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The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have an open mind.

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

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

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

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

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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 Pips hints, answers for September 19, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Broaden your horizon

• Green: Children's art

• Blue: UK trends

• Purple: Calculator buttons

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Widen one's scope

• Green: Features of a kid's drawing

• Blue: Associated with swinging in London in the 1960s

• Purple: Starting with abbreviated math functions

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 #1195 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Widen one's scope: BRANCH OUT, DIVERSIFY, EXPAND, GROW

• Features of a kid's drawing: HOUSE, STICK FIGURE, SUN, TREE

• Associated with swinging in London in the 1960s: CARNABY STREET, MINISKIRT, MOD, TWIGGY

• Starting with abbreviated math functions: COS LETTUCE, LOG CABIN, SIN CITY, TAN LINE

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you're a Johnny Depp fan.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 19, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Shiver me timbers!

The words are related to sea dwellers.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe bucaneers.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Talk Like a Pirate.

NYT Strands word list for September 19

• Avast

• Yohoho

• Savvy

• Hearties

• Matey

• Like a Pirate

• Arrr

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 19, 2026 House meaning

A home or dwelling.

Stick figure meaning

A simplistic drawing of a human.

Sun meaning

The star at the center of the solar system.

Tree meaning

A large, tall plant made of bark and leaves.

Branch out meaning

To try or discover something new.

Diversify meaning

To add variety.

Expand meaning

To grow.

Grow meaning

To get bigger or taller.

Cos lettuce meaning

A leafy green vegetable.

Log cabin meaning

A small house made of stacked tree trunks.

Sin City meaning

A nickname for Las Vegas.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Tan line meaning

A visible mark on the skin that shows a dark tone after time in the sun.

Carnaby Street meaning

A popular shopping street in Soho London.

Miniskirt meaning

A very short skirt that sits well above the knee.

Mod meaning

A 1960s British youth subculture.

Twiggy meaning

A British icon who became known as the world's first supermodel in the 1960s.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a light sleeper.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 19, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 19, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Describing a weather condition.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

To stop sleeping.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

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...

WAKEN

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.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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.

We're only midway through September, but as the final days of summer count down, Netflix is just getting ramped up. I cannot wait for the arrival of Party Down on September 22—it's the best comedy show you've never seen; it stars the brilliant Ken Marino, a pre-Severance Adam Scott, and other faces you'll recognize.

The first game with official DLSS 5 support, NBA 2K27, came out recently, and modders quickly took the DLSS 5 DLL file from the game and made it available to gamers around the world who own a newer NVIDIA GPU, allowing them to use DLSS 5 in a bunch of PC games with tools such as OptiScaler and DLSS 5 Swapper. While only the RTX 50 series is officially supported, at least for now, the two aforementioned utilities allow you to use DLSS 5 on older NVIDIA graphics cards as well.

TL;DR: LELO just released its first advent calendar, and it's (unsurprisingly) luxe AF. Get 12 days' worth of goodies for just $399.

Opens in a new window Credit: LELO LELO Couples Calendar $399 at LELO
  Shop Now

I love advent calendars, especially when there are vibrators involved. (I mean, who wouldn't?) Sure, they can be hit or miss, but if you know where to shop and when, you can get a great deal on premium items that would've cost you way more any other time of year.

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

Case in point: LELO just launched its first Couples Calendar. Instead of padding the boxes with cheap filler or tiny sample sizes, this set includes full-size devices and fun treats like handcuffs and a massage candle.

What's inside the LELO Couples Calendar?

If you don't want to know what's in the calendar, avert your eyes. But for $399, I think it's only fair to tell you exactly what you're getting.

• TOR 3 pleasure ring — $169 value

• LELO SURFER 2 vibrating butt plug — $119 value

• MIA 3 personal massager — $109 value

• LELO Personal Moisturizer (75ml) — $34.90 value

• SONA 2 Travel sonic clitoral massager — $99 value

• Flickering Touch Massage Candle (Vanilla & Crème De Cacao) — $34.90 value

• LELO Pleasure Enhancing Serum — $29.90 value

• LELO Toy Cleaning Spray — $18.90 value

• Handcuffs

• Blindfold

As you can see from the list above, this is a damn good deal. The toys alone retail for over $500. You can either stretch this into a 12-day countdown with your partner (or yourself!) or turn it into one very memorable night. Either way, getting full-sized, $100+ sex toys for $399 is a win — especially when luxury brands like Dior are out here charging $3,500 for a box that literally gives you a candle lid (yes, just the lid) on day six.

TL;DR: Stop the constant PDF struggle with this lifetime subscription to PDNob Pro PDF Editor, on sale now for $34.97 (reg. $349.95) for two more days through Sept. 20 with code 15OFF.

Opens in a new window Credit: PDNob PDNob Pro PDF Editor: Lifetime Subscription $34.97
$349.95 Save $314.98   Get Deal

We’ve all been there — you open a PDF to make one quick change, only to realize it’s totally locked and you need a special app to get anything done. If you’re tired of juggling different tools to edit, convert, sign, or tackle other PDF-centric tasks, it’s time to get PDNob Pro.

Right now, you have two more days to lock in a lifetime subscription to PDNob Pro PDF Editor for just $34.97 with code 15OFF.

You can’t avoid PDFs, so it’s time to make peace with them once and for all, thanks to PDNob Pro PDF Editor. This powerful tool utilizes AI to make the PDF process a whole lot easier — whether you’re editing, converting to another format, signing a document, or handling another PDF-related chore.

Let PDNob Pro PDF Editor make PDF editing as easy as drafting a document with Word. You can change the text, tweak the layout, insert headers, footers, or page numbers, and even crop, rotate, replace, or delete images.

Need to convert a PDF? Turn it into a Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT, BMP, TIFF, or image format in just a few clicks — or create a PDF from an Office file, image, screenshot, TXT, or scan. Your document’s original formatting will be preserved.

Aside from editing and converting, PDNob Pro PDF Editor goes even further by summarizing long documents, providing speedy translation, or rewriting content for you. You can also ask questions about reports, manuals, research papers, or contracts.

Your lifetime subscription includes 20GB of lifetime cloud storage. It can be used on up to two devices at a time, and includes free updates as they are rolled out.

Snag a lifetime subscription to PDNob Pro PDF Editor for just $34.97 with code 15OFF.

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TL;DR: Bring your PC up to date with Windows 11 Pro for $9.97 (reg. $199) through Sept. 27, with a cleaner design, smoother multitasking, and added security.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $9.97
$199 Save $189.03   Get Deal

There’s something satisfying about an upgrade that makes your everyday setup feel noticeably better without requiring a complete overhaul.

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to update your PC, Windows 11 Pro is currently available for $9.97 (reg. $199) through Sept. 27. It’s a limited-time price on a full Windows 11 Pro license, making now a particularly good time to make the switch.

This isn’t about chasing trends; it’s more about giving your computer the modern foundation it deserves. Windows 11 Pro brings a sleeker UI, better multitasking, and enhanced security — all in a one-time lifetime license.

Think of it as the difference between driving a reliable car and suddenly upgrading to one with a smarter dashboard, smoother handling, and built-in security features.

For professionals, creators, and power users, this upgrade also unlocks features like Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, BitLocker encryption, and seamless Azure AD integration — tools that make a real difference when you’re working across projects or managing sensitive data.

And yes, Windows 11 comes with Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant that can summarize pages, change settings, or even help you generate code on the fly. It’s like having a co-pilot (literally) inside your OS.

But you don’t need convincing — you already know a smart upgrade when you see one. Get Windows 11 Pro for just $9.97 (reg. $199) until Sept. 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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TL;DR: You can get the Kathy Ireland 4-Piece Heathered Jersey Knit Cotton Sheet Set for $39.99, marked down from $119.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kathy Ireland Home Kathy Ireland 4 Piece Heathered Jersey Knit Cotton Sheet Set $39.99
$119 Save $79.01   Get Deal

There’s a very specific kind of relief that comes from putting on a soft, broken-in T-shirt at the end of a long day, the kind that’s been through the wash enough times that it stopped feeling like clothing and started feeling like a small mercy. The Kathy Ireland 4-Piece Heathered Jersey Knit Cotton Sheet Set is trying to bottle that exact feeling and put it on your bed instead of your back, and for $39.99, it mostly succeeds.

Jersey knit is the same stretchy, cotton-blend fabric most T-shirts are made from, so the appeal isn’t complicated. It’s soft from night one instead of after a dozen washes, and it has a little give that regular woven cotton sheets don’t, which makes it feel less like you’re sleeping on fabric and more like you’re sleeping in something. That’s a small distinction until you’re actually lying in it, and then it’s the whole point.

The full sheet list:

• Deep-pocket fitted sheet (fits mattresses up to 16 inches), flat sheet, and two pillowcases

• Heathered jersey knit, a 60% cotton, 40% polyester blend for that broken-in T-shirt feel

• Hypoallergenic and wrinkle-free, so it comes out of the dryer ready to use

• Machine washable

• Available in full, queen, and king, across six heathered colorways: oatmeal, rose, light blue, olive, dark gray, and denim (selection varies by size)

The Kathy Ireland name has been on home goods for a long time now, with a focus on good design that shouldn’t come with a luxury markup. That philosophy shows up in these sheets; this isn’t a specialty linen brand chasing thread-count bragging rights, it’s a set built to be the sheets you don’t think twice about buying, washing, or replacing when it’s time.

Wrinkle-free and machine washable also mean less maintenance than a jersey knit set would require. There’s no ironing, no special detergent, no line-drying instructions to remember. Wash it, dry it, put it back on the bed, and it looks and feels the same way it did out of the package.

It’s an easy pick for a guest room that never gets attention, a dorm bed that’s overdue for an upgrade, or just your own bed if the sheets you’re currently using are older than you’d like to admit.

Get the Kathy Ireland 4-Piece Heathered Jersey Knit Cotton Sheet Set for $39.99, marked down 66% from the usual $119.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: As of Sept. 9, a 1-year BJ’s Club Card Membership with Easy Renewal is $15 (reg. $60), a $45 discount that unlocks warehouse pricing, gas savings, and app-based checkout year-round.

Opens in a new window Credit: BJ's Wholesale Club 1-Year BJ's Club Membership with BJ's Easy Renewal® $15
$60 Save $45   Get Deal

BJ’s Club Card Membership with Easy Renewal is down to $15, and the timing lines up well with the shopping stretch most households actually dread: holiday grocery runs, gift hauls, and months of stocking up all at once.

At $15 (reg. $60), the membership quickly adds value to your shopping and driving. Fill up at a BJ’s gas station or fill a cart at warehouse pricing. It’s a cost-conscious way to get ahead of the price bumps that tend to show up everywhere once the holidays get closer.

What the membership unlocks:

• Warehouse pricing on groceries, household essentials, electronics, and seasonal items

• Discounted gas at BJ’s fuel stations

• Stackable coupons: BJ’s accepts manufacturer coupons on top of its own, unlike some warehouse clubs

• ExpressPay in the BJ’s app for scan-and-go checkout, no register line required

• Curbside pickup, same-day delivery, and buy-online-pickup-in-club options

That coupon stacking is a real point of difference. If you’re used to a warehouse club that only accepts its own store coupons, being able to layer manufacturer coupons on top changes the math on many regular purchases.

BJ’s runs 244 clubs and 175 gas stations across the eastern U.S. and counts more than 7 million members, so it’s not a niche membership you’ll have trouble using near home.

It’s an easy yes for families feeding a lot of people, anyone who fills up often, and shoppers who already clip coupons and would rather stack them than choose between them. If your holiday list is long, a membership that pays for itself in one trip is hard to argue with.

Sign up for 1-year BJ’s Club Card Membership with Easy Renewal for $15 before the holiday rush makes every other line longer, too.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

From React Native to Kotlin Multiplatform, cross-platform frameworks are popular for their promise of “write once, run everywhere” software. Google’s Flutter is another such framework, with a few key differences.

Just when you thought all was quiet on the VR headset front, here comes the Steam Frame from Valve.

Steam Frame was initially announced by Valve, the parent company of the popular Steam gaming platform, in Nov. 2025. This was after years of rumors about the company developing a VR headset. Now, as of Sept. 18, the Steam Frame is finally available.

Here's what the reviews have to say about it.

First of all, I think the most notable thing to mention is what everyone seems to be talking about. The overall product is very well designed and makes playing VR games very easy to do. 

"The Steam Frame gets a whole lot right," said Jacob Ridley in PC Gamer's Steam Frame review. " It's comfortable and straightforward. Above all else, it's convenient."

"What used to slow me down with other headsets is mostly a thing of the past," Ridley explains. "I place the Steam Frame on my head and pick a game to play; VR has never been easier."

On top of that, while the Steam Frame is a VR headset, it also lets users play non-VR games on a large virtual screen. Users can play games in their Steam library using the Steam Frame. The headset acts as a big monitor.

"The Steam Frame is a fascinating VR headset," said IGN's Jacqueline Thomas. "In my time with it, I’ve spent almost an equal amount of time playing traditional non-VR games as I have VR games. In a lot of ways, it's become a replacement for my gaming monitor, one I can take around the house with me."

In Kotaku, Zack Zwiezen focused on how the Steam Frame excelled as a wireless PC gaming headset, saying it worked better than any other headset he had used for streaming games from his PC.

"I played everything using this setup and it worked without fail," Zwiezen writes. "It was so seamless and perfect that I quickly forgot I wasn’t connected to a cable. Being able to play a high-end VR game without any wires attached to me or any noticeable lag or streaming errors was revelatory, and it's easily Valve’s biggest win with the Steam Frame."

Chis Person of gaming outlet Aftermath went as far as to call the Steam Frame "one of the most exciting pieces of hardware I’ve seen in the space in years." Person went on to say that the VR headset "is doing massive amounts of hard work to unify several different use cases into a single open platform."

Seemingly every outlet that reviewed the device had glowing things to say about what they all essentially agreed was a Steam Deck with a VR / AR component. 

However, just as most outlets were united on the positives, they all seemed to have the same criticisms, too.

CNET's Scott Stein seemed to summarize the issues with the Steam Frame most succinctly, running through the device's battery life issues, buggy performance, and lack of game support at launch.

"Cook away, Valve. I’ll be curious to see what happens next," Stein said. "But right now, it’s something most people should wait on unless they want to go on an experimental journey too."

As for why they might wait, all of the reviewers seemed to agree that pricing and the gaming industry's current appetite for VR were good reasons to hold off.

The Steam Frame starts at $1,059 for the 256GB model and $1,299 for the 1TB version, making the economics of buying one a major issue, as gaming site Rock Paper Shotgun's James Archer pointed out.

On top of that, the gaming world seems to have come to an agreement that the push for VR didn't really pan out last time around and, as a result, VR game development has been lackluster.

"I have no idea who it's for in 2026," Kotaku put right in the headline of its review.

"It’s a strange time to be selling a new VR headset, and maybe an even stranger time to be buying one," Rock Paper Shotgun's Archer explained in the opening paragraph of his review, stating that the "supply of original virtual reality games has slowed to a dribble."

Devindra Hardawar of Engadget echoed the other reviewers' praise and criticism, but argued that the biggest issue for the Steam Frame is timing.

"While the Steam Frame is ultimately a solid standalone VR experience," Hardawar said. "It's hard to stomach its exorbitant price, as well as the fact that it's arriving far too late to inject much life into the declining state of VR."

Overall, it appears the Steam Frame is a great work-in-progress VR product that is being stymied by the fact that the broader virtual reality world just isn't the big thing right now.

Are you also dealing with a particular kind of Android frustration I know too well? You find out your phone can do something, get excited to try it, and then find the feature nowhere. You check Settings, Google it, follow the instructions step by step, and still come up empty-handed. No setting. No toggle. Nothing.

As concerns about AI's capabilities reach a critical mass, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is accelerating the state's plan to curb the development of the technology.

In a new executive order issued today (Sept. 18), Newsom calls for the creation of an expert-led panel tasked with "reinforcing and strengthening" the state's AI safety laws, including accelerating plans to enforce third-party safety evaluations and mandatory risk reporting.

SEE ALSO: Avian flu, drone swarms, and mass surveillance included in Anthropic's safety report

"The California governor’s executive order rightly prioritizes the development of better guidance regarding the definitions and requirements for AI safety regulations, particularly in regards to third party auditing," said Travis Hall, CDT's Director for State Engagement, in a statement to Mashable. "We call on the Governor to ensure that any working groups dedicated to these processes include a range of voices and expertise, including advocates for civil rights and liberties."

The order also directs the group to explore the possibility of an "emergency shut off" for frontier models, "otherwise known as an 'AI kill switch,'" Newsom said in a video posted to his X account, "which means a lot of things, depending on who you talk to."

What is an AI kill switch?

Newsom's correct. The idea of a universal off button to stop increasingly powerful AI agents from "going rogue" has been percolating in legislative conversations and online discourse for the last year. The term has become synonymous with a growing push for AI safety regulation, spearheaded in part by AI's own creators.

But what the kill switch would actually look like — specifically, the means through which it would halt AI en masse and who its chosen keeper would be — is still widely up for debate.

In July, two congressional representatives introduced the bipartisan AI Kill Switch Act, which would give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authority to slow down or halt an AI system deemed capable of causing "catastrophic harm." The bill would also require developers to institute mechanisms to "throttle, suspend, or fully shut down a covered AI system" — Newsom's order seeks to pass a similar mandate. 

While not required under U.S. law, most individual AI labs have their own means to halt rogue systems, governed by humans and the company's own safety structures and alignment teams.

Some proposals for the development of "kill switches" simply urge labs to have these processes evaluated by external safety auditors. Others seek to institute industry safety standards that would mandate emergency shut-offs, governed by the federal government. An increasingly vocal group of doomsdayers demands a sweeping fail-safe for all AI.

In an interview with Scientific American, Mark Nitzberg, executive director of the University of California, Berkeley, Center for Human-Compatible AI, called a universal AI kill switch "more of an aspiration than a reality.”

Computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, AKA the "Godfather of AI," told CNN he didn't think a kill switch would be an effective longterm solution for those who fear AI superintelligence.

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

At large, policy experts, including the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), have questioned the effectiveness of what they call "binary" safety regulations, or checklist style proposals that focus on specific technical details. AI companies can easily game such terms, and single mechanisms like kill switches quickly become outdated as the tech outpaces its makers, they say.

"We remain concerned that proposals for 'kill switches' will prove ineffective in reducing risk while introducing new security risks and serious potential for government abuse," said Travis Hall, CDT's Director for State Engagement, in a statement to Mashable.

Rather than a single technical solution, Hall explains that effective AI safety oversight needs to be "meaningful, independent, and ongoing," and expert panels should include a range of voices and expertise outside of technicians, including civil rights advocates.

Because developers would be taking a financial and reputational hit should they choose to pull the lever on an entire system, effective policies mandating kill switches would also need to incentivize companies to act. CDT urges the state to "consider a variety of mechanisms to increase the incentives to prioritize safety when developing, deploying, and using AI systems."

Why a kill switch is more complicated than you may think

For the kinds of AI systems that now build, run, and influence online spaces, an AI kill switch may not be the cure all they're made out to be, experts and AI leaders like Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark warn.

AI systems aren't contained to a single physical environment, for one, like a computer you can just turn off. Sometimes, shutting down a system's servers are enough. Sometimes it's not. Rogue AI agents may need to be "hunted down" on the open internet to pinpoint and then contain its operators, Michael Vermeer, a senior physical scientist at the RAND Corporation, suggested to Scientific American.

And even then, it may require a coordinated global response to isolate, stop, and then degrade the AI to a manageable point.

Beyond the technical consideration, kill switches stir up questions of authority: Who gets to make the call? Is it in the hands of the original developer? Is it an industry process? Should an agency like homeland security give the order?

AI is not a human to be reasoned with. The internet doesn't have doors to lock, nor does it innately understand political borders (or, anything, to be fair). The technology, often dangerously anthropomorphized, is ultimately directed and influenced by humans — and so is its demise.

Still, politicians and industry onlookers are urging technologists to consider the option. The calls have become more pressing as individuals warn of a potential "doomsday" scenario in which AI becomes sentient and maliciously determined to thwart the human race — never mind all of the ethical questions it has already stirred.

UPDATE: Sep. 18, 2026, 2:26 p.m. This story was updated with a comment from Travis Hall of the Center for Democracy and Technology.

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One of the best things you can do with your 3D printer is create items that improve spaces, tools, and pastimes. The best prints don’t just make life easier; they make it more comfortable too.

NASA’s newest space telescope has taken its first look at the stars. The view is blurry for now, but that is exactly what engineers expected.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope captured the test image while traveling to its operating position about a million miles from Earth, according to a Sept. 15 NASA blog post. NASA completed the telescope’s assembly back in Nov. 2025 and launched it on Aug. 30, 2026. Its camera’s detectors remain in their launch position, and the telescope’s optics have yet to be aligned. NASA will use the image as a starting point for bringing the stars into focus.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Tyler Desjardins (STScI)

The camera is Roman’s Wide Field Instrument, a 300-megapixel infrared imager built to photograph large areas of the sky in fine detail. Each image will cover an area larger than the full moon appears from Earth. That wide view will help scientists survey planets beyond our solar system, investigate dark energy, and map how matter is distributed across the universe.

SEE ALSO: NASA's incredible new telescope will offer an 'atlas of the universe'

Before it could take even this first image, the instrument had to be prepared for space. NASA gave its 18 infrared detectors 10 days to dry out, then cooled and activated them. Engineers also checked the camera’s calibration system, filters, and focus mechanism. NASA says the results show it is working as expected.

The team has begun checking Roman’s other major instrument, too. The Coronagraph is designed to block a star’s glare so scientists can detect the much fainter light reflected by planets orbiting it. Engineers have confirmed they can communicate with and control its components from Earth, though further preparation and testing remain.

Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn

Meanwhile, NASA has raised its estimate of how long Roman could operate. The telescope was designed for a five-year primary mission, with fuel budgeted for up to 10 years. Its first course correction used less than 10 percent of the fuel set aside for that maneuver. Factoring in that saving, extra fuel loaded before launch, and projected savings from maneuvers still ahead, NASA estimates Roman has enough propellant for at least 22 years of potential science operations. (That is a fuel-based projection, rather than a guaranteed mission length.)

Next, engineers will align and focus the telescope and activate a guidance system that lets it hold its view on a target. NASA expects Roman’s first science images by early 2027. For now, the out-of-focus stars provide the team with a starting point — and confirmation that its main camera can detect light in space.

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If you're not sure how you feel about the AI data center debate yet, seeing news like this may just convince you that those anti-data center folks have a point.

In the first study of its kind since the AI-driven data center discourse began, researchers in Oregon have released a new report detailing the size of the data center industry in the state. In doing so, the researchers have also uncovered just how much energy data centers use up in the state.

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According to the report, there are 111 operational data centers in the state of Oregon, which take up 22.1 million square feet of building space. Those data centers account for a whopping 23 percent of the state's entire retail energy sales in 2025.

The report also details that there are 32 additional data centers under construction or in the planning stages, which will take up an additional 6.9 million square feet.

The researchers behind the report believe that data center energy consumption in Oregon will rise to nearly 25 terawatt hours by 2030. That's around 31 to 32 percent of all electricity demand in the state and the same energy consumption as 2.5 million homes.

"Data center electricity demand is increasing substantially, and regional as well as state-level planning efforts…indicate that accommodating large-load growth will require new electricity resources, transmission capacity, and coordinated infrastructure planning," the report says.

The report also found that these data centers directly employ 2,630 workers.

This new report was released on Thursday by ECOnorthwest and the University of Virginia. It was funded by the entrepreneurship and environmentalist nonprofit Lemelson Foundation, which is based in Portland.