so many that it’ll bore you):

1. Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 this year

If you’re stuck on Windows 10 like glue, does it change anything to know that Microsoft is ending free software updates, technical assistance, and security fixes later this year? They say your computer will still work, but even they recommend upgrading to the latest software for security reasons.

2. You’ll get AI integrated into your PC

As long as your computer is eligible for the free Windows 11 Home upgrade, you can get this Pro version. You’ll love paid-only features like BitLocker hard drive encryption and remote desktop access. But perhaps most importantly, Windows Copilot (available to all).

This AI-powered PC assistant can help you with anything from changing system settings to summarizing web pages and generating images and code. It’s like ChatGPT, except it’s fully integrated into your computer.

3. Enjoy the brand-new user design

Love it or hate it, Windows 11 Pro features a completely redesigned user interface. It’s reminiscent of Windows 10, except with fresh and useful tools like snap layouts and desktops, seamless redocking, and widgets to customize your work days.

Will you upgrade?

Windows 11 Pro is at its lowest price ever for a limited time, making right now the best time to upgrade. Get your key for $17.97 and upgrade two compatible PCs (reg. $199).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $17.97
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