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The White Lotus has never been afraid to go to some strange places, but we're not sure "strange" quite sums up the monologue given by Sam Rockwell's character Frank in episode 5.

Frank is introduced to us in Bangkok as an old friend of White Lotus guest Rick (Walton Goggins), who the latter meets up with during his pursuit of hotel owner Sritala (Lek Patravadi) and her husband, Jim Hollinger.

SEE ALSO: 'The White Lotus' Season 3, episode 2: What's the deal with Victoria and Kate?

The two meet in a bar, where Frank gives Rick a mysterious briefcase before discussing his newfound sobriety. The discussion leads to Frank explaining how he came to be sober, resulting in the delivery of a monologue in which he describes — in detail both graphic and wildly offensive — how he came to stop drinking.

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"When I got here, oh, I was like a kid in a candy store," says a deadpan Frank. "If you got money, no attachments, nothing to do. I started partying. It got wild."

That is pretty much the only part of the monologue that's even vaguely PG, and the whole thing lasts for several minutes. It's the type of monologue that can really only be summed up with a facial expression, and fortunately Rick's face says it all.

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At this stage Rick's expression is surely destined for meme territory.

The White Lotus is streaming now on Max, with new episodes dropping weekly at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO.

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 Monday, March 17, 2025:

AcrossSignature health legislation of the Obama era, for short

• The answer is ACA.

Pitt of "Moneyball"

• The answer is Brad.

With 2-Down, U.S. national park that's larger than the entirety of Rhode Island

• The answer is Grand.

Saharan country whose capital is Tripoli

• The answer is Libya.

Figure of speech

• The answer is Idiom.

Baked ___ (barbecue side dish)

• The answer is Beans.

DownOil-rich peninsula

• The answer is Arabia.

See 5-Across

• The answer is Canyon.

It comes after Wednesday

• The answer is Addams.

People traditionally stand for her entrance

• The answer is Bride.

Insincere

• The answer is Glib.

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.

SAVE $60: As of March 17, the Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) is on sale at Amazon for $289.99. That's 17% off its list price of $349.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) $289.99 at Amazon
$349.99 Save $60 Get Deal

Staying on top of fitness routine and your everyday health can sometimes feel like a chore, which is why a smartwatch can be a helpful investment. If you're an Android user looking for a high-quality option to improve your daily life, the Google Pixel Watch 3 is a worthy option. What's even better is you can score it on sale right now at Amazon, saving you $60 on its usual price.

The Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) is currently on sale for $289.99, 17% off its original list price of $349.99. This price is only $10 away from its lowest price ever, so this deal is definitely worth taking advantage of while it's still live. Amazon has it marked as a limited-time deal, so it may not last long. Act fast to grab it at this price if it has caught your eye.

SEE ALSO: The best smartwatch for every wrist

The Google Pixel Watch 3 boasts plenty of features to keep you going throughout the day, too. This includes advanced running features that allow you to customize your runs, targets for cardio load and readiness, and a Morning Brief feature that helps you prepare for the day. Our hands-on review praised this element in particular with Mashable's Kimberly Gedeon saying that it offers a summary each morning "of how you slept, your readiness score (how prepared your body is for physical exercise), weekly exercise progress, heart-rate variability, breathing rate, and blood-oxygen level."

If you've had a Pixel Watch 3 on your radar, don't miss out on this limited-time deal on the Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) at Amazon.

There are quite a few more smartwatch deals floating around right now that are worth a look. If you're an Apple user, the Apple Watch Series 10 has had a great discount at Amazon as well. Or, if you're looking for more of a fitness-focused smartwatch, the Garmin vívoactive 5 is on sale at Best Buy.

SAVE $300: As of March 17, Samsung 65-inch S90D OLED 4K Smart TV is available for $1,399.99 at Best Buy. That’s $300 off its regular price of $1,699.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 65-inch S90D OLED 4K Smart TV $1,399.99 at Best Buy
$1,699.99 Save $300 Get Deal

A good OLED TV is like a PSA 10 Shadowless 1st Edition Charizard: Stunning, legendary, and way out of my price range. Sorry, but the Pokémon FOMO is real. But Best Buy just knocked $300 off the Samsung 65-inch S90D OLED, bringing it down to $1,399.99. That’s still a chunk of change, but considering Samsung’s S90D is one of the best OLEDs of 2024, this deal is actually pretty generous.

Samsung’s OLED HDR+ technology makes every detail pop, with deep blacks, bright highlights, and colors validated by Pantone. The NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor takes the picture up a notch, upscaling everything to 4K and optimizing each scene with Real Depth Enhancer. Even if you’re watching old home videos, they’ll somehow look crisper and more cinematic.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Every rumor we've heard so far

This is a great screen for gaming on too. Motion Xcelerator Turbo+4 delivers smooth 4K gameplay at 120Hz with virtually no lag. The Gaming Hub lets you stream games straight from the TV, with no console required. If you do have a console, the four HDMI 2.1 ports mean no more cable-swapping drama.

• Price: $1,399.99 $1,699.99

• Retailer: Best Buy

• Display: 65-inch OLED, 4K UHD

• Processor: NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor

• HDR: OLED HDR+

• Refresh Rate: 120Hz with Motion Xcelerator Turbo+4

• Audio: Dolby Atmos, Object Tracking Sound Lite

• Smart TV: Samsung Tizen OS

• Gaming Features: Gaming Hub, NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium

• HDMI Ports: 4 x HDMI 2.1

Sound is just as impressive. Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound Lite make audio feel like it’s moving with the action, so those intense car chases or dramatic monologues hit even harder. If you have a Samsung soundbar, the Q-Symphony feature syncs the TV speakers and soundbar for an even fuller experience.

Samsung’s Tizen OS keeps all your apps in one place, while AI Customization Mode tweaks picture settings based on what you’re watching. The TV even analyzes ambient lighting to reduce energy use. Not sure how much electricity that actually saves, but hey, every little bit counts.

If you’ve been waiting for a solid OLED TV deal, this might be the time to make a move. $1,399.99 for a high-end Samsung OLED? I’ve seen worse ways to spend money.

SAVE $200: As of March 17, the LG 48-inch B4 OLED 4K Smart TV is available for $499.99 at Best Buy. That’s $200 off its regular price of $699.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 48-inch B4 OLED 4K Smart TV $499.99 at Best Buy
$699.99 Save $200 Get Deal

I didn’t expect to see an LG OLED drop under $500, but here we are. Best Buy has the LG 48-inch B4 OLED TV on sale for $499.99, slicing $200 off the usual price. That kind of discount on an OLED feels suspiciously generous, but I won’t ask questions.

OLED screens are famous for perfect blacks and vibrant colors, and this one delivers over 8.3 million self-lit pixels. The α8 AI Processor automatically sharpens the picture and fine-tunes the sound, so even old sitcom reruns will look and feel like a high-end experience.

SEE ALSO: The LG C4 OLED evo 4K TV is one of my favorite purchases from last year — it's now $200 off at Best Buy

Movie lovers will appreciate Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and FILMMAKER MODE, which keep everything looking and sounding like the director intended. Gamers aren’t left out either. NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, and VRR help prevent lag and screen tearing. The 120Hz refresh rate keeps fast-paced games running smoothly, and four HDMI 2.1 ports mean no one has to fight over connections.

• Price: $499.99 $699.99

• Retailer: Best Buy

• Display: 48-inch OLED, 4K UHD

• Processor: α8 AI Processor

• HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

• Refresh Rate: 120Hz with VRR

• Audio: Dolby Atmos

• Smart TV: LG webOS 24

• Gaming Features: NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, VRR

• HDMI Ports: 4 x HDMI 2.1

Streaming is simple with LG’s webOS 24, which lets you organize apps with Quick Cards and browse 300+ free LG Channels. The webOS Re: New program also guarantees software updates for up to five years, so this TV won’t feel outdated anytime soon.

An LG OLED for under $500 isn’t something that happens often. If an upgrade has been on your mind, this might be the time to grab one before Best Buy changes its mind.

SAVE $764: As of March 17, the Samsung Q-Series 7.1.2ch Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar (HW-Q900C/ZA) is available for $634.95 at Walmart. That’s a $764 discount from its original $1,399 price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Q-Series 7.1.2ch Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar $634.95 at Walmart
$1,399 Save $764.05 Get Deal

Good audio doesn’t come cheap, which is why seeing a $1,399 Samsung Dolby Atmos soundbar drop to $634 has me questioning Walmart’s pricing strategy. This Samsung Q-Series 7.1.2ch soundbar packs True Dolby Atmos, Q-Symphony, and wireless connectivity, turning your living room into a surround sound paradise without the mess of extra cables.

With 7.1.2-channel audio, sound moves around and above you, so action scenes feel like they’re happening in real-time. The Acoustic Lens Subwoofer keeps bass tight and punchy, and SpaceFit Sound Pro calibrates audio to match your room’s acoustics. That means you won’t be constantly messing with settings trying to fix muffled dialogue or overpowering bass.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Every rumor we've heard so far

Game Mode Pro optimizes sound for immersive, lag-free audio. And if you love yelling at your devices, built-in Alexa voice control lets you adjust settings without touching a remote. Adaptive Sound enhances dialogue, while the Active Voice Amplifier keeps voices clear, even in chaotic scenes.

• Price: $634.95 $1,399

• Retailer: Walmart

• Sound Channels: 7.1.2

• Audio Technology: Dolby Atmos, Q-Symphony

• Subwoofer: Acoustic Lens Subwoofer

• Smart Features: Alexa, AirPlay 2, Wi-Fi streaming

• Gaming Features: Game Mode Pro

• Voice Clarity: Adaptive Sound, Active Voice Amplifier

• Inputs/Outputs: HDMI

• Power Output: 446W RMS

• Dimensions: 48.5 x 5.4 x 2.7 inches

• Weight: 17 lbs

This soundbar also supports AirPlay 2 and WiFi streaming, making it easy to connect all your devices. If you have a Samsung TV, Q-Symphony syncs the soundbar with your TV speakers for a fuller, more cinematic experience.

A $764 price drop on a premium Samsung Dolby Atmos soundbar is one of the best audio deals I’ve seen in a while. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your setup, this is the kind of discount that makes it a no-brainer.

We're five episodes into The White Lotus Season 3, the tension is mounting, and it looks like things will be close to breaking point in episode 6.

HBO's preview above shows the various characters dealing with the aftermath of their big nights out in episode 5, with friction developing between the trio of friends and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) telling Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) that her (very dangerous) husband Greg (Jon Gries) "knows about you."

Uh-oh.

TL;DR: Change the way you scroll with this lifetime subscription to Wiser5 Bite-Sized Learning Premium Plan, now just $39.99 (reg. $249), the best price online. 

Our phones are like our security blankets. We reach for them when bored in a line, waiting for an appointment, or relaxing in bed — and most of the time, we're just mindlessly scrolling. Since tapping through content comes so easily, we might as well learn something while we do it. 

Wiser5 is ready to help you ditch doom scrolling and learn something new in just five minutes. And right now a lifetime subscription to their premium plan for iOS is on sale for just $39.99 (reg. $249) for a limited time. 

Make your scrolling more productive

Micro learning sounds like a wonderful solution to our shorter attention spans. Wiser5 has learned to educate us in bite-sized lessons, which can easily replace our habit of browsing social media. 

Their five to ten-minute interactive lessons and quizzes can be tackled in all your usual scroll spots — from the grocery store checkout line to your couch. And they're available in both text and audio format so that you can choose what works best for your schedule. 

There's something for everyone, thanks to their diverse range of topics. Learn about biology in the bathtub or social skills in the school pick-up line with Wiser5. There are also lessons on math, philosophy, ancient history, and literature to tackle in lieu of your usual phone routine. 

Lessons are taught by professionals in their field and include quizzes to test your knowledge. Don't worry about tackling everything during your lifetime subscription because Wiser5 regularly updates with new lessons and quizzes, so you'll always have fresh content. 

Curious how this differs from other learning apps like Headway? Wiser5 offers more than just book summaries in an audio format; it's more interactive, so you can better absorb the information. And unlike Headway's pricey subscription model, you can score Wiser5 for life for a low one-time payment.

Grab a lifetime subscription to Wiser5 Bite-Sized Learning Premium Plan for just $39.99 (reg. $249), the best price on the web, right here for a limited time. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Wiser5 Wiser5 Bite-Sized Learning Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription $39.99
$249 Save $209.01 Get Deal

TL;DR: Learn how to use Canva properly with six training courses for $24.99 (reg. $120) — that’s less than $5 each.

Are you still using Canva like it’s 2019? As in, manually adjusting every design, recreating templates from scratch, and avoiding the AI tools because they seem scary? Don’t be embarrassed — you’re like most people. But it’s time to change that.

By the end of this week, you could be a Canva pro by taking our bundle of six self-paced courses. These Canva training courses only cost $24.99 for lifetime access (reg. $120), and you only need to dedicate less than an hour each day to master all of the new design and AI tools.

The courses are self-paced, so you choose your learning schedule and the order of the courses. You may even choose to skip one and come back to it at a later date since you have a lifetime to learn.

You may start with the Canva for Innovative Graphic Design: AI, Logo Design, Typography course to improve your graphic design skills in Canva. While you already know the basics, this course goes into fundamental design techniques, creating images and animations with AI, and ways to speed up your workflow.

If you create video content, be sure to check out the Canva and AI for Viral Short-Form Content Creation class. AI can help you optimize your video for better performance.

There’s also an entire course on bulk-creating content in Canva. Quickly generate captions, graphics, and templates with help from AI — and get your work out the door.

Learn new Canva tips and tricks with this $24.99 course bundle (reg. $120).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpertEase Education The 2025 6-Course Canva Bundle: From Beginner to Pro $24.99
$120 Save $95.01 Get Deal

TL;DR: Get a lifetime subscription to BitMar’s content finder for $14.99 this week only with code BITMAR5 at checkout (reg. $150).

Here’s a challenge: cut the cord with your streaming services. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, all of them. You’re likely paying hundreds each year in subscription fees and, chances are, you still can’t find the one movie you want to watch on any of them.

All of these reasons are probably why so many people are turning to BitMar, a streaming service alternative. You know how you can find some free movies or TV shows available online if you dig hard enough? This powerful search engine does that for you. And, for a limited time, you can get it for $14.99 with code BITMAR5 at checkout (reg. $150).

Wait…how does it work?

BitMar is powered by the Bing search engine, but it only has eyes for free streaming content. You’ll use a far more user-friendly interface to plug in a channel, genre, actor, or a specific movie or TV show you have in mind, then this content aggregator scours the web to find it.

Is it legal? Yes. BitMar is fully compliant with copyright laws — and it’s simply locating content already available on the web.

If you’re wondering why you wouldn’t just spend the time searching for it yourself, that’s the reason right there — it saves you time. BitMar also filters out the garbage to leave you with high-quality, ad-free content.

Enjoy no subscription streaming with a BitMar lifetime subscription at $14.99 with code BITMAR5 at checkout (reg. $150). This coupon code expires this week.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar Streaming Content-Finder: Lifetime Subscription $14.99
$150 Save $135.01 Get Deal

Last Wednesday, Meta successfully obtained a ruling blocking whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams from promoting her memoir Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism. Today, the book is third on Amazon's Best Sellers list. Who could have seen this coming?

SEE ALSO: Meta blocks whistleblower from promoting book, guaranteeing way more people will read it

Released on March 11, Careless People recounts Wynn-Williams' experiences working at Meta (previously Facebook) from 2011 to 2017. The New York Times called the memoir an "insider account of a company that she says was run by status-hungry and self-absorbed leaders… even as Facebook became a vector for disinformation campaigns and cozied up to authoritarian regimes." 

Of course, Meta has vehemently disagreed with Wynn-Williams' assessment, labelling Careless People "a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives." 

Apparently hoping to reduce Careless People's spread, Meta accused Wynn-Williams of violating her employee non-disparagement agreement, taking her to arbitration. As a result, an arbitrator has temporarily banned Wynn-Williams from promoting Careless People or personally distributing it.

Yet it is a truth universally acknowledged that if you tell people not to look at a thing, they are most definitely going to look at the thing. It has played out time and time again, from Orpheus looking at Eurydice in Greek mythology, to Lot's wife looking at Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible, to everyone on the internet looking at Barbra Streisand's house in 2003.

Therefore, it should not be surprising that Meta's temporary victory in arbitration has only drawn more attention to Wynn-Williams' book. 

As of writing on Sunday, Careless People was only trailing two other books on Amazon's Best Seller chart: Suzanne Collins' upcoming Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, and Mel and Sawyer Robbins' self-help book The Let Them Theory. Wynn-Williams' book is also the top best seller in Amazon's Politics and Social Sciences category.

Multiple comments and reviews on Careless People's Goodreads page make explicit reference to the arbitration ruling as well, with many declaring an intention to purchase and read it specifically because Meta has prevented Wynn-Williams from promoting the book.

"oh, Meta doesn't want us reading this book? They're forcibly stopping promotion? Sure do wonder what they could be trying to hide…" Goodreads user chris mango reader wrote in the page's most liked comment.

"Facebook just tried to silence this author," Mwanamali wrote. "So I will make a point of reading it."

Considering the fact that Careless People was published less than a week ago, it seems unlikely that many people will have finished it yet. However, it has already racked up 333 ratings on Goodreads at time of writing, scoring 4.56 stars out of 5. Almost 1,500 people have marked Careless People as a book they're currently reading on Goodreads, while approximately 12,800 say they'd like to read it.

Statistically, most of those people probably won't end up reading Careless People. Adding a book to a reading list is a lot less effort than actually reading it. Even so, that hardly matters considering that it's still 12,800 people who have now heard of Careless People and the allegations that Meta is trying to stamp out. In the tech giant's estimation, that's probably bad enough.

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 March 17 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 17 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Sound switching

The words are a speech error.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words can be jumbled on accident.

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 Spoonerisms.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for March 17

• Bedding

• Stricken

• Blushing

• Crow

• Wells

• Chips

• Spoonerisms

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.

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 categories

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

• Yellow: Pro-football mascots, not plural

• Green: Probably won't win

• Blue: What locals might call their basketball team

• Purple: Went to the same school

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

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

• Yellow: NFL teams, minus the S

• Green: Unlikely winner

• Blue: Colloquial nicknames for college teams

• Purple: UConn basketball greats

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 #175 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• NFL teams, minus the S - BRONCO, COLT, COWBOY, RAM

• Unlikely winner - DARK HORSE, LONG SHOT, MINNOW, UNDERDOG

• Colloquial nicknames for college teams - CATS, HOOS, TERPS, ZAGS

• UConn basketball greats - BIRD, HAMILTON, LOBO, WALKER

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for March 17 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: A thin piece

• Green: Liberty

• Blue: Types of large vehicles

• Purple: Musical group names without a number

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: Filament

• Green: Uninhibitedness

• Blue: Kinds of trucks

• Purple: Bands minus the number five

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 #645 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Filament: FIBER, STRAND, STRING, THREAD

• Uninhibitedness: ABANDON, FREEDOM, SPONTANEITY, UNRESTRAINT

• Kinds of trucks: DUMP, GARBAGE, MONSTER, PICKUP

• Bands minus the number five: BEN FOLDS, JACKSON, MAROON, MC

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 March 17

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.

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 today'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 March 17 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 March 17, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Ted's last name in the Apple TV hit series.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter S appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter L.

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...

LASSO.

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 March 17

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.

Google’s Find My Device is arguably the best way to track down a lost Android device or supported accessories like a smartwatch. If your phone never got lost, chances are you were never really interested in Find My Device, but a new feature may change that. 

The new feature grants you the ability to track a contact’s location in real time through the app. Google announced the new feature as part of its March Pixel Drop announcement.

"The new location-sharing feature in the Find My Device app lets you share and receive live locations with trusted contacts, providing a sense of security for both everyday check-ins and emergencies," the company said in the announcement.

Sharing your location with a trusted contact in Find My Device works about how you would expect. Once you and your loved one enable the feature, you’ll be able to open Find My Device and it’ll show you where they are located. You’ll also be able to share your location with multiple contacts at once.

There appear to be multiple configuration options as well. For example, you can share your location for "today only" if you’re keeping track of a friend during a day trip or even as low as one hour for shorter excursions. There is another option to customize the longevity of the sharing as needed.

Once it’s configured, it works almost identically to the location-sharing feature already available in Google Maps. Admittedly, the version in Find My Device is much easier to find and use since the Find My Device app is not nearly as complex as Maps. As Endgadget notes, this allows for a more streamlined location-sharing experience versus Google Maps, which isn’t set up as well to handle this sort of thing.

It also pairs well with Find My Device’s other features. In 2024, Google added the ability to share tracked items with your friends, along with support for tracking tags and other useful functions. Google and Apple both worked rather hard to reduce the risk of being tracked with tags through these same apps.

Bluesky is working on giving users a little more control over their privacy. The company published a proposal on Github outlining the changes the company is thinking of making to that end. 

“This draft describes how atproto accounts (eg, Bluesky users) could declare ‘intents’ (aka, preferences) about certain categories of reuse of their public content. The mechanism and expectations are similar to robots.txt files on the web: a machine-readable format, which good actors are expected to abide, and does carry ethical weight, but is not legally enforceable”

That is quite a bit of technical speech, but the meaning is pretty clear. Robots.txt is a file most websites have—including this one—that tells robots that scrape the Internet what they can and cannot do with the data they find along the way. Bluesky would implement settings that would allow users to tell those same bots what they can and cannot do with their Bluesky data. 

SEE ALSO: Can stan Twitter be recreated on Bluesky? Swifties think so.

It gets a little sticky because robots.txt is a suggestion rather than a hard rule. However, as it stands right now, Bluesky is a public website, and as such, generative AI platforms and other forms of data scraping, like Google Search, have free reign over what they find there. 

Bluesky head honcho Jay Graber talked briefly about this at South by Southwest last week, but the discussion got more attention when Graber posted about it on Bluesky on Friday. Per Techcrunch, some users were initially alarmed until Graber explained the situation more succinctly. 

"Gen AI companies are already scraping public data from across the web, and everything on Bluesky is public like a website is public," Graber said. "But in the history of the open web, standards like robots.txt emerged that most search engines came to respect. This is a proposal to create a new, similar standard."

Companies scraping the World Wide Web for use in training generative AI is a controversy as old as the technology, and many digital denizens have been trying to prevent AI from learning based on their content. Some companies, like Meta, have been accused of using untoward methods of training AI models, up to and including piracy.

It’s a reality that Graber has been staunchly against. Last week at SXSW, Graber wore a T-shirt that read Mundus sine Caesaribus ("A world without Caesars" in Latin), taking a dig at a similar T-shirt Mark Zuckerberg wore that read Aut Zuck aut nihil ("Zuck or nothing").

Bluesky sold Graber's Mundus T-shirt on its website, which sold out in minutes.

Owners of the Amazon Echo have long had the option for the device to process requests locally, thereby keeping their information off of Amazon’s servers. That functionality is going away starting on March 28. 

The company sent out emails to customers to explain the changes. 

"We are reaching out to let you know that the Alexa feature ‘Do Not Send Voice Recordings’ that you enabled on your supported Echo device(s) will no longer be available beginning March 28, 2025," the email reads. "As we continue to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature."

SEE ALSO: Amazon's AI-powered Alexa+ is real and it's coming this year

Per Ars Technica, the changes don’t stop there. Users who have the "Don’t save recordings" feature enabled will also lose access to Voice ID, a feature that allows Alexa to share user-specific things like calendar events, music preferences, and more. Thus, in order to keep that functionality, users will have to manually change that setting as well. 

In short, everything you say to your Echo devices after March 28 will be sent to Amazon’s cloud, and there isn’t anything anyone can do about it. If users continue to make Amazon delete recordings, they will also lose access to features their devices had by default when they were purchased. 

Amazon attempts to assuage security concerns by telling users in the email that "Alexa voice requests are always encrypted in transit to Amazon’s secure cloud, which was designed with layers of security protections to keep customer information safe."

However, as Ars points out, once the information gets there, it’ll be used by Amazon and its employees to do as they please. 

The announcement has not gone over well, with many Alexa users storming Reddit over the weekend to voice their displeasure. 

The news comes a couple of weeks after Amazon’s announcement of Alexa+, a subscription service that adds AI enhancements. The retail giant had delayed the release of Alexa+ due to a severe setback, but it seems to be on pace to release the service this year. Amazon says Alexa+ will offer a more seamless and context-aware experience and also work with other Alexa-enabled devices like Ring video doorbells and other tech.

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 Sunday, March 16, 2025:

AcrossThe "J" in PB&J

• The answer is Jelly.

Nimble

• The answer is Agile.

"Look at this guy coming through when it really matters!"

• The answer is My man.

Fluffy toy dog, informally

• The answer is Pom.

Org. with a Known Traveler Number option

• The answer is TSA.

DownRush hour annoyance

• The answer is Jam.

Its national soccer team is nicknamed the Pharaohs

• The answer is Egypt.

Big cars with minibars, say

• The answer is Limos.

Animal that fills both blanks in the kids' book "___ ___ Holiday Drama"

• The answer is Llama.

Money in Japan

• The answer is Yen.

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.

President Trump rallied support for Elon Musk’s car company, but there may not be enough conservatives willing to buy electric cars to make up for the Democrats who now shun Teslas.