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Tesla's robotaxi is finally a real thing, and it's called Cybercab.
Unveiled by CEO Elon Musk at Tesla's big "We, Robot" event at Warner Bros studios, the Cybercab is a futuristic-looking, fully autonomous electric vehicle that can ferry passengers around completely on its own.
At the start of the event, the Cybercab (or Robotaxi — the name isn't entirely clear right now as both names were used throughout the event) actually took Musk through a short series of mock-up streets and onto the stage (with 20 other Cybercabs autonomously roaming around those same streets).
The Cybercab, as shown, isn't meant to be driven. It doesn't have a steering wheel, or pedals. It's got two butterfly wing doors, letting the passengers in — and only the passengers, as the car does not need a driver.
No charging port! Credit: TeslaAccording to Musk, "you could fall asleep, and wake up at your destination."
Inside, there's a large display similar to those in today's Tesla cars, and the whole idea is for the car to be like a nice little lounge in which you chill while the car does its thing.
The Cybercab also doesn't have a charging plug; it will use wireless induction charging instead. Battery capacity, charging speed and other details weren't mentioned during Tesla's presentation.
As for the problems the Cybercab is meant to solve, Musk says traffic as it is today is slow, unsustainable, too expensive, and not safe enough. If most or all those cars on the streets were autonomous, "driving" would allegedly be ten times safer, cars would be cheaper, and they could actually make money for their owners while they sleep, by ferrying other passengers around, (robo)taxi-style.
The price for all this goodness if you were to buy one? About $30,000, said Musk.
We sort of knew most of this, as Musk has been talking about this as one of Tesla's primary goals (a fleet of robotaxis) for years. And given Tesla's (sometimes painfully slow) progress on its Full Self-Driving package, we know Tesla is trying hard to solve the autonomous driving problem. So the big question here is: When can we expect to see Cybercabs on the streets?
The answer is quite murky. According to Musk, Tesla plans to start fully autonomous, unsupervised FSD in Texas and California in 2025, with the Model 3 and the Model Y. Cybercab production should start in 2026, Musk said, but then immediately added that he tends to be "a little optimistic with time frames" and changed that timeframe to "before 2027." And all of this unsupervised, autonomous driving business needs to be approved by regulators before it can happen, both in the U.S. and abroad.
SEE ALSO: Tesla's cheapest car is no longer availableIf you read the fine print, that means not much has changed for Tesla: The company still plans to launch autonomous driving on existing cars first via its FSD package. The problem is that Musk has been talking about this for nearly a decade, and while FSD is in parts impressive, it's not yet ready to be unleashed into the world as a fully autonomous, unsupervised driving package. It all boils down to whether Tesla can make this happen, how long will it take, and when regulators will put their stamp of approval on the whole idea.
TL;DR: Live stream Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League for free on L'Equipe. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The UEFA Nations League continues to deliver games between some of the best international sides in the world. Would fans like a return to domestic football? Probably, but these high-profile games are a welcome distraction from the lack of club competition.
If you want to watch Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany?Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League kicks off at 7:45 p.m. BST on Oct. 11. This fixture takes place at the Bilino Polje.
How to watch Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany for freeBosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League is available to live stream for free on L'Equipe.
L'Equipe is geo-restricted to France, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in France, meaning you can access free live streams on L'Equipe from anywhere in the world.
Access a free live stream of Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany 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 France
Visit L'Equipe
Live stream Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select UEFA Nations League fixtures before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for L'Equipe?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on L'Equipe, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including France
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Stream Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League for free on NPO. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Does anyone really care about the UEFA Nations League? Fans probably aren't too concerned about winning this competition, but that doesn't mean individual games aren't going to be competitive. Take the next game between Hungary and Netherlands, for example. Both sides will be desperate to secure the win.
If you want to watch Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Hungary vs. Netherlands?Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League kicks off at 7:45 p.m. BST on Oct. 11. This fixture takes place at the Puskás Aréna.
How to watch Hungary vs. Netherlands for freeHungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League is available to live stream for free on NPO.
NPO is geo-restricted to the Netherlands, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the Netherlands, meaning you can access free live streams on NPO from anywhere in the world.
Access a free live stream of Hungary vs. Netherlands 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 Netherlands
Visit NPO
Live stream Hungary vs. Netherlands for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select UEFA Nations League fixtures before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for NPO?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on NPO, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the Netherlands
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Stream Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Get Microsoft Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro together for £40.56 (reg. £335.37) through 27 October.
Summer’s over, and that means it’s time to get serious about those grades. Whether you’re hitting the books or looking to help your student, check out this ultimate back-to-school bundle. For a limited time, you can get both Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro. It's the perfect combo to tackle assignments and fight procrastination.
Separately, this office suite and OS cost hundreds of pounds, but they’re on sale for £40.56 for a couple more weeks. This is your best chance to upgrade your Windows computer.
Microsoft Office 2021 appsEvery student needs reliable productivity apps for those dreaded assignments and presentations. Lean on tools like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint for homework, OneNote for note-taking, and Outlook and Teams to stay connected to peers and teachers.
Microsoft Office for Windows also comes with Access and Publisher. You might use Excel and Publisher for math and data science courses and Publisher if you’re designing materials for clubs or art classes.
Most importantly, this is a lifetime device license. Once MS Office 2021 for Windows is installed on your computer, the license never expires.
Windows 11 Pro + Copilot AIUpgrading your OS isn’t just for the new user design; you’ll also get the new AI assistant, Copilot. Microsoft calls it “the ultimate AI study buddy.”
Copilot uses a custom version of ChatGPT, so it’s like getting the chatbot's premium version without having to pay for it. You could use it to:
Have it explain complex class concepts in simpler terms
Make custom flashcards
Create practice questions
Simulate conversations in a new language you’re learning
You’ll also enjoy how Windows 11 Pro boosts your PC’s load times, gives you new productivity tools, and adds new security features like BitLocker device encryption. It’s like an internal makeover for your computer.
Take advantage of this Microsoft app bundle with Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro at £40.56 (reg. £335.37) through 27 October at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon code is needed for this discount.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle £40.56Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for October 11'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 SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 11 What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach 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.
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If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 11 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Adore
Green: Plunge
Blue: Pure profit
Purple: Audacity
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Cherish
Green: Quick Jump in the Pool
Blue: Movies
Purple: Additional Benefit
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 #488 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayCherish: RELISH, SAVOR, TREASURE, VALUE
Quick Jump in the Pool: DIP, DIVE, SPLASH, SWIM
Additional Benefit: BONUS, EXTRA, FROSTING, GRAVY
Brashness: BRASS, CHEEK, NERVE, SAUCE
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.
SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 11If 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 October 11's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 11 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.
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TP-Link Tapo C120 2K QHD Security Camera — $24.99 (List Price $39.99)
65" Hisense U6 Series 4K Mini-LED ULED Smart TV (2024 Model) — $597.99 (List Price $799.99)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds (Black) — $229.00 (List Price $299.00)
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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 used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.
Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 11 SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 11 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Breezy.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no reoccurring letters.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter G.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 11 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...
GUSTY.
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.
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.
An incisive expression of family and culture that neither apologizes nor over-explains itself, Roshan Sethi's A Nice Indian Boy is a riotous, moving queer romantic comedy with a wildly unique premise. While it resembles many modern third-culture stories — specifically, tales of disconnect between first-generation South Asians in the West and their immigrant parents — it widens its scope in surprising ways that reflect and refract both personal and cinematic identity.
SEE ALSO: New York Film Festival preview: 10 movies you ought to know aboutTaking inspiration from a romantic Bollywood classic, the film follows a gay Indian American doctor whose parents are nominally accepting, but who want him to find "a nice Indian boy." Long story short: He does! The immediate wrinkle, however, is that this nice Indian boy is none other than Jonathan Groff — yes, Hamilton's original King George — playing a white man raised by Indian parents.
On one hand, A Nice Indian Boy is the tale of a typical Indian American family, with typical Indian American problems — a generational disconnect, gendered double standards, and a culture of awkward silence around sexuality — but on the other hand, its evolution into grand romantic saga is anything but typical. It's also a story of cross-cultural adoption that dovetails into not only a hilariously awkward meet-the-parents comedy, but also a film about freeing oneself from emotional and generational baggage, in a way that yields tears of joy and laughter.
What is A Nice Indian Boy about?Dr. Naveen Gavaskar (Deadpool's Karan Soni) is the kind of realistic queer protagonist seldom seen in Hollywood: an introverted gay man who'd rather be at home than at the club — or in the case of the movie's opening scene, at his sister's colorful wedding reception. As the guests dance to thumping tunes, and the camera tilts and spins to capture them, Naveen sits still, fending off over-enthusiastic family members whose words of marital encouragement sound more like a dire warning: "You're next!"
What Naveen's nosy aunties and uncles don't know, and what his parents begrudgingly accept, is that his wedding won't quite look like a Hindi movie, since he happens to be into guys.
Six years go by — notably, the amount of time between Sethi coming out and the film's premiere — and Naveen's life away from his parents is somewhat content, even though it involves lonely nights of leaving exes and crushes some uncomfortably awkward voice messages. He has absolutely no game, despite the efforts of his outgoing gay colleague Paul (Peter S. Kim) to bring him out of his shell. But the gods eventually smile on him when he comes across an attractive white photographer, Jay Kurundkar (Groff), at his local mandir (or temple) while praying to a statue of Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu god of wisdom and good luck.
Two things immediately stand out about Jay: his tranquil charm, and his authentic pronunciation of "Ganesh" — with an extended "e" as in "lace," rather than the protracted "e" of words like "less," to which most Westerners default. Naveen is immediately flustered by Jay's confident stares, but agrees to accompany him on a date to his favorite movie, which, to the good doctor's surprise, turns out to be Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (or DDLJ), the iconic 1995 Bollywood romance about two star-crossed Indian Londoners, whose musical centerpiece features superstar Shah Rukh Khan serenading actress Kajol in a field of yellow mustard flowers.
SEE ALSO: Netflix's 'The Romantics': A nostalgic and impassioned tribute to Hindi cinemaBut instead of being bowled over by this gesture, Naveen finds himself unable to fully embrace the film or Jay's off-key crooning of its famous track, "Tujhe Dekha To" (yes, Groff sings it himself, with barely a syllable out of place). Sincerity and vulnerability remain obstacles to Naveen, even after he and Jay start dating. This proves mildly problematic when meeting each other's friends, but it's downright disastrous when the question of Jay meeting Naveen's parents arises, given how little he's told them about his white, freelance photographer boyfriend who vapes and waxes poetic about Hindi cinema.
The results are as side-splitting as they are disheartening, because the one lesson A Nice Indian Boy takes from DDLJ is that Indian romantic films are family dramas too. However, what initially seems hopeless ends up an exciting challenge, because Jay has also internalized this lesson. And, like Shah Rukh Khan's brash Raj Malhotra, he'll stop at nothing to win over the parents of the person he loves.
A Nice Indian Boy is also a family drama.The film, written by Eric Randall, is based on the play by Madhuri Shekar, and it has the structure of a five-act play, with each section broken up by significant time jumps. This ends up serving a dual purpose. On one hand, this shifts the typical feel-good rom-com climax to the middle of the story, away from its usual place in most three-act Hollywood screenplays, where it serves as a resolution. In the process, A Nice Indian Boy allows for the realities of long-term romance and wedding planning to creep in through the corners of the frame, beyond the broad declarations of love.
On the other hand, it also allows each member of Naveen's family to have their own dedicated section of the movie, during which they become a primary character. Like Naveen, his sister Arundhathi (Sunita Mani) harbors a grudge against their parents for the choices she did and didn't have while growing up, including in matters of love, and she sees their increased leeway with Naveen as a matter of grave injustice. Meanwhile, their outspoken mother Megha (Zarna Garg) tries to smooth things over with both children, but since she's just as hot-headed as her daughter, it's easier said than done. In terms of temperament, Naveen takes after his father Archit (Harish Patel), though his silent acceptance of Naveen's sexuality — while avoiding eye contact at all cost — hurts more than outright disapproval. Like his son, Archit has a problem with expressing himself honestly.
However, Megha and Archit's genuine attempts to bridge the gap between themselves and Naveen also leads to some uproarious overcompensation, between the topics they bring up in Jay's presence without any filter whatsoever, to their sincere attempts to educate themselves by binging raunchy reality shows on OutTV and bringing them up in conversation. It's incredibly funny and incredibly sweet, but none of these superficial gestures — no matter how well-meaning — are a substitute for the real emotional work the Gavaskar family needs.
The film doesn't let Naveen off the hook either, whether it comes to his avoidance of intimacy or the walls he keeps up between him and his family members. Those walls only start to come down after some rigorous and difficult dramatic moments, which Sethi directs with incredible command.
A Nice Indian Boy is brilliantly directed.The film's premise resembles a number of third-culture films and shows featuring South Asians in the West, like The Big Sick, Ms. Marvel, and Blinded by the Light. These stories of artistically driven first-gen kids and their immigrant parents who "just don't understand" have settled into a rote rhythm in recent years. A fellow SXSW selection, the lukewarm The Queen of My Dreams, is a key example: a similarly Bollywood-inspired tale of a queer Pakistani Canadian who nominally reconciles with her conservative mother. It's rarely a good sign when you can map out the beats of a story based on its cultural premise, but A Nice Indian Boy finds numerous visual and thematic ways to buck that trend.
SEE ALSO: Bollywood's dad, Anupam Kher, on the unique warmth of 'The Big Sick'It stands out, first and foremost, through its bustling visual energy, which not only captures the chaos and excitement constantly unfolding around Naveen — at weddings, family meetings, or parties hosted by Jay's outgoing friends — but also serves to magnify his glum stillness as the camera pushes in and pulls out prominently during both comedy beats and charged emotional moments. The film's comedy and drama stem from the same place: the tension of expectations, whether it involves Naveen wrestling with his prescribed role as an Indian man in the West; the implications of his queerness, according to his parents; or how Jay will fit into the Gavaskars' family dynamic.
What Jay yearns for, as a perpetual outsider who found love in an Indian household once before, is just as vital to the movie as Naveen's search for emotional authenticity. And when the film begins drawing more overtly from Bollywood iconography, it weaves together its grandiose romance from both their perspectives. To Jay, Hindi cinema is the ultimate expression of love and acceptance. To Naveen, it's a cheesy façade. The truth, it turns out, may lie somewhere in between, with Sethi presenting the story's key turning points as stylistic handshakes between formal grandeur and naturalistic, self-aware comedy, without compromising either character’s point of view. The movie's sweeping declarations are as bold and unapologetic as they are goofy and silly, so they end up running the emotional gamut.
Rarely has a rom-com been this simultaneously hysterical and touching, though despite its boisterous tone, its biggest strength may very well be its silent moments. The father-son pairing of Naveen and Archit tend to find solace in silence, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon. So, in order to draw them out of their comfort zones, A Nice Indian Boy becomes a film about gestures both big and small. Its most heartrending moments arrive in the form of these two men — separated by generational disconnect, but bound by common cultural expectations — adapting to other people's modes of expression in the small ways they're able to. Over the course of the film, they learn to speak other people's love languages, leading to rousing, overwhelming moments (some of them in delightful musical form).
SEE ALSO: The 11 best Hindi movies streaming on Amazon PrimeIn a just world, A Nice Indian Boy would find instant distribution and be hailed alongside Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding as a realistic family portrait whose jagged edges aren't just riveting, but revelatory. It's as sweet and funny as they come, and the kind of crowd-pleaser destined to leave your heart feeling full.
A Nice Indian Boy is currently seeking distribution.
UPDATE: Sep. 25, 2024, 5:01 p.m. EDT A Nice Indian Boy was reviewed out of its World Premiere at SXSW 2024 on March 23, 2024. This post has been updated to note its East Coast Premiere at NewFest, where it was the opening night film.
Season 3, episode 4 of The Legend of Vox Machina is a major Critical Role crossover event. Not only does the show continue adapting Critical Role's first live-streamed campaign, it also incorporates a key character from Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, a four-part mini-campaign set centuries before The Legend of Vox Machina and run by Brennan Lee Mulligan.
SEE ALSO: 'The Legend of Vox Machina' Season 3 review: Critical Role's series keeps raising the barThe character in question is the paladin Zerxus Ilerez (voiced by Luis Carazo, who also played Zerxus in Calamity). He is the current owner of the Plate of the Dawnmartyr, one of the Vestiges of Divergence that Vox Machina need in order to defeat the dragon Thordak (voiced by the late Lance Reddick). Their quest brings them to Zerxus' home in the Hells of Despath, where he and cleric Pike Trickfoot (voiced by Ashley Johnson) play a high-stakes card game for the Plate. The sequence tweaks elements from the original campaign, which saw bard Scanlan (voiced by Sam Riegel) gamble for the Plate with a fire giant in the Elemental Plane of Fire.
"From a story perspective, we had an opportunity to combine two story beats from our campaign," Travis Willingham, who voices Grog Strongjaw, told Mashable. (Willingham is also an executive producer on The Legend of Vox Machina and CEO of Critical Role.) The series could take Vox Machina's stint in the Fire Plane, which doesn't have the biggest story hook by this point in the show's timeline, and merge it with the idea that Ank'Harel ruler J'mon Sa Ord (voiced by Mara Junot) would have hidden the Plate in the Hells to keep it as far from Thordak as possible.
"And right after we had finished EXU: Calamity, with Zerxus' fate being sent to the Hells, it just popped up that maybe 800 years later, he's still down there, and that would be a nice thing to weave into the story," Willingham continued. "Particularly some of the lore that was revealed in EXU: Calamity, and how the Calamity kicked off, and why that might be important to larger antagonists in the story that we might try to utilize in a larger way if we get future seasons."
SEE ALSO: The cast of Critical Role choose their ultimate 'The Legend of Vox Machina' squadsZerxus' appearance is no brief Easter egg. Instead, he plays a meaty role in the episode, with the show paralleling his complicated relationship to his deity — in Calamity, that's Asmodeus, Lord of the Nine Hells, although he goes unnamed here — with Pike's own doubts in her faith in the Everlight. In their encounter, he also gives Vox Machina a quick rundown of the events of Calamity, accompanied by a stained glass-style animated interlude reminiscent of the campaign's introduction sequence. Appearing in the interlude are Zerxus' companions, the other player characters from Calamity.
"I think there's a hidden desire on our part to incorporate everyone from Calamity at some point," Willingham said. And with more animated Critical Role projects in development with Amazon Studios, including a Mighty Nein series coming next year, a full Calamity adaptation of some kind may not be too far-fetched.
"It's ripe for a movie, a mini-series, something — we're just trying to figure out the best delivery method for it and how it would fit into everything," Willingham said.
There's a hidden desire on our part to incorporate everyone from "Calamity" at some point. - Travis WillinghamFor now, though, it looks like we haven't seen the last of Zerxus Ilerez in The Legend of Vox Machina. When Pike and her companions escape with the Plate of the Dawnmartyr, he utters a very foreboding statement: "We are his blood. The time for his ascension draws near."
The words echo those spoken by Delilah Briarwood (voiced by Grey Griffin) and other cultists of the Whispered One — also known as Vecna in the original campaign — all the way back in Season 1. Could this mean that The Legend of Vox Machina is positioning Zerxus as the Whispered One's champion? And if so, would that mean the series is mashing the Whispered One and Asmodeus together? Or did Zerxus choose to serve another deity in the hopes of trying to redeem him, as he hoped to do for Asmodeus in Calamity?
"A Redemption Paladin is still gonna redemption," Marisha Ray, voice of Keyleth, told Mashable. (Ray is also an executive producer on the show, as well as Creative Director of Critical Role.) "I think it's very fitting, because there are several entities in the world of Exandria that could fit that ticket of maybe being redeemed."
"We're hoping we will see some conspiracy theories [about that line]," added Willingham.
On top of prompting fan theories, Zerxus' addition to The Legend of Vox Machina is further proof of why the show is one of the most fascinating works of adaptation on TV today. Zerxus didn't exist as a character when Critical Role's first campaign came out — audiences didn't even get to meet him until months after Season 1 of The Legend of Vox Machina premiered. Yet as Critical Role continues to grow through its various campaigns, it's creating more source material for its animated adaptations to draw from in real time.
"One of my favorite things about working on the animated show is that after the Vox Machina campaign ended, we continued to expand and enrich the world and create history. We created future stories, but we also expanded what the past was," Liam O'Brien, voice of Vax'ildan and executive producer, told Mashable.
"That's really the best thing about adaptations. You can go through and sprinkle in some of the good stuff that wasn't there before," added Ray.
She continued: "I think we're really lucky in the sense that we're developing Mighty Nein in real time with The Legend of Vox Machina, as well as still continuing to shoot Campaign 3 and other ancillary stuff. So we have this 5,000-foot view of everything — except for all the stuff that is to be determined at the end of Campaign 3 — but we can take the Jenga blocks of the story and move them around to fit nicely."
So as The Legend of Vox Machina continues its run, be on the lookout for more substantial links to Critical Role's other campaigns. Zerxus may be the first Calamity crossover, but from the sounds of it, he probably won't be the last.
Save $50: The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are discounted at Amazon, even after Prime Day wrapped up. They're priced at $249, a new all-time low.
Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose Ultra Open Earbuds $249.00 at AmazonIf you're in the market for really good earbuds, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds — on sale at an all-time-low price at Amazon — might be your next purchase. The earbuds are on sale for $249, a 17% drop from the typical list price of $299.
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds promise to deliver high-quality sound while keeping your ears open, as the name implies. That could be the perfect thing for runners, bikers, or folks who otherwise might not want to shut-out the world via noise cancelling.
Mashable's review of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds gave them a really good 4.4 out of 5 rating.
Wrote RJ Anderson for Mashable:
"When Bose announced these headphones, they described them as the solution to the “one bud phenomenon” — aka needing to pull out one of your earbuds to interact with the world — and I was surprised to find that they lived up to the hype. Not only are the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds cool and functional, but the sound quality is great, the fit is incredible, and the comfort level is off the charts."
So if you ever wanted to cut down on taking out a single earbud, this might be just the deal you need.
More Prime Day earbud deals still availableSoundcore by Anker P30i Noise-cancelling Earbuds — $27.99 $49.99 (save $22)
Anker Soundcore P3i — $34.99 $49.99 (save $15)
Soundcore P40i Earbuds — $41.99 $69.99 (Prime members save $28)
Soundcore by Anker A40 Earbuds — $44.99 $79.99 (save $35)
JBL Tune Flex — $49.95 $99.95 (save $40)
JBL Tune Buds — $49.95 $99.95 (save $40)
Sony WF-C700N Earbuds — $77.49 $119.99 (save $42.50)
Beats Studio Buds — $79.99 $149.95 (save $69.96)
Beats Studio Buds + — $119.99 $169.95 (save $49.96)
Beats Fit Pro Earbuds — $149.99 $199.99 (save $50)
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation — $168.99 $179 (save $10.01)
Apple AirPods Pro 2 — $189.99 $249 (save $59.01)
Bose Ultra Open-Ear Wireless Headphones — $249.99 at Target $299.99 (save $50)
Recently, the internet was worried that YouTube was phasing out the skip button on ads. It turns out that's not really true.
In a statement to The Verge, YouTube confirmed that the option to skip some ads isn't going away, but is rather getting a visual overhaul. According to a YouTube spokesperson, the site is trying to clean up the way ads look, and part of that is by changing the skip button into a progress bar on the bottom of the video. This will apparently be the case for both desktop and mobile users.
SEE ALSO: Not so short, YouTube Shorts announces 3-minute videosYouTube needed to address this in a statement because various places such as Reddit and AndroidPolice noticed that the skip button wasn't appearing on desktop or mobile. On desktop, things got particularly interesting, as it appeared that the YouTube video player was drawing a black rectangle over the skip button, almost as if to discourage people from using it. However, according to YouTube, that's not what's happening.
As always, you can avoid this entirely by paying for YouTube Premium. Such is life.
One of the largest financial services and asset management companies has just been breached.
According to a new notice filed with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, Fidelity Investments was targeted in a data breach. More than 77,000 customers have had their sensitive personal information compromised.
SEE ALSO: Internet Archive data breach: Hacker claims to ‘See 31 million of you' on Have I Been Pwned"Between August 17 and August 19, a third party accessed and obtained certain information without authorization using two customer accounts that they had recently established," Fidelity said in a letter sent to affected customers.
Upon noticing the breach on August 19, Fidelity says it immediately cut the unauthorized party's access to its systems.
It's unclear as to what specific personal data was stolen. It's also unclear how a bad actor was able to access private data tied to 77,099 customer accounts by "using two customer accounts that they had recently established."
According to Fidelity, customers' accounts were not compromised. The company also shared that those who were affected make up a small subset of its more than 50 million customers.
Fidelity will be providing the affected customers with two years of credit monitoring services.
This Fidelity data breach marks yet another instance of users' data being compromised just in this week alone. Comcast, MoneyGram, and the Internet Archive all notified customers and users that their data had been stolen in a data breach.
Save $110: The Sonos Ray compact soundbar is discounted 39% on Amazon despite Prime Day officially coming to a close. You can grab it for $169, down from its typical list price of $279.
Opens in a new window Credit: Sonos Sonos Ray Compact Soundbar $169.00 at AmazonPrime Day might officially be over, but there are still deals to be found on Amazon. The Sonos Ray compact soundbar is on sale for $169, for instance, which is a nearly 40% drop from its typical list price of $279.
You'll also be getting a quality product that's significantly less expensive than the premium soundbar options. Mashable's review gave the Sonos Ray a very solid 3.9 score out of five.
"The Sonos Ray soundbar is sleek, petite, crisp (in make and sound), and an all-around small but mighty soundbar to add to your entertainment system" wrote Han Schneider in that review.
SEE ALSO: The Sonos Ray brings into question why soundbars have to be so large and unwieldyOverall, Mashable's review noted that the Sonos Ray sounded great, was easy to set up, and was a cheaper option that discarded some of the frills folks might not need. And now that cheap option is even cheaper.
More Prime Day soundbar deals still liveVIZIO 2.0 Home Theater Sound Bar — $69.99 $79.99 (save $10)
Sony S100F 2.0ch Soundbar — $98 $129.99 (save $31.99)
VIZIO V-Series All-in-One 2.1 Home Theater Soundbar — $98.58 $115.99 (save $17.41)
VIZIO V-Series 2.1 Home Theater Soundbar — $129.99 $159.99 (save $30)
JBL Bar 300 — $299.95 $399.95 (save $100)
Samsung HW-Q600C 3.1.2ch Soundbar — $397.99 $597.99 (save $200)
LG S80QR 5.1.3ch Soundbar — $446.99 $1,046.99 (save $600)
JBL Bar 9.1 — $999 $1,199.95 (save $200.95)
Elon Musk's 30-day offer of free Starlink internet to the thousands of displaced and disconnected Hurricane Helene victims isn't as good as it sounds.
First reported by the Register and Gizmodo earlier this week, the "free" Starlink trial is more like a classic marketing ploy than a legitimate option for disconnected residents. The offer doesn't include the satellite internet's required hardware — including a $350 Starlink terminal kit — and, at the end of the 30 days, customers could be auto-enrolled in the $120-per-month subscription plan.
Tweet may have been deleted"Please note," the Hurricane Helene support page reads. "A Starlink kit is required to access this free service. If you do not already have a Starlink kit, you will need to purchase one from starlink.com/residential or an authorized retailer such as Best Buy or Home Depot." The offer does extend a 30-day credit to existing customers, however. But they still have to create a help ticket in order to receive a waiver at an undetermined date, according to the company.
All of this is gambling on individuals having access to stable electricity or generators. One week after Hurricane Helene's devastation, more than 850,000 residents across seven states were still powerless, and restoration efforts are ongoing as a second storm, destructive Hurricane Milton, just touched down in Florida.
SEE ALSO: How to connect your iPhone to a satellite to send messagesDespite the company's promotional bait and switch, Starlink's emergency services are helping humanitarian efforts, with the federal government deploying emergency Starlink satellites and dozens of ground devices to support relief organizations in the region. On Tuesday, Starlink announced it was unlocking Direct to Cell satellites, which enables SMS text messaging, for T-Mobile users ahead of Hurricane Milton.
Save $75: Walmart's 10-foot-tall skeleton named Steve is on sale for $174, down from its typical list price of $249. It might just be the next best thing to Home Depot's viral, sold-out giant skeleton.
Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart Steve the Poseable 10' Skeleton $174.00 at WalmartWalmart might have the deal to make all your spooky season dreams come true. Its 10-foot skeleton decoration, dubbed Steve, is $75 off on the heels of Amazon's Prime Day.
Typically, Steve will run you a $249 but its price is reduced 30 percent to $174.
Walmart's giant, 10-foot skeleton is not the viral giant skeleton you might've seen everywhere for the past few years. Home Depot's Skelly has become a Halloween staple since its debut in 2020. But Skelly, which retails for $299, is currently out of stock, meaning ol' Steve might be your next best option.
Still, Walmart's Steve is pretty massive and can be put into different poses — so let your creativity run wild this Halloween season.
You might be curious why people are putting print-outs of cartoon characters into cakes. And, well, the answer is a tiny bit uncomfortable: It's basically confessing an attraction to the strangest characters, people, or things
So the so-called "hear me out" cake is basically the people somewhat jokingly saying, "Hear me out; I would hook up with this character."
The trend follows a few key beats. Two or more people — sometimes large groups — take turns placing skewered print-outs of their "hear me outs" into a cake. Oftentimes, things get more unhinged or obscure as the TikTok goes on. You might hear the dad from Finding Nemo, a background character in Spongebob, or the literal number eight, for instance.
The trend has proven to be really popular, seemingly as viewers either find themselves agreeing or being shocked. Here's one from the couple account @MeghanandJack that's racked up some 3.4 million views.
Here's a group of friends that posted one that's garnered nearly 28 million views.
There are lots of videos with lots of views.
It's not totally clear where the trend started, exactly. Crush cakes have been a thing online for a while, where people put their crushes into cakes. Today noted that one of the earliest videos with a crush cake and the phrase "hear me out" came from user @desgovname in late September. The video initially highlighted K-Pop idols before transitioning to the types of unconventional crushes typically featured on "hear me out" cakes.
So, yes, that really is what's happening — people are posting their strangest crushes via skewers in a cake. The internet is a wild place.
X (formerly Twitter) takes swift action when taking down deepfake nude images that are reported as copyright violations — but not when they're reported under "nonconsensual nudity," a study has found.
The paper, published by researchers at the University of Michigan and Florida International University, is an audit of X's reporting systems and hasn't yet been peer-reviewed, 404 Media reported. Researchers created five AI "personas" of young white women (to prevent further variables of race, gender, and age) and then made 10 replica images of each, resulting in 50 images. In terms of the ethics around generating deepfake porn themselves, researchers said these images underwent a "rigorous verification process" to ensure they didn't represent an existing individual.
SEE ALSO: How Big Tech is approaching explicit, nonconsensual deepfakesThey posted these images to X on 10 "poster accounts" they created, and then they created five X accounts to report the images. Twenty-five images were reported as Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violations, and the other 25 were reported as nonconsensual nudity.
Researchers then waited three weeks to see the results of these reports. All 25 images reported for copyright were removed from X within 25 hours. In contrast, none of the images reported for nonconsensual nudity were removed within the three-week waiting period.
"Our findings reveal a significant disparity in the effectiveness of content removal processes between reports made under the DMCA and those made under X's internal nonconsensual nudity policy," the study states. "This highlights the need for stronger and directed regulations and protocols to protect victim-survivors."
X owner Elon Musk dissolved the platform's trust and safety council in 2022, but the site has recently opened up two dozen safety and cybersecurity positions in the U.S. Mashable has reached out to X for comment.
Earlier this year, WIRED found that victims of nonconsensual deepfake porn leveraged copyright laws to take down deepfakes on Google.
If you have had intimate images shared without your consent, call the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s 24/7 hotline at 844-878-2274 for free, confidential support. The CCRI website also includes helpful information as well as a list of international resources.
SAVE $27: Amazon has EA Sports College Football 25 for nearly 40% off. It's currently $42.99, a huge discount from its $69.99 list price.
Opens in a new window Credit: Electronic Arts EA Sports College Football 25 $42.99 at AmazonIn real life, college football is heating up with thrilling upsets and a race to a new 12-team playoff that's sure to pack plenty of excitement in the postseason. You probably can't go and join the roster at Georgia right now, but you can step into their cleats virtually with EA Sports College Football 25, which is deeply discounted for October Prime Day.
The first official college football video game in a decade is a delightful return to form for a series that was a good deal better than Madden when it went dormant in 2014. The developers lovingly rendered and included stunningly accurate portrayals of each included school's stadium, including obscure pre-game rituals that only alumni should know about.
The part where you actually play football is really good, too, thanks to a variety of modes that let you inhabit whatever role you want to inhabit and do almost anything you want. Do you want Kennesaw State to suddenly become a national powerhouse? The world is your oyster in College Football 25.
More gaming dealsRazer Huntsman Mini Gaming Keyboard — $69.99 $119.99 (save $50)
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max + Xbox Core Wireless Controller + 1-Month Game Pass Ultimate Bundle — $79.99 $136.97 (save $56.98)
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Gaming Headset — $179.99 $199.99 (save $20)
PlayStation 5 Slim Console — $449 $499.99 (save $50.99)
Music videos are so yesterday. It's 2024 — time to strap on the Vision Pro and experience Apple Immersive Video instead.
Apple just revealed that The Weeknd, who made a cameo appearance during the iPhone 16 "Glowtime" livestream, is unleashing a new "breathtaking immersive experience" that is designed exclusively for the Vision Pro. It will celebrate a new song from the "Blinding Lights" crooner.
Credit: pio3 / Shutterstock.comThis will be all part of the Apple Immersive Video experience, a new-ish, enveloping 3D storytelling format, enhanced with spatial audio, that transports viewers into the center of the action with a 180-degree field of view.
It's not out yet, though. It'll be released next month, Apple said in a press release.
SEE ALSO: Apple Vision Pro: I watched a Billie Eilish concert in Bora Bora — and I didn't need to spend a penny Apple announces 5 additional new immersive experiences for Vision ProIn addition to the The Weeknd's music video, Apple is dropping an immersive film called 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend that features the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-point challenge between Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu.
Credit: AppleYou can enjoy 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend on Oct. 17.
Other upcoming Apple Immersive Video projects arriving on Vision Pro include:
Concert for One: Imagine getting up close and personal with your favorite artists in the most intimate way possible. Kicking things off is a performance by British singer-songwriter, RAYE. Apple’s latest concert series is dropping later this year.
Adventure takes you on thrilling journeys with pioneering athletes as they conquer the world’s most breathtaking challenges. In a new upcoming episode called “Ice Dive," viewers will join freediver Ant Williams as he attempts to break his record for the longest distance under ice on a single breath. This will launch in December.
Elevated: This show is for viewers who enjoy aerial views of sweeping landscapes. The first episode, for example, showcases Hawaii's majestic volcanoes, awe-inspiring waterfalls, and other eye-catching natural wonders. It's already been released for U.S. Vision Pro users, but it now has global availability.
As if that's not enough, Apple also announced that Submerged, the Vision Pro's first scripted short in the "Apple Immersive Video" format, is dropping. Submerged allows users to follow the troubles of a WWI-era crew inside a torpedo-attacked submarine.
Promo image for "Submerged" Credit: AppleIt will be available to stream via the Apple TV app on Vision Pro starting today.
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