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While PDFs are everywhere — contracts, invoices, reports, scans — actually working with them has never been anyone’s favorite task. This PDF Converter & Editor might just become a tool you end up using more than expected. And it’s currently available for life for a one-time $29.99 payment (reg. $99.99).

This all-in-one software is built to handle the entire PDF lifecycle. You can convert PDFs into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, or text while keeping layouts, images, and links intact. Need to go the other way? Creating PDFs from Office files or images takes just a few clicks.

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One of the most helpful features is OCR. Scanned documents aren’t dead ends anymore — you can extract text, edit content, and preserve formatting, even across multiple languages. Batch processing quickly handles large folders, while page tools let you merge, split, rotate, or delete pages without re-exporting everything.

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The interface has been refreshed and the feature set feels intentionally practical. If PDFs are part of your daily workflow, whether at work, school, or home, this is the kind of utility that simply makes life easier.

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Some people watch the Super Bowl for football. Some people watch it for the halftime show. But for many of us, the significantly more expensive-than-usual commercials are the star of the show.

With Super Bowl LX on everyone's minds, it's time to take stock of the best commercials that aired during the game. Some of them went online as much as a week ahead of time, while others waited until the game to strut their stuff. Here are the best Super Bowl LX commercials as far as we're concerned.

Anthropic made fun of ChatGPT

Anthropic has launched a series of Super Bowl ads to make fun of OpenAI for leaning into ads on ChatGPT.

Guy Fieri gets a makeover for Bosch

Beloved internet chef Guy Fieri is teaming up with power tool maker Bosch for its "Like a Bosch" campaign. The spot opens on a surprisingly restrained version of Fieri, clean-shaven and sans frosted tips, doing mundane everyday tasks. Once Bosch tools enter the picture, he snaps back into his full Flavortown persona, flames and all.

The Budweiser horses are at it again Google tries to humanize Gemini AI

Google’s "New Home" spot centers on a mother walking her son through the empty rooms of a house she’s just purchased for them. The ad then pivots to showcase the capabilities of Gemini AI, which fills each room with furniture and objects tailored to what the boy wants.

It’s meant to be warm and aspirational, framing AI as a helpful collaborator rather than something cold or abstract — a fear that some ChatGPT users have been freaking out over.

Amazon Alexa wants to kill Chris Hemsworth

One of several ads the tech giant is rolling out, this spot stars Chris Hemsworth spiraling over just how advanced Amazon’s Alexa has become, to the point where he’s convinced it might be capable of killing him.

The premise is played entirely for laughs, with the Avengers actor dramatically preparing for the worst, including squaring up against a bear, while Alexa calmly reassures him that it harbors no ill will.

HR tech firm Rippling has Tim Robinson going mad

Capitalizing on the critical success of The Chair Company, HR software firm Rippling released a 30-second spot starring Tim Robinson in full spiral mode. The ad finds Robinson growing increasingly unhinged after realizing he still hasn’t been paid, only to discover his company is inexplicably juggling multiple global payroll platforms.

More vibe coding from Base44

This spot is more straightforward, depicting a group of office workers reacting in awe as an AI-powered program seemingly codes an entire app on demand. The pitch is clear: effortless creation at the push of a button.

Whether the software actually works out of the box or avoids the security and stability issues that plague most vibe coding projects remains an open question, but that uncertainty isn’t something the ad lingers on.

T-Mobile and the Backstreet Boys want to sell phone plans

Backstreet Boys are back with T-Mobile, popping up at the carrier’s Times Square store to serenade unsuspecting customers about why they should switch providers.

Hellman's Neil Diamond parody

Neil Diamond cover singers are having a moment. Hellmann’s continues its Super Bowl nostalgia streak by leaning hard into ’80s vibes, this time with Andy Samberg playing Meal Diamond, crooning passionately about his love for mayonnaise on sandwiches.

We'll be updating this with all of the latest trailers, so be sure to check back throughout the night.

Super Bowl LX halftime show performer and Grammy winner Bad Bunny appears to be the latest target of a right-wing hoax, as a widely circulating AI-generated image falsely depicts the Puerto Rican singer burning an American flag while wearing a pink, white, and blue dress.

The image appears to have originated from a Facebook post claiming, "Bad Bunny caught on stage last night preparing for his Super Bowl halftime show."

SEE ALSO: What songs will Bad Bunny perform at the Super Bowl? Here's our dream setlist.

The post quickly falls apart under even minimal scrutiny. The image itself is riddled with obvious AI artifacts, including flames that don’t interact with the flag in any realistic way. More importantly, Bad Bunny is not currently touring. He has been on a brief break since Jan. 25 and isn’t scheduled to resume performances until Feb. 13.

None of that has slowed the image’s spread. The fake photo continues to circulate on Facebook and X, where right-wing accounts have seized on it to attack the singer, largely over his outspoken criticism of ICE.

Super Bowl LX is just a few days away. Do you have a plan for how you're going to watch it without cable?

If you're reading this, we're guessing the answer is no. That's why we're here today. People who subscribe to cable or satellite TV or use an antenna don't have to worry about this, but cord cutters around the United States need answers. Let's find them.

SEE ALSO: Special 30th anniversary Pokémon ad to air during Super Bowl LX Super Bowl 2026 start time, livestream options

Whether you're watching for the intriguing on-field matchup between the Seahawks and Patriots, the Bad Bunny halftime show, or the Pokémon 30th anniversary commercial, cord-cutters need a way to see all that stuff.

The good news is that the game is airing on NBC this year, meaning all of the festivities will livestream on Peacock. The bad news is that Peacock no longer offers a free trial, and the cheapest service tier doesn't offer live sporting events. At minimum, you'll need to pay $10.99 for a month of the service. Or, you know, get a password from a friend.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET.

After the game is over, you can just cancel it and go on with your life, or you can use it to watch all of Yellowstone or whatever before the month is up. The world is your oyster.

There are some other slightly more complicated options, but none of them are free without caveats. Streaming cable alternatives like YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, and any others should work as long as they carry your local NBC affiliate. Some of those, such as YouTube TV, do offer free trials for those who have never taken advantage of that before, but be warned: The monthly charge for these services is significantly higher than Peacock because they're meant to replace cable. If you forget to cancel after the game is over, you could be out nearly $100.

So yeah, in summary, biting the bullet and buying a month of Peacock is probably the simplest solution here if you want to host a Super Bowl party without paying for cable.

When the Artemis II spaceship carries four astronauts around the moon, it will also bring four miniature proxies of the crew made from their own cells. 

Alongside crew commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will fly lab-grown tissue samples designed to mimic parts of the crew's bodies, particularly bone marrow, a key component of the immune system. The NASA experiment, called AVATAR — short for A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response — aims to show how living human cells respond to deep-space radiation and weightlessness.

Before launch, which could occur as early as March 6, doctors will draw blood from each crew member. Scientists will then grow cells from those samples and place them into chips about the size of a computer thumb drive. During the 10-day mission, the chips will soak up the same radiation and microgravity as their human counterparts. 

"This is a small experiment, but it could lead to really big impacts for healthcare, both for our astronauts, but also people here back on the earth," said Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist.

Artemis II marks NASA's first crewed mission beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo — and the first to place biomedical research at the center of a lunar flight. The Orion spaceship, named Integrity by the crew, will travel beyond Earth's protective magnetic bubble, exposing the astronauts to radiation levels far higher than those aboard the International Space Station. That's an opportunity for scientists to begin writing the playbook for interplanetary travel, learning how to keep humans alive in the unforgiving wilds of space. 

SEE ALSO: NASA aims for March Artemis 2 launch after test ends early

Outside the ship, space is vast — incomprehensibly so. But inside the capsule, "space" is among the scarcest resources. Orion's habitable area is closer to a studio apartment than a space station, shaping everything from how astronauts move to how they store biological samples. NASA researchers have built that constraint into the studies themselves.

The Artemis II astronauts will wear NASA's version of a fitness tracker on their wrists for the Archer study during their 10-day flight. Credit: NASA / Helen Arase Vargas Immune Biomarkers study

One investigation, known as Immune Biomarkers, focuses on how deep space alters immune systems. Previous research has shown that spaceflight can weaken immune responses and awaken dormant viruses, such as shingles and cold sores. 

Because Orion lacks refrigeration, astronauts will collect their spit by licking treated paper like stamps and storing them in small booklets. Scientists will rehydrate the samples after the capsule returns to Earth.

"Saliva is basically a window into how our immune system is functioning," Bleacher said.  

Archer study

Another study, Artemis Research for Crew Health and Readiness (Archer), will examine how astronauts sleep, think, and get along in deep space. Crew members will wear wrist devices, similar to a Fitbit, to monitor their activity and rest. Researchers will pair that data with cognitive testing and behavioral assessments. 

The fitness trackers will also help NASA study how the foursome handle exercising in Orion's confined quarters, where increased breathing will raise carbon dioxide levels.

The Artemis II crew in orange flight suits, from left: Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen. Credit: NASA Spaceflight Standard Measures study

A third effort, Spaceflight Standard Measures, extends a health-monitoring program NASA began in low-Earth orbit in 2018. Astronauts will provide blood, urine, and saliva before and after the mission and complete tests of balance, strength, and endurance. 

Microgravity takes a toll on astronauts' bones and muscles, but NASA wants to know how quickly the crew can bounce back to physical labor. Shortly after splashdown off the California coast, the crew will don spacesuits and complete a simulated spacewalk and obstacle course to gauge their recovery.

After all, if NASA wants to send humans on a months-long journey to Mars, those astronauts won't have rehab to get them in shape once they arrive.

Radiation exposure study

Radiation remains one of the largest unknowns for long-duration space travel. Earth's magnetic field and the Van Allen radiation belt, a zone of charged particles around the planet's magnetosphere, help shield low‑orbiting spacecraft like the space station from much of the sun's outbursts and cosmic rays. But Artemis II will go beyond that, into a more hostile radiation environment. 

Artemis II astronauts will carry personal radiation sensors in their pockets, while detectors mounted throughout the cabin will track exposure levels. Additional monitors developed with the German Space Agency will measure high-energy particles believed to pose increased health risks.

AVATAR study

Radiation data will also inform one of the mission's most unusual experiments: the organ-on-a-chip devices containing the crew's living cells.

NASA will house the AVATAR tissue chips in a battery-powered box that regulates temperature and nutrient delivery throughout the flight. After the mission, scientists will analyze how gene activity changed within individual cells, comparing flight samples with copies on Earth. 

The work aims to reveal how deep-space radiation and weightlessness affect the development of blood cells. And it will also serve as a test case for whether these chips can predict health outcomes.

"This will be very important for building both our understanding of the stresses of just doing the very first Artemis II, but [also] later on, as we go and establish a sustained presence on the moon and then hopefully go to Mars," said Mark Clampin, deputy associate administrator for NASA science. "It's a way, maybe in the future, that we can actually build [personalized] health kits that help us ensure our astronauts are safe."

Fresh off his historic Album of the Year win at the 2026 Grammys for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, Bad Bunny is set to headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Feb. 8 — a performance poised to become yet another culture-shifting moment on the world's biggest stage.

At the Grammys, the Puerto Rican superstar didn't shy away from politics, directly calling out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with a pointed "ICE out" during his acceptance speech for Música Urbana Album. Now, as he prepares for one of the most-watched performances in the world, the question remains: Will Bad Bunny bring that same unapologetic message to the Super Bowl?

Bad Bunny's history of speaking out against ICE

If Benito does take on ICE at the Super Bowl, it wouldn’t be the first time. In a September 2025 interview with i-D magazine, he said concerns over potential ICE raids and the safety of his Latino and Puerto Rican fans were a key reason he excluded the United States from his 2025–2026 DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour.

SEE ALSO: Bad Bunny slams ICE during Grammys speech

"People from the U.S. could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world," he said. "But there was the issue that … ICE could be outside (my concert venue). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about."

Instead, the artist staged a historic 31-date residency in Puerto Rico — one intentionally designed to prioritize local fans, keep ticket prices accessible, and inject more than $400 million into the island's economy. The decision underscored not only his connection to the island but also his ongoing concern for the communities most affected by immigration enforcement.

That awareness surfaced again during the Grammys telecast, when host Trevor Noah joked, "If things keep getting worse in America, can I come live with you in Puerto Rico?" Bad Bunny gently corrected him: "Puerto Rico is part of America." The moment landed lightly, but its implications were a reminder of Puerto Rico's complicated political status and the way Latinx communities are often treated as both central to and peripheral within American life.

His criticism of ICE has been consistent. Last June, Bad Bunny shared a video on his Instagram Story condemning federal agents operating in Puerto Rico, urging them to stop harassing people who were simply trying to work. With ICE operations intensifying under the Trump administration, his past comments suggest this activism is not a fleeting statement but a throughline in his career.

And as a Puerto Rican artist whose music openly celebrates the island, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Super Bowl stage became yet another place where he chooses to make that message heard.

Has Bad Bunny ever criticized President Trump?

While Bad Bunny has rarely named Donald Trump outright, his criticism of the former president — and the policies of his administration — has been clear. In 2024, the artist endorsed Kamala Harris for U.S. president, citing frustration with the Trump administration’s handling of Hurricane Maria and its devastating impact on Puerto Rico. He made the public endorsement in the wake of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist remarks about Puerto Rico at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, where the island was referred to as a "floating island of garbage."

His commentary has also surfaced through his music. On this past Fourth of July, Bad Bunny released the music video for "NUEVAYoL," a salsa tribute to the Puerto Rican diaspora in New York.

The visual features the singer perched atop the Statue of Liberty, who wears a Puerto Rican flag across her forehead like a bandanna. In the final moments, a Trump-like voice plays over a radio broadcast, issuing an imagined apology to immigrants. "This country is nothing without the immigrants," the voice says, naming Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, and Cubans in an unmistakable rebuke of Trump-era immigration rhetoric.

Tensions escalated further after the NFL announced Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem publicly criticized the decision, saying ICE agents would be "all over" the Super Bowl and suggesting the event should be reserved for "law-abiding Americans who love this country."

The following night, Bad Bunny addressed the backlash during his Saturday Night Live monologue. Speaking first in English, then in Spanish, he framed the moment as a collective victory for Latino communities in the United States, emphasizing their labor and cultural impact. "Our footprints and our contribution in this country," he said, "no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it." He closed with a pointed aside in English: "And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn."

Trump himself responded dismissively when asked about Bad Bunny in October, telling NewsMax he had "never heard of him" and questioning why the NFL selected him as the halftime performer. Just last month, he told the New York Post that he would not attend Super Bowl LX, citing Bad Bunny and opening act Green Day as reasons. "I'm anti-them," Trump said, "I think it's a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible."

We'll have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday to see if Benito responds.

So, will Bad Bunny mention ICE or Trump at the Super Bowl?

Whether or not Bad Bunny directly addresses politics at Super Bowl LX, the act of bringing Puerto Rican culture and its history to the world's biggest stage is itself a statement. For Bad Bunny, music and identity have always been inseparable, and this halftime show will surely be no exception.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has broken the mold of what viewers expect from a Westeros-set show. It's smaller-scale, it's funnier, and it even sidesteps Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon staples like an elaborate title sequence.

These switch-ups from the Game of Thrones formula extend to the show's score, which sounds nothing like Ramin Djawadi's sweeping soundtracks for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Like all the stylistic differences between A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and its companion shows, these sonic differences are by design.

SEE ALSO: 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Targaryen family tree: How everyone connects

"Obviously, the original series, which is the most beautifully scored series probably of all time, is quite epic and orchestral because of the nature of the drama that is unfolding," A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker told Mashable in a video interview. "And we are quiet and simple, and Dunk [(Peter Claffey)] has a very different energy."

To capture the energy of sweet knight Dunk and his friendship with squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), Parker looked to Dan Romer, the composer behind projects like Station Eleven, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Far Cry, and Parker's self-described "pie-in-the-sky" pick to work on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' score brings the Western to Westeros. Peter Claffey in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Credit: Steffan Hill / HBO

Parker and Romer collaborated extensively and bounced ideas off one another throughout the making of the series. They knew that they wanted to bring a Western-style sound to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. After all, Dunk's story does follow some Western beats: A wandering hero arrives in a new town, crosses paths with a villain in Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett), and winds up in a public duel.

"We wanted to give the feeling of a Western without actually having the sound of a Western," Romer told Mashable in a video interview. "We wanted the music to still feel like something that could exist in the Game of Thrones world, but still had a bit of a nod to a spaghetti Western, Ennio Morricone kind of vibe."

Enter one of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' most potent musical weapons: lilting whistled ditties, performed by Romer's frequent collaborator Giosuè Greco.

"People have been whistling since hunter-gatherer times. That sound can be anywhere at any time. So even though we haven't heard whistling in the Game of Thrones universe before, it works for me, where it doesn't feel outside of what could have been at that time period," Romer explained.

SEE ALSO: 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' episode 3: What does Egg's song mean?

For Parker, the whistle was the perfect entryway into Dunk as a character. "It sounds like the music that is playing most of the time in Dunk's head," he said. "He's just there, happy to be getting along. 'Hey, this is pretty nice. I'm a knight, I'm at a tournament,' and just whistling as he goes."

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' score also relies heavily on stringed instruments, including fiddles, cellos, and guitars.

"As far as using guitars, there's been guitar-type instruments forever in different parts of the world," Romer said. "I'm generally tuning the guitar in a way that feels a little bit darker than maybe a modern guitar would sound, but I think that sort of a sound works in that world. We can accept that sound as part of Westeros, for sure."

Romer worked on two main melodies for the show: a Dunk theme and an Egg theme.

"I think that because they're together so much, those things fade together," he said. The thing with themes is, it's difficult often to say, 'This is what the theme is.' You can do character themes, but I think often themes become situational over time. You can say what your intention for a theme is at the beginning, but then as you go on, it takes on its own meaning. Themes become what they want to become."

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms knows exactly when to unleash an epic score. Dexter Sol Ansell in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Credit: Steffan Hill / HBO

One undeniable theme that appears in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Djawadi's original Game of Thrones theme. The iconic tune gets repurposed twice in different ways across the show's first four episodes. In episode 1's opening minutes, Djawadi's theme swells beautifully, only to get cut off by Dunk pooping in a field. It's a toilet humor twist on audience's expectations of what kind of fantasy they'll be getting in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and a clever weaponization of Game of Thrones' own musical style. (The show pulls something similar in episode 4, when a rousing, epic fiddle theme leads into a fart.)

"You use two farts in six episodes, and it's all anyone ever wants to talk about," Parker laughed. "In the 14th century, they love their poop and fart jokes. They went crazy for this shit! Like Chaucer, that's all poop and fart jokes. But using the music as punctuation was important for us."

He continued: "A lot of it is playing on expectations, especially in a world as familiar as Game of Thrones. Sometimes you want to go directly against those, because we have a character who is very much not like the other characters that we have come to know in Game of Thrones. We wanted to say, 'This is his unique point of view. He still has all those normal feelings. He still feels that heroic call to action, but then he has, you know, a nervous stomach.'"

There are no nervous stomachs around when the Game of Thrones theme makes its return in episode 4, though, when Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) declares he will fight on Dunk's side in the trial of seven.

"Now the call of greatness is fucking here. Now it's go time. You'd have to be dead not to feel anything," Parker said of reusing the theme. "Then Dan Romer took that score, and if you watch all through the credits at the end, he melds it with Dunk's score, and I think it's honestly the most beautiful piece of music that I've ever heard. It just goes so well together. In that moment, it feels like, 'Oh, Dunk has become a real part of this world now.'"

Using the Game of Thrones theme is one of the rare instances when A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms diverges from the sweetness of the Dunk and Egg melodies. Other instances come in the tourney scenes, when audiences can hear the low droning of horns, as if the onlookers are sporting the Westerosi version of vuvuzelas.

"At those moments, we are blurring the line of what's score and what's happening in real life," Romer explained. To get the sound just right, he played peck horns, and he recruited his friend Kenny Warren, of the brass band Slavic Soul Party, to make homemade horns using piping from Home Depot.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms also breaks from its usual mode when it comes to the Targaryens, whose royal standing lies well above Dunk's humble origins. The music matches that, getting loftier and fuller when they're involved. When Aerion stabs Ser Humfrey Hardyng's (Ross Anderson) horse during a joust, he's accompanied by a darker, string-heavy, more villainous theme. When Egg reveals his true identity at the episode 3, Romer brings in more orchestral strings and operatic vocals to boot.

"There's something about [the Targaryens] that feels like they just want to have this more operatic, classical thing going on," Romer said. "That brings up a tradition or a history of villainy, almost."

"It's such a big turn. We couldn't stay away from how operatic this moment is," Parker said of episode 3's musical switch-up. And indeed, the reveal that Egg is actually Aegon Targaryen opens the show up beyond Dunk's relatively small world, both on a story level and a musical level. Without it, we wouldn't get musical cues like episode 4's meshing of Dunk's theme and the GoT intro.

These moments of more "epic" music are the exception, not the norm, of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' score. However, they're proof of careful curation, of knowing when Dunk's world radically shifts from his normal state of happy-go-lucky whistling to more dramatic Targaryen entanglements.

The result is a score that cannily bridges the gap between the preestablished musical conventions of Game of Thrones and the whimsical play of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

"When Dan came in, I don't even know how to say it musically, but it's almost like he added a little sparkle within the music that makes you feel like it's a coming-of-age story," Parker said. "It feels a little hopeful, amidst everything else."

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes hitting HBO and HBO Max Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 winter sports biathlon for free on streaming platforms like 9Now, CBC Gem, and BBC iPlayer. Access these free streaming services from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

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What a time to be a fan of winter sports. There's top-level ice hockey, curling, alpine skiing, and so much more taking place right now. It's actually difficult to follow everything, such is the packed nature of the schedule.

The likelihood is that fans are going to need to make some tough decisions over the next couple of weeks. We know that not everyone will have the time to track all the action, but if you have any time to spare, can we suggest that you check out the biathlon? There are few other sports that demonstrate such versatility. Athletes combine rifle shooting and cross-country skiing. The result is an extremely watchable event.

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If you want to watch the 2026 winter sports biathlon for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is the 2026 winter sports biathlon?

The international biathlon takes place from Feb. 8-21. Here's a full breakdown of what's on the schedule:

• Mixed Relay 4 x 6km — 8:05 a.m. ET on Feb. 8

• Men's 20km Individual — 7:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 10

• Women's 15km Individual — 8:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 11

• Men's 10km Sprint — 8 a.m. ET on Feb. 13

• Women's 7.5km Sprint — 8:45 a.m. ET on Feb. 14

• Men's 12.5km Pursuit — 5:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 15

• Women's 10km Pursuit — 8:45 a.m. ET on Feb. 15

• Men's 4 x 7.5km Relay — 8:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 17

• Women's 4 x 6km Relay — 8:45 a.m. ET on Feb. 18

• Men's 15km Mass Start — 8:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 20

• Women's 12.5km Mass Start — 8:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 20

The great news for fans is that it's possible to follow events live without spending anything.

How to watch 2026 winter sports biathlon for free

The 2026 winter sports biathlon is available to live stream for free on a number of services:

• Australia — 9Now

• Austria — ORF

• Canada — CBC Gem

• France — France TV

• Germany — ARD

• Ireland — RTÉ Player

• Italy — RAI

• Spain — RTVE

• UK — BBC iPlayer

These free live streams are geo-restricted, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports biathlon from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2026 winter sports biathlon by following these simple steps:

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the biathlon before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for live sport?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

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Live stream the 2026 winter sports biathlon for free with ExpressVPN.

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Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

If you're interested in watching the huge game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, you've come to the wrong place. We all know the real star of the show is Bad Bunny.

Spotify's most-streamed artist of 2025 will headline the Big Game's halftime show. Interested in live streaming this incredible event without spending anything? It's actually a pretty straightforward process. You might need to jump through a couple of hoops, but it's worth it. This is Bad Bunny we're talking about.

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If you want to watch Bad Bunny's halftime show from the 2026 Big Game for free from anywhere in the world, here's all the information you need.

How to watch Bad Bunny's halftime show for free

Bad Bunny's halftime show from the 2026 Big Game is available to live stream for free on the following platforms:

• Australia — 7Plus

• New Zealand — TVNZ+

• UK — Channel 5

These free streaming services are geo-restricted, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, New Zealand, or the UK, meaning you can live stream the halftime show from the Big Game for free from anywhere in the world.

Follow these simple steps to secure access to the halftime show for free:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia, New Zealand, or the UK

4. Visit 7Plus, TVNZ+, or Channel 5

5. Watch the halftime show for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming require a subscription, but leading VPN services also offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. You can leverage these deals to get access to live streams of the halftime show without actually spending anything. This is obviously a short-term fix, but you can watch Bad Bunny (and all the other performances) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the halftime show?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live events, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Bad Bunny's halftime show from the 2026 Big Game for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC is on sale for $99.97 through March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, offering 60% off Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime License $99.97
$249.99 Save $150.02   Get Deal

If your work revolves around documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and email, Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business brings those core tools together with updated features designed to keep everyday tasks moving efficiently. The lifetime license for Mac or PC is priced at $99.97, representing a 60% discount off the regular price, and ends on March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Included are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook — the familiar lineup, installed directly on your device for both online and offline use. Office 2024 brings performance improvements across the whole software. In Excel, for example, working with large datasets or handling multiple workbooks is quicker and more reliable. For anyone who routinely works with numbers or builds reports, this added speed can make daily tasks less tedious.

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Content creation tools have also been refreshed. PowerPoint now supports recording presentations with voice narration, video, and closed captions, which is a plus for remote meetings, online classes, or sharing presentations after the fact. Word adds Focus Mode to help reduce distractions as you write, alongside AI-powered suggestions to sharpen up your prose. Built-in research features keep citations and references at your fingertips, so you can stay in the zone without switching tabs.

Microsoft’s Fluent Design system brings Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook a cohesive look and feel. Touch and pen support is now smoother on tablets and convertibles, and customizable templates and themes make it easy to create polished work without a designer’s eye.

Collaboration tools are built in as well. Real-time co-authoring allows multiple people to work on the same file simultaneously, with chat, comments, and version history helping track changes and feedback. Deeper integration with Microsoft Teams centralizes file sharing and communication within the Office environment.

Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business is designed for users who already rely on Microsoft’s core apps and want updated features without changing how they work. For $99.97 through March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, the current deal makes it easier to step into the latest version at a lower cost, especially if those tools are already part of your daily routine.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

The Super Bowl LX halftime show featuring Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl pre-show featuring Green Day may be taking up all the attention when it comes to Super Bowl performances — and rightfully so! Everyone is looking forward to what the internationally known artists will do or say regarding President Trump and ICE.

However, other musical artists are performing at this year's Super Bowl as well.

SEE ALSO: Super Bowl 2026 cheat sheet: Players, performers, storylines to watch Charlie Puth to sing national anthem

Kicking the show off with the U.S. national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the Grammy-nominated singer Charlie Puth. Puth's debut single, "Marvin Gaye," featuring Meghan Trainor, was a Billboard chart hit upon its 2015 release. Puth has since had other hits, including "We Don't Talk Anymore (feat. Selena Gomez)," "Attention," and "Nothing But Trouble."

Brandi Carlile to perform patriotic song

Next up, singing "America the Beautiful" is singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. Carlile has a whopping 11 Grammys and two Emmy awards. Her biggest hit was 2007's "The Story," but she is also known for songs like "Broken Horses" and "The Joke."

Coco Jones to sing Black national anthem

Grammy Award-winning R&B artist Coco Jones will sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing," also known as the Black national anthem. "Lift Every Voice and Sing" has become a Super Bowl staple since 2021, when Alicia Keys performed it at the event. Singer and actress Ledisi performed the song at last year's game.

"Lift Every Voice and Sing," also known as the Black national anthem, has been sung at every Super Bowl since 2021, when Alicia Keys performed the song.

This year, at Super Bowl LX, Coco Jones will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

So, who is Coco Jones? 

SEE ALSO: What songs will Bad Bunny perform at the Super Bowl? Here's our dream setlist.

Coco Jones is a Grammy Award-winning R&B artist. In 2024, she was nominated for 5 Grammys and won one award for Best R&B Performance for her platinum-certified song "ICU." She earned two more Grammy nominations in 2025 and was nominated for Best R&B Album at this year's award show.

The artist's father, Mike Jones, is a former pro football player. Jones was an NFL linebacker who played for the New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, and Tennessee Titans.

If you're not familiar with Coco Jones as an R&B artist, she might look familiar to you if you watched the Peacock series Bel-Air. Jones is the actor who played Hillary Banks on the drama that reimagined the Will Smith sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. As a child actor, she was also a well-known Disney Channel star, appearing in So Random!, Good Luck Charlie, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Let It Shine.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with a box of chocolates or flowers on Valentine’s Day: Some things are clichés for a reason, and who doesn’t love being the envy of the office when a surprise bouquet of flowers is delivered to your cubicle? But flowers die, and chocolates get eaten. (Probably pretty quickly, if we’re being honest.) Even a gourmet meal, one of the cornerstones of the holiday, only lasts a couple of hours.

SEE ALSO: Amazon has curated its top 100 Valentine's Day gifts. Here are our 10 favorites from the list.

Luckily, there are tons of incredibly romantic gift ideas out there — gifts you can keep enjoying without an expiration date. We’ve scoured the web for the best of the best, keeping in mind that not all couples define “romance” the same way. Some couples embrace their inner cheeseball year-round, lavishing each other with adorable gifts at every opportunity. Others are really only prepared for this level of cornball-ery once a year, so we like to make it count.

We’ve selected gifts that suit partners at every stage of a relationship, from couples who have built lives together, to those who are still charting the fragile terrain between “casual hookup buddy” and something more serious. Do you live with your boo, or are they hundreds of miles away? Somewhere in between? We’ve got ideas for that, too. Below are our favorite romantic Valentine's Day gifts for 2026.

TL;DR: Live stream Sri Lanka vs. Ireland in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free on ICC.TV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Sri Lanks are not one of the favorites to win the 2026 T20 World Cup, but you can never count out the hosts. Playing in front of a passionate home support goes a long way, and although the final knockout rounds are all hosted by India, the Sri Lankan fans could well inspire their team to make the latter stages of this competition.

Sri Lanka start their campaign against Ireland. Fans will be expecting Sri Lanka to win this opening game comfortably. It's important that they do, as they'll be coming up against Australia later in Group B.

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If you want to watch Sri Lanka vs. Ireland in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Sri Lanka vs. Ireland?

Sri Lanka vs. Ireland in the 2026 T20 World Cup starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 8. This game takes place at the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium.

How to watch Sri Lanka vs. Ireland for free

Sri Lanka vs. Ireland in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup is available to live stream for free on ICC.TV.

This free live stream on ICC.TV is only available in select regions (see full list of territories here), but anyone can live stream the T20 Cricket World Cup for free with a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in a location with free access. This simple process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can live stream on ICC.TV from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Sri Lanka vs. Ireland in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with access

4. Visit ICC.TV

5. Watch the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch every game from the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup (plus the Winter Olympics) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ICC.TV?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ICC.TV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2026 for free with ExpressVPN.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To pound.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

THUMP

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Snakes are filled with it.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 8, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

VENOM

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A gorge.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 8 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 8, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CHASM

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Jotted down.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

WROTE

Final Hurdle hint

To sneak.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

SKULK

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

TL;DR: Live stream England vs. Nepal in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free on ICC.TV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 T20 World Cup showcases many interesting matchups in the opening round of group-stage games, including England vs. Nepal.

England will be expected to qualify comfortably from Group C, but the second spot in the next round is very much up for grabs. West Indies will fancy their chances, but don't count out Nepal. They possess a number of talented young players who can cause problems for the opposition. This isn't going to be an easy opening game for England. They'll need to start strongly.

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If you want to watch England vs. Nepal in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is England vs. Nepal?

England vs. Nepal in the 2026 T20 World Cup starts at 4:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 8. This game takes place at the Wankhede Stadium.

How to watch England vs. Nepal for free

England vs. Nepal in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup is available to live stream for free on ICC.TV.

This free live stream on ICC.TV is only available in select regions (see full list of territories here), but anyone can live stream the T20 Cricket World Cup for free with a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in a location with free access. This simple process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can live stream on ICC.TV from anywhere in the world.

Live stream England vs. Nepal in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with access

4. Visit ICC.TV

5. Watch the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch every game from the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup (plus the Winter Olympics) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ICC.TV?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ICC.TV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2026 for free with ExpressVPN.

Tonight, the Moon looks slightly slimmer again as it approaches the Third Quarter. Its illuminated section is fading even more, meaning each night there's less for us to see.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Sunday, Feb. 8, the Moon phase is Waning Gibbous. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 62% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.

Looking up with just your naked eye, you should be able to see the Mares Vaporum and Imbrium and the Aristarchus Plateau. With binoculars, you'll also be able to see Clavius, and the Archimedes Craters, and the Alps Mountains. If you have a telescope, you'll also be able to see the Apollo 14 and 15 landing spots, as well as the Rima Ariadaeus.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will be on March 3.

What are Moon phases?

NASA says that a complete lunar cycle takes around 29.5 days. This is the time the Moon needs to orbit Earth once. During this cycle, it goes through eight phases. While the same side of the Moon always faces Earth, the visible portion that is illuminated changes as the Moon travels along its orbit. The varying amount of sunlight reflected off the Moon is what causes it to appear fully lit, partially lit, or nearly dark at different stages. The eight phases of the Moon are:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easy if you know your Super Bowl history.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: In the stat line

• Green: Super Bowl performers

• Blue: Super Bowl standouts

• Purple: Associated with the Big Game

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Stats for a QB

• Green: Super Bowl Halftime Show Performers

• Blue: Super Bowl MVPs

• Purple: Super Bowl___

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #503 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Stats for a QB - COMPLETIONS, INTERCEPTIONS, TOUCHDOWNS, YARDS

• Super Bowl Halftime Show Performers - GAGA, LAMAR, MARS, PETTY

• Super Bowl MVPs - BRANCH, HURTS, MONTANA, RICE

• Super Bowl___ - LX, MVP, SQUARES, SUNDAY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

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

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 8, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for February 8, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 8 Pips

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 8 Pips

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 1-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is1-0, placed horizontally.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (8): Everything in this space must be greater than 8. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 6-4, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 8 Pips

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 2-1, placed horizontally.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 2-1, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally.

Number (22): Everything in this space must add up to 22. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Number (18): Everything in this space must add up to 18. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this green space must be greater than 2. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you like a strict regimen.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

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

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for February 8, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: To stuff down

• Green: Same ole

• Blue: Protected info

• Purple: Not one

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Suppress

• Green: Same old stuff

• Blue: Features of a strong password

• Purple: Words after "Two"

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #973 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Suppress: GAG, INHIBIT, MUZZLE, SILENCE

• Same old stuff: DRILL, GRIND, HABIT, ROUTINE

• Features of a strong password: LENGTH, NUMBER, SYMBOL, UPPERCASE

• Words after "Two": BIT, CENTS, FACED, TIMER

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 8, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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