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Life is Strange: Double Exposure is the latest entry in the Life is Strange series — it's a direct follow-up to the original game that came out in 2015.

The game expertly showcases the original protagonist, Max, and her personal growth, while introducing a likable cast of new supporting characters. The story starts off incredibly strong, but the pacing feels rushed towards the end and the conclusion may not satisfy some players. Additionally, the gameplay mechanics feel a bit underwhelming.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure plot

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is set 10 years after the original game, with Max Caulfield returning as a photographer for Caledon University.

Credit: Deck Nine

Due to the events of the previous game, Caulfield no longer uses her time-rewinding powers. However, after her friend Safi is mysteriously murdered by a gunshot, she develops new powers that allow her to switch between timelines. Max alternates between her original timeline and another where Safi was never shot and utilizes clues from both to find out who killed Safi.

It’s an incredibly strong foundation and the mystery surrounding Safi’s death is a real page turner up until the last few chapters, which felt rushed and the ending was a bit unsatisfying. Without spoiling anything, the first three chapters kept my attention, but when all of the details started coming together, I couldn’t help but feel like the idea of Safi’s death was a sort of bait and switch.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure characters

Life is Strange: Double Exposure’s cast is quite small, which lets other supporting characters get their time to shine.

Credit: Deck Nine

For example, Max can see both versions of Safi’s best friend, Moses, when switching between the two timelines and how he reacts to certain events. This allows players to experience different facets and emotions of these characters, creating fully realized personalities.

Max shows strong character growth, too, learning from her actions 10 years ago during the events of the original game. She wants to avoid a repeat of what happened before, when her own selfish motives led to innocent people getting hurt. This is demonstrated throughout the game with her words and actions.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure mechanics

Shifting between timelines sounds like a really interesting gameplay mechanic on paper, but it feels underutilized in Life is Strange: Double Exposure.

Credit: Deck Nine

In the game, Max shifts timelines to complete simple tasks, like entering a room that’s locked in one reality but open in another. It doesn’t really get too much deeper than that. There was one scene where Max had to save a person from falling into a frozen lake as it was cracking, so she shifted the crumbling bed of ice with the other timeline’s undisturbed one. 

It was a very cool implementation of Max’s new powers, but those possibilities were only shown through cutscenes and not actual gameplay. I feel like the developers could’ve come up with some more different ideas to incorporate Max’s powers with gameplay.

Throughout the game, you’ll be presented with different choices and dialogue options on how to proceed. Some are more impactful than others. For example, Max finds out a character is planning on filing a restraining order on Safi, and she has the option to tell Safi about it. Whether the player chooses to tell Safi about it has ramifications during later chapters. This adds significant replayability to each playthrough, allowing you to experience different outcomes.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure graphics

The graphics in Life is Strange: Double Exposure are great, especially its art direction.

Credit: Deck Nine

It has a cartoon-ish look that avoids looking juvenile, and the facial expressions are the best the series has seen thus far. It’s vibrant with colors, and the contrast between the two timelines reflects the mood of each one. In the one where Safi is still alive, there’s a warm yellow hue to it, while the one where she's dead has a somber blue coloration. It’s a simple yet effective technique that can affect the mood.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure music and audio

The music and audio in Life is Strange: Double Exposure is good, but it wasn’t something that I paid particular attention to throughout the game. However, the game uses some licensed music from real-world artists like Tessa Rose Jackson & Feel for songs like “Wake,” “Illusion,” and “So This Is Lonely,” which stand out in the soundtrack.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure difficulty

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a narrative adventure game, so it doesn’t have any difficulty options.

Credit: Deck Nine

However, there are plenty of good accessibility options, such as softening the white bloom that occurs when shifting timeline, making the gameplay experience smoother.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure performance

Life is Strange: Double Exposure performed well on Xbox Series X. There were no hard crashes nor performance issues — and load times were reasonable. However, there were some issues with textures popping in when cutscenes were loading in, making for some weird visual glitches.

Is Life is Strange: Double Exposure worth it?

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a worthy follow-up for those who enjoyed Max’s original adventure. Without giving away spoilers, the game hints at future sequels, which occasionally undermines its story potential. This focus detracts from Double Exposure’s impact, leading to a somewhat underwhelming ending.

However, Max’s personal growth felt satisfying and the cast is likable. While the gameplay mechanics involving Max’s time powers could’ve been more fleshed out, the story was enough to keep my attention until the end. At $50, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is worth it for die-hard Life is Strange fans, but casual players can wait for a discount.

Instagram can be a great way to promote your side hustle, whether that's dog-walking, tutoring, creating UGC, selling vintage clothes, or another moonlighting endeavor. 

But it can also be a complex platform to get right, with many features, many post types, and a frustratingly mysterious algorithm. So we've compiled a few tips to make your Instagram presence as great as the business itself.

Set up an Instagram Business account

One of the first choices you'll make is whether to make a new account for your side hustle or, if you have one, use your existing personal account. There are benefits to both approaches: Creating a new account can make your business look more streamlined and legit. Plus, you'll be able to start fresh by targeting the exact type of followers you want as your customers. 

There's one big advantage of using your personal account: existing followers. If you go that route, though, you might need to revamp your profile and delete — or archive — photos that aren't aligned with your brand. For example, if you're starting a babysitting business, you'll probably want to send your party pics to the archives — unless they're from your little cousin's Bluey-themed bash. 

Either way, you'll want to set up an Instagram Business account, which you can do under "Edit profile" in the Instagram app. (The Instagram help website has the full instructions.) You can also link the account to your business's Facebook page if it has one.

Embrace some light branding

No need to go wild on this one — we know it's a side hustle, and we know you're busy. Still, a little branding magic can go a long way, including:

• A simple, eye-catching logo

• A color palette (this can be as simple as picking three colors and sticking to them as much as possible)

• If you're using text in your posts, one or two go-to fonts

Nail your Instagram bio

Your Instagram bio is a prospective customer's first impression of your business, so make sure it's good! Here, you'll want to provide basic information about your business. Some suggestions:

• The goods and/or services you provide

• Where you're located — and, if you're selling physical products, where you ship

• Your credentials (for example, a tutor might mention that they have a degree in education)

• Contact information (an email address, for example)

• A cute, pithy slogan

Links are also important to consider — to your professional website, your portfolio, and such. Instagram allows you to add five links directly, or you can opt for a service like Linktree if you have more.

Keep the posts flowing

Now that your account's scaffolding is set to go, it's time to post. There's no "ideal" number for how often you should post — it depends on your business and audience — but a good rule of thumb is 3-5 times per week. Use these posts to introduce yourself, show off your product, and explain what your business offers. For example, a dog trainer might make a post detailing the services they offer, a post introducing themselves and their credentials, and a post showing off a perfect "sit" from a canine client.

Don't just concentrate on grid posts, either. Stories and Reels are also key ways to engage potential customers. Stories are a great place to share real-time updates — the dog trainer might post a fresh, positive review or a video of a pup in the middle of a training session, for example. Reels provide an opportunity to hop on trending audio and memes, increasing your chances of going viral and getting lots of eyeballs on your business.

Plus, once you reach 10,000 followers, you'll be able to use the "swipe up" feature on your Stories, which will bring users directly to your website. Don't forget us when you get there!

Two spiral galaxies are on the precipice of a messy scuffle — a type of merger known as "galactic cannibalism," with the larger galaxy stripping stars off the smaller one. 

The galaxies, IC 2163 on the left and NGC 2207, are about 114 light-years away from Earth, located in the Eridanus and Canis Major constellations, respectively. NASA and its space agency counterparts have combined data from the James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope to learn more about such cosmic collisions.

The result: The snapshot that appears at the top of this story, the highest-resolution image yet of the galactic pair, revealing new insights into galaxy evolution and star formation. 

"Both galaxies have high star formation rates, like innumerable individual hearts fluttering all across their arms," according to the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which runs both telescopes.

SEE ALSO: Astronomers just found a galaxy way too advanced for its time The James Webb Space Telescope reveals where cold dust glows throughout the galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 in the mid-infrared light range. Some of the pink dots may be faraway supermassive black holes known as quasars. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI

So far the two galaxies have only brushed against each other, with IC 2163, the smaller of the two, shifting slightly behind the other millions of years ago. You heard that right: This stuff moves slower than a horror film victim, screaming instead of fleeing from impending doom. Galactic collisions, for all their violence, occur over several hundred million years.

As many as 25 percent of galaxies are merging with others right now, and likely even more are affecting neighboring galaxies with their gravity. These interactions and exchanges of material often result in intense bursts of star formation, strongly implying the connection between galaxy mergers and the births of stars, according to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Combining data from Webb and Hubble has benefits for scientists because the observatories detect light at different wavelengths. To get the full picture of a cosmic object, it helps to have the full range of its electromagnetic spectrum, NASA says. Hubble senses visible light, while Webb picks up invisible light at infrared wavelengths. In short, a lot of dust and gas in space obscures the view to extremely distant and inherently dim light sources, but infrared waves can penetrate through the clouds. 

The Hubble Space Telescope provides a view of galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 in ultraviolet light, showing their star-filled arms in bright blue and their cores in orange. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI

Evidence of the previous scrap between the galaxies appears in the shock fronts, where material from the galaxies has crashed into each other, represented in the image at the top of this story in bright red lines and distorted arms. 

"Even more tendrils look like they’re hanging between the galaxies’ cores," according to the institute. "Another extension 'drifts' off the top of the larger galaxy, forming a thin, semi-transparent arm that practically runs off screen."

And it seems the confrontation has already supplied the galaxies with star formation fuel. The areas of bright blue, captured by Hubble in ultraviolet light, and pink and white, mainly caught in mid-infrared by Webb, are star-forming regions. 

Some super star clusters peek out in the highest spiral arm that wraps above the larger galaxy on the right. Other bright spots are mini starbursts — locations where new baby stars are churned out rapidly. All around the core of the smaller galaxy on the left is evidence of new stars burning brightly. 

This pair of galaxies makes roughly two dozen new stars, each about the size of the sun, every year. That's about eight times more than the Milky Way's rate. The duo has also hosted about seven supernovas, cataclysmic star explosions, over the past few decades. That might not sound like many, but that's high compared to the average two per century in our home galaxy. 

Over eons, the galaxies may continue having these sorts of dalliances, before ultimately merging. It's hard to know how exactly it will unfold, but scientists think their cores could eventually converge into one. The process will wind down after the interacting regions run out of fuel for making new stars. 

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For small business owners, time is one of the most valuable – and limited – resources. Running a business often means juggling multiple tasks, from customer relations to finances, marketing to production, and about 101 other things. Fortunately, recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing time management, allowing small business owners to automate tasks, streamline workflows, and reclaim valuable time. Here's a closer look at how AI is transforming the way small business owners and solopreneuers manage their time.

Automating routine tasks to reduce daily workload

One of the biggest time-sucks when running a business is completing routine, repetitive tasks. AI tools like Microsoft Co-Pilot and Zapier excel at automating these tasks, from scheduling emails and posting on social media to taking care of data entry and generating reports. By leaving the repetitive tasks to the robots, you can free up hours of your time to focus on the strategic aspects of your business.

For example, Microsoft Co-Pilot can automatically draft replies to common customer emails, as well as integrate with your calendar. The AI can take a look and suggest meeting times, draft agenda points, and create follow-up tasks discussed in meetings, saving you from having to worry about every detail.

AI-enhanced project management for task prioritization

Prioritizing tasks effectively can be challenging, especially for small business owners juggling several projects at once. AI-enhanced project management tools such as Asana, Trello, and Monday.com use machine learning to analyze past data and project statuses to recommend the best order for completing tasks.  

For instance, in Asana, AI can analyze your tasks and deadlines to suggest the best order to complete them. This ensures that the most urgent and impactful tasks are completed first. This intelligent prioritization takes the guesswork out of what to do next and reduces the mental fatigue of running your business.

Improving decision-making with AI-driven data insights

Small business owners often need to make quick, data-informed decisions. However, analyzing data manually can take hours, especially if you don't have a dedicated analytics team. Tools like Microsoft Power BI and Tableau use AI to process large datasets, generate insights, and visually present trends. With AI-generated recommendations, business owners can make more informed decisions in less time.

Boosting communication efficiency with AI-powered assistants

AI assistants like Microsoft Co-Pilot, Google Assistant, and other virtual agents can handle a range of communication tasks, from responding to emails to scheduling meetings. They can even handle basic customer service queries. AI tools are great for these tasks as they can respond quickly, work around the clock, and ensure nothing slips through the cracks. With AI handling scheduling requests and reminders, business owners are less likely to miss important meetings or deadlines.

Streamlining finances with AI in bookkeeping and expense management

Financial management is an important part of running a business, but it's also complicated and time-consuming – especially if you don't have a financial background. AI-powered tools like QuickBooks and FreshBooks streamline the bookkeeping process by automating tasks like expense categorization and cash flow tracking. 

For example, QuickBooks can automatically categorize transactions or alert you when cash flow dips below a certain threshold. It can also generate and send invoices based on recurring payments. 

Simplifying customer relationship management (CRM)

Customer relationship management (CRM) is important for business growth, but keeping track of customer interactions and feedback can be overwhelming. AI-powered CRM tools like HubSpot and Salesforce offer intelligent insights into customer behavior, automate follow-ups, and recommend the best times and methods to reach out, so you can nurture relationships more efficiently. These recommendations can drive customer engagement without the need for hours of manual CRM management.

Enhancing marketing with AI for targeted and efficient campaigns

Building and managing marketing campaigns requires creativity and time. AI tools like Jasper, Canva, and Hootsuite can streamline the marketing process by generating content ideas, designing on-brand visuals, and automating social media posting. Additionally, the AI analytics within these tools give you insights into campaign performance, so you know which ads and posts resonate most with your target audience.

Enhancing team collaboration and productivity

For small business owners managing remote teams or freelancers, collaboration can be a challenge. AI-driven platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams streamline communication by automating reminders, assigning tasks, and integrating with other business tools, ensuring that everyone stays aligned without the need for constant check-ins.

Juror #2 sets an incredibly high bar for itself, as a movie that lives in the shadow of 12 Angry Men. However, its struggles to differentiate itself from the Sidney Lumet classic yield intriguing contradictions. This is an appropriate outcome for a film so torn over notions of American justice, with which it wrestles by imbuing a familiar plot with a significant wrinkle: What if one of the 12 jurors realizes they might be responsible for the murder at hand?

Despite its growing pains, Juror #2 gradually grows more gripping and self-assured, taking the form of solid, mid-budget adult entertainment with a lot on its mind and heart — the kind of movie Hollywood seldom green-lights in 2024. If it really is the last thing Clint Eastwood ever directs (he is, after all, 94 years old), then it's one hell of a swan song, despite Warner Bros.' insistence on a paltry 50-screen release.

SEE ALSO: 42 movies you'll want to see this fall

With its sense of careful, classical composition and emphasis on performance, Eastwood's courtroom drama represents a kind of American filmmaking being left in the past, which is oddly fitting too. The past is where the movie's subconscious resides, both as a tale of festering guilt and as a work that gazes lovingly upward at lofty American ideals that may no longer exist. Juror #2 reveals cracks in its own nostalgia through its riveting drama, and even through its own political flaws.

What is Juror #2 about?

On the surface, Georgia magazine writer Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) seems to have it all, from the white picket fence to a doting, pregnant wife, Allison Crewson (Zoey Deutch). Their dynamic is fun and easygoing, and they even spend Halloween dressed up as the subjects of Grant Wood's painting American Gothic, an idyllic piece of Americana. Their only seeming speedbump en route to parenthood is the minor inconvenience of Justin's jury duty summons. The trial in question offers a stark contrast to Justin and Allison's picturesque domestic bliss: A tattooed drug pusher, James Sythe (Gabriel Basso) — the character's name evokes the grim reaper — is accused of bludgeoning his girlfriend, Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood), to death, and tossing her corpse off a shallow bridge.

The crime scene photos are gut-churning, but as a picture of the events is painted by diligent public defender Eric Resnick (Chris Messina) and ambitious assistant D.A. Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) — another sharp, exacting name — Justin quickly realizes that he was at the same bar as Sythe and Kendall that rainy evening. He also recalls hitting something with his SUV in the darkness, right by a deer crossing, which led him to think little of the event at the time. Now, with the facts laid out before him, he isn't so sure, and with Sythe's innocence hanging in the balance, his decisions become paramount.

Jonathan Abrams' screenplay establishes the movie's premise quickly and with ruthless efficiency. In fact, Justin's realizations and his acceptance of his role in Kendall's death unfold rather quickly, to the point that something feels off about the movie's pacing. However, as Justin tries to convince his fellow jurors to rethink their stances — at first, he's the only holdout in a sea of guilty verdicts — a surprisingly deft balancing act emerges, wherein the drama of Justin's remorse, and his dilemmas over how to proceed, become increasingly entwined with the nature of the law itself, and with its in-built presumptions. Granted, the case itself feels legally dubious at times; rare are the moments when it feels like anyone, let alone these specific jurors, might ignore its enormous holes. However, this only makes the movie's argument more pointed, about what truly informs an individual's factual reality. 

The "what if?" hanging around Justin's neck like an albatross isn't one of whether he was responsible — he's sure of this up front — but rather, what might happen should he come clean, and what his alternatives to doing so might be. As he seeks legal advice from a lawyer friend, Larry Lasker (Kiefer Sutherland), his conundrum becomes excitingly complicated, paving the way for unexpected personal drama. Not only does Justin have his wife and unborn child to care for, there are also elements of his past — hinted at through dialogue, but eventually revealed through flashbacks and Hoult's heartrending personal confessions — that would, in theory, cast aspersions on his own character and idyllic façade, a fear made all the more pressing by how sure co-jurors seem of Sythe's morality.

SEE ALSO: John Oliver takes a disturbing deep dive into racism within the U.S. jury system

Justin, therefore, must sway 11 other individuals without tipping his hand. The film becomes a thrilling game of oration and of navigating fiery, idiosyncratic personalities. However, Eastwood never allows his story to become decoupled from larger concerns about the ethics of the law, and to what degree "innocent until proven guilty" truly holds when the accused, the attorneys, the jurors, and even judges don't exist in vacuum. "To the justice system!" Resnick toasts midway through the film, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. "It isn't perfect, but it's the best we've got."

Juror #2 is in a tug-of-war with 12 Angry Men.

Watching Juror #2 in no way requires homework, but familiarity with Lumet's landmark legal drama (or the teleplay on which it's based) makes it all the richer. There are, of course, overt plot similarities at the outset. Like Henry Fonda's upstanding Juror No. 8, Justin is initially the only "non-guilty" voter, while his 11 co-jurors seem convinced otherwise. Although Justin's motives are deeply personal — he knows the truth, and hopes to alleviate his own guilt — he takes a similar, step-by-step approach to Fonda's character, asking the group to re-examine the evidence and their own biases before making a life-changing decision.

However, where 12 Angry Men is largely confined to the deliberation room over a single day, Juror #2 spans several days, nights, and locations. While this distinction is merely logistical, what it does with this departure ensures that Eastwood's spiritual successor soon establishes its own identity. It has a wider purview, not only of the night of the crime — via numerous flashbacks that exhibit minor differences, depending on who's telling the story — but of the trial itself, and its political entanglements. Killebrew, for instance, is running for District Attorney, and a guilty verdict favors her career.

The departures are mischievous too, from a storytelling standpoint. Several characters, including a retired detective and fellow juror named Harold (J.K. Simmons), begin looking into the case independently, and the question of how close they might come to discovering Justin's involvement becomes a recurring throughline. However, the film's thematic expansions prove thorny as well. In updating the make-up of the jury from 12 white men to a mix of men and women of different ethnicities, the film seems to overlook the ensuing racial entanglements, rather than folding them into its story.

None of the jurors are particularly excited to be there — a key starting point, as they (and the audience) are slowly convinced of how important their roles might be — but the two most adamant advocates of a guilty verdict happen to be Marcus (Cedric Yarbrough) and Yolanda (Adrienne C. Moore), the only two Black members of the jury. Not only are they utterly, even viciously convinced of Sythe's guilt, they also place immense faith in the justice system without question. Yolanda is also afforded little interiority when it comes to her decision-making. While 12 Angry Men never quite got into racial specifics, its stray shot of the accused (John Savoca) and the charged language used by Lee J. Cobb's hot-headed Juror No. 3 ensured that the specter of racism was ever-present. It is, therefore, more than a little strange that a modern movie set in a Southern U.S. state might not even consider the broader picture of how one's experiences as a non-white person might differently shape their worldview when it comes to systems of legal justice.

On the plus side, Marcus becomes a greater focus of the film as things play out, so his reasoning feels more justified. But what's especially interesting about his character is that not only is he the ostensible analogue of Cobb's adamant third juror in 12 Angry Men, but there's something distinctly Cobb-esque about him too. The actors could be related for all we know; their eyes are sunken and thoughtful in strikingly similar ways, and Yarbrough layers his temper with nuance and humanity, in the exact same way Cobb was known for doing.

In fact, eyes may be the most important element of Juror #2.

Clint Eastwood paints Juror #2 with subtle, masterful brush strokes. Nicholas Hoult and director Clint Eastwood on set. Credit: Claire Folger / Warner Bros.

That the film lays its cards on the table within its first 30 minutes might seem surprising. However, it eschews all elements of mystery for a distinctive purpose. There's no doubt in Justin's or the audience's mind about what actually happened, so the drama is born from the uncertainty of what Justin might do next — and whether it'll be effective. The factual truth lies in the details, but the film's emotional truths are just as lucid, and they're often conveyed through performance. 

Juror #2 may be a wordy film, but its dialogue is seldom expository, other than in scenes recounting the case. Each actor's posture, their hesitance, and the turning of their mental and moral gears makes their characters' motives crystal clear, even as the film's own moral outlook grows murkier and more uncertain. You can tell exactly what a character is thinking just by observing their gaze, from the way they look at other people in the room, to the fleeting moments in which they avert their eyes, thinking silently to themselves. This is part of what makes the movie so enrapturing. The only time this technique is interrupted is when Eastwood and cinematographer Yves Bélanger pull purposefully from film noir, and use blinds and other physical elements to obscure Justin's eyes in shadow. Uncertainty of plot, and of fact, briefly becomes the same thing as uncertainty of personal truth. 

As the film nears its conclusion, Eastwood sprinkles more moments of doubt along the way, ensuring that anything remotely didactic about Juror #2 swiftly melts away. Hollywood movies about American systems tend to feature a saccharine optimism (à la The Report, which finds hope in the concept of justice even in a film about military torture). However, Juror #2 takes a more cynical bent, if a more realistic one, not only about the ways in which justice can be miscarried, but also the personally driven reasons the U.S. justice system often takes the shape it does.

And yet, Eastwood stresses the vital importance of personal duty within that system without ever getting lost in jingoistic notions. When the jurors feel uncommitted to their roles at first, the filmmaking is noncommittal too, unfolding at an unobtrusive distance and with mechanical proficiency. But as the drama becomes more personal, and more intimate, his aesthetic approach becomes imbued with a ferocious vitality. 

The camera presses in on characters like Justin — and even on Allison, as if to question what, if anything, she knows — practically interrogating them, as it seeks to solve questions that may be unanswerable, in a system rife with imperfections, but one that strives to be "more perfect." Juror #2 is old-school in its filmmaking, but it embodies a new school of thought for Eastwood, one briefly hinted at in Flags of Our Fathers but clarified with a newfound introspection and vulnerability. Deep-seated symbols and ideas become fluid, making space for captivating drama that both pays homage and paves its own path: a constant tussle between old and new.

Juror #2 opens in theaters Nov. 1.

Starting a business while working a full-time job is challenging. Both your time and your resources are limited, which means you need to manage them properly in order to stay organized and productive. Over the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) tools have emerged as powerful resources that can make this entrepreneurial balancing act more manageable, allowing side hustlers to manage their ventures efficiently alongside their day jobs. 

Here’s a look at just some of the ways AI can help you maximize productivity and simplify tasks so that you can manage a side hustle more efficiently.

Automate repetitive tasks

Implementing AI tools can be particularly useful for repetitive tasks. Tools such as Zapier and IFTTT allow you to automate everything from social media posts to customer emails. Other AI-powered customer support platforms such as chatbot services can handle customer inquiries while you’re at your 9-5. This way, your customers receive consistent communications from your business, even if you’re not readily available. 

Efficiently track tasks

AI-powered project management tools such as Trello, Notion, and Forecast have smart automation capabilities that can remind you of deadlines, suggest which tasks to prioritize, and automate project updates. This frees up your time to focus on what matters most in your side hustle, while minimizing task overload. 

Create content for social media

If your side hustle depends on social media, creating engaging content on a regular basis can be challenging and time-consuming. AI tools like Canva can give you automated design suggestions to accompany your post captions, while tools like ChatGPT and Jasper AI can help generate post ideas, captions, and even longer content like blog posts. These tools can even help you to create ad copy that is tailored for your business and target audience. 

Optimize marketing and customer targeting

You can leverage AI to help optimize your marketing strategies through advanced data analysis and predictive analytics. This means you’ll end up reaching the right audience without a lot of guesswork. Platforms like Google Analytics and Meta Ads use AI to analyze customer behavior, preferences, and trends, giving entrepreneurs insights that would otherwise take hours to sort through the old fashioned way. 

Financial management

Financial management is important for any business, but especially for side hustlers who have to be smart about their cash flow. Tools such as QuickBooks and Xero offer AI-driven insights, automating bookkeeping, expense tracking, and generating cash flow forecasts. All this means you’re able to stay on top of finances without spending hours in spreadsheets or having to pay a professional to do the work. 

Enhance customer engagement

Maintaining strong customer relationships is important for establishing and growing your side hustle, especially if your business is in a competitive market. AI-enabled customer relationship management (CRM) tools like HubSpot and Salesforce can manage customer interactions by sending automated follow-ups, managing email lists, and even helping segment customers based on their engagement level. 

Competitor and market analysis

Having a solid understanding of your competitors and market trends is important for putting together your business strategy, but is a time-consuming task. AI-powered tools such as Crayon and SEMrush can automatically monitor your competitors, giving you insights into their strategies, pricing, product offerings, and marketing tactics. 

Website optimization and SEO 

Having an optimized website that ranks in search results can help your business to attract new customers. AI-powered tools like Surfer SEO, Clearscope, and Yoast provide you with keyword and SEO recommendations, and can even analyze your content quality to improve your website’s visibility without the need to spend hours on SEO research. 

Optimizing your time management

Unfortunately, time is a highly limited resource when you’re working a full-time job and running a business on the side. AI-powered scheduling tools such as Calendar and Google Calendar can help you to prioritize tasks, block out time, and sync schedules across multiple devices. These tools can even look at your availability, and then suggest the best times for meetings. You can even set them up to book appointments automatically based on preset criteria. 

Growing a business without the cushion of a big budget might seem challenging, but numerous entrepreneurs have proven it’s possible. By leveraging their creativity, grassroots marketing, and low-cost tools, they’ve been able to scale their businesses organically without relying on heavy investment in marketing. Their journeys offer practical advice on how small businesses can expand effectively while keeping costs low.

Shaun Merritt, Co-Founder and COO of Ruck Delivery, embraced grassroots marketing to grow his businesses. He started by building relationships on construction sites, busting out a griddle and cooking up Costco hot dogs to introduce his services to potential customers. 

“It started out just rolling up to friends or family who needed things moved,” he says. “Then expanded to showing up at job sites." 

This hands-on approach built trust and rapport, allowing him to grow his customer base without spending on traditional marketing.

Similarly, Stefanie Ricchio, Founder of SRBC, relied on her expertise and thought leadership to connect with her audience. Rather than paying for ads, she focused on public speaking, webinars, and content creation. 

“I recognized that what I really loved was being able to take 25 years of experience and guide and help. So I started to lean into thought leadership. I know we cringe now when we hear that word, but I love public speaking. I love webinars. I love working brands. The last couple of years has really been about honing in on that expertise and building content, and now working towards building an app.”

By sharing her knowledge, she was able to grow her business and establish credibility in her industry without significant financial outlay.

Both Merritt and Ricchio used low-cost tools and social media platforms to get the word out about their businesses. For Merritt, Facebook proved to be a powerful tool for engaging with his blue-collar audience.  

“A lot of these older builders and pros, they're still hanging out on Facebook and they have their Facebook networking that they've done,” says Merritt. “So it's a good opportunity to dive into Facebook groups and be an active contributor, whether you're liking something, commenting on what other people post, or if we're trying to figure out a pro that we could refer to somebody who's looking for a specific service. That's been a strategy that's helped our growth.”

In addition, Merritt’s business model showcases the power of leveraging local resources to scale without major investment. By creating a multi-sided marketplace that connects suppliers, drivers, and customers, he was able to grow his delivery service without the expense of owning a fleet or large storage facilities. Instead, he hires local contractors with trucks who might otherwise have idle equipment. 

"We're able to onboard them really quickly, and then take advantage of local delivery routes that can be set up really easily and affordably," says Merritt.

Ricchio, on the other hand, used free or low-cost digital tools to build a brand presence and showcase her expertise while connecting with potential clients.

“I started to realize pretty quickly that I could leverage social media like Instagram and LinkedIn for that thought leadership piece to get my ideas out there,” says Ricchio. “Then the website for me became the tool with the details. On the website there was a little bit more. If you want to talk to me about your business and building it, that's where you could make that happen. That grew into adding resources, but it was all relatively inexpensive or free.”

By building trust through thought leadership and providing valuable insights to her audience, Ricchio was able to attract new clients without spending a lot on marketing. 

Recognizing your value and charging appropriately is key to sustainable growth, as Ricchio discovered during her journey. Initially, she accepted lower rates, but once she understood the value her expertise brought to her clients, she increased her rates by 150-175%. This not only boosted her revenue but also allowed her to work fewer hours. 

“I wasn’t working 40 to 50 hours because I wanted to hit these magic target numbers,” she says. “I can work 30 hours and my business has grown 20 to 30% in revenue year over year, every single year.”  Scaling doesn’t always mean working harder – it can mean working smarter.

Both Merritt and Ricchio emphasize the importance of using technology, but in a way that’s aligned with the needs of their businesses and audiences. Merritt’s blue-collar clientele might not be as tech-savvy, so he focuses on accessible platforms like Facebook and Craigslist, avoiding overly complex digital tools. 

“A lot of the people that we're wanting to cater to are blue collar people, and that doesn't mean that they don't embrace technology all the time, but it does mean that there is a little bit of resistance to changes that occur, or even using the most up-to-date version of an app,” he says. “So right now, we're still going to stick with what's working.”

For Ricchio, low-cost digital tools were crucial in the early days. By starting with simple systems and platforms, she was able to keep costs low while still building her online presence. For small businesses, the key is to embrace technology that fits the business and customer base, without feeling pressured to adopt every new trend.

Adaptability is a vital lesson both Merritt and Ricchio spoke of, saying that staying flexible and open to learning is crucial for small business owners navigating growth without a big budget.

Ricchio advises entrepreneurs to really focus on understanding their business before scaling. "The best will happen when you actually have a strong understanding of what your business is.”

Finally, having the right business partner can provide complementary skills, support, and shared vision, making it easier to overcome challenges and achieve success together in business. Merritt says he couldn’t have grown Ruck to where it is without his co-founder, Lee Chang. 

“I couldn’t have done anything without him.”

Time management is one of the biggest challenges faced by entrepreneurs. With so many responsibilities – from balancing family commitments, potentially still having to kill it at your day job, and doing what it takes to grow your other ventures – life can feel overwhelming at times. 

Hearing from others who’ve been where you are and found ways to make it work can provide valuable insights and motivation. Whether you’re looking to streamline your daily tasks, boost productivity, or simply reclaim a little work-life balance, these insights from seven successful entrepreneurs and small business owners will help you make the most of your time while achieving your business goals. 

Justinia Gardiner, Founder of SunnyStik

Advice: Categorize tasks between work and family. 

“As a mom and solo entrepreneur, I categorize tasks into family and business, dedicating time blocks to each. This approach helps me stay focused, minimize distractions, and ensure steady progress in both my business and personal life, even on the busiest days.”

Jared Kleinert, Founder and CEO of Offsite

Advice: Work on the most important thing.

“My biggest time management hack is working on the most important thing, and being willing to let small fires burn. Everything else becomes secondary to this priority. I focus on what's most important and deprioritize everything else.”

Lindsay Stockall, Founder and Creative Director of Stockall & Company

Advice: Know when not to force creativity.

“While calendar blocking can be a powerful tool for entrepreneurs, it has its limits – especially when it comes to creative work. Creativity doesn’t fit neatly into a time slot. That’s why I structure my day to power through my morning tasks, leaving the afternoons free for creative exploration. By tackling my to-dos early, I can dive into the creative process with a clear mind and not feel the pressure of deadlines. Putting rigid time constraints on creativity is a recipe for disaster.”

Ronak Desai, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Payment Labs

Advice: Know when to delegate. 

"The Eisenhower Decision Matrix. It forces you to think if you really need to do it now, later, or let someone else deal with it. As your business gains traction and naturally starts to grow, doing everything yourself doesn't scale, and you'd end up holding back yourself and the business at the same time."

Alison Venditti, Founder of Moms at Work

Advice: Just say no. 

“I say no, a lot. Early on in my business I said yes to everything – every opportunity, coffee chat, walk around the block. I spent a ton of time learning to identify which meetings were valuable and which were there to waste my time or use my brain without compensation (brain picking!) Now that I know what both I and my business need I am a lot more picky – I know what partnerships, relationships are good alignment and I have way more time to work on my business.”

Colin Gardiner, solo Founding Partner of Yonder and co-founder of Longtail

Advice: Automate everything you can.

“I create templates for anything I do more than once, like introductory emails. I use Superhuman to manage my email, create templates, set reminders, and automate follow-ups. This saves me time and keeps me organized.”

Melissa Soulliere, COO of Vimeography

Advice: Make it a family affair. 

“Give kids their own chores and responsibilities. My kids have been doing their own laundry and making their own school lunches since the age of 10. We also have a shared note in Apple Notes with our grocery list. There are 5 of us, so one will wait in line at the deli counter – which is very busy on the weekends – and another at the meat counter. The rest will start in the produce section before heading to other sections. It has cut grocery shopping time in half!”

Being a solopreneur comes with plenty of benefits: You can set your own hours, decide your own business priorities, and kiss performance reviews goodbye. But a one-and-done tax season? That is not one of them.

In many cases, independent workers must pay the tax they owe not in one lump on April 15 but in four installments throughout the year. These payments are the dreaded quarterly, or estimated, taxes

Quarterly taxes can be confusing, but they don't have to be scary. Once you know the basics — and debunk a few pesky myths — you'll be in good shape.

What are quarterly taxes?

The IRS requires independent workers, including freelancers, contractors, and solopreneurs, to pay taxes on their income throughout the year instead of all at once. This is because without an employer involved, that income is not automatically taxed when you receive it — and the IRS wants its cash.
There are four quarterly tax deadlines throughout the year. They are:

• January 15

• April 15

• June 15

• September 15

If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it will shift to the next business day.

Who has to pay quarterly taxes?

Assume you must make quarterly payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in taxes on your non-W-2 income throughout the year. (If you're not sure, there are plenty of tax estimators out there to give you an idea — including a tax calculator from Mashable's No. 1 tax software pick for freelance filers, H&R Block.)

Non-W-2 income includes self-employment income, the type of income you make as a solopreneur. Take it from the IRS: "If you are in business for yourself, you generally need to make estimated tax payments."

How to estimate and pay quarterly taxes

OK, so you owe quarterly taxes. How do you figure out how much to pay each quarter? This question can be especially vexing for solopreneurs with seasonally inconsistent income. If you make twice as much in the summer as in the winter, for example, how do you know how much to pay?

According to Logan Allec, a CPA and owner of the tax relief company Choice Tax Relief, there are a few ways you can estimate your payments. The first is simply to set aside a percentage of what you earn every quarter and pay that amount. (This percentage could be your effective tax rate from the previous year; otherwise, around 30% is a solid rule of thumb.) If you end up overpaying, you'll eventually get that overpayment back as a tax refund from the IRS.

The second method takes advantage of what's called the prior year safe harbor rule. Under this rule, the IRS will not charge you underpayment penalties if you pay the same amount in taxes that you paid the previous year. So if you divide your tax liability from the previous year by four, then pay that amount each quarter, you'll be on good terms with the IRS no matter what. 

If your business has grown a lot since last year, though, use this method with caution: "You may end up owing more than you expected when you actually file this year's tax return if you made a lot more this year than [you did] last year," Allec says.

Finally, you can make an estimation using a little math. Each quarter, add up your actual income, multiply it by four (this will "annualize" it to the entire year), and then calculate your hypothetical yearly tax liability based on this amount. Divide that number by four, and you've got your estimated quarterly payment.

Once you've figured out your amount, you can make the actual payment through the IRS direct pay portal — or, if you're really old school, you can send a check.

Quarterly tax tipsTax tip #1: Don't forget state taxes

Allec points out that in states that charge state income tax, you might have to make estimated quarterly state payments as well. "Apart from simply ignoring (or being completely unaware) of the requirement for state quarterly tax payments," he says, "some taxpayers assume that the payments work the same for federal as they do for state." Make sure you know the rules for your state to avoid an unexpected bill.

Tax tip #2: Lower your tax bill with deductions

If you're self-employed as a solopreneur, you can deduct eligible business expenses — things like home office expenses, postage and shipping costs, and business-related car expenses — to lower your tax bill. A CPA can help you figure out which deductions you're able to take. Tax filing platforms like TurboTax can also help you with business deductions, often for an additional fee or at a pricier tier. There are even apps like Keeper and FlyFin that you can use to track your business expenses throughout the year.

Tax tip #3: Don't be afraid to hire a pro

If you're overwhelmed by your taxes, having trouble keeping up with your bookkeeping, or just don't want to deal with it, don't be afraid to work with a CPA, Allec says. It's an investment, but it's worth it for plenty of solopreneurs — plus, an accountant can help you minimize your bill come tax time.

TL;DR: The 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle covers Python, AI, app development, and more at just $39.97 through November 3rd.

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to dive into the tech world, here’s your moment. Not only is the coming time change going to mess with your sleep patterns, but for just $39.97, the 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle is on sale.

It brings you 15 courses and 213 hours of expert-led training — enough to build a robust foundation in programming, whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to upskill. Covering essential programming languages like Python, Java, C++, and JavaScript, this bundle is designed to take you from zero to certification-ready with 15 courses and a limited-time $39.97 price tag.

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With real-world applications and hands-on exercises, you’ll be applying them to build practical projects that can bolster your portfolio and impress potential employers. 

The courses in this bundle focus on high-demand skills that can open doors to a wide range of tech careers. Want to develop powerful web applications? You’ll learn JavaScript, Vuex, and SQL to build full-stack projects from scratch. Interested in data science? Courses in Python and machine learning give you the tools to analyze data and generate insights that drive business decisions. For those intrigued by the future of AI, there’s a deep dive into OpenAI, ChatGPT, and computer vision—topics reshaping industries across the board.

With a growing demand for tech-savvy professionals, investing in your coding skills is a smart move.

Pick up this 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle while it's on sale for just $39.97 through November 3.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Shutterstock The 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle $39.97
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TL;DR: Pick up a complete coding toolkit with Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 and 15 courses covering front-end, back-end, data science, mobile development, and more — all for just $55.97.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shutterstock Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 + The 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle $55.97
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If you’re eager to step into the world of software development or level up your tech skills, you don’t want to miss out on this bundle.

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With Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022, you’re getting an integrated development environment (IDE) and a powerhouse that enhances every aspect of coding. Known for its intuitive debugging and collaboration capabilities, streamlined workflows, and productivity-boosting features, Visual Studio gives you the ideal environment to develop robust, high-performance applications.

Visual Studio is ideal for designing innovative web applications, creating dynamic mobile apps, or exploring data science.

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Grab this bundle and start coding with confidence. The Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 + The 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle is on sale for $55.97 through November 3.

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TL;DR: No more compatibility woes with this 1TB dual USB-C and USB-A flash drive, now on sale for $74.97 (reg. $109).

With our professional and personal lives keeping us on our toes daily, a tool that helps make things easier is welcome. This 1TB Dual USB-C + USB-A High-Speed Flash Drive does more than just store your files; it redefines how you manage your data. It's currently on sale for just $74.97 (reg. $109) through November 3.

With an impressive 1TB capacity, you’ll have more than enough room to keep your most important documents, high-resolution photos, videos, and more—all in one compact, powerful device. And thanks to the dual USB 3.2 and USB-C interface, this flash drive connects with almost any device for convenient compatibility.

With both USB-A and USB-C ports, you’re covered for almost any device. While traditional storage options, like external hard drives, can be bulky and single-port flash drives lack versatility, this 1TB flash drive combines the best of both worlds in a lightweight, portable package. Need to transfer files from your phone to your laptop? Just plug it in — no adapter needed.

The versatility of this flash drive goes beyond connectivity. Its high-speed data transfer rates, ranging from 20 to 30 MB/s, mean that even large files should transfer smoothly and quickly. Forget about waiting around for uploads or downloads—this flash drive lets you move on with your day.

Plus, with plug-and-play functionality, there’s no software to install or cables to manage. It’s ready to use the moment you plug it in, whether you’re using a Mac, PC, or even an Android smartphone.

In a world where speed and security are everything, this flash drive makes sure your data is both easily accessible and safely stored. Whether you’re working on multiple projects, storing family photos, or keeping important documents at hand, you’ll find that this device is up to the task.

Get the 1TB dual USB-C and USB-A high-speed flash drive, now on sale for $74.97 (reg. $109) through November 3. 

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Let's dive into an iPad Air vs. iPad Pro face-off. Apple showed off two new iPads on Tuesday at the May 7 "Let Loose" livestream, but you may be unsure which is best for you.

We're more than happy to give you the deets to help you make a decision. The new OLED iPad Pro and the new iPad Air are different products that serve different audiences. However, the differences aren't that self-explanatory. One is more expensive with advanced features, and the other is cheaper, but also has some of benefits of its own.

Here's how the two new iPads compare to each other.

iPad Air vs. iPad Pro 2024: Price and specs

As stated earlier, these two device serve slightly different audiences, so their specs are going to look a little different. Before we get to that, though, let's talk about price.

The Air can do almost as much as the Pro. Credit: Apple

The iPad Air starts at $749 via T-Mobile for the 11-inch model and $949 for the 13-inch model. The iPad Pro comes in the same two sizes, but at price points of $1,199 and $1,499, respectively.

Here are the iPad Air's basic specs:

• M2 processor

• LED Liquid Retina display with 2360 x 1640 resolution

• Storage options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

• WiFi 6E

• Bluetooth 5.3

And here are the specs for the iPad Pro:

• M4 processor

• OLED Ultra Retina XDR display with 2420 x 1668 resolution

• Up to 120Hz refresh rate via ProMotion technology

• Storage options: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

• WiFi 6E

• Bluetooth 5.3

And interestingly, the iPad Pro has a slightly hidden difference under the hood depending on how much storage you get, per Apple's specs page. The 256GB and 512GB variants have one fewer CPU core than the 1TB and 2TB variants. It's hard to say what, precisely, that means in a practical sense, but hey, it's worth noting.

Anyway, the iPad Pro clearly wins on specs, but that's because it's more expensive. You get what you pay for.

Winner: iPad Pro

iPad Air vs. iPad Pro 2024: Design

There are incremental changes to the new iPad Air line, but the iPad Pro models have some big changes.

The M4 iPad Pro models are the thinnest iPads that Apple has ever produced. To take it one step further, they're the thinnest Apple product that the Cupertino-based tech giant has rolled out thus far. To put this into perspective, Apple claimed that the new M4 iPad Pro is even thinner than the iPod Nano.

Look at how thin that thing is. Credit: Apple

If you want to get down into the nitty-gritty, though, there are a few things to comb through. For starters, the iPad Air has a more varied and frankly better selection of colors. Here's what's on offer for the Air:

• Blue

• Purple

• Starlight

• Space Grey

While iPad Pro customers only get the measly choice between silver and black.

One other thing worth pointing out here is that, despite the "Air" part of the iPad Air's name, both new versions of the Pro are, as we hinted earlier, actually thinner and lighter. Both new models of the Air are 6.1mm thick, while the 11-inch Pro is 5.3mm and the 13-inch Pro is even smaller at 5.1mm. The difference in weight is less than a tenth of a pound.

Oh, and both iPads got a repositioned front-facing camera. It now sits on top of the device when placed in landscape mode for more natural video calls.

Winner: iPad Pro for its thin-and-light form factor

iPad Air vs. iPad Pro 2024: Display

I've tested both the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, and the former performs better in difficult lighting situations.

Here's how the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models performed in a brightly lit room at an Apple press event.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

In the same lighting conditions, here's how the iPad Pro performed:

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

The reason that the displays on the iPad Pro models are more visible is because they emanate higher nits of brightness at up to 1,600 nits; compare this to the iPad Air line, which has a max brightness of 500 nits.

You'll also find that the iPad Pro has higher resolution, which means you'll find better clarity and detail on the screen compared to the iPad Air line.

The iPad Pro line, by the way, also comes with a nano-textured glass model, which are only available for the 1TB and 2TB configurations. This option is designed to significantly reduce glare. This option is designed for users who need to have a highly visible screen at all times. However, keep in mind that the nano-textured glass model appears to take a slight hit in vividness.

The nano-texture glass model is situated on the right in this picture. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Finally, the iPad Pro has something called a "Tandem OLED" feature. This means Apple stacked two OLED displays together, creating an ultra high-contrast, immersive screen with exceptional brightness. Again, it can climb up to 1,600 nits at its peak.

iPad Air vs. iPad Pro 2024: Features

Obviously, the Pro has more features than the Air. It's more expensive and has better hardware inside of it. That doesn't mean the Air doesn't bring anything new or interesting to the table, though.

Multiple cameras, one tablet. Credit: Apple

Apple's in-house M2 chip enables some AI features, like Live Text, which recognizes and even translates text in images.

The only problem is that the Pro can do all of that and more. A new version of the Final Cut Pro app for iPad Pro allows for seamless blending of multiple camera angles from different devices, for example. It can also use AI to more easily scan documents using the rear-facing camera. Neither of these devices blow the doors off the tech world with amazing new features, but the Pro can do a little bit more than the Air, so it wins.

Winner: iPad Pro

iPad Air vs. iPad Pro 2024: Battery life

Here are the battery sizes inside the iPad Air and iPad Pro models:

• iPad Air: 28.93-watt-hour battery (11-inch model) or 36.59-watt-hour battery (13-inch model)

• iPad Pro: 31.29-watt-hour battery (11-inch model) or 38.99-watt-hour battery (13-inch model)

For both lines, whether it's the 11-inch or 13-inch model, are rated for 10 hours of battery life, according to Apple.

Mashable Tech Editor Kimberly Gedeon reviewed the 13-inch iPad Air and iPad Pro models, and according to her in-house testing, they blow Apple's battery life claims out of the water. The iPad Air lasted 13 hours and 10 minutes on a single charge. The iPad Pro's battery life is even more impressive; it lasted 16 hours and 24 minutes on Mashable's test.

iPad Air vs. iPad Pro 2024: Which should you buy?

It all comes down to cash.

Do you have money to spend on a new iPad Pro? Then you should get the Pro. It has a better display, a better processor, a bigger battery, and more features. That was always going to be the case, so no surprises here.

That said, maybe you have the cash, but don't have the desire to do serious workflow stuff on an iPad. Maybe the iPad exists for doing crossword puzzles and watching YouTube videos in your life. If that's the case, go with the Air.

Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile 11-inch iPad Air $749.99 at T-Mobile
Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile 13-inch iPad Air $949.99 at T-Mobile
Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile 11-inch iPad Pro $1,199.99 at T-Mobile
Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile 13-inch iPad Pro $1,499.99 at T-Mobile
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There are movies that are bad stupid in that they make you feel dissatisfied and even furious because their pieces don't add up to a satisfying whole (ahem). Then there are good stupid movies, like Dumb and Dumber, Cabin Boy, The Big Lebowski, and now The Gutter, a sports comedy that's ostensibly about bowling but is actually about the glory of doing dumb stuff with friends.

SEE ALSO: 'The Gutter' trailer strikes a hilarious chord with Shameik Moore, D'Arcy Carden, and Susan Sarandon

Fittingly, this bonkers buddy comedy was made by two brothers, who upon the movie's SXSW premiere, declared they've been best friends since birth. Directed by Isaiah Lester and Yassir Lester (and written by the latter), The Gutter boasts a jaw-dropping cast that includes Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse's Shameik Moore, The Good Place's D'Arcy Carden, Happy Endings' Adam Pally, Living Single's Kim Fields, 227's Jackée Harry, The League's Paul Scheer, Mad About You's Paul Reiser, and Susan Sarandon. And every single member of this ensemble goes for the joke, no matter how dumb or potentially offensive. The Lester brothers don't lead them wrong, making for a sports comedy as striking as it is absolutely hysterical. 

What's The Gutter about?  Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Moore stars as Walt, a young Black man who hates wearing shirts, loves yellow gold chains, and has been spectacularly fired from a string of dead-end jobs for some truly bone-headed reasons. ("Found tasting spoons inefficient.") Washing up at AlleyCatz, a bowling alley that is sketchy even by bowling alley standards, he is three-time loser looking for any job he can get. Lucky for him, this is a place for misfits. 

SEE ALSO: 'Y2K' review: Kyle Mooney combines 2000s nostalgia and robo-apocalypse 

Open-hearted owner Mozell (Harry) doesn't get a lot of actual bowlers, but regularly welcomes street preacher Brotha Candy (Killing It's Rell Battle), a washed-up bowling pro/dedicated drunk called Skunk (Carden), and an unidentified critter that raids her kitchen while making an ungodly racket. But when a sickly health inspector (Adam Brody) puts the place under threat of being closed (by every government agency including the ATF), it's up to these losers to save the day, or at least the bowling alley through extensive renovations.

Turns out Walt is a natural at rolling strikes. So, as his self-proclaimed coach/newly minted bestie, Skunk guides him into the competitive bowling tournament tour, where big wins could raise the funds needed to keep AlleyCatz afloat. Walt quickly makes a name for himself not only through his victories but also his unusual form, wild costumes, and an outrageous "stage name." But Walt and Skunk, face serious competition when a living legend of pin-smashing comes out of retirement. Enter Susan Sarandon as the surly and salacious Linda "The Crusher" Curson, who chain-smokes in between sexually harassing her male assistant and brutally berating any rival on site.

Can a band of losers defeat The Crusher at her own game? 

Shameik Moore and D'Arcy Carden are a top-notch comedy team.  Credit: Magnolia Pictures

From the moment Walt and Skunk inexplicably stumble onto a perfectly in-sync secret handshake, Moore and Carden are a dynamic duo. The awe-shucks energy he brought to Miles Morales is gone, replaced by a wild-eyed bombast, bolstered by physical comedy that is fearlessly goofy. Walt pitches himself full-bodied into ludicrous poses to throw the ball down the lane or trains by practicing his precarious balance on its slippery surface. But Moore might be at his funniest when he alternately mugs or shrieks lines of mock outrage. I marvel this movie got made because I can't imagine how anyone onscreen with Moore could keep a straight face to his unbridled comedic mayhem. And yet, Carden not only doesn't break, she proves his pitch-perfect partner. 

From the moment Walt and Skunk inexplicably stumble onto a perfectly in-sync secret handshake, Moore and Carden are a dynamic duo.

With an improvisational background, a sharply shaggy delivery, and a loose-limbed approach to the surly Skunk, Carden is laugh-out-loud funny. "I know what you're thinking," she says with a shrug, "Skunk's a man's name." Without missing a beat, Moore notes it's an animal's name. And when Carden fires back a perplexed, "What animal?!" I was lost to my laughter. This was the first act, and I was already laughing so loud I was missing lines of dialogue. The audience at the movie's World Premiere at SXSW was similarly in stitches, all the more impressive considering this bonkers comedy played at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday — not a late-night spot where audience goodwill might be better fueled by tacos and booze.

Together, Moore and Carden exude the "yes and" guidance of improv comedy, building on each other's energy and turning every wild swing of a punchline into a gut punch of a belly laugh. This dynamic reflects Walt and Skunk's, being two weirdos with big dumb dreams who can lean on each other when things get tough. Through wins and losses, they have each other. And as outlandish or outright stupid as this movie gets, The Gutter is undeniably heart-warming at its core. 

The Gutter makes inappropriate jokes its playground.  Credit: Magnolia Pictures

While plenty of gags are more silly than shocking, the Lester brothers scored roars of laughter with riskier punchlines. Notably, they're not punching down. The joke is usually at the expense of the ignorant dope saying something profoundly outrageous, like when a Southern-fried bully describes therapy as "Jewish voodoo" or when Reiser as obnoxious sportcaster declares BLM stands for "Bowl Lives Matter," because he "said it first." 

There's a pleasure in the Lesters inviting us to laugh in the face of such ignorance. But they have a crisp awareness that who tells a joke impacts how it lands. For instance, Walt's chosen stage name includes the N-word, setting up an expectation about who can call him that and who better not. It's a recurring bit that is tweaked just enough to keep it from getting stale but also to keep the audience from relaxing into it. 

I can't remember the last time a comedy this stupid was so smart in its jokes. The Gutter is the kind of comedy that scares the hell out of distributors because it doesn't play it safe. Sure, not every joke lands and some do spark gasps alongside giggles. But the Lesters have strategically stuffed so many goofy gags and such cleverly cast comedic performers, that from the first frame to the last The Gutter is a winner. 

The Gutter opens in theaters and on demand Nov. 1.

UPDATE: Oct. 10, 2024, 4:26 p.m. EDT "The Gutter" was reviewed out of SXSW 2024. This review was first published on March 13, 2024. It has been updated to reflect theatrical/digital viewing options.

 

It's time for a good ol' Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Apple Watch Ultra 2 face-off.

It's not really in dispute that Apple makes some of the best smartwatches around, but which one is right for you?

As usual, that depends on multiple factors like features, battery life, and perhaps most importantly, price. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are both excellent choices, but they're for different groups of people.

One is more of a general-use device while the other is definitely geared toward the more adventurous among us. Here's how the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 compare to each other.

SEE ALSO: Get moving with the best Prime Day fitness tracker deals Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Ultra 2: price

As one might expect, the Series 9 is a good deal cheaper than the Ultra 2. You can find the former for $399, but it's often regularly discounted.

It comes in two models: a variant with a 41mm case size and a configuration with a 45mm case size.

Apple Watch Series 9 looks really good on Mashable's Stan Schroeder. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

There are, of course, some hidden costs with the Series 9 that aren't present with the Ultra 2, which comes with all the possible bells and whistles you could want. With Series 9, adding extra flourishes like a stainless-steel case (the default is aluminum) and cellular LTE coverage can balloon the total cost up to a staggering $749, the same ballpark as the Ultra 2.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2, on the other hand, only offers a 49mm case size — and has a starting price of $799.99.

Winner: Series 9

Apple Watch Ultra 2 $799.00 at Amazon
Shop Now Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Ultra 2: design

Apple Watch is arguably the most customizable product Apple sells, with a variety of case materials, colors, and watch bands to choose from.

Depth sensing! Credit: Apple

For this category, we'll just stick with the inherent design features of each device because going through every single permutation would take forever.

Unsurprisingly, Ultra 2 is one step ahead. Its titanium case is going to be more durable than the aluminum and stainless steel options on Series 9, though that may not matter if you're not a hiker or athlete. Meanwhile, the Ultra 2's 49mm case is slightly bigger than the 45mm or 41mm varieties of the Series 9. This means the display is also ever-so-slightly larger, offering more screen real estate than the Series 9.

The real secret weapon in the Ultra 2's arsenal, though, is the programmable action button on the watch's side.

You can really trick out your Apple Watch. Credit: Apple

You can make it activate pretty much any app shortcut you want — the Series 9 doesn't have this button at all. It's arguably the one feature the Ultra 2 has that is useful to everyone, not just people who enjoy hiking, so it's a bummer that the Series 9 doesn't have it.

Winner: Ultra 2

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Ultra 2: features

A look at Apple's official comparison website for the different Apple Watch models is illuminating. Despite the big difference in (starting) price, these two devices have almost all of the same basic features.

Ultra 2 has a slight edge over the Watch Series 9 (pictured) with its feature set. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

For instance, both (obviously) support Siri and the new Double Tap feature. Health features are also the same across the board, with both watches supporting blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, heart rate notifications, skin temperature sensing, and cycle tracking.

The differences lie in the margins, and of course, the Ultra wins again by default. It comes with LTE built-in (it's an optional add-on for Series 9) and can sink to a depth of 100m underwater, 50m more than Series 9. It's also got a depth gauge and water temperature sensor, so diving fanatics don't have much of a choice here. Oh, and there's an emergency siren on Ultra 2 for, well, emergencies. The Series 9 doesn't have that.

Winner: Ultra 2

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Ultra 2: battery life

The easiest category yet.

Ultra 2 easily has a better battery than Series 9. Credit: Apple

Series 9 has a runtime of up to 18 hours on a full charge and up to 36 hours on low-power mode.

Ultra 2 is rated for literally twice that much: 36 hours by default and 72 hours on low-power mode. This is one upgrade that everyone benefits from, not just lovers of the great outdoors.

Winner: Ultra 2

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Ultra 2: winner

As is customary with device comparisons featuring two gadgets that are so disparate in price, the more expensive one looks better on paper. Apple Watch Ultra 2 is bigger, more durable, longer-lasting, and has more features than Series 9. It's also not for everyone.

Ultra 2 is definitely made with outdoorsy adventuring types in mind. It's for people who might feasibly get lost in the woods or need to measure depth while diving in the ocean. I am certainly not one of those people and I'd venture to guess you might not be either. If that's the case, there's nothing wrong with Apple Watch Series 9; it's cheaper and has almost all of the same software features as Ultra 2.

But still, this is a competition and someone has to win. Congratulations, Apple.

Winner: Apple Watch Ultra 2 (but Series 9 is fine for most people, too)

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple Watch Series 9 41mm model $299.99 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile Apple Watch Ultra 2 $799.99 at T-Mobile
Shop Now

In Janet Planet, silence is everything. Playwright Annie Baker's directorial debut thrives in the stretches of time between words, entire scenes sometimes playing out solely accompanied by ambient noise.

That focus on silence comes as no surprise given Baker's previous work. Pick up any of her plays, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Flick to The Aliens, and you'll find meticulously scripted pauses, right down to how long they should last. However, these pauses are by no means dead space; they are intentional opportunities for characters to fully inhabit their worlds, to consider their thoughts and go about their everyday actions. They're just one of the many ways in which Baker so thoroughly captures how people actually speak to and interact with one another — an ability she carries from the stage to the screen with Janet Planet.

SEE ALSO: 11 films you'll want to see out of NYFF 2023 What's Janet Planet about?

Janet Planet introduces us to rising sixth grader Lacy (Zoe Ziegler) and her mother, the eponymous Janet (Julianne Nicholson). The two are practically inseparable, mostly by Lacy's doing. At summer camp, she threatens to kill herself unless Janet picks her up. Upon returning home, Lacy demands Janet sleep in her bed with her, then asks to keep "a little piece" of her mom when Janet tries to return to her own room. (Janet hands over a strand of hair.)

In the time she can't spend with Janet, such as when Janet is seeing her acupuncture clients, Lacy busies herself with piano lessons and tending to a diorama she's built in her room. She also acts as a quiet observer of her mother's life, watching Janet connect with romantic interests and friends despite not fully understanding the ins and outs of adulthood herself.

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Among the figures who come into Janet and Lacy's lives are Janet's boyfriend, Wayne (Will Patton); her old friend Regina (Sophie Okonedo), who's just left a commune of actors and farmers that may or may not be a cult; and Avi (Elias Koteas), the leader of said commune who takes a liking to Janet. Janet Planet announces these characters' arrivals (and departures) with matter-of-fact title cards that both give the film a wry sense of structure and mirror how Lacy marks time based on her mother's own relationships.

The strength of each "section" of Janet Planet varies, with my personal favorite being the one that centers on Regina. Instead of focusing on romantic connections, this portion of the film dives deeper into female friendship. Nicholson and Okonedo share a great rapport while talking about their past mistakes and what's happened in their lives since they last spoke. Plus, Lacy gets more of a chance to interact with Regina than she does with Wayne or Avi, revealing some of her stronger opinions and thoughts about her mother that she can't share directly with her.

SEE ALSO: ‘All of Us Strangers’ review: Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal lead the hottest, saddest movie this year.

Otherwise, Lacy remains less an active participant than an onlooker throughout, something Baker establishes through long, static shots of other characters from Lacy's point of view and through her trademark silences. Here, Lacy takes in the people around her, examining them before asking the occasional pointed question. Elsewhere, Baker shows people speaking but removes the sound of their dialogue, making us infer their words from Lacy's facial expressions. Newcomer Ziegler's reactions are revelatory in themselves, as is her entire performance, complementing Baker's strong yet quietly sparse directorial vision. The film sometimes shifts to Janet's perspective, but it's certainly at its strongest and most developed while we're seeing the world through Lacy's inquisitive, if sometimes bewildered, eyes.

Janet Planet is a moving snapshot of a mother-daughter relationship.

Wayne, Regina, and Avi may come and go, but the heart of Janet Planet is undeniably the relationship between Janet and Lacy. There's an easy intimacy here, glimpsed in scenes where Janet combs Lacy's hair or takes care of her when she's sick. But there's also a tension: Lacy is attached to Janet to the point of codependency, while Janet sometimes appears to be stifled by Lacy's constant closeness, even though she loves her daughter.

Wayne, Regina, and Avi may come and go, but the heart of 'Janet Planet' is undeniably the relationship between Janet and Lacy.

These are feelings that Janet can't quite express to Lacy, and they aren't the only ones. One night, while the two lie in bed together, Lacy confides in Janet, "Every moment of my life is hell." Obviously, these are the last words Janet wants to hear from her daughter — especially as the moment in which Lacy speaks them is a non-hellish instance of calm. Yet Janet seems to find some truth in them too, confessing that she doesn't feel happy either, that her ability to make men fall in love with her sometimes scares her.

Janet's confession is a rare instance of her truly letting Lacy in. At other moments, she keeps Lacy at arm's length, becoming a somewhat unknowable figure to a daughter who just wants to understand her. Nicholson sinks naturally into the sometimes mystifying version of Janet that Lacy sees, but she also imbues Janet with enough warmth, fatigue, and desire that it's clear we're watching a well-rounded person, and not just the socially permeated idea of a mother.

In many ways, Janet Planet and the mother-daughter relationship at its core are reminiscent of another equally stunning, introspective debut: Charlotte Wells's Aftersun. Both films center on only children trying desperately to comprehend their inscrutable parents, and both carry the sense of painful nostalgia that comes with a formative summer vacation.

But while Wells's film weaves between its characters' past and future, Baker's film anchors itself firmly in their present. Every line, every beat of Ziegler and Nicholson's performances — and yes, every silence — contributes to this thoroughly grounded, thoroughly in-the-moment portrait of Janet and Lacy's lives. This is a film that washes over you in a wave of quiet subtleties, marking a profoundly striking debut.

Janet Planet is now streaming on Max.

UPDATE: Oct. 30, 2024, 1:30 p.m. EDT "Janet Planet" was reviewed out of the 2023 New York Film Festival. This review was originally published on Oct. 8, 2023, and it has been updated to reflect streaming options.

Moving to a new city or working at a new job where you don't know anybody can seriously be depressing, especially if you're already introverted as it is. What are you supposed to do? Sit at the bar by yourself? And talk to strangers?

Then comes the lightbulb idea: You can make friends online! If online dating is so popular and successful, there's no way there aren't a few legit sites where you can make adult friends in your area with similar interests. Hmm, AdultFriendFinder.com sounds like the right ballpark.

So you're on your lunch break at work, type in the URL, and the next thing you know, you're frantically closing the tab and hoping nobody walked behind you for that split second.

Our point: AdultFriendFinder is not what it sounds like.

This site is for making adult "friends," not friends who are adults. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder What is AdultFriendFinder?

AdultFriendFinder is one of the most well-known sites for finding quick sexual encounters, regular hookups, and literally anything else even remotely related to sex — maybe even your version of the Hawk Tuah Girl. The rowdy feed of matches, jumble of explicit photos, and stimulating calls-to-action offering all types of sex makes it heaven for anyone looking for a good time with no filter — and hell for someone who wouldn't be caught dead clicking on a "There are hot singles in your area" ad.

SEE ALSO: Dating app fatigue has led to a flurry of IRL singles events

Even if you're not using it for real sex, it's always nice to have spank bank material in your back pocket. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, sexting, nudes, and Pornhub searches all saw a spike thanks to the vast number of people who started social distancing at home. Those who didn't want to risk quarantine sex or weren't finding people on their level of horniness on Tinder were pretty much guaranteed to get their rocks off somehow via AdultFriendFinder.

On AFF, you can find someone to sext via messaging or video chat (and plan to get it on IRL, if that's what you're looking for), watch live streams, or join niche group chat rooms. Is it worth $20-something per month? Depends on how much fishy content you're willing to overlook for a juicy sexting session.

We reached out to Kalyn Sanders, a business development executive at Friend Finder Networks, for updated AFF demographics. Right up there with Tinder's monthly flock, AdultFriendFinder snags the attention of over 55 million visits around the world per month, on average. (To whet your appetite upon signup, the main landing page flashes a few statistics, including "98,897,765 hot photos" and "3,495,277 connections," but we're not exactly sure what that means.) Most traffic originates from the United States, followed by visitors from the United Kingdom and Canada. Visits to AdultFriendFinder have dropped this year — it used to be the 25th most-visited adult site in the U.S. according to SimilarWeb, but as of May 2024, it was ranked 33rd and as of November 2024, it's down to 42nd.

SEE ALSO: Is Tinder Platinum worth it? I tried it for 3 months to find out.

Specifics on the demographic that most people care about — the gender ratio — can be hard to track down. Sanders told us that "there's a two to one ratio of single men versus categories like single women, couples, and groups." The split between men and women is an expected one for a lot of hookup-centric sites. At the end of the day, it's a paradise for straight men, hit-or-miss for straight women and LGBTQ men, and likely an actual hellscape for LGBTQ women.

AFF lets you identify as and search for a man, woman, a couple, or trans. Despite trying to be a sex-positive site with blog posts, groups, a sex academy, and more, its language for the LGBTQ community has historically been anything but inclusive or positive. Previously, the AFF sign-up page listed "TG/TV/TS" as the "trans" gender selection — we'll let you infer what those stand for. After reaching out to AdultFriendFinder about it, this language has improved some with more gender options that are appropriately labeled — though "trans" is still a separate selection from "man" or "woman," which feels more like fetishization than inclusivity.

There are a handful of sexual orientation options that go beyond straight or gay, so that is a positive for AFF. Although, for such a sex-positive site, it shouldn't be surprising to see a variety of sexual orientations present.

The sexual oreintation selection is a bit more inclusive than the "searching for" section. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder Should you sign up for AdultFriendFinder?

If you're 100 percent over being grilled with relationship questions and the slow-and-steady pace on traditional dating sites like eharmony or Match, AdultFriendFinder is your golden ticket to instant communication. Registering takes about 30 seconds — it requires nothing from you aside from an email address, a username, a password, and an introduction. Your notifications will start pouring in even without adding any juicy info (because people see nothing wrong with hitting up a profile with a gray silhouette as a profile photo, apparently), but it's probably best to add a few photos and a detailed description — both to up your chances of flirtation or finding someone who shares a super-specific fantasy, and also to signal to other users that you're not a bot.

AdultFriendFinder features a personality questionnaire to personalize your profile and up your chances of finding a compatible match. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder

After registering, there are a ton of ways to personalize your account (way more than you'd expect for a hookup site, honestly). The more you fill out, the more attractive your profile will be to new viewers. There are the basic physical appearance questions about eye and hair color, and since I identified as a woman, cup size was an option. (If you identify as a man, I'm sure you can guess what question they ask.)

SEE ALSO: How to unblock Xnxx porn for free

Many self-proclaimed hookup seekers can probably admit that they'd still like to hook up with someone they'd also like to grab a beer with, especially if they plan to see that person multiple times. Those people will appreciate that AFF gives a compatibility score with each user you come across: a metric that rates how well you might mesh with someone in the bedroom based on how you answered questions about what turns you on, whether you're dominant or submissive, and so on.

The site also features a personality test and a "My Kinks" form where you can select whether or not you're "curious about, into, or can't live without" a certain kink (e.g., anal, bondage, role play, etc.). It also lets you choose whether you're a voyeur, the giver, or the receiver.

One weird thing about the Personality Type test is that it asks several questions about whether or not you enjoy shopping at discount stores — not really sure what that's about. It also asks whether or not "a quiet time for prayer should be allowed in school." You can choose "strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, somewhat agree, or strongly agree."

Once you finish the personality test (20 questions), you can opt to have your Personality Type show up on your profile or have it hidden. It will also show you which personality types complement yours.

Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder Finding a match on AdultFriendFinder

Like a traditional dating site, AdultFriendFinder gives you a collage of potential matches and will let you know who's online or close distance-wise. These will be random right after you sign up, but you can opt to update your preferences to refine your results: Choose your preferred gender(s), age range, location and mile radius, race, sexual orientation, body type, and marital status.

You barely have to scroll before noticing that there's no shortage of nudity. Depending on whether you set your preferences to men, women, or both, you'll see all of that stuff up close, personal, swinging around, in action. You name it, it'll pop up.

AdultFriendFinder is basically like a PornHub that you can interact with. We probably don't have to say this, but AdultFriendFinder is NSFW and not safe to be on while kids are in the room. If you'd rather not see the site's raunchier side, it offers a "no nudity" option, but I still wouldn't trust this filter enough to be online in a family setting or at work. Some videos will be blurred out and read "Naughty video" until you upgrade to a Gold Membership, but trust me — you'll get to see a lot, even with the free version.

The message section is set up similarly to a Gmail account, and you can mark things as read or important just as you would on a real email. You'll receive some crude messages instantly (creeps on Tinder do the same thing), but some will be genuinely friendly.

SEE ALSO: Tinder releases yet another feature to stop inappropriate messages AFF is not all bad

Once you get past the in-your-face sexplosion of naked profile pictures, horny AIM-era profile names, and explicit videos, there are actually an impressive number of resources to help make your experience as satisfying as possible. Some will cost money even outside of the paid subscription, which is kind of dumb.

Aside from the NSFW content, the website is relatively straightforward (albeit ugly). Every feature is advertised in big letters, notifications are displayed clearly with labels, and you don't really have to click around to find anything. This makes it super accessible for users of all ages, even those who aren't tech-savvy and can't even figure out Facebook. Buttons are all over the place, but you figure it out after messing around for a few minutes.

Activities range from direct messaging, sending virtual gifts and tips, watching live videos of people in your feed, joining adult chat rooms that can get very niche, or entering photo contests.

AdultFriendFinder is like a PornHub that you can interact with.

Think of AdultFriendFinder as the dating site version of New York City — it never sleeps. You'll find people who work the regular 9 to 5, people who work the night shift, and people in other time zones, so it's nearly impossible to log on and not have people to talk to. You know, like that booty call who's always awake when you text them.

Or at least that used to be the case... 10 years ago. What was once a hot site that a few Reddit users were quick to hype up is now one of the dating sites that Reddit users can't help but diss — in the few instances that AFF is even being discussed at all. It's notable that, on a site where online dating is such a mammoth topic of discussion, AdultFriendFinder has rarely been mentioned in a positive light since the early 2010s. The Reddit community is diverse and open-minded; if a dating site exists, someone on Reddit has used it and has an opinion. When an innocent soul does ask if it's legit, AFF usually gets dragged for sketchy pricing and being riddled with bots.

However, some Reddit members have praised AFF as a site for men meeting men. Even so, the site's still buggy and isn't exactly great for meeting real people who aren't, as one Reddit user so eloquently put it, "busted and unstable."

SEE ALSO: Is Bumble Premium worth it? I tried it for 2 months to find out. Paid memberships are where things get... interesting

You can do a decent amount of exploring without paying a cent: Limited messaging and emailing, visit and like most profiles, and enter some chat rooms. But just a few clicks on AdultFriendFinder can send you deep down the rabbit hole, and a lot of that juicier hidden content can only be unlocked with a paid membership (called the Gold membership) or by earning points.

Points are AdultFriendFinder's non-monetary currency. If you use the free version, you'll have to earn points through on-site activity to unlock stuff that's exclusive to paying members. It's kind of like a game, with points acting like dollar bills at the strip club.

A Gold membership is pretty much the standard if you're a guy looking for girls. While researching on Reddit, we found a few women who said they wouldn't meet a guy unless he's a Gold member. A Gold membership puts a little bit more credibility behind someone's profile and makes the whole encounter feel a bit safer. It's easier to believe that someone's a real person if they're a paying, active member of the site, and it's nice to know that they're taking it slightly seriously. Plus, if you see a picture or profile that looks like it's 10 years old, it really might be — there are a ton of non-active, non-paying profiles from old members and escorts still lingering.

AdultFriendFinder also gives members the option to confirm their identity with ConfirmID. If you do this, the site promises to give you two weeks of Gold for free. The ConfirmID works by entering your legal first and last name, home address, gender, and date of birth and uploading a copy of your driver's license, passport, or other government-issued ID.

If you spend more quality time on the site than expected, becoming a paid member is definitely something to consider. Once you're paying, you basically become royalty on the site: Your profile will appear way higher in searches, you can use the most advanced searches, unlock profiles with private photo albums, check out video profiles, and message to your heart's content. A general rule is that increased involvement and payment on your end generally equals more success on the website, as your constant activity and heightened searchability make it easier for others to find you.

AdultFriendFinder pricing

Prices for a Gold membership fluctuate but generally get cheaper the longer your subscription is: Get one month for $27.95, three months for $20.95 per month ($62.82 total), or 12 months for $14.95 per month ($179.40 total). The three-month membership is billed quarterly, while the 12-month membership is billed annually. With a Gold membership, free members cannot contact you, but they can still see your profile.

In addition to the Gold membership, AdultFriendFinder also offers Voyeur (enhanced profile gallery and hi-res member videos viewing) at $14.99 per month, Interaction (enhanced member-to-member interaction) at $14.99 per month, Chat Plus (enhanced direct member-to-member communication) at $9.99 per month, and Advanced Search and Highlight at $4.99 per month.

This is the pricing at the time of publishing, but according to AdultFriendFinder, pricing is subject to change.

Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder Good for: Very open-minded people looking to blow off steam

Stating the obvious, AdultFriendFinder is a space for people who want to bang with no strings attached, people who are in a sexual rut, people who are tired of porn, and people who find sites like eharmony boring. Getting to know someone for weeks before meeting up can be exhausting, and sometimes, you want to skip the small talk and do the dirty with a random. It's gonna get kinky out there, and that's great for those who are dying to blow off steam and want someone who will respond well to a brusque, sexy message.

People are so active on this site that it's impossible not to feel desired. You'll probably get a flood of message notifications, and once you come across your first legit suitor, you'll start to loosen up. Even if you're left on read a few times, you'll learn which opening lines and flirty comments work and which don't. But since the site is aimed toward casual sex and encounters and not serious relationships, the whole rejection thing isn't nearly as prevalent.

As with all dating sites, catfishing is a big buzzkill. Your chances of being pursued are way higher if you have a lot of pictures of the same person (AKA you), videos, and a genuine profile that lets people know they're not dealing with something sketchy. Even if you've had bad luck with online dating in the past, AdultFriendFinder is the place to be honest.

SEE ALSO: What is consensual non-monogamy? Bad for: People looking for a real relationship and the entire socially conscious community

You know those warnings that thrill rides at amusement parks are required to put up that tell people who get dizzy easily or have heart problems to not get on the ride? AdultFriendFinder could use something like that. This site is not for the faint of heart — if you're a cynic, conservative by any means, get sketched out easily, or aren't a fan of dick pics, you'll probably hate it. Similarly, if you appreciate a well-crafted, aesthetically pleasing website that feels safe — no matter how badly you want to have sex — one glance at the landing page likely signals that it's not for you.

AdultFriendFinder is not the place to be if you're trying to make friends unless "with benefits" is tacked onto the end. Every inch of the site screams "this website is used to have sex," and you should really listen to that.

As illustrated by the recent flood of artsy activism guides on Instagram, it's clear what content appeals to young people on the internet: Something aesthetically pleasing, sharable, and digestible. The "sharable" part doesn't totally apply to online dating, but apps like Hinge and OkCupid closely follow this design trend by limiting the number of words (and ads) in each tab, steering clear of endless scrolling, and ensuring that important info isn't cluttered with flashing clickbait.

For instance, Pure is a modern, no-strings-attached hookup app that appeals to your horny side with a single, witty statement about sex rather than bombarding you with boobs and "Have sex in NYC now!" claims. Anyone older than a millennial may be totally used to this pop-up-ridden layout, which seemed to be popular in the early 2000s — but for younger folks, AFF's chaotic approach is way too reminiscent of Omegle.

AFF could do so much more to make people take it seriously

The entire website looks like an ad about hot MILFs that pops up when you're illegally streaming a movie. Seriously, it's bad. Even though the AFF website is technically legit, the pictures, word choice, and exclamation points everywhere scream "scam." No, AdultFriendFinder, "98,897,765 Hot Photos" is not the way to make potential new users trust you.

We're not knocking a quick hookup or no-strings-attached relations. This isn't about morals. Genitals are quite literally in your face from the moment you make an account, and that's just not cute. There are chiller ways to go about insinuating that this is a hookup website without feeling like you're trapped in a sex dungeon with strangers.

I could not get past the fact that the entire site looks like it's about to invite five viruses to your computer. We're talking terrible graphics that look like they were made on Microsoft Paint and pictures of women who look like they're from Pornhub in 2007. (That's when AdultFriendFinder was officially sold and rebranded from its original parent company.) Reddit user Snoo53279 summed it up in a comment from July 2020: "The people on AFF are definitely real, but there is a huge smattering of bots that also get in the way so it can be a bit of a PITA to use." If they're not bots, they could be men posing as a couple to seem less threatening.

The parade of women on the landing page is questionable for two reasons. This shouldn't even need to be clarified, but not everyone is looking for a woman. At the least, the advertising isn't inclusive — but this crosses into fetishization territory. The cherry on top is that the women in the photos (unsurprisingly) probably aren't even members of the site, according to a disclaimer at the bottom of the landing page.

SEE ALSO: What is cockfishing? Why some men lie about their size on dating apps.

AdultFriendFinder's overall outdated vibe goes past an aesthetic annoyance — it's downright problematic at times. The lack of inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community is nearly unforgivable, and we'd be scared to see some of the related rhetoric that AFF users feel comfortable spewing. Without even a dash of social awareness, it's hard to see how anyone who's not an out-of-touch straight cis man would feel comfortable on this site.

Attempting to navigate the shoddy design might be enough to smother your horniness. Three main issues can make the site borderline unusable: It looks shady as hell, an alarming portion of the user base is made up of bots and spam accounts, and the user interface itself is outdated and rife with bugs.

Other Reddit users mention that the desktop web version won't even load for them at random times — an especially frustrating roadblock for people who want to end their membership and stop monthly charges. A solution to the laggy web version might be to clear your cache or use the smartphone app, but your experience probably won't improve. AFF's mobile page doesn't even mention an Android app, and the link to the iPhone app brings up a "not available" pop-up in the App Store. For a site that claims to have over 50 million visitors each month, the lack of accessibility to a smartphone app is just plain odd — especially in 2023.

Adding to the sketchiness, a network hack in 2016 exposed around 412 million accounts, including "deleted" accounts that weren't actually deleted from the database. If this is enough reason for you to fall back on Tinder for finding a friend with benefits, we don't blame you. Signing up with a burner email and avoiding using your real name as a username are wise moves (pick a naughty word and add 69 to the end, IDK), though keeping your personal information private is hard when credit cards are involved.

In 2007, AFF was involved in a lawsuit with the FTC over allegations that the site used malware to send explicit pop-up ads to computers owned by people who hadn't signed up for the service. Though we haven't seen reports like this recently, so we're hoping those ridiculous ads you see are at least confined to people who actually use the site.

The alternatives to AdultFriendFinder

Surprisingly, AdultFriendFinder feels much more legit than its competitors. While other hookup sites like AdultFriendFinder have names like FreeSnapMilfs.com, Fuckswipe.com, and Instabang.com, AdultFriendFinder will be the one you'd hate showing up in your Google search history the least. Most have the same general idea: to find sexual partners, have cybersex, etc., but with names like those, the authenticity is way too questionable. AdultFriendFinder boasts a much larger audience and has built credibility in a Tinder-saturated market where these blunt, friskier competitors may have trouble gaining trust.

SEE ALSO: Best hookup apps and dating sites to find casual sex with no strings attached

No matter how in the mood you are, your hungry eyes may not be able to look past AFF's heinous interface. We mentioned Pure earlier. The aesthetically pleasing, hella-millennial UX design is simply more palatable than AFF and the blueprint of what a modern hookup app should be. Kind of like a Snapchat for sex; your uploaded selfies, personal info, and conversations will self-destruct every 60 minutes. The app will send the hookup version of an Uber request to anyone close and ready to rumble, and you can choose what information to disclose from there.

Remember when we said AdultFriendFinder would be a nightmare for gay and bi women? Feeld is our favorite alternative app dedicated to singles and couples looking for threesomes, foursomes, or however many people you want — minus the unicorn hunting and rampant fetishization that many non-hetero, non-monogamous people face on traditional hookup sites and apps. Feeld went through a slight disaster of a rebrand and update in late 2023 that had us reevaluating its place among our recommendations due to bugs and location-related safety concerns. Feeld has since told Mashable that locations shared were not users' current exact locations, rather the name of the city, town, or borough.

The final verdict: Is AdultFriendFinder worth it?

AdultFriendFinder is a low-pressure way to find a friends-with-benefits situation without insulting anyone. Everyone is pretty much there for the same reason — and though it'll feel pretty unorthodox if you've only ever used Tinder to scope this type of thing out, AFF's blunt advertising at least means you won't have to explain that you're not looking for a relationship. It's niche-friendly, well-populated, and has a ton of interactive outlets to indulge your primal urges.

But that freedom comes with a price — the price is feeling like one of those people who fall for the ads that pop up before a free Pornhub video. It's not that a site dedicated to sex and sexting is inherently scammy — it's that AdultFriendFinder drowns you with explicit photos on profiles that might not even be real people while asking you to pay for a subscription with every click.

Unfortunately, no matter how in the mood you are, some people aren't cut out for the nothing-left-to-the-imagination approach with grammar mistakes all over the place. It wants to be sex-positive so badly, but the language the site has used in reference to the trans community is the furthest thing from that.

The functionality and safety of the site and the mobile app aren't where they need to be in 2023. If security measures were tightened, graphics and photos were cleaned up to feel more relevant, and decision-makers behind the scenes were given a lesson in inclusivity and pronouns/identities, AdultFriendFinder could be a handy tool to find attachment-free hookups and connect with a community that's down for anything.

This isn't a dating or hookup site we would personally use, but if you're feeling brave, you can register for AdultFriendFinder here. Just don't try this at work.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder Learn More

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 Mashable

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.

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: Answer, hints for November 1 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 1 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Strategy game

These words are not checkers-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words that refer to chess pieces and terms. 

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 CheckMate.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for November 1

• Queen

• Knight

• Rook

• Bishop

• Pawn

• CheckMate

• King

• Timer

• Board

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for November 1 SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for November 1

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 today's Strands.

If writing a novel has long been on your bucket list, it's time to stop dreaming and get a draft done — using whatever tools you like to overcome your fear of the blank page.

The event known as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, turns 25 this year. Participants around the world are invited to "win" by finishing a draft of 50,000 words at breakneck speed between November 1 and November 30, without worrying too much about the quality of the draft. That may sound onerous, but it breaks down to just under 1,667 words a day. (Full disclosure: I participated once 15 years ago, and that daily word goal is still seared into my brain.)

So far, so uncontroversial. NaNoWriMo has helped many writers over the years, leading to global bestsellers such as Wool by Hugh Howey (the basis for Apple TV's Silo) and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The San Francisco-based organization behind it, also called NaNoWriMo, is now a nonprofit pulling in $1.2 million a year from donations and sponsorships — not a massive number, but enough for four full-time employees who run a handful of writing programs for adults and kids.

But in 2024, arguments over Artificial Intelligence, and how much we should be using it, are as unavoidable as the U.S. election. An answer about AI in a NaNoWriMo FAQ in September, affirming that the organization is OK if you want to use AI tools in writing that 50,000-word draft, sparked a firestorm of controversy. The organization tweaked its answer several times in response. Still, long-time fans of the event, many of whom participate every year, reacted with fury. A few famous authors, including Morgenstern, withdrew their support.

Judging by the backlash, you'd think NaNoWriMo had encouraged authors to use AI, instead of simply declaring itself neutral. You'd also think the organization was involved in some evil scheme to train AI models using thousands of novels — despite the fact that the NaNoWriMo site asks only for your word count, not your actual content. (Whether you "win" or not is on the honor system; this isn't a race with other writers, only with yourself.)

"The dilemma of any global, online community is that there's no good way to have nuanced conversations," says Kilby Blades, novelist and (as of this year) director of NaNoWriMo. "The fact that writers don't have a shared understanding of AI, or a shared understanding of what some of these writing tools do, shows how unstable some of the commentary is and how far from productive discussions we are."

The AI novelist

So let's define our terms. What AI tools are we talking about, exactly, and how much labor can they save?

Any Large Language Model, like ChatGPT or Claude, can spit out a short story on demand. Ask it to whip up an entire novel, however, and you'll be disappointed. In theory, the paid version of GPT-4 can produce 25,000 words at a time, but that may require a high-tech workaround using an Application Programming Interface. You're more likely to run up against a 4,000-word limit.

"I can't generate a complete 50,000-word draft in one go," GPT-4 warned when I asked. "But I can help you outline the novel, develop characters, and write it in sections. If you have a specific idea or genre in mind, we can start building it piece by piece!"

That brings us to the second problem with AI-written fiction: Without your constant input, and often with it, the output just isn't that good. Character names and descriptions tend to change. The prose can be unreadably turgid. For proof, check out the declining quality of self-published books in Amazon's Kindle store. There's no way of knowing how much of it was written by AI, exactly, but given that the Amazon algorithm apparently rewards authors who churn out more than 20 books in a few years, it's likely to be a lot.

There are, of course, more specialized AI apps for novelists, such as NovelAI and Squibler. Probably the best-known is Sudowrite, which uses a dozen LLMs including GPT and Claude. Sudowrite offers one-click options such as brainstorming and rewriting a chapter if you don't like its first version. One reviewer says she used it to help produce two YA sci-fi novels, one of which reached the top spot on Amazon's Kindle store.

But using AI this way can also be expensive. Sudowrite currently offers three subscription tiers that give you a limited number of credits: 225,000 for $19 a month up to 2 million credits for $59 a month. "If you count the misses / derails / plainly wrong results, you end up paying a lot," said one frustrated Reddit user — who estimated that 85 percent of Sudowrite's output was unusable.

Other than the expense, there are plenty more good reasons not to use an AI writing service. For one thing, there's the still-unknown impact on the environment. And then there's the digital library being used to train AI models, reportedly drawn from pirated books. Authors on that list have good reason to be furious, and Silicon Valley's careless approach to inflating its AI stock bubble isn't helping anyone trust the technology.

But as NaNoWriMo's director points out, a tiny nonprofit can't do much about this one way or the other. "There is real advocacy to be done around these issues, real demands that writers should be making of publishers," Blades says. "We wish more people knew that advocacy is outside our scope, and that we've never had a seat at industry tables." Groups such as the Author's Guild, meanwhile, have advocacy built into their charters.

Down at the writer level, though, individual choice rules. If your story has hit a dead end and you don't want to show it to another human just yet, AI might be the quickest way to get you back into flow. If all writing is rewriting — as Hemingway didn't quite say — then AI can provide a base layer on which you paint your masterpiece. The organization doesn't say this, but in the future it's possible that AI may alter the entire concept of NaNoWriMo. If anyone can "win" with 50,000 words of pure pink slime, perhaps a better goal is to produce the best 50,000 word draft that you can in one month.

But for 2024, at least, the mission hasn't changed. "People come to NaNoWriMo because they have a dream, and because they don't want to be alone on their writing journeys," Blades says. We are social animals, after all; when it comes to motivation to finish that bucket-list novel, a sloppy AI-written first draft is nothing next to the power of community.