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The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, October 22, 2024:

AcrossTree whose 1-Down was used to make canoes and wigwams

• The answer is Birch.

Luxury brand from Honda

• The answer is Acura.

Become ready to eat

• The answer is Ripen.

Work, as bread dough

• The answer is Knead.

Really outstanding finds, so to speak

• The answer is Gems.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 22 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 22 DownIt's white and papery on a 1-Across

• The answer is Bark.

"That's just ___ on the cake!"

• The answer is Icing.

Currency unit of India

• The answer is Rupee.

Whipped stuff on top of a mocha latte

• The answer is Cream.

Ones working around the clock?

• The answer is Hands.

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

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

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

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

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

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on 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 October 22 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 22 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Cool color!

These words are shady.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are names for colors.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is TheBlues.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for October 22

• Navy

• Azure

• Cobalt

• Turqouise

• Indigo

• TheBlues

• Periwinkle

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 22 SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 22

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

GET FREE ROMANCE E-BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Oct. 22. Thousands of romance e-books are available for free in this Romance Book Blast.

The best Kindle deals on Stuff Your Kindle Day Best Kindle Deal New Amazon Kindle (16GB) $109.99 at Amazon Shop Here Best Kindle Paperwhite Deal New Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) $159.99 at Amazon Shop Here

We're naturally suspicious of any event that claims to give stuff away for free. We're always looking for the catch, which is probably the result of operating in the world of online shopping for years. We've been ground down by the wheels of commerce.

But Stuff Your Kindle Day gives us hope.

Stuff Your Kindle Day is a special event that provides access to literally thousands of free books. It's an author-organized event that gives away romance e-books for absolutely nothing. And the best thing is that these books are yours to keep forever.

SEE ALSO: Yes, Kindles with color are real and coming soon: Pre-order the Kindle Colorsoft

Are you looking to capitalise on the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? Good news: We've lined up everything you need to know about this generous event so that you can stock up for the winter months ahead.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day is taking place on Oct 22. This 24-hour event is hosted by Romance Book Lovers, with romance e-books on offer from a wide range of subgenres.

The best way to find out about Stuff Your Kindle Day dates ahead of time is to sign up for emails alerts.

Who can take part in Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Anyone can participate Stuff Your Kindle Day, even if you don't actually own a Kindle.

Kindle, Kobo, and Nook readers can download these free romance e-books. It's even possible to download these books on your preferred app and read them directly from your phone, as these free titles are available on the Google Play and Apple Books apps.

Which e-books are free?

You've got two options when it comes to sourcing these free romance e-books.

Your first stop should be the Romance Book Blast blog. Titles are helpfully organized into sub-genres of romance, with lists of books by authors of color, LGBTQIA+ authors, and neurodiverse or disabled authors.

Your second option is to cut out the middle man and head directly to the Stuff Your Kindle Day landing page created by Amazon. Here, Amazon lists some standout titles and organizes everything by genre. Thanks so much, Amazon.

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

What makes Stuff Your Kindle Day extra special is that everything you download on the day is yours to keep, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can still participate in Stuff Your Kindle Day, and crucially, Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads won't count towards the 20 books per month that subscribers can borrow. So go for it, bookworms.

Stuff Your Kindle Day book deals

• Simple Pleasures: A Terlizzi Family Prequel by Cora Kent — $0

• Match Game: A Fake Dating Hockey Romance by Brittany Arreguin — $0

• Fourth Attempt by Lynn Burke — $0

• Of Magic and Zombies: A Spicy Paranormal Post-Apocalyptic Romance by Anna Svoboda — $0

• Wander This World: New Adult Darkish Vampire Romance by Siren Crow — $0

• The Divine and the Cursed by J.E. Reed — $0

• Working for the Big Bad Wolf by Olive Spencer — $0

TL;DR: 1minAI puts AI models from OpenAI, Meta, Google, and more at your disposal to generate text, images, or edit audio, and you can get it for life for £30.80 (reg. £180.25). 

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

1minAI users can access some of the biggest and most advanced AI tools in one convenient app. This lifetime subscription gives you access to Chat GPT-4, Mistral AI, Midjourney, Gemini, and a lot more for just £30.80. 

What does 1minAI do?

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

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

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

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

• Gemini Pro 1.5, Gemini Pro 1.0 (GoogleAI)

• Llama 3, Llama 2 (MetaAI)

• MistralAI

• Command (Cohere)

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

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

Your AI team

You don't have to subscribe to every big AI tool anymore. Just get a lifetime subscription to 1minAI for £30.80 (reg. £180.25) at the Mashable Shop. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1minAI: Lifetime Subscription £30.80 at the Mashable Shop
£180.25 Save £149.45 Get Deal

TL;DR: Live stream Aston Villa vs. Bologna in the Champions League for free on Tabii. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Aston Villa have been enjoying themselves in the Champions League. They've won their first two games without conceding a goal, including a famous victory over Bayern Munich. And now they face Bologna, a team that has only picked up a point so far. Aston Villa will be favorites to win this one, but anything can happen in the Champions League.

If you want to watch Aston Villa vs. Bologna in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Aston Villa vs. Bologna?

Aston Villa vs. Bologna in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on Oct. 22. This fixture takes place at Villa Park.

How to watch Aston Villa vs. Bologna for free

Aston Villa vs. Bologna is available to live stream for free on Tabii.

Tabii is offering free live streams of the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League for the next three seasons. Tabii is geo-restricted to Turkey, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Turkey, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Champions League from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Aston Villa vs. Bologna on Tabii 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 Turkey

4. Sign in to Tabii

5. Watch Aston Villa vs. Bologna for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Aston Villa vs. Bologna (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Tabii?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including Turkey

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Aston Villa vs. Bologna in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League for free on RTL ZWEE. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Football fans are in luck, because the Champions League returns with another batch of incredible games. The third round of fixtures has thrown together some massive matchups, including Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund. This is a repeat of last year's final, so fans will be delighted to hear that you can live stream this huge game without spending anything.

If you want to watch Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund?

Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on Oct. 22. This fixture takes place at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund for free

Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund is available to live stream for free on RTL ZWEE.

RTL ZWEE is geo-restricted to Luxembourg, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Luxembourg, meaning you can unblock RTL ZWEE to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund 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 Luxembourg

4. Sign in to RTL ZWEE

5. Watch Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for RTL ZWEE?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTL ZWEE, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Luxembourg

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream AC Milan vs. Club Brugge in the Champions League for free on RTL play. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The great thing about the new Champions League format is that we're getting more big games between the biggest clubs. It's probably not great for the players and their busy schedules, but dedicated fans are winning.

AC Milan are taking on Club Brugge in the third round of fixtures. AC Milan are still looking to secure their first point in this season's competition after tough defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen. Despite the difficult start, they will be confident of beating Club Brugge at home.

If you want to watch AC Milan vs. Club Brugge in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is AC Milan vs. Club Brugge?

AC Milan vs. Club Brugge in the Champions League kicks off at 5:45 p.m. BST on Oct. 22. This fixture takes place at the San Siro.

How to watch AC Milan vs. Club Brugge for free

AC Milan vs. Club Brugge is available to live stream for free on RTL play.

RTL play is geo-restricted to Belgium, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Belgium, meaning you can unblock RTL play to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream AC Milan vs. Club Brugge 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 Belgium

4. Sign in to RTL play

5. Watch AC Milan vs. Club Brugge for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream AC Milan vs. Club Brugge (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for RTL play?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTL play, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Belgium

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream AC Milan vs. Club Brugge in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League for free with a 30-day trial of Prime Video. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League is back with another batch of massive games between Europe's elite clubs. There are a number of interesting games to keep tabs on, including Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk.

Arsenal are unbeaten in this season's competition, and will be confident of securing another victory at home. Shakhtar Donetsk are still looking for their first win. Could they upset the odds at the Emirates Stadium? There's only one way to find out.

If you want to watch Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk?

Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League starts at 8 p.m. BST on Oct. 22. This fixture takes place at the Emirates Stadium.

How to watch Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk for free

Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk is available to live stream on Prime Video in the UK, but you don't need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to watch this fixture. Instead, you can watch Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (plus more Champions League fixtures) for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

Fans from outside the UK will need to use a VPN to watch the Champions League for free on Prime Video. This process is straightforward:

1. Sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial (if you're not already a member)

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

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

4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

5. Watch Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk for free from anywhere in the world on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk on Prime Video without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Champions League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Prime Video?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Prime Video, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for October 21's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 22 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 22 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To yell.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SHOUT.

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 21

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

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

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

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

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for October 22'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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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

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

Tweet may have been deleted

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

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 22 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Associated with high-quality goods

• Green: Master plan

• Blue: Spaceships

• Purple: Name is the game

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

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

• Yellow: Brand-Name

• Green: Devise

• Blue: NASA Spacecraft

• Purple: Games Where You Say The Game's Name

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 #499 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Brand-Name: DESIGNER, HAUTE, HIGH-END, LUXURY

• Devise: CONCOCT, ENGINEER, HATCH, MASTERMIND

• NASA Spacecraft: GALILEO, PIONEER, VIKING, VOYAGER

• Games Where You Say The Game's Name: BINGO, MARCO POLO, TAG, UNO

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 October 22

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.

Joining a Google Meet call without knowing your fellow participants' pronouns can be awkward and embarrassing if you're relying on guessing or assumptions. Likewise, verbally sharing your pronouns on a call isn't always possible, and it can be exhausting to remind people on call after call.

But Google has made it more convenient for people to seamlessly share their pronouns when using their popular meeting application. This option is available to enterprise users and users of Edu — Google's service for educational purposes — whose system administrator turned on the pronouns feature.

SEE ALSO: FCC: All smartphones must have hearing aid compatibility

When pronouns are turned on, they'll show up next to your picture in Google Meet, in addition to appearing in other products, like Chat, Calendar, and Docs.

Before trying to set your pronouns, test to see if your administrator has turned the option on by clicking on the Pronouns Page. If the option is off, you'll get an error message. Also remember: this setting is not available to Google users without a business or Edu account.

How to change your pronouns for Google Meet: Total Time

• 2 mins.

What You Need

• Google account

Step 1: Go to the About Me section of your Google Account.

The About Me section can be accessed via this Google permalink. You can also find it by navigating from your account to the personal info tab.

Step 2: Select your pronoun setting in the "basic info" box.

The basic info box includes your name, picture, gender, and pronouns. Click pronouns to change them.

Credit: Google

Step 3: Make your pronoun selection.

When selecting your pronouns, Google offers "she / her," "he / him," "they / them," and "no pronouns set," in addition to the ability to add custom pronouns. Google reminds users making this selection to keep in mind that "some countries have laws related to gender expression."

Credit: Google

Step 4: Select who can see your pronouns.

Google allows users to select who can see their pronouns. Visibility can be limited to yourself, your organization, or anyone. If you want Meet participants to see your pronouns, select either your organization or anyone.

Credit: Google

If you're having trouble seeing pronouns in Meet, it may have to do with how you're joining the call.

Pronoun updates that are visible to others can only be viewed in web-based Meetings or Meet calls. If a mobile device user sets their pronouns then joins a Meet call, you can view their pronouns if you’re on the web. The user on mobile can’t view anyone’s pronouns.

As the hype around generative AI continues to build, the need for robust safety regulations is only becoming more clear.

Now Anthropic—the company behind Claude AI—is looking at how its models could deceive or sabotage users. Anthropic just dropped a paper laying out their approach.

SEE ALSO: Sam Altman steps down as head of OpenAI's safety group

Anthropic’s latest research — titled "Sabotage Evaluations for Frontier Models" — comes from its Alignment Science team, driven by the company's "Responsible Scaling" policy.

The goal is to gauge just how capable AI might be at misleading users or even "subverting the systems we put in place to oversee them." The study focuses on four specific tactics: Human Decision Sabotage, Code Sabotage, Sandbagging, and Undermining Oversight.

Think of users who push ChatGPT to the limit, trying to coax it into generating inappropriate content or graphic images. These tests are all about ensuring that the AI can’t be tricked into breaking its own rules.

In the paper, Anthropic says its objective is to be ready for the possibility that AI could evolve into something with dangerous capabilities. So they put their Claude 3 Opus and 3.5 Sonnet models through a series of tests, designed to evaluate and enhance their safety protocols.

The Human Decision test focused on examining how AI could potentially manipulate human decision-making. The second test, Code Sabotage, analyzed whether AI could subtly introduce bugs into coding databases. Stronger AI models actually led to stronger defenses against these kinds of vulnerabilities.

The remaining tests — Sandbagging and Undermining Oversight — explored whether the AI could conceal its true capabilities or bypass safety mechanisms embedded within the system.

For now, Anthropic’s research concludes that current AI models pose a low risk, at least in terms of these malicious capabilities.

"Minimal mitigations are currently sufficient to address sabotage risks," the team writes, but "more realistic evaluations and stronger mitigations seem likely to be necessary soon as capabilities improve."

Translation: watch out, world.

Elon Musk just contributed a little bit more to the AI zeitgeist.

Musk's AI startup xAI, which supplies the Grok chatbot that is integrated into X (formerly Twitter), officially started offering an API this week. According to TechCrunch, Grok's services can be yours for the low, low price of $5 per million input tokens or $15 per million output tokens.

Tweet may have been deleted

It's a little bit murky what anyone who pays for the API is actually getting right now. TechCrunch said the only model available for purchase right now is labeled "grok-beta," which obviously doesn't make it clear if it's the latest model, Grok-2, or not. There may also be models for analyzing images and text, but per TechCrunch, those aren't live yet.

Grok started infecting X late last year, eventually becoming a fully integrated chatbot that is accessible at all times to X Premium users via a tab on the bottom of the screen. Its gimmick is that it's not as restrained (or "woke," as some might say) as other chatbots, which has, of course, resulted in lots of deeply troubling outputs from Grok over the last year.

The next big thing might be a messaging app called Daze — but it hasn't even launched yet.

Because seemingly everything in 2024 has an AI component, yes, Daze does incorporate AI. It's a messaging app aimed at Gen Z that is designed to look free-flowing with lots of different fonts, colors, graphics, movement, stickers, drawings, and more. TikToks posted by the app have gone viral — the most watched has eight million views.

The TikTok shows a chat where someone talks to their crush and uses Daze's interactive features, such as drawing and games, to flirt and see if they like them back.

TechCrunch published a detailed article on Daze "blowing up" ahead of its planned launch on Nov. 4. It reported that Daze had 156,000 sign-ups on its waitlist. Still, right now the app has roughly 1,400 invite-only beta users. It seems like Daze is positioning itself as a more fun messaging app and has used AI to help power some of the creative tools.

"Our goal with Daze has been to make a feature complete messenger that is competitive with iMessage, WhatsApp, etc., while still having a suite of really fun and creative features," founder Willem Simons told TechCrunch. "You can quickly type a message and press send, or drag the message anywhere within the chat. It is easy to use and utilitarian, but also very free and unconstrained."

It obviously remains to be seen if there is a market for an AI-focused messaging app aimed at being more fun. Even if Daze were the next big thing, oftentimes the next big thing ends up being mostly hype and little substance. Remember Clubhouse?

Do you ever wonder why, when you're scrolling through Instagram, the second photo of a carousel pops up first?

According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, that's often because you might have seen that carousel already but didn't swipe — so you're getting a second chance.

"If someone sees your carousel post but they don’t swipe, we’ll often give that carousel a second chance and automatically move to that second piece of media for the viewer," Mosseri said in an Instagram Reel.

View this post on Instagram

He added that carousels "often get more reach than photos" in part because of this second chance posting, but also because "multiple pieces of media are going to mean more interactions with your carousel posts, and more interactions is going to mean more reach on average."

SEE ALSO: Is posting a photo dump on Instagram cringe now?

Beyond posting a carousel, Mosseri also said you might want to "add music" to the post if you're trying to increase reach.

"I highly advise you to add music so it's eligible to show up in video experiences, like the Reels tab," Mosseri said. "Now, don't feel like you have to force it, but if you're on the fence and you can go either way, choosing a carousel over a photo will often help you get more reach."

Happy posting!

The Internet Archive is still under attack two weeks after suffering a data breach and DDoS attacks that took the website down.

How do we know? 

Because the hacker just responded to Mashable's email that we went to the Internet Archive to find out more about the hack. The hacker was able to respond via Internet Archive's Zendesk, an online service that helps companies respond to users' support queries.

The hacker responds through Internet Archive

Earlier this month, Internet Archive suffered multiple cyberattacks that ended up taking the entire platform, including The Wayback Machine which archives websites throughout the years, offline.

While a group known as SN-Blackmeta took responsibility for the DDoS attacks, the attacker behind the data breach has remained anonymous. It's unconfirmed whether that anonymous hacker is also behind the latest Internet Archive breach. 

The attacker claims that they have access to all of the more than 800,000 support tickets sent to Internet Archive since 2018.

"It's dispiriting to see that even after being made aware of the breach 2 weeks ago, IA has still not done the due diligence of rotating many of the API keys that were exposed in their gitlab secrets," the hacker wrote on Sunday through Zendesk to our email that we sent to Internet Archive on October 10.

"As demonstrated by this message, this includes a Zendesk token with perms to access 800K+ support tickets sent to info@archive.org since 2018," they continued.

Chief Security Officer Chris Hickman of the cybersecurity company Keyfactor explained to Mashable why the rotating API key issue played such an important role here.

"This is a security oversight as tokens that are not rotated regularly have longer lifespans, increasing the window of opportunity for attackers to steal and misuse them," Hickman said. "If a malicious actor obtains an unrotated token, they could use it to gain unauthorized access to systems or services."

And it appears that's what happened.

The Internet Archive's bad month continues

In the initial attack earlier this month, the hacker shared that they had accessed emails, screen names, and encrypted passwords for 31 million Internet Archive users. However, in this most recent attack, the attacker now shared that they have more than 800,000 support tickets shared between Internet Archive users and the non-profit group. These support tickets could contain even further sensitive information as users who requested that their content be removed from the Internet Archive had to oftentimes provide identification.

In an age where everyone seems to disagree about everything on the internet, there's one thing that most people seem to agree with: The Internet Archive is an amazing tool that provides online library services at no-cost to users. Many were shocked when their site was attacked earlier this month.

The Internet Archive was able to get parts of its website back up and running last week. However, it seems like significant damage has been done.

"Whether you were trying to ask a general question, or requesting the removal of your site from the Wayback Machine—your data is now in the hands of some random guy. If not me, it'd be someone else," the hacker said in its reply to Mashable's contact. "Here's hoping that they'll get their shit together now."

Shopping for gifts for gamers is a double-edged Master Sword. On the one hand, there are so many cool games, consoles, and accessories to choose from — especially in a year like 2023, where every other release was a Game of the Year contender. But there's also just so much to choose from, to the point where you might feel under-leveled for the "simple" task of picking that just-right gift.

That's where we come in. To help you on your side quest to find the perfect present for a gamer friend or loved one, we've compiled a massive list of more than 50 gamer gift ideas for the 2024 holiday season — including a bunch of games we've played and products we've tested ourselves.

If you're gifting on a budget, you'll do well with a new accessory for your recipient's existing setup, a few months' worth of their favorite video game subscription service, or a copy of a popular game from the past few months. Leveling up over the $100 mark expands your options to high-end peripherals, while $200 and above unlocks current-gen consoles, bundles, and gaming laptops. We've peppered in a few limited-edition collectibles at different price points, too.

Keep reading to check out our picks for the best gifts for gamers:

It seems folks might be getting a surprise when they open their Lunchly — and it's not a kids' toy or special dessert. A new video from a food YouTuber showed them apparently discovering mold in the Lunchable rival from popular creators MrBeast, Logan Paul and KSI.

Rosanna Pansino, a popular food YouTuber with 14.5 million subscribers, posted a video on Sunday trying out Lunchly. And in that video, which has already racked up more than half a million views, she says she discovers mold in the cheese of the Lunchly. We obviously cannot independently verify Pansino actually discovered mold — it is something you could fake — but she does explicitly state in the video description that the "video is not faked."

You can watch the 20-minute video for yourself.

Pansino sets up a video comparing Lunchly to Lunchables. It's a sensible idea for a video, considering Lunchly is basically a YouTuber-endorsed version of the classic kids' meal. Lunchly has "Fiesta Nachos," "The Pizza," and "Turkey Stack 'Ems," which come with MrBeast's Feastables chocolate and a bottle of Paul's Prime drink.

SEE ALSO: MrBeast, Logan Paul and KSI are launching a Lunchables rival

In the video, Pansino appears to open a pizza Lunchly only to discover what seems to be mold on the shredded mozzarella cheese, despite the packaging saying it was good for another couple of months. Upon assembling the mini pizza with the moldy cheese, Pansino gags and again states she did not fake the mold.

"It's so much mold, this is terrible," she says in the video. "I just want you guys to know I did not fake this. I was honestly going to go over nutritional facts and differences between the two."

Later in the video, Pansino compares a moldy Lunchly to one that was not moldly and points out that the seal might not have been tight on the one that apparently produced mold. Other videos online have claimed to show mold on their Lunchly's cheese, indicating perhaps this is not an uncommon problem.

None of the creators behind Lunchly have addressed the mold claims online. Lunchly declined to respond to a request for comment.

SAVE 32%: Roku streaming devices are on sale at Amazon this week. Get the Roku Streaming Stick 4K for 32% off, bringing it down to $34 for $15.99 in savings.

Best Roku deals Best Roku Streaming Stick Deal Roku Streaming Stick 4K $34 at Amazon (Save $15.99) Get Deal Best Budget Roku Deal Roku Express $19.99 at Amazon (Save $10) Get Deal Best Roku 4K Deal Roku Express 4K+ $29.99 at Amazon (Save $10) Get Deal

I don't mean to be dramatic, but not all streaming devices are created equal. Some are laggy with clunky UX, while others move quickly between apps with no buffer time. Since you can't try out every streamer, we've done the hard work for you, to find the best options so you can buy with confidence.

One brand we trust for all of our streaming needs is Roku. The Roku Ultra is our favorite Roku streamer but the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is also great — especially compared to Amazon's offerings.

If you're in the market, maybe your smart TVs built-in streamer is just too slow, now is a great time to shop while Roku devices are on sale at Amazon.

Best Roku Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Roku Roku Streaming Stick 4K $34.00 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $15.99 Get Deal Why we like it

I love the Roku Streaming Stick 4K. As a loyal user of the Apple TV 4K, I didn't think much could sway me from it, but the Roku turned my head. Not only is it already affordable at $49.99, but it has an easy to navigate interface that is customizable so all your most used apps are always within reach. It delivers clear picture that doesn't require any stand-still pixelated buffering time.

When I put it head-to-head with Amazon's Fire TV 4K Streaming Stick, there was no competition. The Roku is superior in every way compared to the sluggish Amazon system.

If you're convinced, now is a great time to shop. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is down to $34, for 32% savings and $15.99 off.

More Roku deals

• Roku Express — $19.99 $29.99 (save $10)

• Roku Express 4K+ — $29.99 $39.99 (save $10)

• Roku Ultra 2024 — $89.99 $99.99 (save $10)

UPDATE: Oct. 21, 2024, 1:00 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with the best robot vacuum deals live in the weeks between October Prime Day and early Black Friday deals.

A glance at the best robot vacuum deals in mid-August: Best non self-emptying deal Eufy L50 $151.98 at Amazon (save $48.01 with Prime) Get Deal Best self-emptying deal Eufy L60 $298.99 at Amazon (save $100 with on-page coupon) Get Deal Best vacuum-mop combo deal Roborock Q Revo Pro $749.99 at Amazon (save $250) Get Deal

Only three things are certain in life: Death, taxes, and a few days each month when you need to vacuum but just don't have time. Whether you detest the chore or hope to make your home upkeep a bit breezier, a robot vacuum is a lifesaver.

SEE ALSO: Amazon Prime Day vs. Black Friday: When are the deals better? Best overall robot vacuum deal Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock Qrevo Pro with self-empty station $749.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $250.00 Get Deal Why we like it

We think of Roborock's Qrevo Pro as the lite version of one of the best hybrid robot vacs on the market right now, the $1,399.99 Qrevo Master. The Qrevo Pro takes one of the Master's hallmark features, the flexible side arm that extends to mop in corners and along wall edges, and combines it with slightly less suction power to keep the price lower — though the Pro's 7,000 Pa is still quite powerful. It also empties itself and washes and dries its own mopping pads.

More robot vacuums (that don't mop) on sale

• Ionvac SmartClean 2000 — $79.99 $129 (save $49.01)

• Eufy L50 — $151.98 $199.99 (save $48.01 with Prime)

• Eufy L60 — $193.98 $279.99 (save $86.01 with Prime)

• iRobot Roomba i3+ with self-empty station — $263.15 $388 (save $124.85)

• Eufy L60 with self-empty station — $298.99 $398.99 (save $100 with on-page coupon)

• Roborock Q5 DuoRoller+ with self-empty station — $299.99 $449.99 (save $250)

• Shark Matrix RV2300S with self-empty station — $329 $499.99 (save $170)

• Eufy X8 Pro with self-empty station — $349.99 $649.99 (save $300 with Prime)

Robot vacuum and mop combos hybrids on sale

• Shark IQ 2-in-1 RV2402 — $249 $449.99 (save $200.99)

• Roborock Q7 Max — $259.99 $599.99 (save $340 with on-page coupon)

• Roborock Q8 Max — $319.99 $599.99 (save $280 with on-page coupon)

• iRobot Roomba Combo j5+ with self-empty station — $499.99 $799.99 (save $300)

• Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 with XL self-empty station — $399.99 $699.99 (save $300)

• Roborock S8 — $399.99 $749.99 (save $350)

• Roborock Q8 Max+ with self-empty station — $519.99 $819.99 (save $300 with on-page coupon)

• Roborock Q Revo S with self-empty station — $599.99 $799.99 (save $200 with on-page coupon)

• Narwal Freo with self-empty station — $699.99 $899.99 (save $200 with on-page coupon)

• Yeedi M12 Pro+ with self-empty station —  $669 $999 (save $330 with on-page coupon)

• Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 with self-empty station — $799.99 $999.99 (save $200)

• Narwal Freo X Ultra with self-empty station — $999.99 $1,399.99 (save $400)