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TL;DR: Live stream select games from the NBA for free on Ran.de. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The NBA is a unique sport. There's nothing else in which incredibly tall athletes can be made to look tiny by aliens who could probably touch the sun if they stood on tip toes. And almost all of these shockingly tall athletes display a skillset that mere mortals can't even fathom.
The NBA could make a legitimate argument that it hosts the very best athletes in the world. Sure, the NFL might disagree. And rugby definitely attracts some special specimens. But the NBA has a bunch of seven footers dunking on each other. That's tough to beat.
If you are interested in watching the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.
What is the NBA?The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America made up of 30 teams (29 from the United States and one from Canada). The reigning league champions are the Boston Celtics.
When is the NBA?The NBA regular season runs from Oct. 22 to April 13. The play-in tournament is scheduled to be played on April 15-18, followed by the playoffs on the next day, and concluding with the NBA Finals in June.
How to watch the NBA for freeFree-to-air channel ProSieben airs select NBA games, with free live streaming available on Ran.de. Fans can watch two NBA games every weekend during the regular season, with many playoff and finals fixtures also available to watch for free.
Ran.de is geo-restricted to Germany, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Germany, meaning you can access this streaming service from anywhere in the world.
Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:
Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Germany
Connect to Ran.de
Watch the NBA for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select NBA games before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for the NBA?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on Ran.de, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Germany
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy
Fast streaming speeds
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Watch the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.
A Crumbl Cookie pop-up in Sydney, Australia has gone viral after customers discovered that it had no actual affiliation with the TikTok famous U.S. bakery.
Crumbl Sydney's organisers literally just flew to the U.S., bought hundreds of Crumbl Cookies, then returned to Australia to sell them at $AU17.50 apiece. For those in the U.S., that's around $12 per cookie.
SEE ALSO: Baby hippo Moo Deng has a 24-hour livestream now. Here's how to watch.Crumbl Cookies have gained notable popularity on TikTok, many users sharing videos of themselves digging into the viral treats and extolling their virtues. As such, hundreds of Australians were eager to try the famous baked goods when news spread that there would be a one-day Crumbl Cookie pop-up in Sydney on Sept. 29.
Crumbl Sydney had been promoting the event on TikTok for weeks, and hype had been effectively built by the time the pop-up opened in North Bondi on Sunday. Unfortunately, reports of an hours-long queue for stale, horrendously overpriced cookies quickly began to spread.
Tweet may have been deletedThen it got even worse. It was quickly revealed that Crumbl Sydney had not been officially authorised by Crumbl Cookie, and in fact had no connection to the U.S. store. Instead, some aspiring entrepreneur had travelled to the U.S. to buy a ridiculous number of Crumbl Cookies and resell them to Australians at a significant markup.
The backlash was swift and furious. Some were upset they'd been duped, labelling the pop-up a scam, while others were incredulous that anyone fell for Crumbl Sydney's ploy in the first place. Australian TikTok is currently awash with takes on the Crumbl Cookie drama, with many predicting an incoming lawsuit.
Crumbl Sydney responds to anger at unauthorised Crumbl Cookie pop-up Tweet may have been deletedIn response to the furore, Crumbl Sydney published a Google Doc addressing the allegations against them, linking to the statement on TikTok.
"[W]e never claimed to be an official Crumbl store," wrote Crumbl Sydney, stating that they had not used Crumbl Cookies' trademarks in their TikTok content. "This was clearly stated in [our] bio and our comments. Our goal was to bring the authentic Crumbl cookies to Australia by importing the cookies directly from the USA."
This defence is somewhat undermined by the fact that the boxes and signage used at the Crumbl Sydney pop-up clearly displayed Crumbl Cookie's trademarked name and logo, using the same font and recognisable shade of Millennial pink. Users have also noted that Crumbl Cookie's TikTok page initially didn't include any such disclaimer, only adding it after the backlash.
Then there's the videos. Though Crumbl Sydney has now wiped all of the videos from its TikTok account, copies remain online via other users reacting to the clips. Some of Crumbl Sydney's deleted videos are also available on the CrumblCookieAus YouTube account, which appears to belong to the pop-up judging by the matching video content and the dates of its uploads.
CrumblCookieAus clearly uses Crumbl Cookies' trademarked name and logo in these YouTube videos, and even writes as though it is an officially authorised account. On Sept. 11, CrumblCookieAus uploaded a video consisting of clips and audio taken from Crumbl Cookies' official YouTube account, specifically its one and two year celebration videos.
"Just a small peek of our studio," CrumblCookieAus wrote in the description.
CrumblCookieAus also appeared to encourage commenter's misconceptions that they were an official Crumbl Cookies outlet.
"Yoo ive seen these everywhere online and now getting them here? Thats pretty good," @likebutton1233 commented on a Sept. 10 Short.
"Yup! I can’t wait for all you guys to come and try our cookies!" CrumblCookieAus wrote. "We love our Australian 🇦🇺 fans we gotta let them have some Crumbl cookies!"
Mashable has reached out to Crumbl Cookie for comment.
'This event was never about profit': Crumbl Sydney on its $17.50 cookies Credit: Mashable screenshot from @CrumblCookieAus on YouTubeThough Crumbl Sydney seemed happy to take credit for Crumbl Cookies' cookies not long ago, it's now singing a much different tune.
"We traveled to the US to purchase the cookies and imported them with their original packaging," Crumbl Sydney wrote in its Google Doc. "We did not bake them ourselves."
According to a cost breakdown supplied in Crumbl Sydney s Google Doc, the organisers spent $AU6,000 to purchase the Crumbl Cookies and their packaging. On top of this, $AU4,000 was budgeted for flights and luggage; $AU2,000 for duties, taxes, and customs; around $AU1,000 for staffing; plus additional costs for the pop-up setup such as tables, the venue, microwaves, and marketing.
"This event was never about profit," the organisers continued. "We aimed to bring the cookies to Crumbl fans…. We set the prices without an intention of making a large profit."
This may be true. Videos uploaded by CrumblCookieAus weeks ago promised further Crumbl Cookie locations in other Australian states, which would have no doubt gotten significant publicity and many more customers had the Sydney pop-up gone well. Considering how it actually went down, it seems safe to say that they won't be going ahead any time soon.
Tweet may have been deletedRegardless of whether or not Crumbl Sydney hoped to make a profit from Sunday's event, many have noted that $AU17.50 is an exorbitant amount to ask for a single cookie, no matter how viral it is. TikTok user sofiaqistinee noted that she only found out the price once already at the pop-up.
Though Crumbl Sydney claimed that most of the pop-up's customers were satisfied, it did at least acknowledge that not everybody was happy. Unfortunately, they appeared dismissive of such concerns, attributing complaints to customers' personal distaste for the flavours they'd chosen.
"While most customers enjoyed the cookies, a couple of influencers felt they didn’t meet expectations," they wrote. "We apologise that they don't live up to expectations however they are just cookies at the end of the day. While there may be a small difference in quality, some flavours may not appeal to some people."
"Crumbl cookies should be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or refrigerated for up to 7 days. We kept them to these requirements. Some were warmed to enhance their texture, which is what crumbl does as well."
Can Crumbl Cookie sue Crumbl Sydney? Credit: Mashable screenshot from @CrumblCookieAus on YouTubeCrumbl Sydney has claimed that its pop-up was perfectly legal as it was selling Crumbl Cookies as parallel imports. Also known as grey or direct imports, a parallel import is when a product is brought into a country and sold without the specific permission of the manufacturer to do so. Such imports are sometimes the only way people can get their hands on region-exclusive products.
Parallel imports aren't against Australian law. However, trademark infringement is.
As noted above, Crumbl Sydney clearly used Crumbl Cookies' logo and branding during their pop-up. Under Australia's Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) Section 122A, parallel importers must make "reasonable inquiries" regarding a trademark before using it. They can then only proceed if a "reasonable person" would conclude that they'd been given permission to use the trademark by someone with the authority to do so.
Unfortunately for Crumbl Sydney, there's no indication that the pop-up ever sought or received such permission. This was made even more apparent by Crumbl Cookie founder Sawyer Hemsley's response to the drama.
"It appears we need to expedite our visit to Australia," Hemsley wrote in a comment on TikTok. "Please note, this pop-up is in no way affiliated with @CrumblCookies."
If Crumbl Sydney has any sense, they're probably steeling themselves for a lawsuit. On the face of it, it seems as though Crumbl Cookie would have a pretty solid case. Their best hope now is for Crumbl Cookie to show some mercy and decide that going after such a sorry pop-up simply isn't worth their time.
Pluto is the most famous dwarf planet, due in part to its very public demotion from ninth planet of the solar system two decades ago.
But a relatively obscure dwarf planet in the main asteroid belt could be the most accessible icy world to Earthlings in space. Though it's less than 600 miles wide, Ceres appears to be rich in water ice, and new research from Purdue University and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is helping to confirm it was once drenched in flowing water.
For years, Ceres confounded experts with its cratered surface. These pits seemed too deep and rigid to exist on a retired water world. Scientists now think that may not be a contradiction after all, if they account for a key ingredient: mud — and maybe lots of it.
"Our interpretation of all this is that Ceres used to be an 'ocean world' like Europa (one of Jupiter's moons), but with a dirty, muddy ocean," said Mike Sori, a planetary geophysicist at Purdue, in a statement. "As that muddy ocean froze over time, it created an icy crust with a little bit of rocky material trapped in it."
SEE ALSO: NASA just found a new type of ancient asteroid loaded with water NASA's Dawn spacecraft observed craters on the dwarf planet Ceres between 2015 and 2018. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA / ASI / INAFUsing computer models, the team discovered that dirt mixed into Ceres' ancient ocean could have reinforced the dwarf planet's ice, holding the craters' shapes and preserving some of its other geology for long periods of time. This mixture would allow the surface to be both icy and strong. The study appears in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Previous thinking suggested that if the dwarf planet were icy, the craters would deform easily, like glaciers flowing on Earth — or like gooey honey, Sori said.
The paper, led by doctoral student Ian Pamerleau, posits that Ceres' surface is, in fact, loaded with ice — perhaps as much as 90 percent of it. Through simulations, the team tested different crust scenarios and found that dirty ice could keep the crust from "flowing" over billions of years. With this structure, the dwarf planet would get gradually muddier and less frozen at lower depths.
A NASA spacecraft got a closer look at Ceres' surface between 2015 and 2018 through the Dawn mission. Those observations revealed the dwarf planet's unusual bright patches as a salty crust of sodium carbonate, the same type of salt people use as a water softener.
After looking at the mission data, scientists thought perhaps the salt was the residue of a vast, briny reservoir about 25 miles underground and hundreds of miles wide. Meteorite impacts either melted slush just below the surface or created large fractures in the dwarf planet, allowing salt water to ooze out of ice volcanoes.
Bright features on the surface of dwarf planet Ceres are a salty crust of sodium carbonate, the same type of salt people use as a water softener. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDAAstrobiologists have wondered if simple, microbial life could exist on Ceres, the closest frozen ocean world to Earth at an average of 260 million miles away. The National Academies Planetary Science Decadal Survey recently recommended that NASA return to Ceres to collect samples.
More robotic missions to the dwarf planet could provide greater insights and points of comparison for the icy moons of the outer solar system, such as Saturn's Enceladus and Jupiter's Europa and Ganymede, Sori said.
"Some of the bright features we see at Ceres' surface are the remnants of Ceres' muddy ocean, now mostly or entirely frozen, erupted onto the surface," he said. "So we have a place to collect samples from the ocean of an ancient ocean world that is not too difficult to send a spacecraft to."
The reign of the Dyson Airwrap has reached its end — and even better, the Shark FlexStyle is no longer your only option for a dupe.
I've tested both of the above tools and compared them head to head, and while I used to think the Shark FlexStyle was undeniably the best value hot air multi-styler out there, recent releases from other brands are making it hard to say that without hesitation.
SEE ALSO: Dyson Airwrap vs. Shark FlexStyle: Here's which hot air tool is worth your money How to choose the best Airwrap dupeJust a few years ago, if you wanted one hair tool to blow dry your hair, as well as help you achieve a blowout, more defined waves, or pin-straight hair, you were basically limited to the $600 Dyson Airwrap. The much cheaper Revlon One-Step offered another alternative for getting a blowout, but it also increased your risk for heat damage and wasn't honestly a one-to-one tool.
Then Shark FlexStyle hit the market in 2022, giving consumers a real multi-styler alternative to the Airwrap for the first time ever, and at half the price. Though it wasn't a perfect duplicate, it did use the same Coanda airflow technology that helped the Airwrap go viral in the first place, and innovated on the original iconic design in a way that actually gave the Shark an edge over the much pricier hair tool.
SEE ALSO: Is this $45 red light gua sha a promising Solawave dupe?These days, typing "Airwrap dupe" into Google will get you plenty of results that can deliver on the Coanda effect — but naturally, not all these dupes are made equal. That's why I spent time testing out options from brands like T3, Sharper Image, and FoxyBae to see how well they stacked up against the FlexStyle (which I consider a gold standard dupe) and the Airwrap itself. I came away with some new favorites — and new opinions on what makes a good Airwrap dupe. Below, you'll find Mashable's updated list of recommendations for the best Airwraps as of 2024.
Note: In Aug. 2024, Dyson released the Airwrap i.d., a new version of the multi-styler which features the same standard Airwrap technology, but with the addition of new attachments and a companion app. Due to the basic similarities between this new Airwrap and past versions, we're still comfortable recommending the below as good dupes, but we'll be updating this guide as soon as we test out the newest Airwrap.
WhatsApp is catching up with Google Meet and Zoom.
On Tuesday, the company announced that it added backgrounds and filters to video calls. The filters on offer include options such as warm, cool, black and white, dreamy, and fisheye. You can also choose from backgrounds such as living room, office, beach, forest, and sunset. If none of these quite work for you, there's also the option to just blur your background and hide the horrendous mess that is behind you.
SEE ALSO: WhatsApp 'View Once' messages are far more permanent than you realizeFinally, the Touch Up and Low Light options are there to make your video calls "more vibrant and enjoyable."
Based on WhatsApp's examples, the filters and backgrounds on offer seem fine, but are not as fun as the stuff you get on Google Meet, for example.
Post by @whatsapp View on ThreadsThe popular messenger's video call feature has long been adequate, but far behind on features when compared to other video calling apps. In particular, the ability to blur the mess that is my living room has been a very important feature for me on Meet; now that WhatsApp has it as well, I'd be more inclined to take a business call through Meta's messaging app.
Excited to try out the new filters, I updated and fired up the WhatsApp app on my iPhone, but the filters and backgrounds, which should be available via a new icon that appears in the upper right corner during a video call, were not available. WhatsApp says the effects will be available to everyone "in the coming weeks."
I got a chance to demo Recall — and it's a lot more polished than I thought.
What is Recall? Only the most controversial AI-powered feature that Microsoft has dropped this year.
Long story short, it's like your own personal digital scrapbook. Using frequently taken screenshots, it saves snapshots of your PC activity, allowing you to go back and revisit them whenever you want.
Thanks to a timeline scrubber, you can scroll through everything that happened each day. Plus, you can use natural language to search for things within your Recall history.
However, some security experts expressed concerns about Recall, fearing that hackers would see it as a gateway for stealing user data.
Microsoft rep using facial authentication for Recall. Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableIn response, Microsoft delayed Recall's rollout and addressed fears and anxieties by, in part, requiring Windows Hello (e.g., biometric authentication like fingerprint scanning and facial recognition) to access Recall.
Now that Recall is more secure, Microsoft wants Windows users to give it a chance.
SEE ALSO: Recall just got a release date window for Windows PCs. Here’s when you’ll get to test it. Windows Recall demo with MicrosoftI had a Microsoft rep demo Recall at a recent press event.
Demonstrating a practical use case, the rep pretended that he was interested in running the Boston Marathon and discovered a PowerPoint-based itinerary for it — but never saved it.
Microsoft rep searching for Boston itinerary. Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableHe launched Recall and searched for the word "itinerary" — and voilà — it appeared in his search results because the AI recognized the word among some screenshots in his timeline.
The Microsoft rep boasted that Recall can even identify images.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / MashableAfter typing, "Chart with purple arrow," Recall was able to find a document with — you guessed it — a purple arrow, even though the words "chart with purple arrow" never appeared in the timeline.
While these perks are pretty impressive, it's the following three features that won me over.
1. You can access links in Recall's search resultsOnce search results populate in Recall, you can click on a screenshot and a button below it will allow you to access the URL associated with it.
For example, if you want to find that Mashable article about the "Lover Girl" dating trend, but you forgot to bookmark it, you can lean on Recall and type in the words "couple in love."
Credit: MashableNot only will you see the screenshot of the article (thanks to the AI-based image recognition), but you'll be able to access it again via Microsoft Edge.
Recall can pull up files stored locally, too, if you click on a screenshot of a document you saved on your computer.
2. Recall screenshots are interactiveYou can interact with screenshots of documents, webpages, and more without ever leaving Recall.
For example, if a screenshot captures a PDF you opened during your PC activity history, you don't need to pull up the actual document to interact with it.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableIf there is text, your PC will recognize it and allow you to copy and paste it elsewhere. You can click on URLs, too.
3. Don't worry about storageI asked the Microsoft rep, "Wouldn't Recall destroy my storage?" As it turns out, in the Settings menu, there's a way to limit Recall's presence on your storage in the Settings app.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableDepending on your preference, you can ensure that the PC doesn't exceed the following storage thresholds:
25GB
50GB
75GB
100GB
150GB
The Microsoft rep explained that 150GB is "over a year's worth of snapshots" while 25GB will save about "several months" of data.
Recall's privacy and securityAs we reported last week, Microsoft announced a slew of updates to Recall to make it more secure.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableIn addition to requiring a Windows Hello login, Recall requires an opt-in process. It's not on by default.
Secondly, users can uninstall Recall from their system. Thirdly, Microsoft said that Recall data is encrypted and isolated in something called a "VBS Enclave." In layman's terms, this means that your screenshots will be secured in a contained environment that is safe and unreadable from third-party apps and users.
Plus, Microsoft says that AI for Recall is processed on-device and Microsoft never uploads user data to the cloud.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, a Recall-supported PC Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableKeep in mind that only Copilot+ PCs, like the Surface Laptop 7, support Recall. Laptops with this branding can handle on-device AI processing due to their NPUs (a processor that is dedicated to running AI tasks).
How to get RecallI tried to get Recall on my own PC (i.e., Surface Laptop 7), but it required me to jump through several hoops. Firstly, I had to sign up for a free Windows Insider membership.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableSecondly, I had to go through a wave of updates to make sure that my system is on the latest Windows version available.
The Recall button looks like the recycle icon. Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableBut even then, because Microsoft is doing a staggered rollout of Recall to Windows Insiders, I haven't seen Recall appear on my machine yet. Bummer!
Is Recall on its way to redemption?Microsoft has tough challenge on its hands: redeeming Recall from a sullied reputation. Recall has been called creepy, dystopian, controversial, and gimmicky.
However, there are still some users who are optimistic about its usefulness. I fall in the latter camp; I've been in countless situations where I browse the internet, neglect to bookmark or save something, and end up pulling my hair out trying to rediscover it.
As someone who struggles with forgetfulness, I can see Recall playing the hero in moments when my mind fails me.
There's a tweet from former President Donald Trump I think about a lot. It is unintentionally hilarious and indicative of how the human experience works.
A dozen years ago he posted: "The Coca Cola company is not happy with me--that's okay, I'll still keep drinking that garbage."
Say what you want about the man — perhaps that he's a race-baiting compulsive liar who's hell-bent on subverting long-held democratic norms — but that's a great tweet. It's perhaps the gilded billionaire's most relatable moment: This thing sucks and of course I'm going to keep doing it. Most of us feel that way each morning as we rise for work.
Funnily enough, that Trump tweet is almost exactly how I feel about Elon Musk's X, the website formerly known as Twitter. Yes, it's awful. It has degraded in myriad ways, actively incentivizes the worst accounts, and has lost lots of the best users. But there is no real replacement and I've been using it for too long to change now.
Tweet may have been deletedPreviously I wrote that the best alternative to Twitter is Logging Off. In the piece I noted that Twitter had become markedly less fun, worse to use, and that the rip-offs — Threads, Blue Sky, etc. — didn't have the user-base or familiarity to scratch the same itch. I stand by all that. The best thing alternative to Elon Musk's X is to log off — I am just unable to do it.
Lots of folks have left X. Anecdotally, I've seen a bunch, especially among the folks who don't really need it. Frequent posters I used to follow like screenwriter Brian Koppelman, songwriter Jason Isbell, and sitcom guru/baseball guy/Mose fromThe Office Mike Schur have all left, for instance. Mashable's reporting noted that X lost daily active users after an initial post-Musk surge then stagnated over the summer. Some studies have shown a steep drop in Twitter use pretty much since Musk took over. In short, people are ditching X.
Tweet may have been deletedBut, queue the Leo in Wolf of Wall Street meme, I'm not freaking leaving. Let's be clear: This is not some show of support of Musk or his platform. I get all the reasons X sucks now. I can hardly scroll without seeing some ad for drop-shipped crap, a promoted post by some scammer, or a flood of replies from verified bots. And Musk, well, he's actively a rightwing shitposter remaking X in that image. He bans the people he doesn't like, yet reinstates far-right accounts that got barred for misinformation, abuse, or worse...all under the guise of loving free speech.
I should leave X. It's the right thing to do and would be a healthy choice. And from a purely practical perspective, the site sucks now. But let's be honest here, I'm lazy and I love posting. Sure, TikTok is an interesting and addictive platform, and Instagram is...fine I guess, but my formative social media years centered on Twitter and text-based jokes. It's not something I want to give up. At least not yet.
X is the rotting corpse of a website I once loved, but at least its limbs and appendages are familiar. The muscle memory remains. I know exactly where X's app is on my phone's home screen, I know exactly how to compose a tweet, I can bop over to my replies without thinking, as if breathing. My follower list is curated, as is my following, even if my engagement is nonexistent due to not paying Elon $8 per month for a check. Were it not for the inertia of its previous existence as Twitter, X would be nothing but Truth Social. But inertia is a hell of a force.
I've had this thought about not leaving Twitter — sorry, I mean X — for quite some time. But a tweet helped inspire me to finally write it. User @pankendev posted: "'if you hate elon so much then why are you still here' BECAUSE I WAS HERE FIRST. WHY SHOULD I LEAVE. HE'S THE ONE WHO SUCKS."
Tweet may have been deletedAnd you know what, they're kind of right. Sure, Musk sucks, but it doesn't mean I can't use the decaying remnants of Twitter to enjoy what I can. For instance, the day less-than-beloved New York City Mayor Eric Adams got indicted was hilarious, especially as an NYC resident. I shouldn't have to miss that because a thin-skinned billionaire has decided to gut his favorite website. Also, I write about the internet for Mashable, meaning I can't fully leave X anyway — not that I'd actually be able to quit cold turkey.
Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deletedX is a sinking ship. But I just cannot seem to find my way to the life rafts. None of X's clones have come close to matching what Twitter once was and, thus, I'm left hanging onto the debris that remains.
Elon Musk's X is awful but that's OK — I'll keep logging onto that garbage. At least until I can log off for good.
The James Webb Space Telescope's latest psychedelic view reveals an exploded star.
But this supernova is special. That's because, from our perch in the galaxy, the new stellar blast appears three times in a warped line — like it's floating in front of a funhouse mirror. This distorting effect happens because objects in space can be so massive — often clusters of galaxies — that they warp the cosmos, like a bowling ball sitting on a mattress. This creates a curved "cosmic lens," bending and distorting light, while also magnifying and brightening the light.
"The lens, consisting of a cluster of galaxies that is situated between the supernova and us, bends the supernova’s light into multiple images," Brenda Frye, an astronomer from the University of Arizona who helped undertake the new research, said in a statement.
Though, she added, in the case of this supernova, a "trifold mirror" is even better suited to describe this triple view. "This is similar to how a trifold vanity mirror presents three different images of a person sitting in front of it," Frye said.
SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.Crucially, the mirror effect is of great value to astronomers. They can use the differences in light from the distant supernova to help measure the long-sought expansion of the universe (yes, the sprawling universe is constantly expanding).
"To achieve three images, the light traveled along three different paths," Frye explained. "Since each path had a different length, and light traveled at the same speed, the supernova was imaged in this Webb observation at three different times during its explosion. In the trifold mirror analogy, a time-delay ensued in which the right-hand mirror depicted a person lifting a comb, the left-hand mirror showed hair being combed, and the middle mirror displayed the person putting down the comb."
The three circles below show the supernova, dubbed "H0pe" — H0 is short for the "Hubble constant," the name for the rate of the universe's expansion. The vivid, white, fuzzy objects are the galaxies in the foreground creating the lens, located some 3.6 billion light-years away.
The blown-up box shows the supervova "H0pe," which from our vantage point appears three times, due to the effect of gravitational lensing. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / B. Frye (University of Arizona) / R. Windhorst (Arizona State University) / S. Cohen (Arizona State University) / J. D’Silva (University of Western Australia, Perth) / A. Koekemoer (Space Telescope Science Institute) / J. Summers (Arizona State University) Tweet may have been deletedThe universe's rate of expansion is an ongoing area of research, with different methods employed to narrow down an answer. In this case, the light measurements Frye and the team recorded from supernova H0pe show an expansion of 75.4 kilometers per second per megaparsec, with an uncertainty range of plus 8.1 or minus 5.5 parsecs. These are big numbers. For reference, a parsec equals 3.26 light-years, and a single light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles.
Don't let your head explode.
The Webb telescope's powerful abilitiesThe 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. But 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. 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, told Mashable in 2021.
Already, astronomers have successfully found intriguing chemical reactions on a planet 700 light-years away, and have started looking at one of the most anticipated places in the cosmos: the rocky, Earth-sized planets of the TRAPPIST solar system.
TL;DR: A wide range of AI courses are available to take for free on edX.
There are absolutely loads of free AI courses on edX. You can learn all about this new and exciting technology without spending anything (or leaving home).
We've checked out everything on offer and lined up a selection of standout courses to get you started. These are the best online AI courses you can take for free this month on edX:
These free online courses do not offer certificates of completion, but that's the only catch. You can still learn at a pace that suits you, so there really isn't anything stopping you from enrolling.
Find the best free AI courses on edX.
Opens in a new window Credit: edX AI Courses Free at edX Get DealTL;DR: Capture stunning aerial footage with the Ninja Dragon Phantom 15PRO Dual Camera Drone, just $89.99 (reg. $199).
Adults don't just head outside and run around for hours like kids do. If you're looking for a fresh, exciting way to spend your time outdoors, get ready to take flight with the Ninja Dragon Phantom 15PRO Dual-Camera Smart Drone. It's on sale for just $89.99 (reg. $199) for a limited time and might just be your new favorite hobby.
Whether you're capturing stunning aerial photos or exploring new heights of creativity, this drone offers most of the thrills of a professional gadget without the huge price tag.
The Ninja Dragon Phantom 15PRO is built for adventure, packed with smart features that make every flight fun and easier than you might think. Thanks to its dual-camera system, you can shoot photos from multiple angles. The wide-angle HD lens captures stunning landscape views, while the optical flow camera stabilizes your shots so you can focus on creating incredible memories, not managing shaky footage.
Flying a drone doesn't have to be complicated. The Phantom 15PRO comes with intelligent flight modes that make piloting super easy, even for beginners. Whether using gesture control for hands-free selfies or setting up a custom flight path via the app, you’re in full control with minimal effort.
Want to impress friends and family? Show off with automatic takeoff, landing, and one-key return functions that help give you smooth and safe landings every time.
Worried about obstacles getting in the way of your fun? Don’t be. The Ninja Dragon Phantom 15PRO is equipped with 540-degree obstacle avoidance technology, so it will dodge and weave its way around anything in its flight path. You can fly with confidence, knowing your drone is looking out for itself—and your investment.
Get outdoors in any season with this smart drone.
For a limited time, this Ninja Dragon Phantom 15PRO Dual-Camera Smart Drone is on sale for $89.99 (reg. $199).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window Credit: Onetify Ninja Dragon Phantom 15PRO Dual Camera Smart Drone $89.99TL;DR: On sale for just $59.99 (reg. $149), this refurbished Lenovo 11.6" Chromebook is durable, portable, and budget-friendly — ideal for anyone on the move.
Need a laptop you can throw in your bag without stressing so much about scratches or dents — or a big price tag? The Lenovo 11.6" Chromebook (2nd-generation) is here to save your day. This compact, portable computer is lightweight, durable, and so affordable, you won’t think twice about taking it anywhere. Whether you’re running errands, hitting up the library, or heading to the park for some fresh air while you work, this Chromebook is your new go-to.
With an 11.6-inch HD display and 4GB of RAM, you’ll get the performance you need for everyday tasks like streaming, video calls, and document editing. Plus, the Intel Celeron processor and 16GB of storage (expandable via Google Drive) keep things running smoothly, whether you’re multitasking or simply browsing the web.
What really makes it stand out? Its durability. Built to handle bumps and scrapes, it’s perfect for a fast-paced lifestyle. And with up to 10 hours of battery life, you’ll get through a full day without constantly searching for an outlet. It's been given an "A" refurbished grade, which indicates that it has minimal to zero scuffs or dents, and has been certified and tested to function as if it's brand-new.
For a limited time, take advantage of this low price on a refurbished 2019 Lenovo 11.6-inch Chromebook on sale for $59.99.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo 11.6" 100e Chromebook 2nd Gen (2019) 1.1GHz Celeron 4020 4GB RAM 16GB eMMC (Refurbished) $59.99TL;DR: Get lifetime access to the Calmind Premium Master Plan for $49.99 (reg. $299) and turn your app into a relaxation hub.
Between work and personal responsibilities, finding time to relax and reset can be tough. But what if your phone could be your secret weapon for stress relief, deep relaxation, and mental clarity? Calmind was designed to be your gateway to improved mental well-being.
For just $49.99 (reg. $299), you can access lifetime benefits to a unique app that transforms your phone into a tool for focus, meditation, and better sleep — all using light.
Calmind introduces the innovative Flickering Light Stimulation (FLS) technology, which uses your phone’s flashlight to create relaxing closed-eye visuals. This scientifically backed method syncs your brainwaves to help you relax, focus, and meditate more deeply. Whether you’re looking to unwind after a long day or boost your focus during work, Calmind makes it easy to enter a calm state via your phone’s light.
With over 500 sessions across eight FLS programs, Calmind offers a personalized approach to wellness. Whether you need help with better sleep, stress relief, migraine relief, or mental clarity, there’s a session for you. And the best part? You get lifetime access to these programs, so you can enjoy ongoing wellness without any additional costs.
Calmind's Safeplace Journal allows you to capture moments of gratitude, positivity, and reflection to help you elevate your emotional well-being. Pair this with the calming breathing exercises for an all-in-one mental health boost whenever you need it.
Check it out for yourself and see if it can help you create the type of life you've always wanted.
A lifetime subscription to the Calmind Premium Master Plan is on sale for just $49.99 (reg. $299) for a limited time.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window Credit: Brainmedia Calmind Premium Master Plan: Lifetime Subscription $49.99TL;DR: Bypass online restrictions and unblock Pornhub with a VPN. The best service for accessing blocked porn sites is ExpressVPN.
In case anyone is keeping track, Pornhub is now blocked in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Utah. And Florida could be joining that list soon.
Don't take your access to Pornhub for granted. The popular site has been blocking a lot of users this year, which is annoying for anyone simply looking to access their favorite site at an appropriate moment.
Fortunately, online restrictions like this can be bypassed with a simple hack. If you want to unblock sites like Pornhub for free from anywhere in the world, we have the information you need.
How to unblock Pornhub for freeVPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure server in another location. This simple process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world. Unblock Pornhub by following this quick and easy process:
Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub
Watch Pornhub videos from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to your favourite sites.
If you want to retain permanent access to free porn sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing online restrictions is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for Pornhub?ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
Fast streaming speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Unblock Pornhub for free with ExpressVPN.
We hate to break it to you, but the online world is full of restrictions, surveillance, hackers, and advertisements. You might think that you can navigate this world freely, but unless you're using a VPN, you're wrong.
VPNs are clever security tools that encrypt all of your internet traffic. This means that all of your online activity is hidden and your data is protected. The best VPNs also offer a wide range of advanced security features like ad blocking, malware defence, and much more. Cybersecurity is obviously absolutely vital these days, but there's another reason that these services are getting more and more popular, and it concerns streaming.
VPNs hide your real IP address, which means you can bypass online restrictions to access more of the content you love. Whether you want to stream films, shows, or sports, VPNs can unblock leading sites from around the world, significantly boosting your content options. This is particularly useful if you follow a sport or team from another country, because you can use a VPN to watch live games without relying on a seriously dodgy stream with adverts, viruses, and other nasty online threats.
What makes a VPN good for streaming sport?We know that the world of VPNs can be a complicated place, so we've researched everything you need to know about these services. We've done all of the hard work for you and highlighted a selection of features that matter when it comes to streaming sport:
Bandwidth — There are some cheap services that only let you download a certain amount of data per month. These should be avoided at all costs, because it simply isn't possible to stream with a limit on your bandwidth. Instead, you should opt for a VPN with unlimited bandwidth, so you can stream and download as much sport as you want.
Connection speed — Every VPN is going to cause a drop in connection speed, but it shouldn't result in lag or buffering. This interference completely ruins a streaming session, so you should make sure you select a VPN with consistently strong connection speeds.
Number of connections — Some VPNs let you connect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously with the same account, so everyone can securely watch the NFL at the same time. Most of the best services let you connect at least five devices simultaneously, which is still great for large households or people with multiple devices.
Server network — The best VPNs provide access to thousands of servers located all around the world. It's important to pick a VPN with a large and diverse selection of servers so that you can always find a reliable and speedy connection to the NFL Game Pass.
Take all of this into consideration when selecting a VPN for streaming the NFL. Weigh up these features against your own set of personal priorities, and then you should have a much clearer idea about what really matters to you.
Should you use free VPNs?We have some good news for you: There are plenty of free VPNs on offer that provide users with a decent set of features. There is a catch though, and it's that these free VPNs always come with limits on data, server network, and connection speed. There are free trials available that don't have limitations, but these don't tend to last very long. What we're saying is that if you want to stream sport freely, we really wouldn't recommend a free VPN (unless you're using a free trial for one game).
Fortunately, there are a lot of great deals available on the leading services, especially if you're willing to commit to a particular provider. The cheapest monthly rates are reserved for the longest contracts, so if you find a VPN that works for you, it might be worth making a big commitment.
If you want something that lets you stream without constant interruptions, whilst providing you with advanced online protection for your data and identity, you're going to have to pay. That doesn't mean it needs to be expensive though. Be patient, because new deals drop all the time. It's all about taking your time and picking your moment to invest.
What is the best VPN for watching the NFL?There are plenty of VPNs out there that claim to be great for streaming sport, but only a small selection of services provide everything you need and more. We have checked out everything on offer and matched up providers against the most important features for streaming, and highlighted the best VPNs for the NFL.
There should be something for everyone and every budget on this list, with popular providers like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN making the cut. All you need to do is consider everything on this list, and pick something that works for you.
These are the best VPNs for watching the NFL in 2024.
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hintPertains to hearing.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 2, 2024 Hurdle Word 1 answerAURAL
Hurdle Word 2 hintOpposite of glossy.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for October 2 Hurdle Word 2 AnswerMATTE
Hurdle Word 3 hintA person distinctly lacking in intelligence and common sense.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 2 Hurdle Word 3 answerMORON
Hurdle Word 4 hintPeople do this with havoc a lot.
SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for October 2 Hurdle Word 4 answerWREAK
Final Hurdle hintAn old-timey way of saying someone has initiative and nerve.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answerMOXIE
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
The Daily Mini Crossword is one of the many popular daily word games available on Mashable. Powered by Arkadium, the mini crossword offers a speed round of puzzle fun with clues that are sure to challenge experienced crossword enthusiasts.
But there's no need to let the challenge get in the way of your enjoyment! If moments are turning to minutes after getting stuck on a clue, find the answers you need to progress right here.
And when you're done, check out the many other word games you can play on Mashable, including a full-size crossword.
Also, if you get stuck on any other daily word games, such as Wordle, Connections, or Strands — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 2 SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableHere are the clues and answers to Daily Mini Crossword for Wednesday, October 2, 2024:
AcrossPhysique, in gym lingoThe answer is Bod.
The answer is Dearest.
The answer is Railcar.
The answer is AtLarge.
The answer is Weenies.
The answer is Snyders.
The answer is Sod.
The answer is Baileys.
The answer is Orlando.
The answer is Decried.
The answer is Draws.
The answer is Eaten.
The answer is Sager.
The answer is Tress.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of GamesAre you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableHere are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, October 2, 2024:
AcrossNoodle soup that's the national dish of VietnamThe answer is Pho.
The answer is Flaky.
The answer is Eerie.
The answer is Wasnt.
The answer is Thai.
The answer is Pleat.
The answer is Harsh.
The answer is Okina.
The answer is Few.
The answer is Yeti.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of GamesAre you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.
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