Blogroll

The best part about Netflix is that I can fit a good TV series into my weekend and watch it at my own pace. Whether that means powering through a tight eight episodes of an addictive thriller in a single night, or savoring them over a couple of days, I love how all the episodes are there to watch them however I please.

Many people find spreadsheets intimidating. The secret to overcoming this? Make it look not like a spreadsheet. Simply hiding the clutter, adding interactive menus, and using shapes makes your workbook feel like a high-end, standalone application that people actually want to use. Here's everything you need to make this happen.

PREORDER A TV, GET AN ART TV FREE: Through April 22, Hisense will give you a 55-inch Canvas art TV (a $599.99 value) when you preorder a new Hisense UR9 RGB TV between 65 and 85 inches ($3,499.99 through $5,999.99, respectively).

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense UR9 RGB Mini-LED 4K TV (65 through 85 inches) Preorder and get a free 55-inch Canvas TV Get Deal

We always see discounts on past-year TVs in the spring when the current year's flagship TVs finally hit shelves. (The proof was in the TV deals at Amazon Big Spring Sale.) But Hisense is putting a spin on the classic promo that won't make you choose between the old and new TVs: Hisense will give you a free 55-inch Canvas art TV when you preorder Hisense's new UR9 RGB TV.

The Hisense UR9 will officially start shipping on April 23. Customers who sign up to preorder theirs by April 22 will receive a redemption code for the free 55-inch Hisense Canvas. We'd call that a free $599.99 value — the 55-inch Hisense Canvas originally retails for $999.99, but it's on sale at Amazon for a record-low price of $599.99.

Just head to the Hisense website and submit your name and email, and the company will send you a unique promo code for a free CanvasTV when you purchase the Hisense UR9 RGB MiniLED TV from BestBuy.com, starting April 23. See the full terms and conditions here.

SEE ALSO: TCL QM6K mini LED review: An impressive TV between the super cheap and super expensive

How much does the Hisense UR9 cost? Here's a price breakdown by size:

• Hisense 65-inch UR9 — $3,499.99

• Hisense 75-inch UR9 — $4,999.99

• Hisense 85-inch UR9 — $5,999.99

• Hisense 100-inch UR9 — $8,999.99 (not available for the CanvasTV promo)

Those prices are definitely steep compared to other Hisense, TCL, and Samsung mini LED TVs on the market. But it's the new RGB technology that sets the UR9 apart from plain mini LED models. Compared to the only other mainstream RGB TV that has come out so far in 2026, Samsung's $29,999.99 115-inch Micro RGB TV, the Hisense UR9 feels quite practically priced.

LG and Sony announced RGB TVs at CES as well, though release dates and pricing for those are still up in the air. Still, Hisense is consistently one of the top TV brands because of its affordability. No one would be surprised if the UR9 remained one of the most budget-friendly RGB TVs of the year. (Only Hisense's own UR8 RGB TV might be cheaper.)

What is an RGB TV?

Your typical QLED or mini LED TV creates its color by filtering light from a white or blue backlight. An RGB TV skips the middleman, instead using a panel of thousands of microscopic red, green, and blue LEDs to generate color directly.

The technology is said to cover the full possible spectrum of visible colors while boosting brightness, contrast, and black levels, regardless of whether you're in a sunlit room or a dark room. Between the two TVs in this Hisense deal, the UR9 is the shoo-in for the home theater.

SEE ALSO: What to look for when buying a TV, as told through this easy TV specs guide

The CanvasTV would be a great choice for a room where you don't always want the TV to be the focal point. The Canvas TV's matte screen, teak-colored frame, and changeable digital art display turn it into makeshift wall art when it's not in use. Unlike the paid subscription required to access Samsung's art library, Hisense's art collection is free. There's a reason that the Canvas is the internet's favorite The Frame dupe.

We all have a finite amount of time on this Earth, and I cannot think of a single reason why you should spend any of yours on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. It's not that it's the worst film I've ever seen, or even seen this year. It's that, despite its title, it is only a movie in the flimsiest, most meager sense of the word. It's a moving picture that tells a story, albeit incoherently. But more than anything, it is a tedious commercial for all things Nintendo. 

Look, I'm not going to pretend I'm above such animated ads masquerading as entertainment. I grew up in the '80s, when a barrage of animated shows and movies were launched for the sole purpose of selling fluffy toys and poseable action figures to kids. We had Care Bears, He-Man, Pound Puppies, Popples, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, and a bunch more I can only vaguely remember as colorful, squiggly imitators. We also had the comical atrocities of the Bob Hoskins-fronted Super Mario Bros. movie and the inexplicable collision of live-action and animation that was The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Admittedly, I — and many of my generation — hold unflagging nostalgia for this consumer-driven drivel. But we can do better. Movies could sell us junk without being junk themselves. Instead, though, we get the uninspired 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie, which I described as "feel[ing] like one long commercial" in my review. I'd say there's even less reason for its smooth-brained sequel — except the last one made an obscene amount of money at the box office. 

So here we are. 

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie sees the rise of Bowser Jr. Kamek and Bowser Jr. in "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." Credit: Nintendo and Illumination

After running away from boarding school, Bowser's son Bowser Jr. has somehow amassed an army of minions and a ton of incredible tech to help him kidnap Princess Rosalina. Why? Because he wants to reunite with his father, Bowser, who has been imprisoned and shrunk by the Mario Bros., and build the villain fantasy world they used to share as a bedtime story. But hey, also, Rosalina is Peach's long-lost sister, though Peach doesn't remember Rosalina. So that sister-sister thread is about princess rescuing princess, while Mario and Luigi get into action-packed hijinks where they befriend Bowser briefly, only to have him get plucked by Bowser Jr. and revert back to his bad-guy habits. And somewhere in there, screenwriter Matthew Fogel sloppily loops in a lot of other Nintendo IP, like Yoshi, Fox McCloud from Star Fox, Ukiki, and more. 

Bouncing between separate threads that follow Princess Peach and Toad, Mario and Luigi, and Bowser Jr., this "movie" has the pacing of a pinball game, and the same depth of character. Familiar figures from Mario Bros. games and other Nintendo properties will pop up with their signature sayings, themes, or props. But I refuse to call these Easter eggs, because that filmic concept has been completely annihilated. Filmmakers used to hide these details, so viewers needed to have a keen eye on rewatches to catch them. But studios and their toy-making merch partners don't want you to miss a single moment of nostalgia if it might induce a purchase. So, these allusions only count as Easter eggs if your family's tradition meant decorating eggs haphazardly and then just tossing them into the middle of a room, where a white carpet makes sure any bit of color is sure to be spotted. 

Speaking of colors…

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an offensive eyesore.  Bowser Jr. and Bowser in "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." Credit: Nintendo and Illumination

I don't know what my eyes did to offend directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who also helmed the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie. But their revenge on my poor peepers is this movie and its onslaught of too much. 

Granted, I lament cinema's decades'-old trend of favoring green/gray color schemes that seem to regard vibrant color as an offense to good taste. But The Super Mario Galaxy Movie goes so hard in the other direction that the color palette is ocular violence. The most aggressive sequence happens in a casino, where every wall is another gaming floor. Horvath and Jelenic fill each frame with characters, props, and color on color on color. Greens and pinks and blue compete for focus as Peach gets into an argument with a surly frog man named Wart. And every frame feels overloaded like a child's sticker book. 

Perhaps this layering of sparkles and stuff is meant to excite children, to thrill young minds raised on screens, hungry for an endless fit of stimuli. But kids deserve better than this soulless parade of color and motion devoid of meaning. 

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is basically a kaleidoscope with a sales pitch. At least '80s cartoons pretended to be about something with their earnest PSA messaging. What are kids meant to learn from this movie? I can't think of a single thing. 

Chris Pratt leads a cast of shrugging voice actors.  Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) among the Ninjis in "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." Credit: Nintendo and Illumination

The slapdash New York accent Pratt offers in this movie suggests that he once watched the trailer for My Cousin Vinny. Anya Taylor-Joy meets that level, delivering a Peach that is cheerily one-note.

The verve Charlie Day and Jack Black brought to Luigi and Bowser was one of the few undeniable joys of the first film, which offered Black's bizarre but thrilling power ballad, "Peaches." Here, they once again commit, but there's no room for a showcase of their talents. Even the surprising enthusiasm indie filmmaker Benny Safdie brings as Bowser Jr. can't find footing in this chaotic spattering of plot and conflict. 

SEE ALSO: 10 times 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' made me want to scream, for better or for worse

The movie's promo tour assures fans that Brie Larson, Donald Glover, and Glen Powell pursued their roles as Rosalina, Yoshi, and Fox McCloud out of a pure love of the game. That may be true. But it's difficult to see how that makes any difference in a movie where every character that's not Mario is treated like a cameo. 

Now, I don't hate this movie. I hate what it so nakedly stands for. With the rise of the internet and streaming, movie theaters are in a grim battle to keep audiences interested. And despite seeing such heartening box-office successes for original movies like Sinners, Weapons, and KPop Demon Hunters, we're also being served horrendously unoriginal, ugly, and uninspired trash like this. It's not meant to challenge us or thrill us. Movies like this are meant to distract us briefly from the world on fire and then urge us to buy something. It's the worst part of TikTok and Saturday morning cartoons invading theaters masquerading as cinema. Like its predecessor, it may make tons of money, but that won't make it good.

Simply put, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie could have been a cut scene. 

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now in theaters. 

TL;DR: Live stream New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There are a number of really interesting NHL fixtures on the schedule for this weekend, including New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers. There's not much separating these sides in the standings, so this contest is difficult to predict. The Islanders probably have the edge at home, but anything could happen in this matchup at the UBS Arena.

If you want to watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers?

New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL starts at 7 p.m. ET on April 3. This fixture takes place at the UBS Arena.

How to watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers for free

New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, 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 Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now to live stream the NHL for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to 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 Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the NHL without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL (plus more NHL fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on 9Now, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

• 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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $78.18 and includes an extra four months for free — 78% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Get valuable time back with this lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan, on sale now for only $15.97 (reg. $169.99) through April 12.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription $15.97
$169.99 Save $154.02   Get Deal

How much time have you wasted sitting and sifting through ads on the internet? If you’d like to get some of that precious time back, it’s time to check out AdGuard. This innovative tool lets you browse the web as it was intended — ad-free — and right now, a lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan is just $15.97 through April 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Imagine spending time on your laptop, smartphone, or tablet without ever seeing an ad. That’s how life can be with AdGuard. This app’s advanced ad-blocking module eliminates all types of ads on your screens — from pop-ups to video ads.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

AdGuard isn’t just an ad blocker; it also boosts your online security. It hides your data and blocks trackers, and can also stop malware, phishing attempts, and cyberattacks.

If you want to share the love, this AdGuard Family Plan protects up to nine devices. It’s compatible with Android and iOS devices, so you can safeguard multiple smartphones, tablets, and computers under one roof.

Parents can take advantage of parental control features that help keep little ones safe. AdGuard can be another set of eyes, restricting access to inappropriate or adult content on little ones’ devices.

This lifetime subscription ensures you pay once and get AdGuard forever on nine devices. You’ll also get access to future updates and new features.

Secure your own lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan for only $15.97 (reg. $169.99) through April 12.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Give an old PC a serious upgrade with this Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows Lifetime License and Windows 11 Pro Bundle on sale now for just $44.97 (reg. $418.99) through April 12.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle $44.97
$418.99 Save $374.02   Get Deal

Want to keep hundreds of dollars in your pocket? If you’ve been in the market for a new computer, don’t give up on your old one just yet. This Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows Lifetime License and Windows 11 Pro Bundle provides an excellent refresh, and right now it’s on sale for just $44.97 (reg. $418.99) until April 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro Bundle gives your PC a total makeover for just $45. You’ll have a brand new operating system and a fresh set of tools to work with, so your old computer will feel like new.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

First up in this bundle? A Microsoft Office Professional 2021 license that equips your PC with eight helpful apps. Enjoy Microsoft Office classics like Word to help you create documents, Excel to build spreadsheets, PowerPoint to craft presentations, and Outlook to manage your emails.

This license includes newer Microsoft favorites like Teams to help you stay connected with others, OneNote to upgrade your note-taking, Publisher to create professional documents, and Access to manage large databases. And you’ll have lifetime access to all eight, so there are no monthly subscriptions involved.

Once you’ve got your apps downloaded, you can take your fresh operating system for a spin. This bundle includes Windows 11 Pro, an OS made with the modern professional in mind. It offers snap layouts, improved voice typing, a more powerful search experience, a seamless interface, and more. It also elevates your cybersecurity, with biometric login, encrypted authentication, and advanced antivirus defenses.

Get this Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows Lifetime License and Windows 11 Pro Bundle for only $44.97 (reg. $418.99) through April 12.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Academy Award-winning writer-director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman, Saltburn) joined forces with two of Hollywood's favorites for her third feature film: Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. And you'd think that combination would thrill audiences, but instead, it led to a ton of outrage. Why? Because that third feature film is a reimagining of Emily Brontë’s beloved 1847 gothic romance tale Wuthering Heights.

The best ways to watch 'Wuthering Heights' at home: Watch now Buy or rent on Prime Video $24.99 or $19.99 Shop Now Watch now Buy or rent on Apple TV $24.99 or $19.99 Shop Now Watch later HBO Max (With Ads) $109.99/year (save $21.89) Get Deal Watch later Max Standard $184.99/year (save $36.89) Get Deal Watch later HBO Max Student $5.49 per month for 12 months (save 50%) Get Deal Watch later HBO Max Basic With Ads Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month unlimited plan (save $10.99/month) Get Deal Watch later Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max $19.99 per month (with ads), $32.99 per month (no ads) (save up to 42%) Get Deal

Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Elordi as Heathcliff, the star-crossed lovers at the heart of the classic drama, raised casting concerns from fans. Many folks thought the Barbie star was too old to play Catherine and that Elordi wasn't racially ambiguous enough to play Heathcliff. Still, fans flocked to the theaters to see the over-the-top romance anyway.

Fennell herself put intentional quotation marks around the title, as her modern adaptation of the period drama is radically different than the original. If you missed it in theaters or want to watch it again, here's everything you need to know to catch Wuthering Heights from your couch.

What is Wuthering Heights about?

The bones of the 2026 adaptation of Wuthering Heights are essentially the same as Brontë's classic: Catherine is a motherless rich girl being raised by an alcoholic father and Heathcliff is a poor kid adopted to be raised alongside her. They run wild in the moors of West Yorkshire, England and develop a deep connection. They grow into hot adults (Robbie and Elordi) and their preternatural connection becomes an all-consuming romance. But Catherine longs for luxury and there's no future with Heathcliff, so she agrees to marry the wealthy neighbor Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif). Heathcliff, feeling betrayed, runs away, only to return five years later a wealthy man himself.

Check out the official trailer for a glimpse at Wuthering Heights:

Is Wuthering Heights worth watching?

Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights has truly divided (and outraged) the internet. To put it simply, this is not the adaptation of Brontë’s Victorian classic fans were expecting.

The movie currently holds a 57 percent critic rating and 76 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which feels like a pretty accurate representation. Mashable's own lead film critic Kristy Puchko was largely unenthused by the adaptation. "Instead of a cohesive re-imagining or even a titillating romance, Wuthering Heights feels like a passionate but incoherent collage of teenage lust and rebellion, the kind better suited to a high school locker than a movie theater," she writes in her review.

Whether it's worth a watch is highly debatable, but one should certainly adjust their expectations before going in.

Check out Mashable's full review of Wuthering Heights.

How to watch Wuthering Heights at home Credit: Warner Bros.

As of April 1, there are a couple of ways you can watch Wuthering Heights at home: buy it or rent it at digital-on-demand retailers. We're still waiting for details on its streaming debut. We've broken down the details below.

Buy or rent on digital

Wuthering Heights"made its at-home debut at digital-on-demand retailers on March 31, 2026. You can purchase the film for your digital library for $24.99 or rent it for $5 less. If you choose to rent, you'll get access for 30 days, but just 48 hours once you start watching.

Quick links to buy/rent Wuthering Heights on digital:

• Apple TV — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Fandango at Home — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Prime Video — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• YouTube — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

Stream it on HBO Max (at a later date)

While we haven't got word on a specific streaming release date yet for Wuthering Heights, we do know that it will make its debut on HBO Max.

Warner Bros. Pictures theatrical releases exclusively stream on HBO Max before anywhere else. If Emerald Fennell’s reimagining of the Brontë classic follows a similar theater-to-streaming trajectory as other recently released Warner Bros. movies — like One Battle After Another, Weapons, and The Conjuring: Last Rites — we estimate that it will hit HBO Max sometime in May 2026.

HBO Max subscriptions start at $10.99 per month, but there are some ways to save some money on your plan. Check out the best HBO Max streaming deals below.

SEE ALSO: HBO Max and Paramount+ are combining into one streaming service The best HBO Max streaming dealsBest for most people: Save 16% on HBO Max annual subscriptions Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Basic with ads annual subscription $109.99 per year (save $21.89) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Standard annual subscription $184.99 per year (save $36.89) Get Deal

The best way to save on HBO Max on any given day is to sign up for the annual plan over the monthly plan. The HBO Max Basic plan with ads typically costs $10.99 per month, but if you pay for an entire year upfront, that price drops down to just $9.17. You'll pay $109.99 total for the year, which saves you about 16% compared to paying each month.

Don't want to deal with ads? The annual HBO Max Standard or Premium plans will also save you about 16% over their monthly equivalents. The Standard tier costs either $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year (about $15.42 per month), while the Premium tier costs either $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year (about $19.17 per month). Both tiers unlock ad-free viewing, but the Premium tier also adds 4K Ultra HD video quality, Dolby Atmos immersive audio, and the ability to download more offline content.

Get HBO Max for free: Switch to Cricket's Supreme Unlimited plan Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max / Cricket HBO Max (with ads) Free for Cricket customers on the Supreme Unlimited plan Get Deal

There's a big incentive to switching your phone plan to Cricket's $60 per month Supreme Unlimited plan: free HBO Max. When you open up the HBO Max app or website, you'll just select Cricket as your provider and use your credentials to log in.

Best HBO Max deal for students: Save 50% on HBO Max Basic with ads Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Student $5.49 per month for 12 months Get Deal

College students can watch Wuthering Heights when it hits streaming with an entire year of HBO Max with ads for half price. Use UNiDAYS to prove your student status and retrieve a unique discount code that drops the price from $10.99 to just $5.49 per month. After 12 months, the price will jump back up to the full $10.99 monthly fee unless you cancel.

Best bundle deal: Get HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu for up to 42% off Opens in a new window Credit: Disney / Hulu / HBO Max Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max $19.99 per month (with ads), $32.99 per month (no ads) Get Deal

You'll get the most bang for your buck if you opt for the Disney+ bundle deal that includes Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max for just $19.99 per month with ads. That lineup of streamers would cost you $34.97 per month if you paid separately for each, so you'll save about $15 monthly. If you prefer to go ad-free, the bundle will run you $32.99 per month as opposed to $56.47. That's up to 42% in savings for unlimited access to all three streaming libraries.

There's a moment, familiar to anyone who has spent time in basketball corners of the internet, where someone drops a name into the chat — Kosta Koufos, Sundiata Gaines, Jamario Moon — and the room either goes electric or shakes its head in disappointment. On social media, this is called "ball knowledge."

The term has evolved from casual sports-bar shorthand into something closer to a culture and a game of one-upmanship. However, in the hands of a growing class of basketball content creators, it's become a thriving niche on social media. But ask three of the people who've helped shape that culture what ball knowledge actually means, and you'll get three different answers.

More than a name drop

The most common misconception about ball knowledge is that it's just trivia, i.e., name a player nobody remembers and look cool in front of your friends for your esoteric wisdom on early 2010s Detroit Pistons benchwarmers.

Nicholas Harrell, a writer who helps run the basketball media account halfpast*noon, pushes back on that immediately. "I wouldn't necessarily limit it to being able to name a specific role player from whatever era," he says. "I think it's got to be a recognition of how the system as a game works in its entirety, and the individual roles that those players play."

So, for example, you're in a circle with a friend, and you name-drop Nik Stauskas as "elite ball knowledge." That's table stakes, the bare minimum. Explaining why Stauskas worked — or why he didn't — is the real test.

Nick Coutracos, who has built a following under the name Nick Knows Ball, takes a similar but slightly more democratic view. For him, ball knowledge is "not only knowing players that the average basketball fan wouldn't know, but it's also just understanding how the game of basketball is played." He's careful to add that "you can't just know a random role player that you saw once and remember his name and say, oh yeah, that's ball knowledge."

The distinction matters to him. Coutracos, who was already running a successful basketball media account, didn't start posting about ball knowledge to gatekeep — he started because he was frustrated watching posts celebrate knowing names like Brandon Jennings and Kirk Hinrich and calling it elite ball knowledge. "I remember scrolling through these comments, reading them like, this is a joke, right?" He started posting ball-knowledge-specific videos, including stories about obscure players and reactions to other pages' "elite pulls," and quickly found that his audience felt the same quiet indignation. Ball knowledge was getting too casual, and people wanted a higher standard.

Ethan Ward, the New Zealand–born, Australia-based creator behind ForgottableNBA, came at it from a different angle. His page — which he started in September 2024, hitting 10,000 followers within two months — is built around short clips and literary captions about players on the fringes of NBA history. He describes ball knowledge the way a connoisseur might describe wine: There are levels, the bar is always rising, and what counts today might not count tomorrow.

View this post on Instagram

"If they started for a full season, it's probably not ball knowledge," Ward says. "Especially with the way this kind of genre has ballooned — the threshold is being raised every three months."

Ward's origin story is more accidental. He was thinking about what he calls "a gap in the market" — the fact that he had near-infinite access to play-by-play clips from any NBA season going back years from his freelance work. He started with a single clip, a missed Cory Joseph floater. The post read "Forgettable NBA Moment No. 1: Cory Joseph tries to beat the clock but fails." People liked it. As more clips got posted, someone asked for a box score. Then the write-ups got longer. Six months in, Ward was doing full long-form posts, and the responses started coming in within hours of posting.

"I didn't realize there was such an appetite for it," Ward says.

What is ball knowledge?

Every culture has its own vocabulary, and the ball knowledge community is no exception. Over hours of conversation, a surprisingly nuanced taxonomy emerged.

View this post on Instagram

There is, first, the question of what makes someone a "pull" — a term for a player whose name earns respectable nods from your friends when dropped in conversation, for a relative combination of obscurity and nostalgia. Coutracos, Ward, and Harrell agree that the best pull is what the latter calls "obscure and recognizable at the same time." He considers Chris Copeland a good example: a six-foot-nine forward who had one memorable run with the 2013 Knicks, could get hot from three, and left enough of an imprint that real watchers of the game remember him fondly. Arnett Moultrie, by contrast, was a process-era 76er who was miscast as a PF who couldn't shoot in an evolving NBA. He's a respectable pull for only the most hardened of zealots.

Then there is the question of the baseline — the floor of ball knowledge, the name that separates people who genuinely follow the game from people who are just adjacent to it. Every creator has one, and the differences reveal just how personal and relative that floor really is.

For Coutracos, the marker is Kosta Koufos. "[He] is the differentiating factor between ball knowledge and not ball knowledge," he says. "He's the most common ball knowledge player, in my opinion."

Harrell's threshold is a bit more sentimental. He mentions Sundiata Gaines, who hit a game-winner with the Utah Jazz and had a memorable run at Georgia in the SEC tournament. Gaines isn't famous, but he's not buried, either. "If people did recognize him, their eyes are going to light up right away," Harrell says. "That's sort of the fun part of it."

Ward, who spent his teenage years watching G League games out of New Zealand, sets the floor considerably deeper, depending on how you look at it. For him, the baseline is simply anyone with a reason to exist in memory: "Someone who has a reason to be remembered. Someone who played a couple years. That would be my current parameters for someone starting out." What that baseline actually looks like, though, shifts constantly.

There is also a category of "overused pull." These are names that became so widely circulated they've lost their value. All three agree without much deliberation: Shaun Livingston's mid-range jumper. Brandon Bass. J.R. Smith reverses dunks. These names have been laundered through so many posts that knowing them signals that you're chronically online, not that you know basketball.

The rules, unwritten and otherwise

A few informal laws of ball knowledge have emerged from the community's ongoing self-governance.

Draft position matters. A lottery pick — even a catastrophic bust — carries an asterisk. Anthony Bennett, the infamous 2013 number-one overall pick who never lived up to his draft position, falls in a gray area: Coutracos thinks he should count because the average fan has probably forgotten him, but acknowledges the logic isn't clean. Alex Len, a top-five pick from that same draft, gets an easy veto. "Top five pick within the last 10 or 15 years — no," Harrell says flatly.

Visibility also counts against you. Kirk Hinrich was a solid NBA role player for roughly a decade, which means he showed up on too many screens to qualify as obscure. College prominence doesn't help either, as a player like Trey Burke gets docked by Ward for his Wooden Award–winning career at Michigan, his deep March Madness run, and his my-player-mode appearances in NBA 2K. That's too much cultural footprint. So players like Shabazz Napier, Jimmer Fredette, or Carsen Edwards wouldn't count as ball knowledge on account of their legendary college runs.

But the most interesting rule is the one about relativity. Ball knowledge, all three creators acknowledge, is context-dependent. Coutracos put it simply: "My 11-year-old cousin comes up to me and talks about Ramon Sessions — whoa, that is very impressive. But if you label yourself an all-knowing ball knower and you're 25 years old and you say Ramon Sessions, it's like, OK, that's not that crazy."

"It's relative," he says. "There are levels."

What's it done for the game

The rise of ball knowledge as a genre has had a measurable effect on how NBA history gets consumed online. Players who spent their careers as footnotes are suddenly the subjects of highlight compilations, long-form write-ups, and spirited comment-section debates.

Ward's ForgettableNBA page is perhaps the clearest expression of this shift. His audience isn't just nodding along. They're asking for box scores. They're pulling up Wikipedia tabs. They're arguing, respectfully, about whether a given player qualifies. A Jason Maxiell compilation went viral within a day of posting. A Rodney Hood write-up got people talking about a player who'd been largely forgotten.

View this post on Instagram

"I kind of bridge the gap between the totally obscure players and the role players that everybody likes," Ward says. He describes a sort of natural selection at work: The players with "verve," with a distinct shot or move or storyline, age better in the culture than the workhorses without it. A player with a reliable midrange is more memeable than a screen-setter. A player with a compelling backstory — like Royce White, the first-round pick who never played due to an anxiety disorder affecting his ability to fly — edges toward ball knowledge even as his career stats don't demand it.

"There's something [where] you go, 'I remember him for a reason,'" Ward says.

Harrell points to what the trend has done for fandom broadly, creating a shared language for the kinds of conversations that used to happen only between lifelong fans at sports bars or on the couch during rain delays. "The general basketball community on TikTok started pushing forward this sports-bar kind of conversation," he says. "Naming role players with your friends almost."

Coutracos has watched it become something even more personal. He gets recognized at pickup gyms. He gets tagged in posts about players he's never covered. His comment sections have become arenas where people prove their knowledge or cheerfully get corrected. "I don't want to give off the vibe of gatekeeping the sport," he says. "My main goal is for them to learn about basketball and laugh a little too."

Raising the bar

There's one thing all three creators seem quietly anxious about: saturation.

Names that were genuinely obscure six months ago now have compilation videos and Reddit threads. The posts that used to require actual recall are getting gamed by people who've simply been online long enough to absorb the canon.

"The goalposts are going to keep moving," Ward says. He imagines a near future where Gigi Datome — the Italian forward who had a brief cup of coffee with the Detroit Pistons — stops being an elite pull and becomes a baseline. "Unless it reaches a point of saturation where it doesn't quite get there. I hope Austin Daye stays Detroit-specific knowledge."

Harrell frames it as an authenticity problem. "If your single memory of Shaun Livingston is the mid-range and not everything that came before in his career — which is even more interesting — that's a good example of fake ball knowledge versus real ball knowledge."

But here, too, there's consensus: The solution isn't exclusion, it's depth. All three push back on the idea that ball knowledge should become a velvet rope, a way to dismiss people who aren't sufficiently obsessed.

"I don't want people to be discouraged by learning about the sport of basketball," Coutracos says. "Just because you don't know a random player from 2012 who played seven games doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to learn about the sport."

Harrell is even more direct: "I wouldn't want it used as a barrier to entry for certain conversations. I don't want it to become a status symbol, necessarily."

What they want, it turns out, is for more people to go down the rabbit hole. To look up Sundiata Gaines. To find out how Kosta Koufos actually played. To discover that Jamario Moon had a dunk package that holds up, and that he played seventy-something games with the Raptors before losing games for Michael Jordan's Bobcats.

That's the core of it, really. Do you know ball? You could.

In the age of on-demand everything, it’s no surprise that we can get "dates" (and I use that term loosely) with the tap of a button. Thanks to classic hookup apps like Tinder and newcomers like Pure, finding a sexy new friend can be as straightforward as ordering a pizza. As for the quality, well, that’s about the same as your pizza — hit or miss, depending on the time of day, where you're located, and how hungry you are.

Fortunately, you’ve got me, your resident dating app expert (though I prefer modern-day Carrie Bradshaw), to guide you to the promised land, aka the best hookup apps.

I’ve spent the past three years (yes, years) researching, downloading, and testing dozens of the top dating apps to find the best ones for all kinds of daters, including the one-night-stand crowd. From discrete sexting apps to dating sites for serious relationships, I've swiped through them all. I also consulted a panel of sex and relationship experts to make sure my picks are solid.

How to get the most out of hookup apps

My number one rule is to be brutally honest about what you’re looking for. You’re here for a good time — so own it. That means staying in your lane; don't go looking for a one-night stand on an app like eharmony.

"Hookup apps help prevent situations where people are on mainstream dating sites with the intention of having a casual hookup but are unclear about these intentions," Suzannah Weiss, resident sexologist for Biird and author of Subjectified: Becoming a Sexual Subject, tells Mashable. "They also give women a space to be openly sexual creatures without judgment."

And here's a little insider secret I picked up from Alexander Liebisch, the CEO and founder of TinderProfile.ai: Timing is everything. He found that people messaging on Tinder's "free tonight" feature after 10 p.m. on a weekend had a 45 percent higher chance of hooking up.

So, whether you're looking for a one-night stand, a regular FWB situation, or just a space to explore your sexuality, I've got you covered. Based on all my hands-on testing and expert consultations, I’ve broken down the best hookup app for every type of person and mood.

Recent updates to this guide

• Hinge: Hinge just keeps getting better, so I’ve bumped it up higher on my list as of October 2025. Its user base is growing, and my own recent tests on the app have been surprisingly positive.

• Sniffies (added September 2025): I've added Sniffies, the map-based app for queer men, because it's been gaining a lot of traction. (It got a little too spicy for Apple and was pulled from the App Store, so it's now technically a dating site.) Don't say I didn't warn you about the NSFW content.

• FetLife (added September 2025): FetLife is my new favorite "Honorable Mention." It's not your typical hookup app; it's more of a social network for the kink community (and, oddly enough, the best hookup app for gamers). Just remember: it's a community, so don't treat it like Tinder.

Why some popular hookup apps didn't make the cut

You might notice a few apps that pop up in ads or other lists are missing here. That’s intentional. I swipe through the good, the bad, and the downright sketchy so you don’t have to. For an app to make my list, it has to be effective, safe, and worth your time.

Here's a shortlist of apps that didn't make the cut this year:

• Wild: You’ve probably seen ads for this one. On paper, Wild sounds like the perfect casual dating app. In practice, the paywalls are aggressive, the distance filter doesn't work, and you have to pay for anything that's even remotely useful. Unless you're willing to spend serious cash upfront (and hope for the best), the experience feels limited compared to more open apps like Tinder.

• DOWN: This app (formerly "Bang With Friends") is known for its simple "Get Down" vs. "Get Date" feature. It sounds clever, but in reality, the experience is messy at best. Many users report feeling scammed by subscriptions that don't deliver matches, or finding that the few real people on there are... let's say "odd." It’s hard to recommend an app when the main user complaint is "Is anyone real?" Hard pass.

• Facebook Dating: Yes, Facebook has a dating section, and it’s surprisingly massive (and completely free, which is huge). While it's a decent option for casual dating, the vibe tends to be a bit more "friends of friends" and "relationship-focused" than the anonymous, no-strings energy you get from apps like Pure or Feeld. (For Mashable's Chance Townsend, signing up was "the most uneventful dating experience" of his life.) It's worth a shot if you're already on Facebook, but it didn't quite crack my top tier for hookups specifically.

Apps I've cut from the list

• Plenty of Fish (removed January 2025): POF went through a rebrand recently, and honestly, I'm not impressed. My latest tests showed they got rid of key features like free messaging for non-matches, and I kept running into the same old profiles. At the end of the day, it just doesn't offer anything special that other apps aren't already doing better, so it's off the list.

• Match (removed August 2025): I know some people say they've found casual hookups on Match, but that's not what it's for. Match is where you go to find a serious, long-term relationship, and I still recommend it for that. But for a hookup? You're just fishing in the wrong pond, so I've removed it from this guide to avoid any confusion.

Your employees want to grow—but growth doesn’t always mean promotions or raises. It can come from building skills, gaining experience, and expanding capability. Here’s how to create the conditions for growth on your team. Help people learn how they learn. Use weekly check-ins to observe patterns in how each person develops. Some learn by doing, […]

257257

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from anywhere in the world with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

Access to Pornhub is in turmoil. Early in 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws. In response, Pornhub banned visitors from those states from accessing their website. The same situation then took place in France, and although Pornhub is complying with the UK's age verification law, users are now required to provide personal information to access the site.

The situation is constantly changing, but you can stay one step ahead with a quick and easy hack. If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from anywhere in the world, we have the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free

VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure server in another location. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access adult sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a 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 a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to your favorite site, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing online restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $78.18 and includes an extra four months for free — 78% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Unblock Pornhub for free with ExpressVPN.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're a control freak.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for April 3, 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: Spiteful

• Green: To crave

• Blue: Drinkware

• Purple: Have it in check

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Catty

• Green: Hanker (For)

• Blue: Cocktail glasses

• Purple: ___ Control

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.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1026 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Catty: MEAN, PETTY, SMALL, SNIDE

• Hanker (For): JONES, LONG, LUST, THIRST

• Cocktail glasses: COLLINS, HURRICANE, ROCKS, ZOMBIE

• ___ Control: CRUISE, DAMAGE, GROUND, MISSION

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 3, 2026

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

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 are easy if you're a clean eater.

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 April 3, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Smooth(ie) operator

The words are related to healthy snacks.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe island plants.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Tropical Fruit.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

NYT Strands word list for April 3

• Acai

• Lychee

• Guava

• Pineapple

• Mangi

• Papaya

• Tropical fruit

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.

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

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 April 3, 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.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

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 April 3, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

After.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

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...

SINCE

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.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To deteriorate.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

ERODE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A marine predator.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

SHARK

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A sticky liquid.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 3 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

SERUM

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A god or goddess.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

DEITY

Final Hurdle hint

They love to play.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

GAMER

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

Artemis II has officially left Earth's neighborhood, with the Orion spacecraft now on a three-day leg of the deep space journey toward the moon.

After NASA polled "go" on translunar injection — or TLI, the key engine firing — flight controllers commanded the maneuver just before 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 2, less than 24 hours after the historic mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

For the U.S. space agency, this moment is the real point of no return in a carefully orchestrated test flight. It's the last major engine firing of the mission. The burn not only pushes the capsule toward the moon, it also serves as the same critical maneuver that will eventually bring the astronauts home. 

That's riskier than NASA's usual spaceflights. On the International Space Station, astronauts circle Earth every hour and a half. If something goes wrong, they're never more than about 90 minutes from an emergency landing. But on Artemis II, as soon as controllers take this step, NASA has committed to the rest of the mission, save a couple of options for a U-turn, said crewmate Christina Koch. 

"Wrapping our heads around that is very interesting," said Koch, who is heading up those procedures, during a pre-launch news conference. "Before we go into some of our entry [simulations], we talk about how, 'Hey, there's no canceling the countdown on this — we are re-entering,' but the truth is, we are re-entering at the moment we do TLI."

SEE ALSO: Artemis II launches its historic moon mission: See the launch and mission details

The 10‑day Artemis II flight, led by Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Koch, aims to pave the way for a moon-landing during Artemis IV as early as 2028. This mission tests the resources needed for that upcoming journey: NASA's powerful rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the teams on the ground who guide them. 

In future Artemis missions to the moon, the agency wants astronauts to practice living for longer periods away from Earth before pushing on to Mars, where crews will need far more extraterrestrial survival skills. 

NASA's Artemis II mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 6:35 p.m. ET April 1, 2026. Credit: NASA / Joel Kowsky

So far the crew has set up the spacecraft toilet — with a few setbacks — and performed a piloting demonstration for steering toward and around the spent propulsion system. The exercise was meant to test how Orion's manual controls handle, as this will become necessary in future missions for docking with moon landers in space. 

The astronauts are also acclimating to life inside the capsule. The cabin has had unexpectedly cold temperatures. The crew unpacked extra long-sleeve shirts from their suitcases to try to warm up. 

At the end of Flight Day 1, the astronauts' sleep was disrupted by a middle-of-the-night, brief engine firing to adjust Orion's orbit around Earth. The ill-timed operation was part of the plan, and the crew returned to their sleeping bags for a few more hours of rest before the translunar injection burn. 

Koch set up Orion's system for the burn, performed by Orion's main engine on the European Service Module. The system provides enough thrust to accelerate a car from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds.

Over a 10-day spaceflight, the Artemis II crew will fly around Earth and then the moon, testing the Orion spacecraft's life-support systems. Credit: NASA infographic

The roughly six-minute engine firing was necessary to speed up the spacecraft so that it could escape Earth's gravitational pull. This technique allows the astronauts to travel without having to make major course corrections along the way. 

Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.

The burn has reshaped the spacecraft's path into a long loop that will carry them out a quarter‑million miles from home. It will also harness the moon's gravity to slingshot Orion back to Earth. This is the first time since 1972 that humans have left Earth's orbit. 

The mission configuration is what's known as a free-return trajectory, said Lakiesha Hawkins, an exploration systems development administrator.

"This is something that we've experienced before," she said. "If you recall in your history, we did that on Apollo 8 and Apollo 13." 

Google just released the latest version of its open AI model, Gemma 4, on Thursday. Crucially, Gemma 4 is a fully open-source model licensed under Apache 2.0, which is typically not the case with frontier models.

Open models can be run locally on users' devices, and Google says Gemma 4 can be run on "billions of Android devices" and some laptop GPUs.

"This open-source license provides a foundation for complete developer flexibility and digital sovereignty; granting you complete control over your data, infrastructure, and models," a Google blog post reads. "It allows you to build freely and deploy securely across any environment, whether on-premises or in the cloud."

Most people have likely heard of Google's popular Gemini AI model, thanks to the ubiquitous AI chatbot that's been integrated into many of Google's products.

Gemma is also a large language model (LLM) and was developed from the exact same technology and research that Google DeepMind used to build Gemini 3.

Google is calling Gemma 4 its "most capable" open AI model yet.

Gemma vs. Gemini?

So, how is Gemma different from Gemini?

Gemini is Google's proprietary subscription AI product, and the name of Google's family of multimodal AI models. Gemini has been integrated into virtually all of Google's core products, including Google Search, Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Cloud.

Gemma 4, however, is an open AI model, meaning that the code and data that it's trained on are shared with its user base. Gemma AI models can be run off of a user's local hardware, even without an internet connection. Anyone can download Gemma 4 and run it off their device for free. These open AI models provide a more private and secure experience, as none of the chats, uploaded files, or answers are shared with a third party.

Developers could use open AI models like Gemma 4 in order to integrate AI into their own applications without the need for any recurring subscription costs.

What is Gemma 4?

Gemma 4 brings some advanced capabilities to Google's open AI model family.

According to Google's announcement, Gemma 4 is now capable of advanced reasoning, which includes multi-step planning and deep logic. Google says it has made "significant improvements in math and instruction-following benchmarks that require it" with Gemma 4.

Gemma 4 now also supports processes that are required for agentic workflows and localizes AI coding assistance. In addition, Gemma 4 can process audio and video for speech recognition and interpreting visuals such as charts. 

Gemma 4 is available in four sizes based on the number of weights used to power the model: two billion, four billion, 26 billion, and 31 billion.

Hugging Face reports that these open-weight models are available in pre-trained and instruction-tuned variants, offering even more flexibility for developers.

The AI model has been trained on more than 140 languages and has a context window up to 256,000 tokens, according to Google. (The smaller E2B and E4B variants have a context window of 128,000, however.)

Gemma 4 is now open and open source

Now, open doesn't mean open source when it comes to AI models.

Previous iterations of Gemma were open-weight (meaning the training datasets are publicly available) but were still bound by Google's terms, even if users were allowed to download the model onto their device. While users could modify the local LLM, they still had to operate under Google's rules on its use and redistribution.

With Gemma 4, Google has now made the model open and open source.

Google is distributing Gemma 4 under the popular open source software license Apache 2.0.

Under this license, anyone can download and modify Gemma 4 and use it for any purpose, whether for personal or commercial use cases. Gemma 4 can be redistributed without any royalty requirements as well. Basically, the only requirement under the Apache 2.0 license is attribution, and the license must be distributed alongside the AI model.

Looking for Gemma 4? Hot to try it.

Gemma 4 can be found in Google AI studio and can be downloaded from third-parties such as  Hugging Face, Kaggle, or Ollama.

SAVE $500: The Mova Z60 Ultra Roller Complete robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $999 at Amazon, down from the list price of $1,499. That's a 33% discount and a price that matches the record low at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mova Mova Z60 Ultra Roller Complete $999 at Amazon
$1,499 Save $500   Get Deal

The Amazon Big Spring Sale is officially over. Now, we wait until Prime Day in June or July for the next round of massive discounts. But in the meantime, Amazon has left a few items sitting at the Big Spring Sale price. That's great news if you're looking for a powerful robot vacuum and mop.

As of April 2, the Mova Z60 Ultra Roller Complete robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $999 at Amazon, down from the list price of $1,499. That's a 33% discount that shaves $500 off the normal price. It also matches the record low at Amazon.

A bunch of robot vacuums can now mop your floors, but not all of them can do it well. The Mova Z60 Ultra Roller Complete focuses on getting both vacuuming and mopping done right. The vacuum uses 28,000Pa suction power to clean all crumbs, dirt, and dust from the floors. Plus, the brush is designed to never tangle.

SEE ALSO: Grab the Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop at its best-ever price at Amazon — save $250

The mopping functions include hot water mopping and hot-air drying of the mop pads. Plus, Mova uses an AutoShield function to ensure no drips from the mop land on the carpet. This is also an ideal model if your home has higher thresholds, since the Mova Z60 Ultra Roller Complete can get over obstacles as tall as 3.15 inches.

Pet owners are also in great shape with this model since Mova incorporated two compartments for a cleaning solution. One is designed for standard cleaning while the other is optimized for removing pet odors. The vacuum's cleaning algorithm will decide which cleaning solution to use on which areas.

Instead of staring at a never-ending list of chores, grab the Mova Z60 Ultra Roller Complete while it's on sale for under $1,000. You won't have to think about vacuuming or mopping with this powerful model.

SAVE $300: As of April 2, the Google Pixel 9 is on sale for $499 at Amazon. That's a 38% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel 9 $499 at Amazon
$799 Save $300   Get Deal

In the market for a new smartphone? If signing up to a two-year contract isn't what you're looking for, this latest Amazon deal lets you buy the Google Pixel 9 outright for $499. It's normally priced at $799, so you're saving $300.

For this low price, you can choose between the obsidian and porcelain color options. For slightly more ($575), you can pick up the wintergreen model. This is an unlocked phone, so you can use it with the network provider of your choice.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

This phone is built around Google’s AI features, so it truly lives up to its smartphone name. It has Gemini (Google’s generative AI) integrated with almost everything, helping with everyday tasks and searches.

The phone also has a 50MP main camera and a 48MP ultrawide lens. And even these are enhanced with its AI tools. Features like Best Take, Magic Editor, and Add Me will enhance photos and make edits easier. Additional smart features include Pixel Screenshots for saving useful information, and instead of typing, use Gemini Live.

You can find this Google Pixel deal online at Amazon now.