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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: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for August 7 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for August 7

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, August 7, 2024:

AcrossThe tip of a sippy cup, essentially

• The answer is straw.

It's considered to be both a percussion and stringed instrument

• The answer is piano.

Knight's attire

• The answer is armor.

More than just wants

• The answer is needs.

Circus safety feature

• The answer is net.

DownLength of a bridge

• The answer is span.

"Flat" or "spare" item

• The answer is tire.

Noodles eaten with chashu pork

• The answer is ramen.

One end of a battery

• The answer is anode.

Superlative seen on a Razzie Award

• The answer is worst.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for August 7 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for August 7

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.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Oh, oh, oh!

The hint for the theme is that each of these words are great for couplets.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The answers are related to words that rhyme with each other.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is RhymeTime.

NYT Strands word list for August 7

• Dough

• Whoa

• Chateau

• Rainbow

• RhymeTime

• Mistletoe

• Avocado

Looking for other daily online games? Find one you might like – or hints for another game you're already playing – on Mashable's Games page.

TikTok users are sharing videos of their athletic failures in a new Olympic meme. Now Olympic gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee herself has joined in, poking fun at her own fall during Monday's women's balance beam finals.

Numerous athletes have been posting clips of their sporting mishaps to TikTok, accompanied by text noting that they sadly weren't chosen to join the 2024 Olympic team. The videos are scored by an instrumental remix of "The Star-Spangled Banner," giving their earnest yet fumbling efforts the bombastic celebration they deserve.

SEE ALSO: So, uh, why did everyone keep falling off the balance beam at the Olympics? The internet wants to know.

Athletes from across the sporting spectrum have taken part in this meme, from divers smacking the diving board, to hurdlers tripping on multiple hurdles in a row, to gymnasts swinging around the uneven bars or prepping to backflip for far longer than intended. Even celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey got in on the meme, sharing a video of him failing to score a point while shooting some hoops on a basketball court.

Yet even when you are chosen to join the Olympic team, your best efforts won't always go to plan. Six-time Olympic medalist Lee demonstrated as such when she unexpectedly fell from the balance beam during the finals on Monday, tying for fifth place with her teammate Simone Biles. Italian gymnasts Alice D'Amato and Manila Esposito would end up winning gold and bronze respectively, while Chinese gymnast Yaqin Zhou took silver. 

Despite her disappointment, Lee chose to make the best of the situation. Taking the opportunity to join in on the viral Olympic TikTok meme, Lee poked fun at herself by sharing a clip of her balance beam fall just one day after the finals.

"unfortunately i was selected for the olympics," Lee wrote on the video posted to TikTok on Tuesday.

Punctuating the joke with a heart emoji, she followed up in the video description with a loudly crying face emoji and two emojis of smiling faces with tears.

Why the Olympic women's balance beam finals was so awkward

Lee and Biles were among four competitors who fell off the balance beam during the women's finals on Monday. This was a significant number considering only eight gymnasts were competing, all of whom are world-class athletes. As such, the uncharacteristic spills quickly prompted online speculation and conspiracy theories regarding the state of the Olympic equipment. 

It wouldn't be the first time an equipment issue undermined gymnasts' performances at the Olympics. Infamously, the women's vault at the 2000 Sydney Olympics was mistakenly set 5 cm (2 inches) too low, causing multiple athletes to fall before the error was detected and corrected.

Regardless of such conjecture, there have been no reports of anything actually rotten with the state of the balance beam at this year's Paris Olympics. However, some gymnasts have stated that they were unsettled by the lack of background music or noise during the finals.

Gymnasts typically train alongside others in loud gymnasiums, growing accustomed to performing their impressive flips amidst significant noise. Even so, the Paris Olympics bizarrely opted to do away with background music for the individual gymnastic event finals. The oppressive silence was further imposed by audience members who reportedly shushed other spectators during the women's beam finals — and also shushed the athletes themselves when they cheered for their teammates.

"Honestly, we do better in environments when there's noise going on because it feels most like practice," Biles said afterward, calling the final "weird and awkward." 

"[The silence] adds to the stress, just because it’s like you, yes, you’re the only one up there," Lee concurred. "So I was feeling the pressure."

Though she missed out on a podium place for the balance beam, Lee still ended her 2024 Olympic run with three shiny new medals: A gold for the team event and two bronzes for the women's artistic all-around and uneven bars. And while there are no medals for winning TikTok memes, it's safe to say Lee thoroughly dominated this one as well.

TL;DR: 1minAI puts AI models from OpenAI, Meta, Google, and more at your disposal to generate text, images, or edit audio, and you can get it for life for $39.99 (reg. $234). 

ChatGPT was a huge deal when it dropped, but it's not the only big AI model on the playground anymore. GPT-4 is pretty fancy, but it's not always the best option for every type of content you want to create. The only problem is if you want more options, that often means more subscriptions. At least, it would if you didn't have the option to get multiple AI models for life in one place by getting 1minAI.

This lifetime subscription gives you access to GPT-4, Mistral AI, and a lot more AI tools for just $39.99. 

What does 1minAI do?

One AI hub where you can access the latest models for generating text, images, and audio seems a little too good to be true, so here's the catch. There's a finite amount you can generate every month, but you get 450,000 free credits per month, and unused credits roll over. If you're using 1min for work, that means your vacation time isn't wasting credits you've already paid for. 

The list of AI models included with 1min is seriously impressive. Check it out: 

• GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4, GPT-3.5 (OpenAI)

• Claude 3 Opus, Claude 3 Sonnet, Claude 3 Haiku, Claude 2.1, Claude Instant 1.2 (Anthropic)

• Gemini Pro 1.5, Gemini Pro 1.0 (GoogleAI)

• Llama 3, Llama 2 (MetaAI)

• MistralAI

• Command (Cohere)

The AI writing tools are super versatile. Working on an SEO project? Save time doing keyword research. Can't remember what passive voice is? One can be helped by an AI grammar tool. There's even a paraphraser for research and a ton of social tools for writing Facebook, LinkedIn, and X content. 

Not all of these AI models are for generating text. You can generate images, turn text to speech or speech to text, enhance videos, or even use AI to look over a PDF file. Now, instead of skimming a whole long document, you can just ask AI to answer your questions for you. 

Meet your new AI team

You don't have to subscribe to every big AI tool. Instead, just get a lifetime subscription to 1minAI for $39.99 (reg. $234). 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1minAI: Lifetime Subscription £39.99 at the Mashable Shop
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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 August 7's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

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.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

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 August 6 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for August 7 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Tropical bird.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter A appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter M.

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...

MACAW.

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 Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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 August 7's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for August 7 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Load as much as you can

• Green: Service industry

• Blue: EMS, but not the medical kind

• Purple: Small things or acts

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

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

• Yellow: Cram

• Green: Restaurant Jobs

• Blue: Electromagnetic Spectrum

• Purple: Things with Bits

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 #423 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Cram: JAM, PACK, RAM, STUFF

• Restaurant Jobs: COOK, DISHWASHER, HOST, SERVER

• Electromagnetic Spectrum: MICROWAVE, RADIO, VISIBLE, X-RAY

• Things with Bits: BRIDLE, BYTE, COMEDIAN, DRILL

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.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Microsoft and Delta aren't happy with each other in the aftermath of July's massive CrowdStrike outage.

Legal representation for Microsoft sent a letter to Delta's lawyers pushing some of the blame for Delta's flight issues that weekend onto Delta itself, per The Verge. The letter, which was sent in response to comments by Delta CEO Ed Bastian that questioned Microsoft's competence, called Bastian's remarks "incomplete, false, misleading, and damaging to Microsoft and its reputation."

SEE ALSO: Microsoft says CrowdStrike outage affected many more devices than reported Microsoft refuses to take blame for Delta's outage issues

According to Microsoft, it offered to help Delta solve the CrowdStrike problem in the immediate aftermath of the outage at no charge, but it got turned down. Furthermore, Microsoft alleged that Delta rejected the help because the IT infrastructure that needed servicing actually belonged to another company, like IBM, not Windows.

It's not really possible for us to determine who is right and wrong here, but it's clear that Microsoft and Delta fundamentally disagree on what ultimately caused Delta to suffer so many flight delays and cancellations that fateful weekend.

The outage was the result of a faulty update to the CrowdStrike security software, which is not owned nor created by Microsoft. However, the update went out to millions of Windows computers around the world, resulting in widespread blue screens of death on a massive scale.

Fresh off relaunching his own lawsuit against OpenAI just yesterday, Elon Musk's X announced it was taking on a major coalition of some of the biggest advertisers on the planet.

On Tuesday, X, formerly known as Twitter, filed a lawsuit in Texas federal court against Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a coalition made up of major advertisers. 

GARM is an initiative of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and represents companies like Disney and Walmart. The suit names WFA, alongside GARM members CVS, Mars, Unilever, and clean energy company Orsted, as well.Ørsted

Tweet may have been deleted

"We tried peace for 2 years, now it is war," Musk posted on X in reference to the lawsuit.

X's lawsuit against advertisers

X's lawsuit claims that GARM "conspired" with brands like CVS to “collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising revenue” shortly after Musk took over the company in 2022. 

It's important to note that this lawsuit is not related to last year's more recent advertiser boycott of X, which occurred after Musk seemingly endorsed a far-right conspiracy theory and a Media Matters for America report found ads on pro-Nazi content. (X has an ongoing lawsuit against Media Matters as a result of that report, which it filed last year.) Musk had famously told advertisers to "go fuck yourself" as a result of that boycott.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino posted both a video and article on X about the lawsuit on Tuesday. The video posted with the headline "A Message to X Users," Yaccarino claims that "a group of companies organized a systematic illegal boycott against X."

Tweet may have been deleted

Yaccarino and X's lawsuit cites the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s report, “GARM’s (Global Alliance for Responsible Media) Harm." The report claims that "evidence obtained by the Committee shows that GARM and its members directly organized boycotts and used other indirect tactics to target disfavored platforms, content creators, and news organizations in an effort to demonetize and, in effect, limit certain choices for consumers."

The House Judiciary Committee’s report claims that "GARM recommended that its members 'stop all paid advertisement' on Twitter in response to Mr. Musk’s acquisition of the company."

"The illegal behavior of these organizations and their executives cost X billions of dollars," said Yaccarino.

According to the WFA, its members control 90 percent of global marketing spending.

Mashable will continue to follow this story and update it as we learn more.

Google may have lost the antitrust case that deemed it a monopolist, but the search engine giant continues to dominate the market with Google Search. According to Impression Digital, Google's share of the global search market is 83% compared to Microsoft Bing's 9.19%.

The aforementioned antitrust ruling, however, outlined in a 286-page document written by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, appears to convey that Apple shares the same sentiment as the average user: Google Search is the preferred tool for information discovery.

In addition to Mehta's landmark conclusion that Google is a monopolist due to its massive scale, high capital costs, control of key distribution channels, and more, we got some insight into why Apple denied Microsoft's pitch to install Bing as the default generative search experience (GSE) on Safari.

5 reasons why Apple denied Bing for Safari

The partnership between Apple and Google to use Google Search as Safari's default search engine dates back to 2002. At the time, however, the agreement was non-exclusive. In other words, Apple could feature other search engines without breaching its contract with Google. In 2007, Google inked a deal to solidify default exclusivity on Safari.

As of this writing, Safari still uses Google. Google pays Apple a lot of money to maintain its presence on Safari. (According to Bloomberg, Google paid Apple $20 billion in 2022.)

Interestingly, and some would say humorously, Microsoft wouldn't be able to do the same with Bing. The Redmond-based tech giant made numerous attempts to make Bing the default for Safari, but according to the antitrust ruling, Apple's SVP of Services Eddy Cue said that there's no price that Microsoft could ever offer to Apple to preload Bing within Safari.

Here are five reasons why Apple denied Bing for Safari:

1. Bing's 'inferior' search quality

Cue said that Bing is "inferior" compared to Google Search. In 2021, Apple conducted a study that measured the relevance of search results on Google and Bing. While Bing outperformed Google Search when it comes to the desktop user interface, Apple's investigation found that Google had the edge over Bing on all other benchmarks.

2. Bing's 'horrible' ad monetization

Although Microsoft proposed sharing 100% of Bing's revenue with Apple to secure the default position on Safari, Cue was still concerned that Bing would not be able to deliver enough revenue because it was "horrible" at monetizing advertising.

3. Google deal is too good

In order to get into a partnership with Microsoft, Apple would need to drop its deal with Google. In an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Cue said that Apple would "jeopardize its revenue" if it stopped partnering with Google.

Interestingly, Google analyzed how much Microsoft would need to offer Apple to "outbid" Google's current offerings. As it turns out, the Redmond-based tech giant would have to pay Apple "122% of Bing's revenue share" just to equal Google's 33.7% revenue share.

4. Google has better brand recognition

The antitrust ruling claims that Google has excellent brand recognition, giving Apple an incentive to keep Google as Safari's default GSE.

"It's a great product for our customers, and we wanted our customers to know that they're getting the Google search engine," Cue said. It's a symbiotic relationship, according to Cue, because Google benefits from Apple telling the world that "Google is the best search engine." After all, Apple is arguably one of the most trusted brands, and by extension, users expect that Apple would partner with a company that delivers great service, too.

That being said, partnering with Microsoft Bing, which has a low market share, may not be as well received by Apple users.

5. Google knows its stuff

Cue claimed that Google knows how to advertise and it can monetize very well. Apple's SVP of Services maintained that the Cupertino-based tech giant would only get out of a partnership with Google if Apple viewed it as an entity it no longer wanted to do business with. "It [was a] no brainer to stay with Google as it is as close to a sure thing as can be," Cue said.

Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, is once again planning a controversial design change to the platform.

X is currently testing the removal of like, comment, and repost buttons, along with their counts, from replies to posts. The view count would be removed from reply posts as well. 

Tweet may have been deleted

This change to X has not yet been released, but was discovered in code of the most recent X app, X for iOS v10.53, by X user @aaronp613. New features and platform changes discovered this way don't always go live and sometimes remain unreleased. However, this does shows that the company is seriously considering the move and officially testing out the removal of these buttons and counts. 

The removal of these features would only affect how replies look while viewing the original post. If a user clicked on a reply, the post page for that reply would reveal the like, comment, and report buttons and views.

Unpopular changes to X

Removing interaction counts from replies would undoubtedly change the culture of X by affecting the social media meme known as the "ratio." When a user publishes a controversial or unpopular post on X, the reply posts from users who comment in the replies often receive more reposts and likes than the original post. This is known as a "ratio."

Musk is no stranger to making major cultural changes to X. Of course, the most obvious example is the complete rebranding of Twitter to X and the removal of the vernacular "tweet" to refer to posts.

Most recently, Musk's X made all users' likes private, a move that the company admitted was made in order to protect users who like controversial posts.

However, there have also been instances where X has backtracked on unpopular changes. Last year, X removed link headlines from posts because Musk did not like the way it looked. The contextless link previews caused trouble on the platform and X soon-after reverted back to displaying headlines. 

Last month, another similar X test was discovered in the code of the X for iOS app that removed like, comment, and reply buttons from the main original post when viewed in the feed. This change required that users swipe left or right to interact with a post. As of publishing, X has yet to make this feature live.

A changing of the guard is underway as more OpenAI leaders leave the company.

On Monday, co-founder and ChatGPT lead John Schulman announced that he was leaving OpenAI for rival AI company Anthropic.

Tweet may have been deleted

Hours later, co-founder and president Greg Brockman shared that he was taking a sabbatical until the end of the year. According to The Information, VP of product Peter Deng has also left OpenAI.

Tweet may have been deleted

The alleged staffing triple-whammy comes not long after other high-profile departures from OpenAI due to reported disagreements over the company's mission and approach to safety. OpenAI's chief scientist Ilya Sutskever resigned in May, and days later, safety leader Jan Leike who worked under Sutskever quit, after publicly criticizing OpenAI on X, saying "safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products."

Tweet may have been deleted

Publicly, Sutskever said his decision to leave OpenAI is to focus "on a project that is very personally meaningful." But the internet immediately began speculating about whether his departure was triggered by the attempted ouster of CEO Sam Altman, which was allegedly led by Sutskever who reportedly disagreed with Altman's prioritization of profit over safety.

Tweet may have been deleted

Schulman has taken a similar public stance by explaining his decision to leave OpenAI as a matter of personal growth. "I've decided to pursue this goal at Anthropic, where I believe I can gain new perspectives and do research alongside people deeply engaged with the topics I'm most interested in," said Schulman. "To be clear, I'm not leaving due to lack of support for alignment research at OpenAI... my decision is a personal one, based on how I want to focus my efforts in the next phase of my career."

SEE ALSO: The AI bubble has burst. Here's how we know.

Brockman's only explanation for his decision to take leave was, "first time to relax since co-founding OpenAI 9 years ago."

Of course this could all be as straightforward as OpenAI leadership moving on and taking time off after many years of achievements and hard work now that the company has entered a new chapter of its existence. However, the timing of the departures can't be ignored. First, there's Altman's behavior: the former OpenAI board fired Altman for "outright lying," and then there was the whole Scarlett Johansson debacle.

Plus, ChatGPT has massive operating costs. Rival companies are catching up, with some of those companies like Meta offering free open-source models, and there's no news of GPT-5. Combine those issues with a really bad day for tech stocks on Wall Street and Goldman Sachs' bearish take on generative AI, and it starts to look like those who left OpenAI saw the writing on the wall — and the writing said the AI bubble has burst.

Tweet may have been deleted

That said, there's still lots to expect from the OpenAI pipeline. The company's search engine prototype SearchGPT is coming soon, and its AI video generator Sora awaits its public debut. So, a splashy launch could reignite interest and market demand, even without OpenAI's old guard. We'll just have to wait and see.

Mashable has reached out to OpenAI about the significance of its staffing changes, and will update if we hear back.

Where to watch 'MaXXXine' at a glance: BEST WAY TO WATCH LATER Max (With Ads) annual subscription $99.99 per year (save 16%) Get Deal BEST WITH NO ADS Max Ad-Free annual subscription $169.99/year (save 16%) Get Deal BEST FOR CRICKET CUSTOMERS Max (With Ads) Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month unlimited plan (save $9.99/month) Get Deal BEST FOR STUDENTS Max Student $4.99 per month for 12 months (save 50%) Get Deal BEST WAY TO WATCH NOW Buy or rent 'MaXXXine' on Prime Video $23.49 to buy, $18.49 to rent (save $1.50 with Prime) Get Deal

Ti West and Mia Goth are at it again with the final entry in the X trilogy: MaXXXine. This time around, ambitious porn starlet Maxine Minx (Goth) pursues stardom in '80s Hollywood. Star-studded like the first film, the third installment also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, Halsey, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon.

While it just hit theaters in early July, it's already available to watch at home. We're unsure of when it will make its actual streaming debut, but you can purchase or rent the film on digital as of Aug. 2. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch MaXXXine from the comfort of your couch.

What is MaXXXine about?

As the lone survivor of the first film, X, Maxine Minx finally gets her big break as a Hollywood actress six years later. But with the notorious (and real) serial killer, the Night Stalker, targeting rising stars, her brush with death is still looming. And her bloody past could come back to haunt her.

"There's a horrid determination in Maxine, who will not be slowed down by the bodies stacking up on the morgue, her grief, or the slaughterhouse secrets she ran from in Texas. To her, Los Angeles is a place of heat and promise. West paints his setting accordingly, framing Maxine as a goddess, tall and untouchable among the squalid backdrops and the blaring evening news reports of the (real) serial killer known as the Night Stalker," Mashable Film Editor Kristy Puchko writes in her review.

Take a sneak peek at MaXXXine in the decked out '80s slasher trailer:

Is MaXXXine worth watching?

Originally hitting theaters in early July, MaXXXine continues to dominate the box office a month later, surpassing the first two films in the trilogy with a $19.8 million global haul. On Rotten Tomatoes, Ti West's third and final horror installment in the trilogy has a 72 percent critic rating and 78 percent audience rating, which is not too shabby. Compared to its predecessors X and Pearl, though, it falls just a little short.

As Mashable's reviewer put it, "Vibrant in sleaze, satire, and shocking violence, MaXXXine was on the brink of being the best West and Goth have made yet. But a bungled ending leaves a sour taste."

Read our full review of MaXXXine.

How to watch MaXXXine at home Credit: A24

Just a month after MaXXXine made its theatrical debut, it became available to watch at home via video-on-demand sites like Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home (Vudu). You can either purchase the film for your digital collection or rent it for 30 days. Just remember that once you start watching a rental, you'll only have 48 hours to finish it before losing access. If you'd rather stream MaXXXine instead, scroll to learn more.

As of Aug. 2, you can purchase and rent the film at the following retailers:

• Prime Video — buy for $23.49, rent for $18.49 for Prime members

• Apple TV — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Fandango at Home (Vudu) — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• YouTube — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Google Play — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

Is MaXXXine streaming?

There's no official streaming date yet for MaXXXine, but as an A24 film, we know it will eventually make its streaming debut on Max (how fitting). Max is the streaming home of new A24 theatrical releases, so the Ti West and Mia Goth film will join other recent flicks like Love Lies Bleeding, The Iron Claw, and Problemista on the service.

If you want to be prepared, you can sign up for a Max subscription ahead of time. Subscriptions start at $9.99 per month, but there are some ways you can save money on your plan. Check out the best Max streaming deals below.

Best Max streaming deal for most people: Save 16% on Max with ads annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max (with ads) yearly subscription $99.99 per year (save 16%) Watch Now

If ads don't bug you, Max subscriptions start at just $9.99 per month. You can easily sign up for a single month of service once MaXXXine is released, then cancel before you're charged for another. Alternatively, you could stick around for the long haul and save some money. An annual plan with ads will run you $99.99 per year, which breaks down to just $8.33 per month. That's 16% in savings compared to the monthly plan. The only downside is that you have to splurge on a full year upfront.

Best Max deal with no ads: Save 16% on a Max Ad-Free annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max (No Ads) annual subscription $169.99 per year (save 16%) Watch Now

Can't stand ads interrupting your movie? There are two ad-free tiers to choose from: Max Ad-Free and Max Ultimate Ad-Free. The basic Max Ad-Free tier will run you $16.99 per month, while Max Ultimate goes for $20.99 per month. We recommend choosing a yearly plan instead, however, as you'll save 16%. It'll only cost you $169.99 per year (about $14.17 per month) for Max Ad-Free or $209.99 per year (about $17.50 per month) for Max Ultimate.

Note: Both tiers offer an ad-free viewing experience, but the Ultimate tier takes things a step further with 4K Ultra HD video quality and Dolby Atmos immersive audio.

Best Max deal for Cricket customers: Free Max with ads for customers on the $60/month unlimited plan Opens in a new window Credit: Cricket / Max Max (with ads) Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month plan Watch Now

If you're a Cricket customer on the $60 per month unlimited plan, you can sign up for Max with ads for free. That's a $99.99 per year value for zero dollars. Just do yourself a favor and head over to the Max app (or navigate to Max.com), choose Cricket as your provider, and enter your credentials to login. Then you're free to watch whatever you want, whenever you want — including MaXXXine once it's released. Check out the terms and conditions on Cricket's website to learn more. If you're wanting to watch MaXXXine for free, this is your only option.

Best Max deal for students: Save 50% on Max with ads monthly for one year Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max Student $4.99 per month for 12 months Get Deal

College students can now score 50% off an ad-supported monthly subscription to Max for 12 months. That drops the price down to just $4.99 per month. You'll just have to verify your student status with UNiDAYS, which will give you a unique discount code, then head back over to Max and redeem your code to stream for half price.

Best bundle deal: Get Max, Disney+, and Hulu for up to 38% off Opens in a new window Credit: Disney / Hulu / Max Disney+, Hulu, and Max $16.99 per month (with ads), $29.99 per month (no ads) Get Deal

It may not be your cheapest option for watching MaXXXine, but you can get the most bang for your buck in the long run with this new bundle deal — especially if you already subscribe to Hulu or Disney+. The new bundle offers access to Max, Hulu, and Disney+ with ads for only $16.99 (reg. $25.97) per month or ad-free for $29.99 (reg. $48.97) per month, which is up to 38% in savings.

Someone on Reddit found some of the safety guardrails Apple has put in place to keep Apple Intelligence from straying too far off course.

Reddit user devanxd2000 posted some of the underlying code behind Apple Intelligence, Apple's upcoming suite of AI features that will be available on devices such as the iPhone 15 Pro and the upcoming iPhone 16. Interestingly, much of the code contains written clauses that act as instructions for the AI, and humorously, they're written almost in the form of digital pep talks.

"You are an expert at summarizing messages," one instruction reads. "You prefer to use clauses instead of complete sentences. Do not answer any questions from the messages. Please keep your summary of the input within a 10 word limit."

SEE ALSO: I tested Apple Intelligence on my iPhone 15 Pro Max: 3 ways it spoiled me rotten

Perhaps the most fascinating one is a set of instructions for AI that helps users respond to email messages:

"Do not hallucinate," the instructions read. "Do not make up factual information."

On one hand, the AI skeptical among us may be happy to hear that Apple is thinking about these things ahead of Apple Intelligence's launch. On the other hand, one could argue that it's a problem if AI needs to be explicitly told not to make things up. Regardless, it's interesting to see how the sausage is made with new and evolving technology.

SAVE $12: As of August 6, get a digital copy of Nintendo Switch Sports for $27.99 at Best Buy. That's the lowest price we've seen so far.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy Nintendo Switch Sports (Digital) $27.99 at Best Buy
$39.99 Save $12.00 Get Deal

Looking for something a little different to add to your Nintendo Switch library? There have been plenty of Switch game sales lately, but maybe you want something else. Try something that puts your Joy-Con controllers to good use. If you've already finished both 1-2-Switch games and other titles like Fitness Boxing, you might want to move on to Nintendo Switch Sports, a fun little adventure that tends to be overlooked on the console/handheld hybrid. You can snag a digital copy today at Best Buy and get in on some seriously fun sports solo or with some friends.

As of August 6, you can get the digital version of Nintendo Switch Sports for just $27.99, the lowest price we've seen. That's $12 off its normal price of $39.99, and you'll have your code delivered to the email address registered to your account or the one you enter upon purchase. From there, just enter your code on the Nintendo Switch eShop and you'll be able to download your copy.

There are plenty of different sports to jump into with this motion-controlled game, including golf, soccer, volleyball, bowling, tennis, badminton, and chambara (swordplay). You'll swing your Joy-Con like a racket, toss a bowling ball with your controller, and even use the Leg Strap accessory (sold separately) to pretend you're kicking a soccer ball. You can play with friends and family online or on the same system with multiple controllers, and the better you do, the more rewards you'll get.

If you were around for the Wii Sports era, this is the next best thing. Now it's here for the Switch, so you get more precise motion controls and expanded play. If that sounds like fun to you (and you've been missing Nintendo bowling), this is a deal you won't want to pass up.

The office software market has been widened a little further with the official release of Zoom's AI-powered word processor, Zoom Docs.

SEE ALSO: Reddit wants Microsoft to pay up if its search engine wants to crawl the platform If your company uses Zoom, expect to use it soon

Fully unveiled in March of this year, Zoom Docs is powered by the company's Zoom AI Companion, allowing users — specifically, businesses — to work more collaboratively within Zoom's video conference ecosystem. Thus, with the AI Companion at its heart, Zoom Docs can do things like generate meeting summaries or create reports or action lists.

Participants can create, share, and co-edit documents in real time without leaving the meeting window during meetings. This feature extends to mobile attendees, who can view and collaborate on documents without needing to sign in. Additionally, users can generate editable and shareable documents that include customizable meeting information, simplifying the dissemination of relevant details.

Additionally, permission sharing is streamlined with bulk settings — allowing temporary access for meeting attendees to collaborate during sessions.

The best part, as mentioned above, is that since Zoom Docs exist within the company's Workplace ecosystem, documents can be shared seamlessly across Zoom Team Chat, Zoom Mail, or directly in Zoom Meetings, for a more fluid experience.

At the time of this writing, Zoom Docs is available right now and is included with all paid Zoom Workplace plans.

SAVE $90: The TheraGun Prime massage gun is on sale for $209 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $299. That's a 30% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Therabody TheraGun Prime massage gun $209.00 at Amazon
$299.00 Save $90.00 Get Deal

Getting a deep-tissue massage can be an excellent investment in your physical health and overall wellbeing. Unfortunately, they can be pricey and hard to fit into your already busy schedule. Instead of waiting weeks to get in with a massage therapist, get muscle relief at home with a massage gun. Thanks to a sale at Amazon today, you can grab a top-of-the-line model at a great discount.

As of August 6, the TheraGun Prime is on sale for $209 at Amazon, down from the list price of $299. That's a 30% discount or a savings of $90.

Life can be hard on our muscles for so many reasons. Maybe you've been inspired by the Olympics to take up field hockey and have sore quads, or you pick up a toddler 107 times per day and deal with shoulder pain. In either case, a massage gun can help soothe sore muscles.

The TheraGun Prime offers deep-tissue muscle treatment, helping with discomfort and tightness thanks to percussive massage therapy. The five built-in speeds help you select which feels best, while the four included attachments offer precise muscle targeting. The Thumb attachment is designed for lower back pain, while the Cone can be ideal for feet and hands.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Ring will track your sleep and 'vitality' levels

This deal also includes a USB-C charging cable and a travel pouch, so you'll have easy storage. You can also connect to the Therabody app on your smartphone to get individualized guidance for treating certain conditions like arthritis, sciatica, and plantar fasciitis. You'll also be able to see the TheraGun Prime's current settings in the app.

If you're in need of some pampering in the form of massage, check out today's sale on the TheraGun Prime massage gun. You could be in for a world of relief.

Save 23%: The 13-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip is a phenomenal laptop, and it's dipped down to its lowest price ever, at $894.98, knocking $249.02 off the price for 23% savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3) $849.98 at Amazon
$1,099.00 Save $249.02 Get Deal

While there are no big shopping events this week, it feels like there may as well be with how good these deals are. This week, Apple AirPods Max are down to $399.99, just $5 more than their lowest price ever, and now the MacBook Air with M3 chip has hit its lowest price ever at $849.98.

The MacBook Air with M3 chip is currently our favorite MacBook. Mashable's Tech Editor, Kimberly Gedeon, found that the latest M3 MacBook Air performed 15% faster in our Blender test and 20% faster in our Geekbench 6 test than the previous MacBook Air with M2 chip. While we usually recommend the MacBook Pro for creators, these tests signal that the M3 MacBook Air is a worthy alternative.

Ahead of back-to-school season, the 13-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip is conveniently down to $849.98. That gives you $249.02 off for 23% savings. It comes loaded with 8GB RAM and 256SSD, perfectly suitable for the student in your life.

SAVE 27%: Apple AirPods Max are on sale for $399.99 (reg. $549) at Amazon, putting $149.01 back in your pocket.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Max $399.99 at Amazon
$549.00 Save $149.01 Get Deal

As September approaches, so does the school year. Back-to-school season means shopping for freshly sharpened pencils, new notebooks, and any tech a thriving student needs. While big summer sales like Prime Day have passed, deals are popping up to give a little extra savings on big ticket items like headphones, tablets, and more.

The latest deal to catch our eye is a sale on the super popular Apple AirPods Max. Typically priced at $549, these headphones are easily some of the most expensive we've tested, making their excellent audio quality and chic look out of reach for many. However, now that they've dipped below $400, we're all in on the AirPods Max.

SEE ALSO: This week's best earbuds and headphones deals: Sony, Bose, and Apple deals

Like their earbuds counterpart, the Apple AirPods Max easily connect to iOS devices, making these a great purchase for those living in the Apple ecosystem. These over-the-ear headphones are stylish with a modern, oversize design, however, our reviewer noted that they might even be too big for those with smaller heads. They deliver top-notch audio, including spatial audio for those seeking surround sound on the go, and great active noise cancellation.

Right now, you can purchase the Apple AirPods Max for $399.99 at Amazon, just $5 shy of their lowest price ever. This gets you $149.01 off for 27% in savings.

Want more peace of mind when you're home alone? Check out the best home security deals this week:

Best Home Security Deals This Week Best Home Security Deal Arlo Pro 5S 2K Spotlight Camera $119.99 at Amazon (Save $130) Get Deal Best Video Doorbell Deal Google Nest Doorbell $109.99 at Amazon (Save $70) Get Deal Best Budget Home Security Deal Eufy Security Indoor Cam E220 $35.99 at Amazon (Save $19) Get Deal

You're nice and comfortable on the couch. You've got your snacks, you've got your ice cold drink. Maybe your pet is curled up beside you. Then the unthinkable happens: someone knocks on your door. Not only do you have no clue who it could be, but now you've got to get up, disrupt your plans, and see who it is.

That's just one dilemma a home security camera or a video doorbell could solve. If you haven't yet hooked up your home with one of these gadgets, it's always a good idea to do so. You never quite know what's lurking around out there, after all. And beyond the laziness factor, you want to make sure you're keeping abreast of everything going on outside your door. Home security cameras and video doorbells are a great way to accomplish that.

There are a few great deals on security essentials going on this week, and if you're looking to outfit your home with them so you can feel a bit better about being on your own or just being able to see what's going on outside your window, you might want to scoop a few of them up now before they're no longer available. From a great home security camera to an affordable option that you can put anywhere in your home, these deals are some of the best we've found. Don't miss out!

Best home security deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Arlo Pro 5S 2K Spotlight Camera $119.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $130.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The Arlo Pro 5S 2K Spotlight Camera is the perfect solution for keeping an eye out on the world around you both day and night. It captures video in 2K HDR with 12x zoom, so you won't miss anything. It also has a 160-degree field of view so even if the area you have to mount it with isn't ideal, you can still see more of your surroundings. It has color night vision and an integrated spotlight for when you need additional light to work with, and it's all set up easily and wirelessly, no need for cords. You will have to play for the Arlo Secure plan if you want additional features, though this cam does come with a free trial with 30-day video cloud storage, 24/7 emergency response, and other options, so keep in mind you'll need to pony up a bit more per month to use this camera despite its hefty discount.

Best video doorbell deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Google Nest Doorbell $109.99 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $70.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The battery-powered Google Nest Doorbell doesn't need special wiring or drilling to install, so it's quick to set up and you'll be able to watch what's going on at your door in minutes. Just use its included customization app and you'll be able to watch everything that goes on with a 24/7 live video feed right outside of your door. You get up to three hours of video to look back on if you happen to miss anything, and an additional Nest Aware subscription will grant you more features that can help you stay vigilant.

Best video doorbell deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Eufy Security Indoor Cam E220 $35.99 at Amazon
$54.99 Save $19.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The Eufy Security Indoor Cam E220 is a budget-priced camera that won't break the bank, especially if you end up needing more than one. It's a small and compact device that still serves up 2K video (with 1080p if you use Apple HomeKit). It also utilizes AI to determine whether it's seeing a human or pet and if it should notify you of an event accordingly. It can integrate with your favorite home assistant and can pan and tilt to track anything you might want to keep your eye on, with a 360-degree swivel and a 96-degree tilt. It's proof you don't have to be swimming in cash to get a great security setup.

More home security deals

• Wyze Cam v3 with Color Night Vision — $30.68 $35.98 (save $5.30)

• Eufy Security SoloCam S220 — $99.99 $129.99 (save $30)

• Kasa Indoor Pan/Tilt Smart Security Camera — $24.99 $29.99 (save $4)

• TP-Link Tapo Pan/Tilt Security Camera — $24.99 $29.99 (save $4)

• Eufy Security Solar Wall Light Cam — $139.98 $189.98 (save $50)

Best TV deals the week of August 6 Best 55-inch TV deal Amazon 55-inch Omni 4K QLED Fire TV $449.99 at Amazon (save $150) Get Deal Best 65-inch TV deal TCL 65-inch Q6 QLED 4K Fire TV $348 at Walmart (save $150) Get Deal Best 75-inch TV deal Samsung 75-inch QN90D Neo QLED TV $2,599.99 at Best Buy (save $700) Get Deal

The end of summer isn't one of our top three times of year to buy a TV on sale, but that doesn't mean it's a complete ghost town when it comes to TV deals. Regardless of what the calendar says, it's always a good time to finally ditch that glitchy 2017 LED that has become the bane of your existence.

We've pulled the TV deals worth jumping on during the first week of August, including a better version of our absolute favorite Prime Day TV deal (plus several other cheap QLED TVs), as well as new record-low pricing on 2024 OLED and QLED models from Samsung and LG.

Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 65-inch Q6 QLED 4K Fire TV $348.00 at Walmart
$498.00 Save $150.00 Get Deal Why we like it

We did not have "best Prime Day TV deal still on sale weeks later" on our August bingo card, but here we are. The deal has simply moved from Amazon to Walmart, and it's technically a better deal: You can now score the 65-inch TCL Q6 QLED for $348 versus $389.99 during Prime Day.

No, TCL's Q6 series aren't the most premium QLED TVs on the market, or even from TCL — but they're also not the most basic QLED TVs out there. The Q6 gets brighter than the Q5, making HDR worthwhile by boosting color accuracy with that extra layer of quantum dots sandwiched between the screen and LED backlights. If you're looking for an affordable way to level up your football watching experience this season, this is it.

More TV deals this week

43- to 50-inch TVs

• Insignia 43-inch F30 4K Fire TV — $159.99 $199.99 (save $40)

• Toshiba 43-inch C350 4K Fire TV — $179.99 $279.99 (save $100)

• TCL 43-inch S4 4K TV — $199.99 $279.99 (save $80)

55- to 58-inch TVs

• TCL 55-inch Q5 QLED 4K TV — $329.99 $449.99 (save $120)

• Amazon 55-inch Omni 4K QLED Fire TV — $449.99 $599.99 (save $150)

• Hisense 55-inch U7 ULED 4K TV — $599.99 $799.99 (save $200)

• Insignia 58-inch F30 4K Fire TV — $269.99 $379.99 (save $110)

• Samsung 55-inch S90D OLED 4K TV — $1,497.99 $1,997.99 (save $500)

65-inch TVs

• Pioneer 65-inch 4K TV — $329.99 $499.99 (save $170)

• Toshiba 65-inch C350 4K Fire TV — $359.99 $419.99 (save $60)

• LG 65-inch 75 Series NanoCell 4K TV — $549.99 $899.99 (save $350)

• Hisense 65-inch U6 ULED 4K TV — $599.99 $799.99 (save $200)

• LG 65-inch C4 OLED 4K TV — $1,799.99 $2,499.99 (save $700)

• Samsung 65-inch S90D OLED 4K TV — $1,797.99 $2,697.99 (save $900)

75-inch TVs and up

• Toshiba 75-inch C350 4K Fire TV — $469.99 $649.99 (save $180)

• TCL 75-inch Q6 QLED 4K TV — $599.99 $799.99 (save $200)

• Hisense 75-inch U7 ULED 4K TV — $1,099.99 $1,499.99 (save $400)

• Samsung 75-inch QN90D Neo QLED TV — $2,599.99 $3,299.99 (save $700)

• LG 77-inch C4 OLED 4K TV — $2,799.99 $3,499.99 (save $700)

• Sony 77-inch Bravia 8 OLED 4K TV — $3,299.99 $3,899.99 (save $600)

• Hisense 85-inch U6 ULED 4K TV — $1,199.99 $1,799.99 (save $600)

• Hisense 100-inch U7 ULED 4K TV — $2,498 $4,999.99 (save $2,501.99)