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2024 is proving a sensational year for the revival of the music biopic. Sure, it started off weak with the bog-standard One Love and the infuriating Back to Black. But summer brought the brazen rebellion of Kneecap, which played like an early Guy Ritchie crime romp. And the Toronto International Film Festival brought the wowing double act of Better Man, which reimagines British pop star Robbie Williams as a literal dancing monkey, and Piece by Piece, in which American rapper/songwriter/producer/fashion designer Pharrell Williams spins his life story into a Lego movie.
Even when the stories hit familiar beats of a rags-to-riches arc, both of these remarkable reinventions make their material stand out through style. But where Better Man embraces a warts-and-all approach, Pharrell Williams — with the collaboration of heralded documentarian Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won't You Be My Neighbor?) delivers an inspirational animated biopic for all ages.
SEE ALSO: 42 movies you'll want to see this fallGlossing over the low points of Williams' journey earned the film mixed reviews out of its debut at Telluride Film Festival. But the more I mulled over what this movie does offer, the more I was won over by its playful, glossy approach.
Piece By Piece turns America's biggest hip-hop stars into mini-figs. Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani in "Piece by Piece." Credit: Courtesy of Focus FeaturesTo find the arc of Williams' story, Neville interviewed the multi-hyphenate star, his wife Helen Lasichanh, and a dazzling array of collaborators and colleagues, including Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, The Neptunes' Chad Hugo, Gwen Stefani, and many more. In an interview with Mashable, Williams revealed many of these interviewees had no idea their contribution would be filtered through a Lego lens, and only discovered they'd been transformed into mini-figs when the first trailer hit.
Neville's visual translation of these interviews includes amusing flourishes, like turning Snoop Dog into a Lego Doberman, and making metaphors about bakeries literal, with Lego Pharrell selling sweet treats the way he sold hit beats. In one instance, the idea of blowing one's mind with a sick bit of music is illustrated by having a smiling mini-fig’s head pop right off its base in amazement. These choices bring a playfulness into the film that not only is sure to delight fans of The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie, but also reflects the tone of Williams' hits, like "Happy" and "Get Lucky."
More than this however, by turning himself into a plaything, Piece by Piece gives Williams a creative distance to reflect on his own life as if it is one of his many media projects. Through warm narration, he opens up about his childhood in the Atlantis Apartments in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The colorful blocks not only reconstruct his humble home but also a more fantastical version of Atlantis, where an Afro-wearing baby Pharrell swims about with a giant goldfish as Poseidon looks on. This charming spectacle showcases Pharrell's imagination manifesting big, surreal scenarios, which becomes a recurring theme — down to dreaming up a Lego music biopic.
Piece by Piece is a Little Engine That Could tale that kids will relish. Credit: Courtesy of Focus FeaturesAfter this whimsical dip into brick-made oceans, Williams admits he was considered an oddball by others, confessing, "It broke my spirit." But weird kids out there (or the weird adults they became) might find solace as little Pharrell finds his crew, each of whom also revels in making music. From there, Piece by Piece becomes a story of succeeding by staying true to yourself and putting in the work to build your dream, brick by brick. Along the way, Neville laces various hits that Pharrell has contributed to, from "Hot in Herre" and "Shake Ya Ass" to "Hollaback Girl" and "Blurred Lines." (Parents, don't fret. Some of the racier lyrics have been delicately plucked out.)
While it's initially fun to indulge in the nostalgia as Neville recreates iconic music videos with mini-figs, this device begins to get old as the story of his rise makes for a lot of name- and track-dropping. Pardon the pun, but things get a bit one-note. Then when it comes to a low point — a necessity for any biopic or story for that matter — Williams pulls back.
Piece by Piece can't commit to its big swing. Credit: Courtesy of Focus FeaturesRosy memories of childhood troubles is one thing, but sharing why his career took a dip is a Lego bridge too far. Instead of probing questions, Neville paves a path with platitudes about how his subject's greatest weakness is he has too many ideas. Colleagues speak vaguely about some business missteps or shameless yes-men who gave Williams bad advice, and these unnamed negative influences are imagined as a trio of gray-skinned ghouls wearing smiles and business suits.
Here the film suffers. Even with the mask of the mini-fig, Williams can't let his audience into the dark moments. (On the other hand, this is where Better Man positively thrives.) Swiftly, Williams has reconnected with his pure inspiration, and the third act becomes a rousing celebration of song, dance, and Lego bits humorous and heartfelt. But this fumbled beat undercuts the movie's message. Being true to yourself isn't a one-time battle; it's ongoing. But with a community — like the mini-fig friends and family in Piece by Piece — one might get their block knocked off and still rebuild.
Even with help from an on-screen avatar, can Williams not admit the ugly truths of his own story? Or did he and Neville fear self-doubt in anything but the briefest mention might bring down the joy of their movie? To that, I'd point to the other Lego movies, where the Lego universe and Lego Gotham are brought to the brink of utter destruction without us losing faith in their mini-fig heroes. Heck, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part even made the dark side of its happy hero the mini-fig villain!
This wobble aside, Piece by Piece is a winsome reinvention of the music biopic. Animation is enthusiastically employed to bring the audience into the experience of being Pharrell Williams. The colorful blocks not only allow the construction of musical beats to become a physical act rather than an abstract idea, but also give a Ratatouille-like understanding of how this art form affects its hero. His synesthesia is showcased in waves of color as the beat bounces.
While this colorful concept means Piece by Piece can be a hit with kids, it's easy to wish the movie dared to delve a bit more into the problems of being a grown-up. But all in all, Piece by Piece is a delight that could well have audiences dancing in the aisles.
Piece by Piece was reviewed out of its International Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will hit theaters Oct. 11.
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The race in artificial intelligence has many lanes, with chatbots being among the most recognizable. However, experts have found these familiar AI models often have significant flaws, including biases. One pervasive issue is racial bias, where AI systems struggle to address questions related to communities of color accurately. Enter ChatBlackGPT, a culturally informed chatbot designed to challenge and address AI bias.
Launched on June 19, widely known as Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S., ChatBlackGPT aims to create a more inclusive AI experience.
SEE ALSO: The ultimate AI glossary to help you navigate our changing worldNearly three months after launching the culturally inclusive chatbot, CEO and founder Erin Reddick, 30, spoke with Mashable about the platform and her journey in the tech world.
Mashable: What is ChatBlackGPT?Erin Reddick: ChatBlackGPT is a culturally informed AI. It's [a] generative AI that's rooted in the acknowledgment of social, economic, and systemic racism — and the diaspora of Black and brown people in America. It's an opportunity for people of color to have relatable conversations with AI.
What was your experience with AI and tech prior to founding ChatBlackGPT?[It's been] all together, about five years. Between Amazon, Microsoft, and AWS...it's been an amazing journey. It's always been inspiring to work around the most brilliant people out there, and it's true that it can be quite isolating. You need to have thick skin and know who you are to succeed in the space. But it's built me into the person I am today, who can own their own narrative in the technology space and feel confident doing so.
Why did you decide to make ChatBlackGPT, and how did you go about creating it?I always like to say one word: racism. Honestly. Because if it didn't exist, there wouldn't be a need for what I do, and it wouldn't be celebrated and appreciated the way that it is.
For example, if you ask prominent leaders today how they feel about the technology, a lot of them say that it's low risk. But it's not low risk, in reality, for Black and brown people because the biases that persist are affecting our daily lives, inside and outside of the work environment. It is a high-risk technology for us, and I want to build something so that we don't get stuck waiting for a policy to force companies to mitigate risk and have to suffer in the meantime.
Can you unpack the role of bias in AI?Bias is everywhere, and it's impossible to fully be rid of it. If you were to ask a usual chatbot, and I have, "What is a Black job?" It answered that it was under-the-table work, drug trafficking un-taxed, with no benefits. But when you ask, "What is a white job?" It says, usually educated, insured, legal, tax-paying. While that might not outwardly appear as a bias, what it does is, it reaffirms a bias that a lot of people who hold racist or superiority complexes, and views — it confirms their bias against Black people. It is offensive because we are Black people who work any job that there is, not just the jobs that AI describes.
What is "responsible AI?"I would describe it as having a clean diverse data set. Something that helps mitigate risk or is responsible in the way that it functions without hurting people, and is fair and doesn't produce the ability to be destructive.
It is developed with red teaming and bad actors in mind so that you can make sure that people who are going to take advantage of it in a negative way aren't able to. Building it responsibly to have an inclusive design. Using it responsibly is, first of all, not taking it at face value and trusting it right away. Also, make sure that you check what you're looking at, and then do not put your personal information into these systems just to understand how powerful it is, and also ask, "How many shortcomings can it have?"
How has ChatBlackGPT performed since its launch on Juneteenth?It's done great. We have our beta on Open AI's Customizable store, and we've gone from 1,000 users to 5,000 since the launch. We have a 4.6 rating, which I think is great for having no customizable proprietary data within. Our standalone app is also doing well — we have about 2,000 people who have access to the tool, and we are currently developing it with proprietary information, working with historians and other experts to make sure that it reflects correctly in our society today and in a useful way.
What are the benefits of having a personalized AI experience, or at least one more specific to one's culture?When people learn about a culture, it's really important that it's not diluted and told from the perspective of a fragile mindset or the erasure of the realities of true history in any culture. It's so important to respect that history lives on in how our systems play out, in how people are treated in society, and [shows] why things are the way that they are. Things like critical race theory exist for a reason.
So you can imagine that having an AI that acknowledges the state of today in relation with culture and history is really important. A lot of the feedback that I get is that people had in the past prompted AI over and over and over again to get a response that actually fit what they were looking for. Even if they were just generating content for diverse audiences, like diversity doesn't just mean LGBTQ, and deaf [people], or something like that. It also just means that when I'm looking to create advertising on this hair product, it understands porosities and curl patterns, and all of that relevant [information] being automatically built into an AI creates psychological safety within the technology.
How is ChatBlackGPT different from other culturally sensitive or aware AI products?Firstly, there aren't very many out there. But what makes us different is that we're not just focused on the history being told. We're also capturing the current-day, modern, Black history so that we aren't leaving it up to God knows who to write a book and rewrite history. However, we're looking to solidify history now with our voices to influence policy, influence risk, mitigation and the degradation of Black and brown people in AI.
We also want to ensure that it represents the community [with a] true, inclusive design. We don't just have a bunch of people working in the background that you never meet, and you never see unless they're stealthy. But we actually invite people to contribute, and they can see themselves reflected in what we're doing.
Why did you choose to name your product ChatBlackGPT?It's like chatting with a group of black people instead of the Eurocentric, typical GPT that you run into most commonly. It's obvious what it is, and nobody gets confused.
When did the idea for ChatBlackGPT come about and how has it evolved since launch?The idea came about after I got laid off; I was looking to take charge of my relationship with technology. I really wanted not to let whether or not I had a job at a big fancy tech company determine whether or not I was a Black woman in tech. So, I reclaimed my identity by studying AI and placing myself around some of the best people who are experts in it.
But before that I had just done my regular research and noticed a lot of articles popping up about AI erasing Black history. Then I delved into the fact that AI has been in a lot of products and producing and creating a lot of harm for the Black community for a long time, and that was so saddening for me. And then the third part that got me into it was Black people, realizing how bad it's been, and how bad it is. So I wrote a really strong algorithm that reflects and is able to produce answers with the relevant context for our community.
Why did you think it was important to focus solely on the Black community versus, more broadly, communities of color?Because I'm a subject matter expert. That's the only lived experience that I can personally validate, and in order to test a product, I think you need experts dedicated to doing that. So for me, that is what I felt most confident I could make the most impact doing. We are expanding to other cultures and looking to involve different communities and culture consensus committees to build that representation out for as many cultures as possible.
How do you train this AI for ChatBlackGPT?You can't claim to represent a community you don't talk to.
Do you have any partnerships for ChatBlackGPT?We partner with anybody willing to learn more about why this work is important. For example, 11 Labs is sponsoring our AI voiceover content. I am a responsible AI lecturer at the University of Washington, as well as Emerson.
Why is it important to partner with HBCUs? And what do those partnerships consist of?I'm currently scheduled to speak at the White House National HBCU conference. And we're looking to get interns who are hopefully sponsored to come in and help us develop this product. I would love for them to produce a white paper just on the experience, and how they can use it on their resume is endless. They can use it to get into jobs or work in AI. But [I want] to give people a chance to contribute to something that they can't easily get their hands on but can see the effects of their contribution immediately.
What are some of the next steps for ChatBlackGPT?We're continuing to have in-person activations where we can listen to the community and make sure that our voices are heard. We'll continue showing up at different conferences and spreading the word as well as working to make sure the product can stay in the hands of people that need it.
Is there anything else you want to add?People should try it! ChatBlackGPT beta is available on the Open AI customizable store, you just search GPTs and then our tool is ChatBlackGPT.ai. So you can use both, but the point is that it's made for us — and it's by us. I want them to use it to their advantage and enjoy it.
Jay Buckey flew to space as a NASA astronaut in 1998. Decades later, he watched one of his experiments leave Earth on a SpaceX rocket.
The space company's Polaris Dawn endeavor — a private venture funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman — is a five-day mission around Earth featuring an ambitious attempt at a spacewalk. The mission also carries dozens of science experiments, including one designed by Buckey, today a professor of medicine and director of Dartmouth College's Space Medicine Innovations Lab, and Mimi Lan, a Dartmouth PhD candidate and engineer.
Specifically, it's a device to collect the SpaceX travelers' urine. It's part of the scientists' aim to track bone loss in astronauts — particularly in future deep space journeys — and to monitor whether a space traveler is at risk for developing kidney stones. That's because, in space, calcium leaves our bones, enters the bloodstream, and exits in the urine.
"If you remove gravity, the bone starts to break down," Buckey told Mashable after the mission successfully launched on Sept. 10.
SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.Buckey and Lan want to prove that the "first morning void" — the first pee in the morning and usually the most concentrated one of the day — can reliably track bone loss and show if astronauts are at a higher risk for developing kidney stones. (Kidney stones are created when substances like calcium become too concentrated in urine.) If this were to happen in en route to, say Mars, an alerted astronaut could start drinking plenty more water, or if needed, take medication. No one wants to pass a kidney stone ever; particularly in a tiny space capsule.
"If you remove gravity, the bone starts to break down."The SpaceX passengers will use the device similar to the one shown below, held by Lan, to collect their concentrated first morning urine. In outer space, urinary calcium goes up briskly, so the researchers suspect that just one a.m. void on this condensed mission will be enough to show they can reliably capture a usable sample. For this experiment, the samples won't be analyzed in space, but will be taken to a lab on Earth. (For comparison, the SpaceX passengers provided urine samples before launch.)
Mimi Lan holding a urine collection device, similar to the one aboard SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission. Credit: David Haley / Dartmouth College Tweet may have been deletedNASA is intensively investigating bone loss in astronauts, and how to prevent it — so such a tracking device could be hugely relevant as the agency endeavors to build a lunar-orbiting space station and send people to deeper space.
"For every month in space, astronauts’ weight-bearing bones become roughly 1 percent less dense if they don’t take precautions to counter this loss," the agency explains. "Much research focuses on determining the right combination of diet, exercise, and medication to keep astronauts healthy during missions and when they return to Earth or set foot on the Moon or Mars."
ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Alexander Gerst exercising on the space station to combat loss of bone density and muscle. Credit: NASAWhile orbiting the moon, or on a long voyage to Mars or an asteroid, Buckey envisions an astronaut collecting their first morning void for three days in a row every couple weeks or so. That seems like an achievable option in cramped quarters, amid days filled with spacecraft operations, attempting to exercise, run experiments, and survive. Many of the next expeditions to the moon and Mars won't be aboard a spacious space shuttle (which was large enough to carry eight astronauts).
"The future is smaller flights in small capsules," Buckey said.
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The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableHere are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Thursday, September 12, 2024:
AcrossHair with mascara on itThe answer is Lash.
The answer is Ennui.
The answer is Agent.
The answer is Seeks.
The answer is Errs.
The answer is Lease.
The answer is Anger.
The answer is Sneer.
The answer is Hunks.
The answer is Its.
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.
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.
Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableBy providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for September 12 SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for September 11 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: This could be right up your alleyThese words are as much about the journey as the destination.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThe answers all relate to types of paths.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Thoroughfare.
Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for September 12Lane
Street
Road
Avenue
Highway
Boulevard
Thoroughfare
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.
If you’ve spent any time on Instagram lately, you’ve probably heard of gua sha. The traditional Chinese practice, which involves using a tool to scrape across the skin to treat various illnesses or pain, has exploded in popularity over the past few years with celebrities, influencers, and skincare fans raving about the beauty benefits. As countless gua sha tools have emerged claiming to deliver incredible results, it can be hard to tell which tools are worth the investment versus those that are jumping on the beauty bandwagon.
SEE ALSO: Slugging, gua sha, rice water, and more: How stolen cultural beauty practices feed viral videosEnter the ProSculpt Gua Sha by YouthLab. Marketed as a “next generation” tool, this device pairs the form factor of traditional gua sha with added heat, vibration, and red light therapy, making it the ultimate all-in-one beauty tool for those looking to make the most out of their gua sha practice. But is it actually effective?
First impressions of the ProSculpt Gua ShaStraight out of the box, I wasn’t super impressed with the ProSculpt Gua Sha. The lightweight device features a plastic casing, with a removable lid over the stainless steel massage tool. With a single button to toggle between four different settings and a covered USB charging port, it’s shaped like many of the stone or metal gua sha tools available today, but the light plastic exterior makes it feel a little cheap.
This probably isn't something you want to display prominently on your vanity. Credit: RJ Andersen / MashableThe device itself is easy to use — just press the power button, and it comes roaring to life in the vibration and red light mode, and it’s a simple click to toggle between the other three modes: heat and red light; heat and vibration; and heat, vibration, and red light. I tried each of the different modes, but I mostly stuck with the last one since it was so different from my trusty rose quartz gua sha tool, and I wanted to see if the added features would be worth the upgrade.
From there, the device works like any other gua sha tool. I followed the brief instructions in the manual, applying my favorite facial oil to my skin before starting the process, and gently scraping the device across my face, neck, and jawline with light to medium pressure.
What I liked about it: Heat and battery lifeFirst, I was surprised by how much I liked the added heat benefit of the gua sha tool. It took a few seconds to warm up, but it felt amazing on my skin — especially after a long day. One of my favorite ways to use the tool was to massage the area between my eyebrows, where I tend to carry a lot of facial tension, and the heat made the massage feel even better.
The heated massage did feel nice — until it got too hot. Credit: RJ Andersen / MashableThe device also held its charge pretty well, so I didn’t need to charge it very often. Plus, I liked having the little plastic lid so I could store it without worrying about getting it dirty. Unfortunately, what I liked about the device pretty much stopped there.
What I didn’t like: Poor design and questionable benefitsThere are countless skincare devices on the market claiming to different technologies to boost your skin’s health and appearance, and — while some are effective — others feel more like gimmicks. And, as much as I liked the added heat provided by the ProSculpt Gua Sha, it fell into the latter category for me.
The longer I used the tool, the hotter the device got — uncomfortably so — until I was worried it might damage my skin. The vibration feature which claims to use 8,000 rpm micro-vibrations to “shake up sluggish skin cells”, didn’t really feel good or bad — nor did I feel like it was doing anything. And, while red light therapy is certainly a popular skincare technique that boasts potential benefits like treating wrinkles, acne, scarring, and more, the built-in red light was incredibly dim. It also sat behind the metal plate, pointing outward more than downward, so the light was further away and didn’t really feel like it was penetrating my skin.
Plus, the device was incredibly hard to keep clean. Because I was using facial oil to help the device glide over my skin, the oil ended up all over the device — not just the metal massage plate — and it ended up sticky and covered in grime even after wiping it clean.
Is the ProSculpt Gua Sha worth it?Honestly, this device is a hard pass for me. I love gua sha, and I think it’s an incredibly effective technique — in the past, it’s helped depuff my face, reduce facial tension, and improve my skin’s overall appearance — but those benefits happened with just a simple rose quartz gua sha. And if I want the benefits of red light therapy, I'll reach for my Solawave wand over this tool.
Yes, technically, the ProSculpt Gua Sha “worked” when it comes to the benefits of gua sha. My face was less puffy, my neck and facial tension were reduced, and it was a great way to relax at the end of the day…but it didn’t feel much different from a traditional gua sha tool. The heat felt nice, but none of the other features felt like they did anything. I didn’t notice any improvements that were better than any other gua sha tool, so it didn’t feel worth the $45 price tag.
YouthLab ProSculpt Gua Sha $39.99 at AmazonSpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission finally launched on Tuesday, after a series of delays pushed back its commencement date. Now the crew of the private spaceflight are scheduled to take the first ever commercial spacewalk — and the entire thing will be livestreamed so we can watch it here from Earth.
Launched via a Falcon 9 rocket on Sept. 10, the Crew Dragon Resilience reached its highest point of around 1,400km (870 miles) above Earth on the second day of its five-day mission. Today's spacewalk will take place a little closer to home though, with crewmembers scheduled to attempt the world's first all-civilian spacewalk on day three at approximately 700km (435 miles) up.
SEE ALSO: Japanese billionaire cancels private SpaceX moon mission, crew devastated How to watch SpaceX's Polaris Dawn spacewalkIf all goes to plan, two members of Polaris Dawn's all-civilian crew will attempt the first commercial spacewalk on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 5:58 a.m. EDT / 2:58 a.m. PDT. The livestream will begin approximately one hour prior to this at 4:55 a.m. EDT / 1:55 a.m. PDT.
You'll be able to watch the spacewalk on the SpaceX website, SpaceX's X account, and on the recently launched X TV app if you actually installed it. Space.com will also host a livestream on YouTube (embedded below).
If all doesn't go to plan and today's spacewalk is cancelled, Polaris Dawn's crew will try again tomorrow.
What are the objectives of Polaris Dawn's spacewalk? Credit: SpaceXThough the thrill of being in space is undoubtedly enough for Polaris Dawn's crew, today's spacewalk does have a purpose. Polaris Dawn's spacewalk will be the first outing of SpaceX's Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suit, with the civilian crew putting it to the test.
Unveiled this May, the EVA suits build on the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suits previously worn by those aboard Crew Dragon spaceflights. The EVA's 3D-printed helmet includes an updated visor designed to reduce glare, as well as a new heads-up display and camera. This can show wearers information on their suit's pressure, temperature, and relative humidity.
"Developed with mobility in mind, SpaceX teams incorporated new materials, fabrication processes, and novel joint designs to provide greater flexibility to astronauts in pressurized scenarios while retaining comfort for unpressurized scenarios," SpaceX wrote in May. "The suit also incorporates enhancements for reliability and redundancy during a spacewalk, adding seals and pressure valves to help ensure the suit remains pressurized and the crew remains safe."
The EVA's design is also intended to be scalable in order to allow people of different sizes and body types to venture into space. According to SpaceX, this is a step toward creating thousands of spacesuits to establish "a base on the Moon and a city on Mars."
Tweet may have been deletedToday's civilian spacewalk is just one of several mission objectives for Polaris Dawn. Yesterday the Resilience's 1,400km apogee achieved Polaris Dawn's goal of reaching the highest Earth orbit since the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Apollo program. Polaris Dawn's crew also intends to conduct 36 studies and experiments, researching human health as well as testing Starlink's laser-based communications in space.
Who is on Polaris Dawn's spacewalk? The crew of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission. From left to right: Mission Commander Jared Isaacman, Mission Pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Credit: SpaceXPolaris Dawn has a crew of four, led by Mission Commander Jared Isaacman. The billionaire CEO of payment processing company Shift4, Isaacman was previously commander of SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission, the world's first all-civilian spaceflight.
Accompanying Isaacman is Mission Pilot and retired U.S. Air Force member Scott "Kidd" Poteet. SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon are also on board as Mission Specialists, with the latter also serving as the mission's Medical Officer. Both Gillis and Menon are Lead Space Operations Engineers at SpaceX.
Not all of the Resilence's crew will exit the spacecraft during the spacewalk. Isaacman and Gillis are currently the only people scheduled to emerge from the Crew Dragon today, doing so one after the other rather than simultaneously. However, all four crew members will still don SpaceX's EVA suits and be exposed to the vacuum of space. This is because the Crew Dragon lacks an airlock, so opening it up to let Isaacman and Gillis out will require the entire spacecraft to be depressurised.
The spacewalk is scheduled to last for two hours, from the initial venting of the Resilience to its repressurisation. Isaacman and Gillis' actual external spacewalk is expected to last around 20 minutes per person.
Among the most polarizing of the movies shown at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival was The End, a two-and-a-half-hour musical about humanity's last days on Earth.
Far from the show-stopping spectacle of apocalyptic action movies like The Day After Tomorrow or even the razzmatazz of modern American movie musicals like The Greatest Showman, director Joshua Oppenheimer embeds his audience in a bizarre bunker a half-mile underground. There lives a wealthy industrialist family who has turned a blind eye to the dying world above them. That is, until a survivor finds her way to their doorstep. Will her unexpected arrival upset their delicate psychological equilibrium? You bet.
SEE ALSO: TIFF 2024 preview: 15 movies you ought to know aboutWhat follows is certainly not for everyone. Some critics I spoke with at TIFF complained that Oppenheimer's musical is indulgent in its runtime, ugly in its relentless blue-gray palette, and even infuriating in its plotting. Others see the length, the dismal colors, and that frustrating plot to be precisely the point, and embrace it as such. I am in the latter camp, finding this mournful and fanciful musical utterly captivating, jarringly funny, and savagely profound.
The End is doomsday prepping by way of Downton Abbey.Forget what you think you know about bunkers. Deep, deep underground this family — whose names are never uttered — has built something not metal and cold but very old-money. Housed within a cavernous salt mine with spiraling walls and noisy ventilation systems lies their home away from apocalypse. It contains crown molding, classic works of art in gilded frames, a wood-paneled library, a grand dining room, a complicated model train set-up, an inexplicably endless food supply, and above all, pristine order down to the paper-flower bouquets arranged in delicate vases.
Here, a 25-year-old man born in the bunker (George MacKay) has only ever known his doting mother (Tilda Swinton), his chummy father (Michael Shanon), their devoted butler (Tim McInnerny), a cheeky chef (Bronagh Gallagher), and a dour doctor (Lennie James). And despite possibly being the last people on Earth, they seem happy enough, singing songs of gratitude for their circumstances. Well, when they're not conducting dramatic emergency drills, that is. (You can never be too careful.)
Featured Video For You Why 'Problemista' star Tilda Swinton will never do SNLThe absurdity of their profound privilege is made all the clearer when an above-ground survivor (Moses Ingram) stumbles upon them. Understandably, she is utterly bewildered by all they possess while people on the surface scrape and starve. The political commentary only gets more overt as this young Black woman hears the selective history the white son's been taught, like how the oil industry that made its fortune definitely didn't contribute to the climate crisis that forced the family underground as they left everyone else to burn! With a cocked eyebrow and a patient tone, she not only pushes back on this propaganda but also brings a dry humor to the household.
The End offers a bleak view with winsome song and dance.While the son is in awe of the stranger, who speaks openly about her own regrets and urges the others to do the same, a raw tension emerges between her and the mother, who would rather the family's skeletons stay neatly tucked away in the closet, thank you very much. Anxieties rise as a romance blooms between the son and the stranger. Happily for us, this leads to a charming duet and a dance number where salt is kicked about the mines, which sit cold and unimpressed by the pair's passion. Such energy surrounded by the towering, uncaring setting echoes West Side Story. But with nowhere to escape but a dying world above, where can this story go?
Oppenheimer and co-writer Rasmus Heisterberg mire the audience in the push-and-pull between the mother's strategic repression and the stranger's emotional outbursts. Reflecting her character's emotional strain, Swinton sings in a shrill falsetto, as if her mother might crack at any moment. MacKay has a Broadway-bright performance style, while Ingram delivers soulful ballads of loss and hope. Shannon and McInnerny join in with vaguely vaudevillian numbers of tap and banter, but the jocularity of this bit is undercut by the father cruelly reminding his butler buddy of his rank.
'The End' traps us in a ruthless loop, where its core family risks change or growth, only to deny it.Trapped in this beautiful bunker under unblinking blue light, they are all specimens trapped under glass. Here are the last people on Earth, preserved but without purpose, objects in a museum of their own making. Still, there are moments where it seems these characters might just break out — not of the bunker but from the pretty molds they've built to survive in the guise of civility. A brutal verbal battle in the parents' bathroom gives Shannon's signature intensity a place to explode. Swinton's eyes, bright and on the brink of tears, show the deep hurt hiding behind this mother's practiced smile. MacKay, with a frantic enthusiasm that trembles into nerve-rattling, seems often on the brink of breaking this cycle of deranged self-mythologizing. But then Oppenheimer will quick-cut to some time later, when the drama has passed and routine has reasserted itself. The tension is bled out, and we bleed with it.
The End traps us in a ruthless loop, where its core family risks change or growth, only to deny it. Both those who liked and loathed the film agree this cycle makes for a very frustrating viewing experience. But this feels intentional. As he did in his two Oscar–nominated documentaries, The Look of Silence and The Act of Killing, Oppenheimer is itching his way under our skin with incredible artistry to expose the revolting reality of human capabilities — not just what horrors we can do to each other, but also what we can ignore to maintain even a fragile sense of civility.
In The End, even as the director presents us with people who have done horrible things, Oppenheimer doesn't lose empathy for them. While their lies are abundant, this incredible cast makes their pain feel real, so even in spite of our vexations or political opinions, you might well ache for the mother who fears she's losing her son. And yet — as absurd as this sounds — the most devastating line in the whole movie is about cake. Literal cake.
Defying expectations of genre, both musical and apocalypse narrative, The End is a challenge thrown down to audiences. The songs and dances are not glistening perfection, but occasionally clunky or tinny. But this works because each instance is a reflection of that character, and where they fall short of their projection of perfection and happiness. The suffocatingly dull colors bleach the rosiness out of flushed cheeks, making everything feel vaguely dead, or maybe even embalmed. The film's plot leads to a place that is well earned and yet hard to bear. Yet it's thrilling to see a musical take so many risks, especially when movie studios seem afraid to even promote that a movie is a musical. (See trailers for Mean Girls, Wonka, and Wicked, all of which hide the actual singing.) Frankly, it was refreshing to be this surprised and emotionally wrecked by a new musical.
All in all, The End is a gutsy film that is thrillingly unnerving, raw, and original.
The End was reviewed out of its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. It opens in limited release Dec. 6.
TL;DR: Secure lifetime licenses to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 and Windows 11 Pro for £42.16 until Sept. 29 and avoid subscription hassles.
Owning lifetime licenses for essential software can provide peace of mind and security knowing it's yours and it's not going anywhere. This bundle of Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro gives you control and efficiency without the obnoxious recurring costs of subscriptions. This month, you can get this useful combo on sale for £42.16 (reg. £335.91).
Microsoft Office Professional 2021 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, and Access, providing you with everything you need to complete personal and professional tasks. With its ribbon-based interface, you can create documents and presentations with ease. This lifetime license means you won't be affected by service interruptions or subscription renewals, providing predictable budgeting and long-term cost savings.
Windows 11 Pro is tailored for modern professionals, offering a seamless interface and advanced security features like biometrics login, TPM 2.0, and Smart App Control. For content creators and gamers, DirectX 12 Ultimate delivers stunning graphics. The AI-powered Copilot is like your personal robot assistant, answering queries, summarising web pages, assisting with coding, and more.
This bundle not only offers significant cost savings compared to buying the software separately, but also grants you the freedom to use these powerful tools without restrictions imposed by subscription terms.
Take advantage of this deal so your digital workspace is always up-to-date and fully functional.
Until Sept. 29, you can get this bundle of lifetime licenses to Microsoft Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro on sale for £42.16.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle £42.16 at the Mashable ShopTL;DR: Live stream Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills for free with a 30-day trial of Prime Video. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The Miami Dolphins are taking on the Buffalo Bills in the next round of Thursday Night Football, and you can watch all the action without spending anything. That's great news for fans, because this matchup could go either way. Both sides won their first game of the new season, and will be looking to build some momentum with a midweek victory.
If you're interested in watching Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills for free, we have all the information you need.
When is Dolphins vs. Bills?Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills takes place at 8:15 p.m. ET on Sep 12. This fixture will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium.
How to watch Dolphins vs. Bills for freeMiami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills is available to live stream on Prime Video in the U.S., but you don't need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to watch this fixture. Instead, you can watch Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills (plus more Thursday Night Football fixtures) for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.
Fans from outside the U.S. will need to use a VPN to watch the NFL for free on Prime Video. This process is straightforward:
Sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial (if you're not already a member)
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly 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 the U.S.
Watch Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills for free from anywhere in the world on Prime Video
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but top VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these deals, you can access free live streams of the NFL without actually spending anything. It's a short-term solution, but this gives you enough time to watch select NFL fixtures before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for the NFL?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream the NFL, 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
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Fast connection speeds
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is currently available for $99.95. Within this limited time deal you'll get an extra three months at no additional cost, a whole year of unlimited cloud backup for free, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Dolphins vs. Bills for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Watch New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA for free with a 30-day trial of Prime Video. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The WNBA season continues and next up it's the New York Liberty taking on the Dallas Wings. The New York Liberty have already claimed their postseason spot, but sadly it's all over for the Dallas Wings who have been eliminated from playoff contention.
If you want to watch New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA for free from anywhere in the world, keep reading to find out how.
When is New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings?New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA starts at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 12. This fixture takes place at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
How to watch New York Liberty vs. Dallas WingsNew York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings is free to watch on Prime Video in the U.S. If you're not subscribed to this platform, don't worry, you can still watch this latest fixture for free with a 30-day trial of Prime Video in the U.S.
For fans not in the U.S., don't worry — to watch the WNBA, just use a VPN to stream for free on Prime Video. The process couldn't be easier, just follow the below steps:
Sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial (if you're not already a member)
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly 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 the U.S.
Watch New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings for free from anywhere in the world on Prime Video
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can watch the WNBA on Prime Video without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select WNBA games before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for Prime Video?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Prime Video, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the U.S.
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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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.
Stream New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA for free with ExpressVPN.
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for September 12's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.
Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 12 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Opposite a woodwind.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There is one letter that appears twice
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is...
BRASS.
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.
Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for September 12s Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 12 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Gonna come back to this
Green: In service of
Blue: Icons of the NBA
Purple: Maybe food, maybe the greek alphabet
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Mark Online for Later
Green: Behalf
Blue: NBA Legends, Familiarly
Purple: Ending with Greek Letters
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #459 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayMark Online for Later: BOOKMARK, FAVORITE, LIKE, SAVE
Behalf: ADVANTAGE, BENEFIT, INTEREST, SAKE
NBA Legends, Familiarly: BIRD, CURRY, KOBE, MAGIC
Ending with Greek Letters: BIOTA, FETA, MOCHI, PEPSI
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
Bluesky has launched the one major feature that was missing from the platform, keeping it from being a total replacement for Elon Musk's X for social media users.
On Wednesday, Bluesky announced that it has finally added native video to the site. Bluesky users can now upload videos directly to the platform to embed in their posts.
"Bluesky now has video!" the platform's official account posted. "Update your app to version 1.91 or refresh on desktop! We’ve begun gradually rolling out the ability to post video. Thanks for your patience!"
Bluesky now has video! Update your app to version 1.91 or refresh on desktop!
We’ve begun gradually rolling out the ability to post video. Thanks for your patience!
Estamos gradualmente implementando a capacidade de postar vídeos. Obrigado pela sua paciência!
[image or embed]
Bluesky had promised that the long-requested feature was on the way in an update last month. On Tuesday, the official Bluesky account warned users that they might see video posts show up on their feed as they tested native video and put the "final touches" on the feature.
Just one day later, Bluesky's video feature is now live across the platform for all users.
Bluesky's video feature detailsAs a brand new feature, there are some limitations to video uploads on Bluesky as further detailed in a post by the company.
According to Bluesky, each video can be up to 60 seconds long, and posts can only contain one video. Users can currently upload 25 videos or 10GB of video per day. Bluesky says it may tweak those limits in the future. Video uploads support .mp4, .mpeg, .webm, and .mov file types.
Bluesky says users can add subtitles to their videos as well as labels, such as ones that denote adult content. Videos will also auto-play by default, although Bluesky says auto-play can be turned off in Settings.
Users will be required to verify their email address before uploading videos if they haven't already. The platform also shared content moderation details and noted that each video will be scanned for content that requires a warning, or illegal content that needs to be removed completely, such as child sex abuse material.
Bluesky takes on Elon Musk's XSince acquiring X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk has pushed hard for a pivot to video on the platform.
Some users looking for an X replacement due to Musk's leadership found a new home in Bluesky. However, the lack of native video on the platform was a common frustration among new Bluesky users.
By launching video features, Bluesky has solved this problem. And it couldn't have come at a better time. Last week, Bluesky shared that it had gained 3 million new users in just one week as a result of Musk's feud with Brazil's Supreme Court and X's subsequent ban in the country.
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