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It's rare for any observatory to directly image a planet beyond our solar system, called an exoplanet, but the powerful James Webb Space Telescope has captured four of them in the stellar system HR 8799. These large, gaseous worlds are located 130 light-years away in the Milky Way galaxy (a light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles). Importantly, viewing these worlds also revealed major parts of their composition, and how they likely formed.
"Our hope with this kind of research is to understand our own solar system, life, and ourselves in the comparison to other exoplanetary systems, so we can contextualize our existence," William Balmer, an astronomer at Johns Hopkins University who led the new research, said in a statement. "We want to take pictures of other solar systems and see how they’re similar or different when compared to ours. From there, we can try to get a sense of how weird our solar system really is — or how normal."
The research recently published in The Astrophysical Journal.
SEE ALSO: NASA dropped a new report. It's a wake-up call.It's tremendously challenging to capture direct images of exoplanets — as opposed to common observational methods like watching them transit in front of their stars — because their nearby stars are profoundly luminous, engulfing the exoplanets in light. But Webb blocked out much of the star's intrusive light with an instrument called a coronograph. What's more, these four worlds are large, young, and hot, and orbit relatively far from their star.
"From there, we can try to get a sense of how weird our solar system really is — or how normal."You can see four of these planets below. "The closest planet to the star, HR 8799 e, orbits 1.5 billion miles from its star, which in our solar system would be located between the orbit of Saturn and Neptune," NASA explains. "The furthest, HR 8799 b, orbits around 6.3 billion miles from the star, more than twice Neptune’s orbital distance." A star symbol covers the star HR 8799, whose light has been blocked.
No, they don't contain the stunning detail we see on the close by planets in our solar system. Even so, you're seeing far-off worlds in another part of the galaxy.
The four visible planets of the multi-planet system HR 8799. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / W. Balmer (JHU) / L. Pueyo (STScI) / M. Perrin (STScI)Crucially, directly viewing these planets allowed astronomers to analyze the unique light signals emanating from these worlds; these wavelengths match certain elements or molecules. Of note, the researchers detected the gases carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. These planets are extremely young, at some 30 million years old, so astronomers suspect they formed like Saturn and Jupiter, wherein they forged dense solid cores and then gravitationally pulled plentiful surrounding gases like carbon dioxide around them. (Alternatively, sometimes planets might form when they rapidly fuse together inside the rapidly spinning disk of dust and gas around a new star, meaning they're largely composed of the same stuff as their star.)
As Balmer noted above, we need to spy what's transpiring in other corners of the galaxy to better grasp how strange, or not, our solar system neighborhood truly is. Already, we know that many other solar systems contain curious super-Earths — which are bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune — but there's no such world in our system.
The Webb telescope captured clear "spectral fingerprints" of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in the planet HR 8799 e's atmosphere. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / J. Olmsted (STScI) The Webb telescope's powerful abilitiesThe Webb telescope — a scientific collaboration between NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency — is designed to peer into the deepest cosmos and reveal new insights about the early universe. It's also examining intriguing planets in our galaxy, along with the planets and moons in our solar system.
Here's how Webb is achieving unparalleled feats, and may for years to come:
- Giant mirror: Webb's mirror, which captures light, is over 21 feet across. That's over two-and-a-half times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope's mirror, meaning Webb has six times the light-collecting area. Capturing more light allows Webb to see more distant, ancient objects. The telescope is peering at stars and galaxies that formed over 13 billion years ago, just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. "We're going to see the very first stars and galaxies that ever formed," Jean Creighton, an astronomer and the director of the Manfred Olson Planetarium at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, told Mashable in 2021.
- Infrared view: Unlike Hubble, which largely views light that's visible to us, Webb is primarily an infrared space telescope, meaning it views light in the infrared spectrum. This allows us to see far more of the universe. Infrared has longer wavelengths than visible light, so the light waves more efficiently slip through cosmic clouds; the light doesn't as often collide with and get scattered by these densely packed particles. Ultimately, Webb's infrared eyesight can penetrate places Hubble can't.
"It lifts the veil," said Creighton.
- Peering into distant exoplanets: The Webb telescope carries specialized equipment called spectrographs that will revolutionize our understanding of these far-off worlds. The instruments can decipher what molecules (such as water, carbon dioxide, and methane) exist in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets — be they gas giants or smaller rocky worlds. Webb looks at exoplanets in the Milky Way galaxy. Who knows what we'll find?
"We might learn things we never thought about," Mercedes López-Morales, an exoplanet researcher and astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics-Harvard & Smithsonian, previously told Mashable.
TL;DR: You can get six online German courses for $24.99, making each less than $5 (reg. $120).
Something feels off lately. Prices are climbing, job security feels shaky, and you might be catching yourself daydreaming about a fresh start. You’re not alone — more people than ever are thinking about what life might look like somewhere else, but few are making moves like learning a new language.
One country many people are dreaming about moving to — or at least visiting — is Germany. Maybe it’s the free healthcare or just the soft pretzels with butter everywhere. Either way, you should take some German lessons before flying overseas. We have an online bundle of six courses that you can keep for life priced at just $24.99 (reg. $120).
Prepare for a fresh start, or just fun times, in GermanyWhen most people think about picking up another language, they might flock to popular apps on the market. These can be perfect for some learners, but those who want to gain an in-depth understanding of German grammar and culture may benefit more from actual lessons.
Your instructor, Kevin Gründel, manages to compile everything he thinks you need to know into a self-paced format — so it won’t feel like going back to school.
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Opens in a new window Credit: Kevin Gründel The 2025 German Language Learning Bundle: Beginner to Expert $25TL;DR: Beef up your home security with Ring Battery Doorbell Plus, a feature-packed video doorbell on sale for just $119.99 (reg. $149) while these limited supplies last.
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Opens in a new window Credit: Ring Ring Battery Doorbell Plus: Head-to-Toe HD+ Video, Motion Detection & Alerts, and Two-Way Talk $120In books by disgruntled former employees, it can be hard to hear real complaints over the sound of ax-grinding. Take ex-Apprentice star Omarosa's book from the first Trump administration, which unintentionally revealed its author to be defensive, shallow and complicit with the nightmare around her.
That isn't the case with Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams, former and first head of global policy at Facebook. Disgruntled she may be, but this is a self-aware woman with an important point to make, not an Omarosa-style embarrassment to herself.
This is bad news for the company now known as Meta, which wants Wynn-Williams to be seen as a mere "activist." Careless People made waves on publication, thanks to Wynn-Williams' filing a whistleblower complaint with the SEC, her accounts of sexual assault (which Meta denies), and a portrait that makes founder Mark Zuckerberg look like a clueless cult leader.
Then Meta made even more waves with the highly unusual step of going to an arbitrator, claiming Wynn-Williams' disparaging the company broke her severance contract. (What is this, Lumon Industries?)
The arbitrator issued an emergency gag order, leaving Meta to disparage Wynn-Williams in its statements, claiming she was fired for "toxic behavior" — exactly what her account says of her superiors — without fear of her responding. Not a great look for supposed free-speech advocate Zuckerberg — and now Careless People is an Amazon bestseller.
So what is Wynn-Williams' story, exactly? And do you really have to read the whole book to find out? Don't worry, we've got you. Here's what Facebook doesn't want you to know about Careless People.
Sarah Wynn-Williams is a sympathetic figure.Memoirs usually open with an eye-catching anecdote before a chapter on the author's formative years. Aside from first ensuring readers know the book's title comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous description of the wealthy Tom and Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, Careless People is no different. It opens with the time Wynn-Williams had to smuggle Zuckerberg out of a state dinner in Panama, making a break for it past naked dancers and a troupe of horses.
But then her childhood chapter is unusually engaging. At age 13, in her native New Zealand, Wynn-Williams was attacked by a shark. Stoic parents told her she was fine; in fact, she was bleeding internally and had to beg to go to the hospital, where her blood pressure was so low they had to use a bone saw for the transfusion. I SAVED MYSELF was the first thing Wynn-Williams wrote to her mother afterward.
She grew up wanting to save the world too — first at the United Nations, where she served as a Kiwi diplomat working on international security and human rights before growing disillusioned by too much attention paid to wars over punctuation in agency statements and too little attention paid to actual wars. Then in 2009, Wynn-Williams gets hooked on Facebook and sees what we now know to be true: This thing will change the world, fast. It could be the greatest force for good ever created, if the company has a clue what it's doing.
Not for the last time, Facebook execs were too arrogant to have a clue. Wynn-Williams begins a multi-year campaign to get hired for a global policy position that doesn't exist yet; her interviewer says this is an American company with an American audience. When the Arab Spring started revolutions in 2011, in part because of its platform, Facebook seems to realize the world exists (and doesn't operate by U.S. laws).
Once hired, Wynn-Williams has to scramble to head off multiple government investigations made possible by the company's carelessness. She preps Zuckerberg for meetings with foreign leaders, which he hates. He claims Facebook is about connecting the world, but there's little interest in the global audience until the company goes public and starts looking for growth at any cost.
"There is no grand ideology here," Wynn-Williams writes. "No theory about what Facebook should be in the world. The company is just responding to stuff as it happens."
SEE ALSO: Zuck is a lightweight, and 4 more things we learned about Facebook from 'An Ugly Truth'That's how she is repeatedly sent into danger alone — as in Myanmar, where she has to convince the military junta to bring Facebook back online. Back in the U.S. she warns of the anti-Muslim aggression being stoked in fake news posts that aren't even being taken down when they contain the Burmese equivalent of the N-word, because Facebook barely has any Burmese speakers. (The UN has traced Myanmar's 2017 genocide to Facebook posts which the company belatedly took down.)
Wynn-Williams also has three kids over the course of the book; watching her try to have it all, in the style of Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In, is heartbreaking. She sends emails from the delivery room and returns to work earlier than she needs to. She hires a Filipina nanny because her boss insists and "I didn't want it to become an issue in performance reviews."
One time there's a risk that Facebook employees might be arrested if they step foot in South Korea because the company ignored a local law that applied to Facebook games. Executives are trying to pick a "warm body" who will test the waters. Wynn-Williams is so devoted that, in this very Succession-like story, she does a Tom Wambsgans and offers to go to jail.
"I don't think this says anything good about me," she says with typical self-deprecation, "but I would have got arrested" by being the one to fly to Seoul first — until her husband points out that she has a seven-month-old at home.
Mark Zuckerberg seems more Trump-like than we knew.If Wynn-Williams is Tom from Succession, Zuckerberg is Kendall Roy (with more than a dash of Roman). He's the boy king who thinks he gets it, oblivious to the layers of people trying to manage his moods. He makes up policy on the fly — announcing at the UN that Facebook would provide Wifi for refugee camps, for example — then leaves it to others to clean up his mess.
"He seems to be giving less of a damn," Wynn-Williams says after the Wifi policy announcement (which goes nowhere because Zuckerberg decides he wants the refugees to pay for access.) "Saying things because they sound good. Posting things because they look good ... I regret having enabled this."
If that makes Zuckerberg sound Trumpian, it's not the only time. Like Trump, Zuckerberg says Andrew Jackson (whose Indian Removal Act led to the Trail of Tears) was the greatest president in U.S. history: "not even close." Like Trump, Zuckerberg gets seduced by the power of crowds, asking if his team can arrange "a riot or a peace rally" when he visits Jakarta (where his suite at a top hotel is described as "more like a citadel").
And like Trump, he's enraged by President Obama, who takes Zuckerberg to task for fake news on the platform during the 2016 election. Zuckerberg refuses to take responsibility, seeing "fake news" as a talking point from media organizations that see Facebook as a threat. He considers buying "the failing New York Times," but decides Facebook should make it irrelevant instead.
Zuckerberg's main focus in the wake of that election: testing the waters for a presidential run himself. "I think he came to this dark conclusion: if Trump can do it, so can he," says Wynn-Williams. "After all, not only does Mark now have Trump's playbook, he owns the tools and sets the rules ... after being shit on by Obama, he dug in."
You'd expect Zuckerberg's advisors to rein him in — but these would be the same advisors who are repeatedly found letting the boss win at his favorite board game, Settlers of Catan. When Wynn-Williams beats him at Settlers, Zuckerberg accuses her of cheating. Wynn-Williams "unwisely" unloads on his lack of strategy in general.
"You were so focused on winning the longest road just then, you weren't paying attention to the rest of what was happening on the board," she tells him. It's clear she's not just talking about the game, but Zuckerberg thinks for a while and just says: "fair."
So Zuckerberg is in a bubble of privilege? No, says Wynn-Williams: "A bubble implies flimsy transparency," she writes, "where you can see a normal life just beyond your grasp. What Mark inhabits is more like a thick opaque dome, a murky fortress that separates him from the rest of the world."
What did Sheryl Sandberg allegedly do?Zuckerberg, always an odd duck, doesn't win the "we were all rooting for you!" award for biggest disappointment in Careless People. That goes to his former COO Sheryl Sandberg. Once seen as the adult in the room at Facebook, Sandberg became a feminist champion courtesy of the Lean In phenomenon.
SEE ALSO: Sheryl Sandberg's 'Lean In' Might Become a MovieThen, on a private jet from the Davos conference to SFO, a pajama-clad Sandberg repeatedly insisted that Wynn-Williams join her in the plane's only bed. Wynn-Williams suggests another employee: a woman Sandberg calls "little doll" had slept in Sandberg's lap in the car while Sandberg stroked her hair (and vice versa). That employee had "slept over" lots of times, Sandberg snaps: "I'm asking you."
Apart from the inappropriateness of the ask, Wynn-Williams is heavily pregnant at the time and fears her snoring would horrify her boss. She repeatedly declines. Sandberg storms off: "people say no to Sheryl so rarely," Wynn-Williams writes, "she doesn't know what to do with this." Except to tell her again on the tarmac in California as they wait for Ubers: "you should have got into bed."
Later, confiding in another employee, Wynn-Williams is told that "half the department" has been in Sandberg's bed, so it's no big deal. After that, she notices Sandberg "beginning to ice me out."
The PJs incident happens halfway through the book, but we've already seen a widening gap between Sandberg's public image and private persona. She berates her team repeatedly for not seeing the difference. When they assume her kids will be OK eating McDonalds because Sandberg posted a picture on Facebook of herself doing just that, Sandberg hits back: she wasn't actually eating that stuff.
By the end of the book, Sandberg's staff is on another private jet, updating her on the historic Women's March that coincided with Trump's first inauguration. The feminist champion cuts them off to ask ... what Melania Trump was wearing.
What happened to the Lean In lady? Wynn-Williams recalls this maxim from author John Updike's autobiography: celebrity is a mask that eats into the face. "I feel a deep sadness for Sheryl," Wynn-Williams says, "who let the mask eat into her face."
The worst part of Careless PeopleIronically, media focus on the PJs incident may have obscured allegations about Wynn-Williams' male manager, Joel Kaplan. (He's also Sandberg's old boyfriend and a former George W. Bush operative who took part in the infamous Brooks Brothers' riot that halted a crucial recount in Florida after the disputed 2000 presidential election.) Unlike Sandberg, Kaplan is still at the company and working as Facebook's vice president of global policy. But Careless People alleges multiple times Kaplan took conversations with his direct report in a sexual direction. Meta has denied the allegations.
Wynn-Williams writes how Kaplan insists on video meetings during Wynn-Williams' maternity leave. Kaplan is "sprawled across his bed," asking questions about breastfeeding. When she reveals she'll need more surgery, Kaplan keeps asking "where are you bleeding from?"
Wynn-Williams tries to transfer out of Kaplan's department, but the transfer is blocked. An investigation into Kaplan doesn't even include an interview with her, and the "toxic behavior" firing happens.
Is this the worst part of the book, then? Or is the worst part what Meta has done in response to the book — dismissing details such as the Myanmar genocide as "old news"? If this is what passes for policy in Zuckerberg and Kaplan's regime, and the gag order is what passes for free speech, then Meta is a global force run by some very careless people indeed.
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Opens in a new window Credit: Internxt Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 10TB Plan $280TL;DR: Elevate your car's entertainment system with the ESSGOO Portable Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto car display, now $64.99 (reg. $89), with free shipping.
Looking for an easy way to make your car feel new again? How about one that is under $70? The ESSGOO Portable Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto car display can give your front seat a facelift, and right now, it's on sale for just $64.99 (reg. $89), with free shipping, for a limited time.
This touchscreen car display gives your car a new lease on lifeLet the ESSGOO Portable Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto car display bring your car's entertainment system into 2025. It's compatible with any vehicle model operating on 12-24V, and easily mounts to the dash or the windshield with no professional tools required.
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Opens in a new window Credit: ESSGOO 10" Touchscreen Telescopic Mount Wireless Car Display with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Support $65President Donald Trump has claimed that pardons signed by his predecessor Joe Biden are invalid. His reasoning: They were allegedly signed with an autopen, a signing machine used by the U.S government for decades. Unfortunately for Trump, presidential pardons legally don't need to be signed at all.
On Monday, Trump declared that several pardons Biden had issued were "VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen" (emphasis original). Previously used by multiple past presidents, autopens are programmable machines with mechanical arms that can automatically write a given signature.
SEE ALSO: Trump and Musk hosted a Tesla ad at the White HouseSpecifically, Trump's announcement targeted preemptive pardons Biden had issued to members of the House committee who investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Biden granted these pardons hours before Trump's inauguration, aiming to shield the House committee members from the incoming president's retaliation.
Trump had made no secret of his intent to go after those who investigated the attack, previously stating on his social media platform Truth Social that they "should be tried for Fraud and Treason." Now the president is attempting to eliminate obstacles to doing so, alleging not only that Biden didn't sign the pardons, but that he was completely unaware that they were even happening.
"Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!" Trump claimed on Truth Social. "The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime."
Trump has not offered any evidence supporting these allegations. When asked by a reporter whether any such evidence exists, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt merely stated, "You're a reporter, you should find out." Typically it is the duty of the party making allegations to provide proof of their claims.
Biden released a statement announcing the pardons at the time they were issued. He had also spoken about the possibility of issuing them in prior interviews.
Did Trump invalidate Biden's presidential pardons?Despite Trump's attempts to invalidate Biden's pardons, with the president stating on Truth Social that House committee members "are subject to investigation at the highest level," his declaration doesn't have any actual legal impact.
Regardless of whether Biden used an autopen to sign the House committee pardons, a signature is not needed to grant a presidential pardon. In fact, there are no "necessary Pardoning Documents" as Trump suggests. Last year, a U.S. court determined that while having a presidential pardon in writing is proof that it occurred, the Constitution does not require them to be written down at all, much less signed. As previously mentioned, Biden's statements made clear that he had issued the pardons.
Can a U.S. president use an autopen to sign documents? Credit: The Autopen CompanyEven if a signature was required, the use of an autopen does not render a document void. Though the validity of documents signed by an autopen hasn't been tested in court, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an opinion in 2005 stating that it is legal for presidents to sign bills with an autopen. This advice was issued in response to former president George W. Bush's request for guidance on the matter.
"The President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law," wrote the DOJ. "Rather, the President may sign a bill… by directing a subordinate to affix the President’s signature to such a bill, for example by autopen."
Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to sign a bill into law with an autopen when he extended the Patriot Act in 2011. He subsequently used it several other times to sign bills when unable to put pen to paper in person. Biden also used the autopen to sign at least one bill. If all documents signed using an autopen were found to be invalid, there could be notable consequences far beyond the House committee.
U.S. officials had already used autopens to sign letters for decades, including former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. Trump himself has admitted to using an autopen, telling reporters on Sunday that "we may use it, as an example, to send some young person a letter because it's nice." However, Trump claimed that he hasn't used the machine to sign documents of consequence.
"To sign pardons and all of the things that [Biden] signed with an autopen is disgraceful," Trump said, appearing to briefly acknowledge that Biden did in fact sign them.
Trump did concede on Sunday that the validity of Biden's pardons would be a matter for a court to decide, though the White House has not given any indication that it has filed a legal challenge. Even so, the president seems to have already made up his mind about the issue, regardless of the lack of evidence.
FREE LEGO: On March 23-23, build a Mother's Day Flower model at participating stores (UK and Ireland) and take it home with you for free. Find participating stores here.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego: Free Mother's Day Flower Learn MoreLego has been on an incredible run of generosity lately.
On Feb. 9, customers had the opportunity to build a Lego Valentine's Day Heart and take it home for free. That was special, but then Lego followed that up with a similar Steering Wheel giveaway on March 9. We naively thought that the generosity would end there, but Lego just keeps the make-and-take events coming.
On March 22 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and March 23 from 12-2 p.m., Lego is running a Mother's Day Flower make-and-take event intended for participants aged 6+ years. The Mother's Day Flower model is available on a first come first serve basis at participating locations in the UK and Ireland, and only while supplies last. Participants are limited to one build each, so you can't stock up and throw hundreds of Lego flowers at your mum. She doesn't want that anyway.
SEE ALSO: 'Piece By Piece' review: Pharrell Williams finds his happy place in Legoland biopicAs with all these special events run by Lego, the model that you build is not available for purchase. So participants are getting their hands on an exclusive item for free.
Build and take home an exclusive Lego Mother's Day Flower for free on March 22-23.
TL;DR: Online courses from Stanford University are available to take for free on edX.
Looking to find online courses covering useful topics like Python, AI, computer science, and much more? edX is the place for you. This hub for online courses hosts lessons on a wide range of subjects. And better yet, these online courses are delivered by famous schools like Stanford University.
We have checked out everything on offer and got you started with a standout selection of online courses from Stanford University. And believe it or not, these online courses are available to take for free.
These are the best Stanford University courses you can take for free this month.
These free courses do not include certificates of completion or graded assignments/exams, but you can still learn at your own pace. For unlimited access to all course material, you'll need to upgrade.
Find the best free online courses from Stanford University at edX.
Opens in a new window Credit: Stanford University Stanford University Courses Free at edX Get DealTL;DR: Unblock XVideos from anywhere in the world with a VPN. The best VPN for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.
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TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Florida with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.
More than a third of U.S. states have introduced restrictions for online adult content, including Florida. With the introduction of age verification laws, millions of users in Florida are now unable to access Pornhub. The reasons for these restrictions are complicated, but the workaround is not.
If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Florida, we have all the information you need.
How to unblock Pornhub for free in FloridaVPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure server in another location. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.
Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:
Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub
Visit Pornhub
The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for Pornhub?ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, 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 streaming speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Unblock Pornhub for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers on Sling TV.
The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers will meet this week for two highly anticipated matchups in the MLB Tokyo Series, which marks the start of the 2025 regular season.
All eyes are on the Cubs and Dodgers — two teams with decades-long cult followings. The Dodgers have really been in the spotlight since Japanese player Shohei Ohtani signed a record-breaking contract with the team back in 2023. Rōki Sasaki just joined the Dodgers in January, and fans are eager to see both Japanese natives play in their home country.
Even though the games are in Tokyo, you can easily watch them in the US. We've also got you covered on how to watch from anywhere else in the world.
When is Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers?The first Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game of the series takes place at 6:10 a.m. ET on March 18.
The two teams will face off at the Tokyo Dome. The game will air on Fox.
How to watch Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles DodgersBoth Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers games this week can be streamed using Sling Blue and Sling Orange + Blue subscriptions on Sling TV.
Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling TV Sports Plan Shop NowSling TV offers its Orange & Blue package of 48 channels at $55 per month. Sign up to enjoy a first-month discounted rate of $27.50.
Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
If you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to unblock your favorite streaming service. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S., meaning you can unblock live streams of the MLB from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Cubs vs. Dodgers from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S.
Sign in to your favorite streaming service
Watch Cubs vs. Dodgers from anywhere in the world
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the U.S.
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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.
Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get DealTL;DR: The best eSIM for Ireland is Saily. Save 5% on Saily eSIM data plans with the exclusive coupon code MASHABLE10.
The World Expo 2025 will take place in Osaka. The mega event is forecasted to attract a significant audience, with around 500 events taking place over the course of six months. With several million international visitors expected, there will be a huge number of people looking for the best way to stay connected. This is where an eSIM can help.
If you're looking for the best eSIM for Japan in 2025, we have all the information you need.
What is an eSIM?An eSIM is a digital product that allows users to activate a data plan without needing a physical SIM card. Users can switch service providers via software settings, meaning you don't need to swap SIM cards when attempting to avoid roaming charges.
What is the best eSIM for Japan?The best eSIM for Japan is Saily, a product from Nord Security.
Saily covers over 200 countries and territories, including Japan. When in Japan, you can choose between five Saily plans (1GB, 3GB, 5GB, 10GB, or 20GB) for a period of one week or 30 days. Users get 24/7 customer support, straightforward installation, and automatical activation upon arrival. And if you run out of data, users can easily top up their plan and continue using the services without interruption.
Saily's best eSIM deals for Japan are as follows:
1GB (1 Week) — $3.60 $3.99 (save 10%)
3GB (30 Days) — $7.20 $7.99 (save 5%)
5GB (30 Days) — $9.9 $10.99 (save 5%)
10GB (30 Days) — $16.19 $17.99 (save 5%)
20GB (30 Days) — $22.49 $24.99 (save 5%)
Something to note is that all plans have a 30-day activation period. If you purchase a plan and don't activate it, it will be activated automatically after 30 days.
Opens in a new window Credit: Saily Saily: eSIM for Japan 10% off with exclusive coupon code MASHABLE10 Get DealIf 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 hintA common unit of volume.
SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answerLITER
Hurdle Word 2 hintA line of people.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 18, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 AnswerQUEUE
Hurdle Word 3 hintThe opposite of straight.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 18 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 18, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answerCURLY
Hurdle Word 4 hintA symbol for Valentine's Day.
SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for March 18 Hurdle Word 4 answerCUPID
Final Hurdle hintA protective covering.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answerLINER
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Connections: Sports Edition is a new 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.
Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Learning to ride a bike
Green: Slang for putting the ball in play
Blue: Famous athletes
Purple: Share the same first word
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Parts of a bicycle
Green: Ways to describe how a baseball is hit
Blue: Athletes known by their first name
Purple: __________ skating
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 #176 is...
What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition todayParts of a bicycle - BRAKE, PEDAL, SADDLE, SPOKE
Ways to describe how a baseball is hit - BLOOP, DRIBBLER, FROZEN ROPE, MOONSHOT
Athletes known by their first name - TIGER, VENUS, WILT, YOGI
__________ skating - FIGURE, ICE, ROLLER, SPEED
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.
Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableBy providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 18 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 18 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: GrrrThe words are synoynms.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words are emotions that make you say, grrr.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Crossword.
Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for March 18Surly
Vexed
Grumpy
Cranky
Irked
Peeved
Touchy
Crossword
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.
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