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SAVE 64%: Lovehoney's 2026 sex toy advent calendar lineup just went live. You get five countdown options (7, 12, or 24 days) starting at $129, with savings up to 64% on big-name toys like the Womanizer Starlet 3 and We-Vibe Moxie+.

OK, I'm usually pretty strict about not celebrating holidays early (looking at you, Starbucks — premature pumpkin-spicing is a crime). I won't put my tree up or even start shopping until after Thanksgiving, while my sister is out here buying presents in July. But when I saw that Lovehoney already dropped its 2026 advent calendars, I knew it was worth the early mention. You can't use a countdown calendar unless you buy it ahead of time, after all.

SEE ALSO: I've tested 100+ sex toys. Here are the 15 most mind-blowing toys I've ever owned.

This year, Lovehoney brought back five different boxes, ranging from seven-day teasers to full 24-day countdowns. Whether you're looking for a couples kit or a solo treat (honestly, buy the 24-day box for yourself — I def. support that!), these deals are way too good to pass up.

Each calendar saves you 56% to 64% off the retail price of the toys inside, so you'll get top-notch stuff from Womanizer, We-Vibe, and Arcwave for a fraction of the cost.

Here's a quick breakdown of what's in this year's lineup:

Lovehoney Romance Advent Calendar (7-Day) Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Lovehoney Romance Advent Calendar (7 Day) $129 at Lovehoney
$291.91 Save $162.91   Get Deal

The Lovehoney Romance Advent Calendar (7-Day) has up to seven days' worth of goodies, including full-sized toys (like the We-Vibe Moxie+, which is worth $149 on its own!), games, and accessories. There's also a remote-controlled bullet with two interchangeable sleeves for couples' play.

This little box is ideal for couples who want to add a little ~spice~ to their bedroom routine without spending a fortune. If you don't like surprises, you can read the full product list on the Lovehoney site, but if you do, I'll keep the content list brief!

Lovehoney Indulge Advent Calendar (12-Day) Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Lovehoney Indulge Advent Calendar (12-Day) $129 at Lovehoney
$191.87 Save $62.87   Get Deal

The Lovehoney Indulge Advent Calendar (12-Day) offers a bit more for the same price. But unlike the box above, this gift set is designed specifically for female pleasure.

You'll get 12 days' worth of fun, including a rechargeable mini wand vibrator, the Lovehoney Indulge (worth $89.99), and other cute add-ons like water-based lube and a crystal butt plug.

Lovehoney Enjoy Advent Calendar (24-Day) Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Lovehoney Enjoy Advent Calendar (24-Day) $129 at Lovehoney
$216.77 Save $87.77   Get Deal

If you don't want to spend over $129, but you want a wider variety of toys, the Lovehoney Enjoy Advent Calendar (24-Day) is your best bet. Somehow, Lovehoney is letting this 24-day advent calendar go for $129.

It's filled with full-sized toys, like the Womanizer Starlet 3 (worth $85), and has a ton of kinky items, including nipple clamps, a feather tickler, a paddle, and bondage rope.

Lovehoney Couple's Advent Calendar (24-Day) Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Lovehoney Couple's Advent Calendar (24-Day) $219 at Lovehoney
$389.77 Save $170.77   Get Deal

For those of you who don't mind spending $200+, the Lovehoney Couple's Advent Calendar (24-Day) will get you two premium toys — the Womanizer Liberty 2 (worth $109) and the We-Vibe Sync Lite (worth $99) — along with a bunch of other goodies like an aluminum crystal butt plug (can't recommend a crystal butt plug enough, honestly), massage oil, a cock ring lasso, ankle and wrist cuffs, and more.

Lovehoney Luxury Advent Calendar (24- Day) Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Lovehoney Luxury Advent Calendar (24- Day) $369 at Lovehoney
$539.75 Save $170.75   Get Deal

OK, last but certainly not least, we have the Lovehoney Luxury Advent Calendar (24-Day). This box is the most expensive of the bunch ($369), but it also includes top-dollar toys, like the Womanizer Enhance (worth $169) and Arcwave Zing (worth $149). One of my faves? The candy cane glass dildo — nothing says "festive" like a candy cane shoved up your ass.

You'll also get anal beads, a cock ring, tons of vibrators (like, more than four), and fun kinky items like a sex position card game and bed restraints.

Ever since launching its app in April, cruising platform Squirt (aka SQ Dating in the App Store) has been adding new features to entice Grindr and Sniffies users to hop on and get off.

Its latest update includes a brand-new feature called "Places." The feature lets you broadcast your current location or flag where you'll be within the next hour. You can tag yourself at public spots like the gym, a local bar, or the beach so guys know you're out and ready to hang. (It's kind of like if Grindr's "Right Now" and Sniffies "Share a Spot" feature had a baby.)

SEE ALSO: Gay dating app Sniffies just got $100 million from Match Group

Squirt also revamped its Cruiser Listings — a cornerstone feature that's been on the site for over two decades — with real-time check-ins. You can signal when you've arrived at a location, or flag that you're heading there later in the day. Every listing now pulls user-submitted data to display active check-ins within a 45-mile radius.

"Squirt has always been about making Real-Life meetups happen," Rob Fisher, Director of Product Development and Customer Success, said in a press release. "With our new check-in features, members can let guys know where they are or where they're headed, see who's nearby, and turn a little curiosity into something more. It's a faster, more spontaneous way to find where the action is and be part of it."

To kick things off, Squirt is being generous and giving all members unlimited access to view active check-ins across every Cruising Listing for a limited time.

Parents will soon be able to remotely access Uber drivers' phone cameras to monitor their teen riders.

The new safety feature, announced Aug. 25, expands on existing parental controls through the ride sharing giant's teen accounts. When available, parents can choose to "check in" on their teen's ride using the driver's on-device camera and mic. Both the teen rider and the Uber driver are notified when live streaming is turned on, according to the company, and streams end as soon as rides are completed.

SEE ALSO: New Zealand to ban social media for kids under 16

In a statement to Mashable, Uber further clarified that live video is only accessible if the Uber driver has turned on the company's Record My Ride feature and enabled live streaming. Apart from a front-facing camera and microphone, there are no specific device requirements for drivers eligible for teen rides choosing to activate live streaming. Drivers can opt out at any time by turning off live video on their account.

The app will notify a parent if live streaming is paused due to an unstable connection or technical error, Uber said. In addition, only linked accounts can view live streams during an active trip.

Teens have already had the option to turn on audio recording during their trips. Similar to the app's audio recording feature, Uber says live streams remain encrypted, so videos cannot be viewed by parents, teens, or drivers after a trip is complete.

Credit: Uber Credit: Uber

Uber launched teen accounts for riders aged 13-17 in 2023, offering default safety features and trip monitoring for guardians on family accounts. The company has partnered with the National PTA, Safe Kids Worldwide, and the live tracking app Life360. Family features later expanded to Uber Eats, allowing teens to request food deliveries through their supervised accounts.

Uber has faced accusations that the company has not done enough to prevent sexual assault and other violent incidents against riders, including a recent lawsuit that found the company liable for a woman's rape after the app's automatic safety provisions failed to flag the ride as dangerous. In June, the company announced it was instituting stricter background check requirements and permanent bans for offending drivers.

Live video is currently being piloted for riders in several cities, including Atlanta, Phoenix, Orlando, Raleigh-Durham, Portland, San Antonio, Cleveland, and El Paso. It will rollout to the rest of the U.S. over the coming weeks.

There is a new name for the coworker who responds to a simple question with seven paragraphs that very clearly came straight from ChatGPT: a "meat proxy."

You probably know the type. They paste a question into an AI chatbot, copy the answer into Slack, and consider their work complete. The response may be long, polished, and packed with suspiciously corporate phrases, but it contains very little evidence that the person sending it has actually read it.

Now (thanks to one software engineer), we finally have a term for that.

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The term appears to have been coined, or at least popularized, by German software engineer Niklas Gruhn, who laid out the phenomenon in an Aug. 3 blog post.

Gruhn said it kept happening everywhere: He would ask a question in Slack, leave feedback on a code review, or argue with friends in a group chat, and someone would return with, "Claude said: [giant response verbatim]."

The problem was not simply that the answer came from AI; it was that the person sending it had apparently contributed nothing beyond a few copy-and-paste commands. Meanwhile, Gruhn still had to wade through a response that could be verbose, filled with jargon, and confidently wrong.

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As an example, he shared one particularly impenetrable sentence Claude had given him about "NATS control-plane events" and "R3 quorum re-form." Gruhn said he had to look up nearly every word just to understand what it was trying to say.

His proposed rule was simple: Use AI all you want, but "read it, understand it, and validate it" before responding in your own words. That final step matters less for hiding AI use than for showing an actual human stands behind the answer. Otherwise, Gruhn argued, the person in the middle isn't really helping. They're simply serving as a fleshy delivery system — or "meat proxy" — for Claude.

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Gruhn's post quickly took off on Hacker News, where it attracted more than 700 comments. Developers began sharing their own encounters with coworkers who generate enormous amounts of AI content and leave everyone else to sort through it.

Some described receiving hundreds of lines of AI-generated analysis followed by a request to check whether any of it was correct. Others complained about sprawling internal documents that looked impressive until somebody actually read them. One commenter called these unsolicited blocks of AI text "slop grenades": Someone tosses a giant pile of chatbot output into the conversation, then walks away while everyone else deals with the mess.

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The problem gets more serious when the AI output is not just an annoying Slack message but actual work someone else has to approve. Before new code is released, another programmer typically reviews it to make sure it works and will not break anything. But if someone submits a pile of AI-generated code they do not understand, the reviewer is suddenly stuck figuring out how it works, catching its mistakes, and essentially finishing the job for them. Software engineering consultant Michaela Greiler has a name for that, too: "code review exploitation."

Steve Mayne, CTO of tax platform Yonda, described exactly what that can look like in a LinkedIn post about meat proxies: "A pull request lands, it’s plausible, it’s large, but the person who ‘wrote’ it can’t explain line 40."

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Maybe continues, writing that workplace review processes were designed for a time "when writing was expensive and reading was cheap." AI has flipped that on its head — producing an impressive amount of work can now take seconds.

That does not mean every sentence beginning with "Chat said..." is a workplace crime. Some people online argue that identifying an answer as AI-generated is useful because it tells the recipient where the information came from. And if someone has read the response, checked it, and decided it is worth sharing, quoting the chatbot is not necessarily the problem.

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At the end of the day, use ChatGPT. Use Claude. Just make sure the answer passes through your brain before it enters the group chat. Otherwise, your coworkers now have the perfect term for you.

Best Govee lighting deals at a glance: Best outdoor deal Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 (100 feet) $279.99 (save $50) Get Deal Best indoor deal Govee Floor Lamp 3 Lite $84.99 (save $35) Get Deal Best bedroom lighting deal Two Govee Lantern Floor Lamps $219.98 (save $40) Get Deal

When we consider home improvements, it often revolves are topics like new flooring, replacing the old bathroom tile, or giving the backyard patio a refresh. Those all give the home a new and fresh feel, but an easier way to change the vibe is to introduce better lighting.

Govee makes some of the best smart lighting options. I can vouch for the brand's incredible Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Prism, and the Govee Lantern Floor Lamp is the coolest item I've added to my bedroom this year (more on that below).

If you've new to the world of Govee smart lighting, you're in for a real treat. The range of color options, customizations, and fun to be had in the app is something special that I can recommend for any home, apartment, or dorm room.

Lucky for us, Amazon has a ton of Govee lighting options on sale ahead of Labor Day. Here are some of our favorites if you're looking for simple home and room upgrades that make for a major improvement.

Best outdoor Govee deal Opens in a new window Credit: Govee Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 $279.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $50   Get Deal Why we like it

If you or your partner dreads going up on the roof each year to hang the Christmas lights, consider going with the convenience of the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2. Get them on the house once and you're done for about 13 years since each bulb is designed to last for about 50,000 hours of use.

In addition to being durable enough to weather rain, snow, heat, and sun, the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 give you the opportunity to celebrate every season, not just winter holidays. Consider the fun to be had with Halloween lights, Valentine's Day, 4th of July, and rooting for your favorite sports team in the form of house lights.

Best indoor lights deal Opens in a new window Credit: Govee Govee Floor Lamp 3 Lite $84.99 at Amazon
$119.99 Save $35   Get Deal Why we like it

Perfect for the living room, game room, or a dorm room, the Govee Floor Lamp 3 Lite is on sale for only $84.99 at Amazon. The corner lamp has over 105 scene modes in the Govee app and 12 music modes that will match the lighting to your current playlist. You also have control of the color temperature, with the ability to make it warm for calm evenings or bright for making rainy days feel more like summer.

Best bedroom lights deal Opens in a new window Credit: Govee Two Govee Lantern Floor Lamps $219.98 at Amazon
$259.98 Save $40.00   Get Deal Why we like it

The Govee Lantern Floor Lamp is my favorite lamp in the house. Thanks to Amazon's sale price, you can snag two lamps for $219.98, down from the normal price of $259.98 for two. The lantern is made with a soft-touch silicone which makes it shatter proof, and the Govee app gives plenty of customization options. During the day, I keep it bright, and come evening, I turn it to a candlelight mode. Plus, the Govee app updates often will new lighting options. Since the lantern sits on four detachable metal poles, you can choose your ideal height.

More Govee deals

• Govee RGBIC Floor Lamp Basic — $69.99 $99.99 (save $30)

• Govee Clear Bulb Outdoor String Lights (96 feet) — $109.99 $149.99 (save $40)

• Govee Outdoor Net Lights — $109.99 $149.99 (save $40)

• Govee Cube Wall Sconces — $109.99 $159.99 (save $50)

Mashable has interviewed a handful of high-earning OnlyFans creators, but just how many are bringing in literal millions on the platform?

According to OnlyFans, just over 5,000 (5,076, to be exact) creators made over $1 million from the platform, Variety and others reported. But there are over five million creator accounts on the platform, and 2.5 million were active in the most recent fiscal year. So, the reality is there is a small, small chance of raking in seven figures (0.1 percent of all registered creator accounts).

SEE ALSO: OnlyFans 'managers' take advantage of creators, BBC finds

Meanwhile, OnlyFans' parent company Fenix International paid now-deceased owner Leonid Radvinsky dividends of $535 million for the year ending Nov. 30, 2025, and further payments of $174 million through March 26, 2026, according to Variety. In March, Radvinsky died of cancer at the age of 43. His widow, Yekaterina "Katie" Chudnovsky, has taken control of the company, Variety reported.

In May, investment firm Architect Capital bought a 16 percent stake in OnlyFans, also for $535 million. Architect Capital founder James Sagan recently stated in an interview that AI can't "disrupt" the platform's creators.

OnlyFans had a net revenue of $1.55 million for the fiscal year that ended in Nov. 2025, which is a 10 percent increase.

"OnlyFans provides real opportunities to real people by creating a safe, regulated space where people can monetize their content with a global fan base," OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair said in a statement published in Variety.

"In 2026, we continue to grow our offerings to both creators and fans, demonstrating and realizing the value, success and potential of the global creator economy across all verticals and genres." Mashable has also reached out to OnlyFans for comment.

Two days into a precedent-setting trial in which the tech giant was accused of designing addictive platforms, Meta has agreed to a mammoth $17 billion settlement.

In addition to the financial penalties — just a portion of the potential $200 billion payout from multiple lawsuits filed against the company — Meta has also committed to making platform changes intended to limit teens' time online. Such changes include one-hour daily limits, screen time features like night mode, and stronger age assurance measures.

SEE ALSO: TikTok to pay $400 million over child privacy lawsuit

The case was brought forth by 29 state attorneys general and represented claims from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories as part of a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL). Meta will pay $12 billion to the 52 state attorneys general over 10 years, adding an additionsl $5 billion if other defendants, including Snap, TikTok, and YouTube, also agree to the settlement.

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"I’m pleased to announce that Meta has reached an agreement with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general from around the country on a new set of rules governing teens’ use of social media," wrote Meta chief legal officer C.J. Mahoney. "The framework we’ve negotiated will empower parents to easily manage how their children access our platforms. Our new Time Limit commitments, Night Mode features and usage limits during school hours set the right path forward for our whole industry, but this framework will only work if all our peers join us."

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The trial was only the latest of a wave of litigation against the social media giant, including a recent standoff with New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. Last month, Meta was ordered to pay $567 million to fund youth mental health services for teens harmed by Meta products, following a history-making guilty verdict that resulted in a $375 million payout for violating consumer protection laws.

In another instance, a teen plaintiff dropped their case against Meta after reaching settlement deals with Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. Competitor platforms are also weathering multiple individual and state-directed lawsuits over claims that their products are exacerbating the youth mental health crisis and stoking screen time addiction.

Several leaders at these companies, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri, have been directly named in the lawsuit for their roles in allegedly ignoring concerns about the effects of their products.

"We congratulate the state AGs for this historic settlement, a major step toward holding Meta accountable for the harm its platforms have caused young people," wrote co-lead plaintiffs’ counsel Lexi Hazam and settlement counsel Chris Seeger, who represent plaintiffs in school district and personal injury suits, in a statement following news of the settlement. "Thousands of young people and public school districts still have claims pending in the MDL against Meta, as well as TikTok, Snap and YouTube, and we stand ready to continue that fight. We will not rest until every one of these plaintiffs sees justice for the harms caused by all of the defendants’ platforms."

SAVE $26: As of Aug. 26, new and returning subscribers can lock in two months of Paramount+ Premium for just $0.99 per month by entering the code p2mcs26prem at checkout. Typically $13.99 per month, that's a total of $26 in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ Paramount+ Premium $0.99/month for 2 months (save $26) with code p2mcs26prem Get Deal

More often than not, when you find a good streaming deal, it's only valid for ad-supported tiers. But Paramount+ has been steadily delivering some hefty discounts for those who prefer to watch ad-free. The latest is a secret code that'll unlock two months for 99 cents a pop.

As of Aug. 26, new and returning subscribers can secure two months of streaming on Paramount+ Premium for just $0.99 per month by entering the code p2mcs26prem at checkout. That's less than $2 for two full months. Typically $13.99 per month, you'll save $26 total. The code is actively working as of Aug. 26, but the end date is unspecified. So if you want to lock in the savings, do it ASAP.

After selecting the monthly Premium ad-free plan, click on "Have a promo code?" on the checkout page and enter p2mcs26prem. The discount will then automatically apply.

Paramount+ may not be as popular as Netflix or HBO, but it's still a surprisingly robust streaming service. NFL fans without cable will want to lock in a subscription for the season to watch live local AFC games. UFC fans, if you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? Paramount+ is the exclusive home of UFC's marquee events as well as 30 Fight Nights. Beyond just sports, though, it's also the home of your local CBS Network live, the entirety of Showtime's catalog, Paramount Pictures films straight from the theater, nostalgic TV from Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, and more, and Paramount+ Originals like Criminal Minds: Evolution, Tulsa King, and Dutton Ranch.

It probably goes without saying, but once your two-month promotional period is up, the price will jump back up to $13.99 per month. Be sure to cancel before that if you want to avoid automatic charges.

SAVE $150: The Alienware 34 240Hz QD-OLED Curved Gaming Monitor (AW3425DW) is on sale for $649.99 on Amazon and Dell's website. That's 19% off its regular retail price of $799.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dell Alienware 34 240Hz QD-OLED Curved Gaming Monitor (AW3425DW) $649.99 at Amazon and Dell
$799.99 Save $150   Get Deal

It's been a rough few years for cash-strapped PC gamers: After dealing with the GPU shortage of the early 2020s, we're now in the thick of a global memory crisis. If you're in the unfortunate position of needing to upgrade your existing setup or build a new one, it's never been smarter to wait for sales before buying new hardware or peripherals.

Here's a solid monitor deal that the Mashable Shopping team spotted this week: Alienware's 34 240Hz QD-OLED Curved Gaming Monitor (AW3425DW) is currently marked down to $649.99 on Amazon and Dell's website. It typically retails for $799.99, so you wind up saving a cool $150. This is its lowest price outside of a short period in June when it fell to $615.

The AW3425DW is an immersive 34-inch ultrawide curved gaming monitor with a 1400p resolution, a 0.03ms response time, a silky-smooth 240Hz refresh rate, and a height-adjustable stand that can tilt and swivel. Dell's gaming brand released it last spring.

You may recall that even cheaper 240Hz QD-OLED Alienware gaming monitor debuted this April. However, it's not curved, not as wide, and dimmer than the AW3425DW, which hits 1,000 nits of peak brightness for HDR content. The pricier AW3425DW also adds a built-in USB hub and Nvidia G-SYNC compatibility.

Best Buy had the AW3425DW on sale at the time of writing, but it was only $50 off there.

SAVE $600: As of Aug. 26, the LG 65-inch B6 OLED 4K TV is on sale at Amazon for just $1,399.99. That's 30% off its list price of $1,999.99 and its lowest price to date.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 65-inch B6 OLED 4K TV $1,399.99
$1,999.99 Save $600   Get Deal

While they're no longer the fanciest new tech on the market, thanks to RGB TVs, OLED TVs are still like eye candy if you're upgrading from an old LED or even a QLED model. Thanks to extremely high contrast, true blacks, and a wide color gamut, you'll really take your viewing experience to new heights. The market is wide and varied, but you can make the move and upgrade to an LG OLED model today for $600 cheaper than usual.

As of Aug. 26, the LG 65-inch B6 OLED 4K TV is on sale at Amazon for only $1,399.99. That's 30% off its typical cost of $1,999.99 and its best price ever, according to price-tracking tool camelcamelcamel.

The B6 is LG's entry-level OLED TV, but it still ticks a lot of the right boxes. It has a bolder picture than its predecessor, offers a 0.1ms response time, 4K 120Hz refresh rate, four HDMI 2.1 ports, Dolby Vision Gaming, Dolby Atmos sound, and the webOS 26 smart TV platform. It's nearly as good as our favorite OLED for most people, the LG C6, but the C6's refresh rate boost makes it a slightly better choice for gamers. Still, it's an excellent choice for an OLED model, particularly if you don't want to empty your wallet upgrading your TV.

With college football kicking off this week and a new NFL season upon us, it's a great time to take the leap. You might as well grab your new TV while it's the cheapest it's ever been.

A ton of Grand Theft Auto VI footage has leaked in August. Rockstar has, in a moment of rare transparency, acknowledged the leaks and confirmed their authenticity. But there's still the matter of the big "Extended Look" that's set to air on Netflix on Thursday.

With so many gameplay videos swirling around the internet already, it's easy to forget that Rockstar's first official glimpse at GTA VI gameplay is happening this week. You'll need a Netflix account if you want to see it at 3 p.m. ET, but it'll go up on YouTube at 9 p.m. ET, too. We still don't know exactly how long the footage will be or what it will entail, but presumably, it will show, in some detail, how the game actually plays.

Here are three major things I want to see from this extended look on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: Rockstar breaks silence on 'heartbreaking' GTA VI leaks The game's other protagonist

Early marketing for GTA VI has all but confirmed that the game has two protagonists, a couple named Jason and Lucia. It very much seems like the game is going for a sort of modern-day Bonnie and Clyde thing, which is a novel hook for GTA. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Lucia has been almost entirely absent from the leaked materials so far as of publication.

We've seen brief glimpses of her in cutscenes, but whoever is leaking all that footage is seemingly totally uninterested in playing as her. I suppose there's a chance she's not actually playable, but man, that would be a huge disappointment, as GTA hasn't had a playable female protagonist in its main story since the series blew up on the PlayStation 2.

Considering GTA V had three protagonists, it's likely that VI has two. I'd like an answer to the question of Lucia's playability more than almost anything else in the extended look on Netflix.

Literally anything that wasn't already in GTA V

Another bummer of the leaks so far is that they've been almost entirely focused on things you could already do in other GTA games.

I frankly didn't need a leaker to tell me I could beat up civilians, steal cars, and visit strip clubs. I've been able to do all of those things in GTA games for nearly 30 years. One leak featured a playable basketball mini-game, which is fine, but you could also play tennis and golf in GTA V. Other leaks have briefly showcased mechanics such as cars needing gas and cops being able to recognize the player character's current appearance. Those are neat ideas, but again, the leaks don't do a great job of showcasing how they actually function within the game's design.

This game is coming out 13 years after the previous entry in the series. I need to know what has taken that long besides making beach towels look super detailed. Will this game build on the depth of NPC interactions that were possible in Red Dead Redemption II? Will it bring any original ideas to the table? I'd love to know that by the end of the Netflix presentation.

A glimmer of hope that the writing is good this time

By far the most important (and honestly maybe least likely) change I'd love to see in GTA VI has to do with the writing. I used to enjoy the sense of humor in GTA games, and then I turned 16. By the time GTA V came out, I was all the way done with Rockstar's grating, juvenile, and sometimes outright hateful satire of American culture. To be clear, satirizing America is fine and necessary, but not the way the old GTA games do it.

What I want to see more than anything else in the Netflix footage is a sign — just one — that things have changed. I know better than to expect a fully woke GTA game, so I'd settle for something that's a little more self-serious, heartfelt, and focused on its characters. Red Dead Redemption II wasn't perfect, but it showed a way forward for writing in Rockstar games. I hope GTA VI follows that path.

Apple has started rolling out ads inside Apple Maps, the company confirmed to 9to5Mac on Tuesday. The launch began in the past few days and will continue to roll out to all users in the coming weeks.

So what will this look like in practice? A screenshot circulating online shows a sponsored listing for a bagel shop in the Suggested Places feed, marked with a small blue "Ad" badge to distinguish it from unpaid results, such as the seafood restaurant listed right below it.

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Per 9to5Mac's report, ads show up in two spots. Before you search, a sponsored listing can appear at the top of Suggested Places. After you search, an ad can surface within your results when it's relevant to the query.

SEE ALSO: Apple announces new $899 M6 Mac mini and $5,499 M5 Ultra Mac Studio

The rollout follows Apple's original announcement back in March alongside Apple Business, its new platform for company device management, email, and customer outreach. Apple said at the time that ads would launch this summer in the US and Canada, allowing businesses to bid for placement during key search and discovery moments. Google does something similar with its Maps platform and has handled promoted pins and sponsored search results for years.

Notably, there's no setting to turn the ads off, though Apple maintains that users' interactions with Maps ads aren't linked to their Apple Accounts or shared with third parties.

Reaction on Reddit has been sharply negative. A thread on r/apple discussing the rollout drew hundreds of comments lamenting the loss of the ad-free simplicity that set Apple Maps apart from Google's more feature-rich alternative. Many commenters argued that introducing ads undercuts one of Apple Maps' main selling points.

Other commenters pointed to Apple's growing ad footprint across the App Store and Apple News as evidence of a broader pattern, with several arguing that a company charging premium prices for its hardware and services shouldn't need to rely on advertising at all.

For now, ads on Maps are limited to iPhone and iPad in the U.S. and Canada — but given how quietly and quickly this rollout happened, they may not remain limited to those devices and markets for long.

TL;DR: Secretlab and Marvel just launched the Titan Evo Marvel Spider-Man Edition, a red-and-black gaming chair featuring a web-patterned back and Venom-inspired tendril details. This limited-edition chair is now available in the U.S., Canada, and the EU.

Secretlab just teamed up with Marvel for the first time, and the result is a gaming chair built entirely around Spider-Man. The Secretlab Titan Evo Marvel Spider-Man Edition features a red-and-black color scheme, riding the wave of Spider-Man: Brand New Day hype. It's available now in the U.S., Canada, and the EU.

If you're in the market for Spider-Man merch that doubles as functional furniture, this chair checks that box. The red-and-black palette is meant to channel the character's classic look, and there's a Spider-Man emblem stitched into the backrest.

Credit: Marvel / Secretlab Credit: Marvel / Secretlab

The back is upholstered in Secretlab's SoftWeave Plus fabric, woven into a web-like pattern of thin lines, made possible through what Secretlab describes as an advanced knitting process. As a nod to Venom, dark tendril patterns creep along the side wings and seat base, too.

Underneath the Spider-Man theming, this is still a Titan Evo, so it comes with the same comfort features as the standard chair. That includes cold-cure foam designed for long sitting sessions, a sculpted "pebble" seat base to distribute pressure more evenly (and leave room for sitting cross-legged), and four-way L-ADAPT lumbar support that adjusts to the curve of your lower back as you shift positions.

SEE ALSO: Umbro’s new Spider-Man streetwear collab just dropped: Shop jackets, backpacks, shorts, and more Spidey gear

This is easily one of Secretlab's best collabs yet, Spider-Man fan or not. Pricing hasn't been announced, so keep an eye on Secretlab for details.

SAVE $7: As of Aug. 26, the 30-ounce Owala FreeSip Sway water bottle is on sale in select colorways for $27.99 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $34.99. That matches the lowest price we've seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Owala Owala FreeSip Sway (30 ounce) $27.99 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $7.00   Get Deal

We all know chugging down the ounces is good for us. Our physical bodies depend on water to survive, and yet, most of us are on the struggle bus when it comes to actually staying hydrated. It's one of life's greatest mysteries as to why we have trouble consistently consuming a tasteless beverage to keep our bodies healthy and happy. One small improvement, however, is getting a water bottle you actually like. A Mashable favorite is on sale today for a nice 20% discount.

As of Aug. 26, the 30-ounce Owala FreeSip Sway water bottle is on sale in select colorways for $27.99 at Amazon, marked down from the usual price of $34.99. That matches the lowest price we've seen.

When it comes to finding the best water bottle, Mashable staffers are all in on the Owala FreeSip. Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino has owned her FreeSip for years. In her review, she wrote, "The Owala FreeSip lives up to its promise of both a sippable and chuggable water bottle. The best part to me is that, unlike other bottles with a straw that I've used, the FreeSip has a cover for the spout. That way, when you're out and about in the world, it's safe from germs and bacteria."

SEE ALSO: The Ninja HydraSense is a compact countertop water filtration system that removes up to 99% of stuff you don't want to drink

Today's sale price of $28 applies to the 30-ounce version, and you have your choice of several colorways. The Owala does an excellent job of keeping cool drink chilled while also being leakproof. That makes it a great travel companion knowing it won't spill in your backpack or tote. But keep in mind the Owala FreeSip is not designed for hot beverages.

Since it's a staff favorite at Mashable and it's on sale for a great price, consider making the upgrade to the Owala FreeSip Sway water bottle. It's perfect for back-to-school season and getting a fresh start with hitting daily hydration goals.

SAVE 28%: As of Aug. 26, you can get the Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Booster Box (24 boosters) for $119.99, down from $167.76, at Amazon. That's a 28% discount, or $47.77 in savings.

Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Booster Box (24-Packs) $119.99 at Walmart
$179.99 Save $60.00   Get Deal at Walmart Get Deal at Amazon

Getting into Magic: The Gathering can feel intimidating if you don't know the rules or how to build a winning deck. (Seriously, some of those picnic tables got heated when I was in undergrad.) But if you want to grab a friend and just start playing, the game's Jumpstart format can help you learn as you go.

SEE ALSO: Where to buy Pokémon cards in 2026: Best retailers, market prices, deals, and upcoming releases

As of Aug. 26, you can get the Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Booster Box (24 boosters) for $119.99, down from $167.76, at Amazon. That's a 28% discount, or $47.77 in savings.

Jumpstart boxes are made for quick, casual matchups. Instead of drafting cards one by one, you just open two of the 20-card boosters, shuffle them together, and you have a ready-to-play deck. The box comes with 24 boosters in total, and each one includes all the land cards you need to get started.

With 51 different possible Marvel Super Heroes themes floating around in this set, you can mash up your favorite heroes and villains to create wild combos. Reviewers also say that this box is a great way to hunt for cards like Dr. Doom, Vision, or Scarlet Witch.

TL;DR: IKEA and Xbox teamed up on Yxstaby, a nine-piece gaming furniture collection featuring a rolling TV stand, a toolbox that doubles as a laptop stand, a side table for controllers, a monitor stand, and a stool modeled after an Xbox thumbstick. It launches in IKEA stores and online Oct. 1.

Gaming doesn't happen in one dedicated room anymore — it happens at the kitchen table, on the couch, and everywhere in between. IKEA and Xbox built an entire furniture collection around that reality, and it's arriving this fall.

The collection, called Yxstaby, is the result of a collaboration between designers from both companies, who spent time visiting gamers' homes to figure out what a gaming setup needs to do. The idea: furniture that makes room for play when it's happening, and disappears back into everyday life when it's not.

"How people play at home has shifted, and it is as much about relaxing and connecting with others as it is about performing, which changes what the space has to do," said Philip Dilé, product design developer at IKEA of Sweden, in a statement.

Credit: IKEA / Xbox Nine pieces built around real gaming habits

The nine-piece lineup leans on small, practical fixes for common gaming annoyances:

• A rolling TV stand — the first of its kind for IKEA, it rolls to wherever the game is happening and comes with storage for gear on the back, then rolls away when you're done

• A toolbox — keeps controllers, cables, and hardware organized, with a lid that doubles as a laptop stand, so a dining table can become a gaming station and then just go back to being a dining table

• A side table — rolls to wherever you're sitting, giving controllers a spot besides the arm of the couch, plus space to charge behind sliding doors

• A monitor stand — raises one or two screens to a comfortable height, with storage underneath and holders for a phone, headphones, and a controller

Beyond the functional pieces, the collection also leans into Xbox's controller design for its look:

• A D-pad cushion and platter — a soft cushion and a matching stainless steel platter, both shaped like the Xbox controller's D-pad

• A mirrored display box — shows off a controller (or other collectibles) from every angle

• A thumbstick stool — built from Xbox's actual 3D design files, it's shaped like a giant thumbstick and even tilts the way a real one does when you sit on it

Credit: IKEA / Xbox

The whole collection sticks to a muted white, black, and beige palette with pops of green marking storage spots for gear, so the pieces are designed to blend into a room you already have rather than look like a gaming setup bolted on.

Yxstaby was unveiled at Gamescom this month and launches in IKEA stores and online from Oct. 1. Availability may vary by market.

SAVE OVER $170: The Creality K1 Max 3D Printer is on sale for $548.99 at Amazon, down from the list price of $719. That's a 20% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Comgrow Creality K1 Max 3D Printer $548.99 at Amazon
$719 Save $170.01   Get Deal

The 3D printer may be the printer of the future, but thanks to a heavy discount on the Creality K1 Max 3D Printer at Amazon, the future is very much now. This printer boasts speeds up to 12x faster than other 3D printers and uses AI technology to ensure you get the best-quality models with every print job.

As of Aug. 26, the Creality K1 Max 3D Printer is marked down to $548.99, a 24% saving off the regular list price of $719. Stock for this 3D printer is running low, so you might need to act fast.

SEE ALSO: The Segway Navimow i110N robot lawn mower is down to its best-ever price at Amazon — save $300+

This printer is built with AI LiDAR, which scans the first layer of your model and detects any issues. It will then pause the printing job and alert you to any issues, which effectively prevents it from printing defective models. There's also an AI camera for spotting debris and obstructions, while giving you real-time monitoring and time-lapse filming.

In terms of speed, it prints at 600 millimeters per second, with an acceleration of 20,000 millimeters per second. It's packed with even more tech and features, making this a great deal for anyone looking for an advanced 3D printer.

Don’t miss the Creality K1 Max 3D Printer with 24% off — now priced at $548.99 for an overall saving of $170.01.

The social media giant settled with 47 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, and agreed to make major changes to its products over claims its platforms endangered children.

After a week of Grand Theft Auto VI leaks, Rockstar Games has finally addressed the Cyberleek situation, calling it "heartbreaking."

In a rare public statement posted to its X account, Rockstar acknowledged the leaks and confirmed that they do, in fact, show gameplay footage of GTA VI. Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive Software, previously acknowledged this fact in a string of subpoenas filed to unmask the culprits. In the statement, Rockstar took an apologetic tone for how long it has taken not only for the game to come out, but for Rockstar to show the game, too.

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"It would be an understatement to say that having videos of Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay leak in this way has been heartbreaking for our team, and this is obviously not how we intended for you to see the game after all this time," the statement said. "We are very sorry that everything has taken as long as it has — from getting the game finished (nearly there!) to sharing more details and official gameplay, and providing the community with everything you want to know."

Unfortunately for Rockstar, the leaker known only as Cyberleek appears unfazed, releasing a fifteenth gameplay clip online shortly after Rockstar issued its statement on Wednesday morning.

SEE ALSO: GTA 6 Cyberleek update: Everything leaked so far, what might be next

The statement went on to say that the company knows it needs to "exceed your expectations" with the big, official gameplay reveal on Netflix on Thursday. That is still happening as scheduled, and will hopefully show much more of the gameplay, plot, and characters than the Cyberleek videos, which have mostly depicted the protagonist Jason beating up NPCs and stealing cars.

And by Nov. 19, when the game comes out, hopefully none of this will have mattered.

Music icon Cyndi Lauper is this week's guest on Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware and honestly, it's a feast to remember.

In the foodie interview podcast released Wednesday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and forever New Yorker sat down with the Wares for her favourite meal of borscht, with fig and almond tart for dessert.

Between bites, Lauper unpacked everything from her Sicilian family upbringing, her major hits like "True Colors" and "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," the realities of making marinara, documentary Let The Canary Sing, the lawsuit with her band Blue Angel, her favourite New York restaurants (Le Veau d’Or, Lucien, Frankie's), and her charity which advocates for the rights and health of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people.

"The only time that I really felt and cried was at the first women's demonstration when everybody wore pink hats, and I saw these young girls with these signs, "Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights." And I used to get in trouble for talking about feminism!" says Lauper in the video above.

Honestly, my kingdom for a seat at this table.

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage, sign up for our Trending Now and Top Stories newsletters or get Mashable push alerts to discover the internet's most exciting voices.