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TL;DR: Live stream Morocco vs. USA at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Everyone wants a chance at winning gold at Paris 2024, but only a few athletes get close. We've reached the quarter-final stage of the football competition, meaning every remaining side will start to believe they can win.

USA and Morocco are meeting in the first knockout fixture. If you want to watch Morocco vs. USA at Paris 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Morocco vs. USA at Paris 2024?

Morocco vs. USA at Paris 2024 takes place at 9 a.m. ET on Aug. 2.

How to watch Morocco vs. USA at Paris 2024 for free

Morocco vs. USA at Paris 2024 is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These are tools that hide your real IP address and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites like BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

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

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

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Live stream Morocco vs. USA at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you time to stream Morocco vs. USA (plus the rest of Paris 2024) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Morocco vs. USA at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.

How does your garden grow? Or so goes the popular English children's rhyme. But a more pertinent question might actually be this: Just how bloomin’ big is it? Because gardens aren't only about relaxing in the sunshine. It takes hard work to maintain them. In other words, it you have a lawn it will need to be cut. And the size and cutting requirements will dictate the lawn mower you use.

If you're wondering whether you actually need a decent lawn mower, the answer is almost certainly yes. Gardens can be hard work, but a lawn mower does most of the work for you. And you can find suitable lawn mowers for just about every type of garden. Nowadays, gardeners can purchase manual, electric, cordless, robot, and petrol lawn mowers from recognisable brands like Bosch, Hyundai, and Flymo.

We can't pick the best lawn mower for you, because it ultimately depends on your garden and gardening habits. But we've dug through the weeds to help steer you in the right direction. In other words, we've shortlisted a selection of impressive lawn mowers that will offer a solution for every type of garden and gardener. But to get you started, here’s some helpful information.

Are there different types of lawn mower?

It’s not quite as straightforward as just strolling into B&Q and picking up the first mower you see. There are regular corded lawn mowers that plug into the mains, cordless battery-powered mowers, manual push-mowers, robot lawn mowers, and even tractor-like lawn mowers that you can ride on.

Are cordless lawn mowers better than electric?

Electric lawn mowers might seem slightly behind the times with the increasing availability of battery-powered and robot mowers, but there are benefits to electric lawn mowers. They’re generally cheaper and totally reliable. The main drawback is that you need an accessible power outlet. And if you have an especially big garden, you’ll need to make sure the cord can stretch far enough to cover the whole lawn. Indeed, they can have limited range or get tangled as you mow. Cordless lawn mowers give you a much bigger range and easier handling, but they can be a little pricier — and there’s the added issue of needing to keep it charged.

What are the benefits of a robot lawn mower?

Like their indoor counterpart — the robot vacuum cleaner — robot mowers take all the work out of cutting the grass. Put your feet up and let them do the hard work. It’s really that simple. But they’re also smarter that that. You can map out routes, helped by smart apps and guidance wires, and the mower will get to work every day. They can even make adjustments to the schedule based on the weather, get into tricky spots that regular mowers can’t reach, and will return to their charging station automatically. The ultimate in luxury, effort-free gardening.

What is the best lawn mower for large gardens?

While there are electric, cordless, and robot mowers made for big lawns, the best mower for the job is probably a petrol lawn mower. Petrol lawn mowers give you serious power to cover more ground and mow through tough grass and even tougher terrain. The downside is that petrol lawn mowers can be absolute beasts — heavy, noisy, and hard to handle. For a pro-level job, however, they’re seriously tough to beat.

What is the best lawn mower?

It all depends on the kind of garden you have and what best suits your needs, but we have tracked down examples of every type of mower so you can get a taste of what's on offer. We've checked out reviews, customer feedback, and everything you need to know about the best lawn mowers, so you don't need to spend hours doing the research. The result is this selection of impressive devices for you to check out.

These are the best lawn mowers in 2024.

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 August 2's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

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

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 August 1 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

What snow and cereal can both be.

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 F.

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

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

FLAKE.

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

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

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for August 2's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

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.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for August 2 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Getting on your nerves

• Green: DJ antics

• Blue: English lesson

• Purple: Green but not the color

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

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

• Yellow: Stretch, As One's Patience

• Green: Things a DJ Does

• Blue: Adjectives Used in Grammar

• Purple: What "Green" Might Mean

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 #418 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Stretch, As One's Patience: STRAIN, TAX, TEST, TRY

• Things A DJ Does: MIX, SAMPLE, SCRATCH, SPIN

• Adjectives Used in Grammar: DIRECT, IRREGULAR, POSSESSIVE, PRESENT

• What "Green" Might Mean: ECOLOGICAL, JEALOUS, LUSH, NAUSEOUS

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.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

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

What do you know about Cellino and Barnes? If you've spent time anywhere near Buffalo, New York, you might know of them as the law firm behind the insidiously catchy jingle that played for over 25 years across TV and radio: "Cellino and Barnes! Injury attorneys! 800-888-8888!"

But you don't need to be a local to have heard this dastardly ditty; it's spawned a celebrity-studded viral challenge, as well as a Saturday Night Live skit. Of course, their accidentally amusing billboards are a meme unto themselves. But even if you know nothing else about their sordid history, that's more than enough to revel in every moment of the new off-Broadway comedy Cellino V. Barnes. 

In the vein of contemporary off-Broadway hits like campy Celine Dion jukebox musical Titanique and Cole Escola's Mary Todd Lincoln spoof Oh, Mary! (which has since made the leap to Broadway), Cellino V. Barnes is far less concerned with the truth behind their story, and far more focused on unleashing madcap humor upon its giddy audience. In fact, reading up on the real-life Ross Cellino and Steve A. Barnes only makes this show more remarkable. Played by Eric William Morris and Noah Weisberg, these regionally recognizable "ambulance chasers" are not the mercurial family man and the hard-nosed military vet depicted in the 2020 New York magazine exposé, which thoroughly detailed their break-up after decades together. Instead, playwrights Mike B. Breen and David Rafailedes reimagine them as an arrogant buffoon and his slyly sophisticated sidekick, determined to make big bucks through marketing... and ambulance chasing. 

Over the course of just 74 minutes — with no intermission — Cellino V. Barnes spins a story that is outrageous, entertaining, and even a bit poignant. 

Cellino V. Barnes reimagines its heroes in a buddy-cop comedy.  Credit: Marc Franklin

Swaggering on stage in a sharp plaid suit, suspenders, and clip-on tie, Eric William Morris instantly depicts Ross Cellino as Gordon Gecko wannabe, a "greed is good" businessman who refuses to play by the rules. By contrast, Noah Weisberg's Steve Barnes — wearing a bright blue suit and a bald cap slicked with an unflattering ring of brown hair — is comically conciliatory, showering the hot-shot nepo baby with praise to get a job at Cellino's dad's firm. Where others see this slick slip-and-fall lawyer as a huckster, Barnes sees in Cellino's shameless litigiousness — he'd even sue a dog! — a huge potential for fame and fortune.

Minutes into their meeting, they've not only bonded but are plotting their own law firm. And naturally, that means they need what every self-respecting attorney has: a jingle.

A pitch-perfect spoof of every bad musician biopic, Cellino V. Barnes presents the creation of the teeny tune as a moment of divine inspiration. A spotlight shines on Barnes, who has a bizarre affinity for the number eight. Then, like an angel — or "Cellino Dion" — he lets loose the unforgettable jingle, earning applause and giggles from the knowing audience. And that's just the first half. 

Eric William Morris and Noah Weisberg make a crackling comedy duo.  Credit: Marc Franklin

From the moment their characters connect over a ludicrous lawsuit, Morris and Weisberg click. With his chest out and his chin in the air, eyes wild, Morris has the gusto of a coked-up Foghorn Leghorn, whether he's venting about his daddy issues or ranting about his deranged dedication to girls hockey. Weisberg balances this manic energy with a bouncy guilelessness, even as the pair talks loan-sharking or a particular case filing so juicy it's basically orgasmic. 

Together, the two create a fast-paced and fluid banter that ranges from bonkers bromance to brutal break-up. Playwrights Breen and Rafailedes give them the fuel with a screenplay that is relentlessly stuffed with jokes. Meanwhile, directors Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse have created a simple staging of a few filing cabinets, a desk, and a handful of office supplies, with a near-breathless pacing. Whenever a bit runs the risk of growing stale, the play swiftly shifts, anticipating the audience's flagging interest by presenting a new plot development or a fresh gag. And Morris and Weisberg make it all look easy as they leap across decades, from 1997 to 2007 to the 2010s, creating a compelling arc even amid the extreme silliness. 

I didn't expect Cellino V. Barnes to make my heart flutter.  Credit: Marc Franklin

Before seeing this play, I didn't spend much time pondering the emotional weight of the break-up of Cellino & Barnes. I'd wager to say that I'm like a lot of New Yorkers, where I was mostly shocked and a bit bemused when their billboards took sides, either becoming Cellino Law or the Barnes Firm. But sitting in the Asylum theater, I found myself gasping in alarm when the two started throwing down "passive-aggressive memos" (which, yes, are based on real — and really petty — missives between the former law partners).

While Cellino V. Barnes is an unabashedly silly spoof of the injury attorneys' story, it's also empathetic. Amid the manic mugging of Morris and the comedic clucking of Weisberg, the two establish such a rich chemistry that it stings when their characters turn their fire on each other. Perhaps this is why the play ends more sweetly than the actual Cellino and Barnes story, in which they became estranged before the latter died in a plane crash in 2020. Like Furious 7, the Fast and Furious movie to which all plays dream to be compared, Cellino V. Barnes offers its audiences a sweeter resolution that invites us to celebrate the long-running partnership over its messy ending (or at least alongside it). Perhaps the fat payday is not the millions earned from personal injury lawsuits, but the friends we made along the way? 

In the end, Cellino V. Barnes is sublimely stupid and a bit brilliant. Relishing in the tabloid elements of the true story, its playwrights spin a yarn that doesn't lean so hard into the real attorneys that an unfamiliar audience might be left in the cold. Committed and kooky, Morris and Weisberg create characters whole cloth that are as hilarious as they are compelling. Combined with a snappy direction, this play's humor hits so fast and hard, it's not just thrilling. It might be exactly the kind of the shock to the system its crooked counselors would drool to litigate over. 

Cellino V. Barnes is playing for 12 weeks at the Asylum in New York City. 

If Microsoft wants to include Reddit posts in Bing's search results – and the company's AI training – it looks like it'll have to pay up.

According to a new interview in The Verge with Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, Reddit expects Microsoft to pay, like Google does, if it wants to crawl its website again.

"Without these agreements, we don’t have any say or knowledge of how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, which has put us in a position now of blocking folks who haven’t been willing to come to terms with how we’d like our data to be used or not used," Huffman explained, referencing how companies like Google and Microsoft have been training their AI models using Reddit's data.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft outage affects Bing, Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and ChatGPT Reddit wants search engines to pay due to AI training

Last week, tech outlet 404 Media reported that Reddit was blocking search engine's like Microsoft Bing and DuckDuckGo from crawling the platform and indexing its pages. As a result, recent Reddit posts would no longer show up in Bing or DuckDuckGo search results.

One search engine that is still providing Reddit posts in its search results is Google. That's thanks to a $60 million deal Google and Reddit agreed to that allows the search giant to train its AI models on Reddit's data.

Along with Google, Reddit has also signed a deal with OpenAI, which will now be able to include Reddit posts in the search results for its new SearchGPT search product.

Huffman specifically cited Microsoft and AI companies Anthropic and Perplexity as examples of those that they are currently blocking for not negotiating on how they can use Reddit's data. 

The Reddit CEO also noted that it was "a real pain in the ass to block these companies," but claimed that it was necessary especially in light of comments from Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman about publicly accessible data on the open web being equivalent to "freeware," and, thus, fair game for AI models to train on.

Reddit certainly has legitimate concerns regarding AI companies training their models on data without providing compensation to the platforms they're scraping and crawling. However, the side effect of Reddit content disappearing from search engines is also unfortunate and doesn't bode well for the future of the internet.

It seems, however, that these are the consequences of search engine companies now becoming AI companies too.

Mashable has reached out to Reddit for confirmation and comment, and will update if we hear back.

My cat cannot be quiet for a single second. If we were in A Quiet Place, we'd be dead immediately — and that's the conclusion much of TikTok has come to as we all try the Quiet Place Challenge.

The biggest star in The Quiet Place: Day One is Frodo, a feline played by real cats Nico and Schnitzel. Sam, the main character of the film, is Frodo's owner (good name combo). If you're unfamiliar with the plot of the Quiet Place franchise, it's easy to grasp: If Death Angels hear you, they'll kill you, so you have to stay silent.

SEE ALSO: Stephen King shares his 2 line review of 'A Quiet Place: Day One'

A Quiet Place: Day One follows Sam, played by Lupita Nyong'o, on the day the Death Angels arrive on Earth. Frodo runs off toward the subway and connects Sam with Eric, who escapes the flooded subway. The course of the movie follows Sam, Eric, and Frodo as they silently run, jump, and swim to escape the Death Angels. The cat is remarkably quiet the entire time.

So the internet asked, in the form of a challenge on TikTok: Could my cat be quiet enough not to get us totally killed in A Quiet Place? The answer is mostly no.

Would you like AI with your meal? Because the next time you go to a Taco Bell drive-thru you might be ordering your Crunchwrap Supreme through a voice-activated chatbot.

On Wednesday, Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell announced that it is expanding its Voice AI technology to hundreds of drive-thru locations in the U.S., with the intention of an eventual global rollout. Previously, the Mexican-inspired fast food chain piloted the AI ordering system in 13 states, and now Taco Bell has deemed it ready for primetime. "With over two years of fine tuning and testing the drive-thru Voice AI technology, we’re confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction," said Lawrence Kim, Chief Innovation Officer at Yum! Brands in Taco Bell's announcement.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best Taco Bell menu items, ranked

In the generative AI era, businesses are clambering to AI-ify their products. But how customers feel about automated systems is still very much up for debate. Generative AI has proven to be lucrative for some things, but not everything. Just this week, Meta axed its celebrity AI personas after low engagement, and Google's AI search summaries got the wrong kind of attention for recommending users do things like put glue on their pizza. Customer service and sales have used automated systems for years, but talking to AI at the drive-thru is fairly new territory.

The Taco Bell chatbot builds on the restaurant's existing digital ordering kiosk. Now instead of giving your order to a Taco Bell employee, you'll talk to a bot which relays the information on the screen. Taco Bell said it designed Voice AI to take some of the back-of-house work off of staffers' plates. "Benefits include easing task load for team members, improving order accuracy, providing a consistent, friendly experience, and reducing wait times, while driving profitable growth for Taco Bell, Yum! Brands and their franchisees," said the announcement. Taco Bell did not respond to Mashable about whether implementation of Voice AI is mandatory for all franchises at the time of publication.

The company also said it would "elevate the order experience for consumers." But interacting with chatbots doesn't always go smoothly. McDonald's learned that the hard way when it attempted a similar AI-ordering experience. The Golden Arches scrapped its plan in June after numerous failures that quickly went viral on TikTok. In one instance, the McDonald's chatbot mistakenly added 28 orders of Chicken McNuggets.

Wendy's has also jumped on the AI-ordering bandwagon. Although it's been possible to order your Frosty from a chatbot for over a year, many customers are begging Wendy's to make it stop.

Reddit

Despite failures from its fast food rivals, Taco Bell is charging ahead. KFC, which is also owned by Yum! Brands is also testing Voice AI at five locations in Australia. So, like it or not, AI bots are very much on the menu.

The Silicon Valley chip maker also reported a net loss and declining revenue in the latest quarter.

While iPhone sales dropped 1 percent, consumer interest in Apple’s flagship product is expected to pick up later this year.

The e-commerce giant’s stock dipped about 5 percent in after-hours trading after lower-than-expected guidance.

Over the next year, parents whose children have Android phones and tablets will notice a new setting called "school time," Google announced Thursday.

The parental control allows caregivers to set limits on their child's device functionality while at school, or during other periods when they want to minimize distraction.

The setting is already available on Fitbit's recently introduced Ace LTE smartwatch for kids, and will be rolled out to Samsung Galaxy watches as well.

Mindy Brooks, general manager for kids and families at Google, said in the blog post announcement that the company heard from parents who wanted to minimize digital distractions for their child at school, but still wanted the ability to contact them in an emergency. Parents will have the option to allow calls or texts from specific contacts.

SEE ALSO: Google announces new tactics to curb explicit deepfakes

School time sets a child's device to a dedicated home screen, limiting its functionality. Parents can restrict access to specific apps during this time period by selecting them in Google's Family Link.

Educators, who've long complained that phone and device use disrupts their ability to teach and contributes to burnout, may also be interested in the setting.

Simone Biles did what she does best: She won. Biles, the undisputed G.O.A.T. in women's gymnastics, crushed her floor routine on Thursday to win the gold medal in the all-around competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And the arena — and the internet — promptly erupted in cheers.

It was a much closer competition than most would have predicted after Biles made a few mistakes in the uneven bars. Biles, however, was too strong overall in the other three events — vault, balance beam, and floor. It's the sixth Olympic gold medal of her career.

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It has been a triumphant Olympics for Biles. The win in the all-around follows the United States cruising to gold in the team event on Tuesday.

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Her last Olympics experience was difficult. She had to withdraw from much of the 2021 games in Tokyo while dealing with "the twisties," which is a dangerous phenomenon where gymnasts encounter a mental block doing their routines. The return to glory at the 2024 games marks a remarkable comeback. Since Biles also took home the gold at Rio 2016, the win on Thursday marked the first woman to win two all-around Olympic titles in decades, dating back to the '60s.

It was a huge day for Biles and confirmation of something we already knew: She's the best to ever do it.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 'Simone Biles Rising' is essential Paris 2024 viewing

There might be no lower point than dropping cash on a dating app. But dating is tough, men are lonely, and women are sick of men's antics. Swooping in to save the day are "exclusive" dating apps like Raya, which promises a user base of vetted, career-oriented (hot and rich) professionals — for a price. That price is $25 a month, and the unfortunate truth is Raya, "the celebrity dating app," is just like every other service one can find in the App Store. (Mashable has reached out to Raya for comment.)

I spent one month on Raya, after waiting 10 days to get approved before I could shell out for a membership. My mission? To see if the app was overrun with TikTok influencers. Spoiler: either they weren't there, or they were so niche that my mildly-online self couldn't spot them.

SEE ALSO: The best hookup apps for casual encounters of every kind

Instead, Raya's vibe felt so Tinder-esque, so reminiscent of other swipe-based apps that, I truly believe we as a society have hit critical mass dating app singularity.

What is Raya — and can an average person use it?

Raya, known as the "celebrity dating app," is marketed as an exclusive, members-only platform for the elite and ultra-connected. Imagine Tinder but with a velvet rope. Supposedly, getting in requires more than just a catchy bio; you need referrals, approval through a vetting process, and a solid Instagram game. Once you're in, expect a feed of curated, career-focused hotties — think models, actors, musicians, and entrepreneurs. At $25 a month (or $50 for premium), it's a splurge that promises glam and privacy, as the app is very uptight about discretion. Raya has strict rules against sharing information or taking screenshots of user profiles.

Part of Raya's allure to average people like me is the potential celebrity encounters. Case in point: The internet lit up in 2021 when TikTok user Nivine Nash shared a video claiming that Oscar-winning filmmaker and actor Ben Affleck had previously matched with her on Raya. After unmatching, she received a video message from Affleck himself, asking, "Why did you unmatch me? It's me."

The story quickly went viral, shedding light on the fact that yes, even A-listers are swiping away on dating apps. In fact, several celebs have been outed for their (alleged) time on Raya including Owen Wilson, Chris Rock, Zach Braff, Elijah Wood, Sharon Stone, Cara Delevingne, and John Cusack.

According to a 2018 New York Times article, only eight percent of Raya applicants are accepted, making it supposedly harder to get into than Harvard Business School. That statistic was published six years ago, though, and Raya's exclusivity is a bit overhyped in my experience. Despite its reputation as the "[members' only club] Soho House of dating apps," the reality is far less glamorous than what those quoted influencers and testimonials make it out to be.

The Raya experience

So, here's how I got onto the app: I started with a simple, straightforward application. Raya asked for my name, date of birth, location, industry, occupation, and Instagram username. My Instagram? Locked, with a humble following of about 150. No big-shot referrals in sight. And it only took 10 days to get the coveted acceptance email — which surprised me, considering some say they've been on the waitlist for years. There's a whole subreddit dedicated to getting a referral for the app. Ludicrous stuff.

Reddit Reddit

Despite my modest social media presence, I made it through Raya's reportedly rigorous vetting process. According to that New York Times article, applications are allegedly reviewed by a committee of 500 people scrutinizing each Raya hopeful. Again, that was the status quo six years ago, but it's a process that promises exclusivity and high standards. As my experience reveals, though, the reality might not be as glamorous as the hype.

After getting the coveted approval, I curated my best photos, carefully selected a backing song that screamed "me," and eagerly logged in. And who was at the top of my queue? Not a celebrity, but a local nurse. Huh. So, the swiping began: blonde, blonde, blonde, blonde, blonde — seriously, where are the Black women on this app? — blonde, brunette, blonde. Raya founder and CEO Daniel Gendelman tried to assure the Times that the community was diverse, more focused on being interesting than an Instagram model aesthetic. My impulse was to screen-record this experience, but the app immediately flashed a warning. Not wanting to waste my $25 in one go, I decided to play it safe and moved on.

Swipe left, swipe right — it's the same drill as all the other apps. Swipe right too much, and you'll run out of likes (unless you're willing to pay for more). Swipe left too much, and Raya will cut you off for a while. That's their way of saying, "Stop being so picky."

Instead of a parade of celebrities, my time on Raya was a mix of consultants, aspiring actors, medical professionals, recruiters, and even students for some reason. Every profile is linked to Instagram, and I saw plenty of locked accounts with low follower counts, just like mine. Yeah, there were some people of high stature here, but everyone else is here too — so what's the point?

Here's the catch: if you're not in New York City or Los Angeles — which I'm not — good luck finding the celebs you're hoping for. And since Raya is ostensibly a global social networking platform, you can't filter by location. You also can't set your height, which isn't a big deal for me since I'm already short, but for some, it'd be nice to know.

SEE ALSO: Predictions for sex in the future that some will love — and some will hate Should you use Raya?

To be completely honest, one of the few things I actually liked about Raya is its vetted user base. Unlike the free-for-all chaos of Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, where catfishing is possible, Raya's users are the real deal.

Another plus? In this age of TikTok and oversharing, where everyone's spilling every detail of their lives for content, Raya offers a breath of privacy. Nobody wants their dating app chats or minor dating annoyances broadcast to millions. Raya's no-screenshot policy is a godsend in this regard. Sure, it doesn't stop someone from forcing an actor to admit he's back in the dating game post-divorce, but it does keep most personal business under wraps.

Is this level of privacy and vetting worth $25 a month? Probably not. But good vibes and venture capital can only carry an app so far — you need revenue. Influencers might market the app as the "Soho House of dating apps," but the actual experience? It's more like an expensive Tinder with a better PR team.

After less than a year, Meta AI's celebrity avatars are no more.

According the The Information, Meta has disabled the AI characters modeled after the likenesses of Kendall Jenner, Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady.

Meta confirmed this to Mashable saying "you can no longer interact with AI characters embodied by celebrities." The company didn't give any reasoning, but the feature failed to gain much traction amongst users. "We took a lot of learnings from building them and Meta AI to understand how people can use AIs to connect and create in unique ways," added the Meta spokesperson.

Snoop Dogg's AI persona who played a Dungeon Master that users could play Dungeons and Dragons with only had 15,000 followers compared to Snoop Dogg's actual Instagram account that has 88.4 million followers. Jenner's AI persona as "your ride-or-die older sister" had slightly more success with 179,000 followers. But that pales in comparison to Jenner's actual following of 292 million.

SEE ALSO: Meta AI’s new ‘Imagine Me’ tool will let you generate AI images of yourself

The story of Meta's doomed AI personas highlights the growing challenge of shipping consumer-facing generative AI features that people actually want to use. While chatbots like ChatGPT have been undeniably successful, other tools have struggled to bring meaningful value or engagement to users. Many consider the addition of the Meta AI searchbar in Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger an annoying hindrance to the previous search interface — especially since it can't be turned off. And Google's AI-generated search summaries had a rocky start, that ranged from aggravating imposition to downright inaccurate.

Meta reportedly paid its high-profile celebrities up to 5 million dollars for their likenesses over a two-year contract. But the confusing premise, announced at last September's Meta Connect, may have inhibited any meaningful engagement. Meta declined to comment to Mashable about the monetary aspects of this program.

Tweet may have been deleted

The AI personas had the celebrities' profile photos and their personality, but weren't actually AI replicas of the celebrities. The Padma Lakshmi persona, for example, inexplicably played a "travel expert" named Lorena. Links to these AI personas on Instagram now say the page is unavailable.

Instead of going forward with AI personas, Meta is trying other approaches to integrating generative AI into its platforms. On Tuesday, the company announced AI Studio, which lets users create AI replicas of themselves, much like the existing platform Character.ai. The idea is for creators, or any user for that matter, to clone versions of themselves online and interact with other accounts (with a disclaimer saying it's AI). Meta has also deployed AI tools for advertisers to create images and copy for ads.

So, we're saying goodbye to Billie (Kendall Jenner), Bru (Tom Brady), and Lorena (Padma Lakshmi), but Meta's efforts to foist AI on the masses isn't going away.

A new leak may have given us a clear view of the colors that will be available for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.

Leaker Sonny Dickson shared a photo on X (formerly Twitter) purporting to show three iPhone 16 Pro models lined up horizontally — each a different color. One is white, another is black, and the final one is a neutral grey color. In fact, they look very similar to three of the four colors that were available for the iPhone 15 Pro models last year. The only one missing is Blue Titanium.

SEE ALSO: 4 apps all students should have on their iPhones Tweet may have been deleted

It's unclear whether these are the only colors we should expect from the 16 Pro — or if there will be at least one more to match the four color options that debuted last year. That would seem to be the case if you follow the leaks, as one that came out of China this week claimed there would be a bronze-like color for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. There were also rumblings of a new "Rose" color, but again, it's not present in the photo.

This may come as a disappointment to people who want the benefits of an iPhone 16 Pro, but also like vibrant colors. The base iPhone 16 will reportedly come in five colors, including blue and pink. Apple will confirm or deny all of this at some point in September.

SAVE 30% + GET A FREE $75 BEST BUY GIFT CARD: The Ooni Frya 12 portable pizza oven is just $249 at Best Buy, discounted from the normal price of $349. That's a savings of $100 and the deal comes with a free $75 Best Buy gift card.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ooni Ooni Frya 12 portable pizza oven $249.00 at Best Buy
$349.00 Save $100.00 get a free $75 Best Buy gift card with purchase Get Deal

The summer season might be winding down, but that doesn't mean the backyard gatherings need to end. In some locations, outdoor get togethers in the fall are actually way more comfortable than those that happen during the summer heat. If you're planning to continue the outdoor party into the fall or you love wood-fired pizza, Best Buy has a pretty special deal in store today.

As of Aug. 1, the Ooni Frya 12 portable outdoor pizza oven is on sale for $249, marked down from the usual price of $349 which makes for a savings of $100. In addition to saving 30% on the pizza oven, Best Buy is tossing in a free $75 Best Buy gift card.

Weighing just 22 pounds, the Ooni Frya 12 portable outdoor pizza oven will make you the most popular person to invite over for a party. Its portable design and weight mean you can make wood-fired pizza in just 60 seconds. It's powered by hardwood pellets and can reach up to 950 degrees F in just 15 minutes. After that, a 12-inch stone-baked pizza can be all yours is just 60 second (plus cooldown time so you don't burn your mouth!).

SEE ALSO: Solo Stove review: Nearly smokeless, if you know what you're doing

In terms of convenience, the Ooni Frya 12 uses a gravity-fed hopper for delivering the hardwood pellet fuel into the oven. It's made of a powder-coated carbon steel shell for ideal heat retention.

Mashable's review of the Ooni Frya 12 gave it high praise, once you've overcome the learning curve. Mashable culture reporter Tim Marcin wrote, "It produced restaurant-quality wood-fired pizza at home. You could taste the sweet smoke. And the super high heat gave you that pleasant char, bubbly crust, and impossibly fast cook time. There is no way, that I know of, to replicate this with an oven or stove."

If you're a pizza fanatic or just enjoy cooking great meals outside, the Ooni Frya 12 could be perfect. Thanks to today's deal at Best Buy, the oven is 30% off and it comes with a free $75 Best Buy gift card. If you've considered becoming the neighborhood favorite by owning an outdoor pizza oven, today's deal is your sign that it's meant to be.

SAVE UP TO $25: The Amazon Echo Dot and Pop are down to some of their lowest prices ever at Best Buy. The Echo Dot is $24.99, saving you $25 for 50% off, while the Echo Pop is $17.99, saving you $22 for 55% off.

Best Echo Device deals at Best Buy Best Echo Pop deal Amazon Echo Pop $17.99 at Best Buy (Save $22) Get Deal Best Echo Dot deal Amazon Echo Dot $24.99 at Best Buy (Save $25) Get Deal

Prime Day 2024 has come and gone, and in its wake we're totally exhausted, thinking we've seen all the best deals to find. The deals on Amazon have certainly dried up, but that's leaving more room for other retailers to get their time in the sun. Best Buy did not waste any time — just two weeks after Prime Day, they've launched major savings on Amazon Echo devices.

The Echo Dot and Echo Pop lead Amazon's line-up of smart hub speakers. You can play music, create daily routines, and even connect your other smart home devices. Having tested them side-by-side, we can say that the devices are more alike than they are different.

The Echo Dot is a full-size home assistant. In addition to playing music by voice command, it's able to adjust your smart thermostat or lightbulbs. Meanwhile, the Echo Pop is a downsized version, both in size, price, and ability. This pint-size speaker is best for smaller spaces, as the speaker won't fill a full room. It doesn't have the same smart home capabilities as the Dot, but works just fine if you want to play music at your desk or set a timer.

At Best Buy, you can find both devices marked down up to 55%. The Echo Pop is back down to its Prime Day price of $17.99, saving you $22 for 55% off. The more advanced Echo Dot is just $7 more for $24.99. This is just $2 higher than its lowest price ever. That gives you 50% off for $25 in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo Pop $17.99 at Best Buy
$39.99 Save $22.00 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo Dot $24.99 at Best Buy
$49.99 Save $25.00 Get Deal

SAVE 49%: As of August 1, get the Beats Studio Pro for just $179.95 at Amazon. That's a savings of $170.04 and close to the headphones' Prime Day 2024 price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Beats Studio Pro $179.95 at Amazon
$349.99 Save $170.04 Get Deal

Summer's a great time for kicking back and listening to your favorite songs and podcasts. It's also the perfect time for chatting with friends while out and about. If you need a new pair of on-ear headphones to do that with, Beats offers a fantastic line of options to choose from. And right now, you can save on a particularly great pair at Amazon as they've been reduced nearly all the way back down to their Prime Day 2024 price.

As of August 1, you can get the Beats Studio Pro noise-cancelling headphones for $179.95, down from their original price of $349.99. That's a 49% discount and a savings of $170.04. This is within just $10 of the headphones' Prime Day price, so you're getting a great discount on the off chance you missed out during the sales event last month.

These plush headphones offer excellent noise cancellation and are quite comfortable to wear for long stretches of time. While they're great for enjoying all types of music, they're also excellent for chatting on the phone if you need to take a call. You'll be heard with surprising clarity even if you're in the middle of a busy environment – which can sometimes happen even if we try our best to avoid it. Further, these headphones boast a 40-hour battery life so they're good to go as long as you are.

If you want a premium pair of over-the-ear headphones and don't want to shell out too much cash, these make an especially good option, since they're on sale for their next-to-Prime Day price. Be sure and get yours before they're out of stock.