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AI promises productivity gains, but without guardrails it can quietly intensify work instead of reducing it. As tasks accelerate, expectations rise. People attempt more, juggle more—and struggle to stop. If you don’t deliberately shape how AI is used, you risk increasing your team’s workload, straining their attention, and exhausting them. Here’s how to protect them from AI overload.  Build intentional pauses. As […]

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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

A mistake.

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

ERROR

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Not ninth.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 16, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

TENTH

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To fail.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 16 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 16, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

FLUNK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

To suggest.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

OPINE

Final Hurdle hint

Sheen.

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

GLOSS

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

The Moon is almost completely dark tonight, signaling that the New Moon phase is close. The final visible crescent of the Moon on display is ever so faint, meaning it's another night of no visible lunar features.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Monday, Feb. 16, the Moon phase is Waning Crescent. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 2% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.

Once again, too little of the Moon's surface is illuminated tonight to be able to spot any lunar features. After the New Moon has passed, it will start to come back into view.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will be on March 3. The last Full Moon was on Feb. 1.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon takes around 29.5 days to complete one orbit around the Earth. Throughout that time, it goes through eight different phases of visibility. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the part that’s lit up changes as it moves along its orbit. The amount of sunlight reflecting off the surface is what changes the Moon's appearance, and why sometimes it looks full, partly lit, or almost dark. The eight phases are:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

In the world of Westeros, flashbacks are just as important as prophecies.

And while they're sometimes used for comic effect in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the flashback in episode 5 with young Dunk (Bamber Todd) and Rafe (Chloe Lea) feels more significant than others.

So what happens, and why is it important?

SEE ALSO: 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Targaryen family tree: How everyone connects What happens in the episode 5 flashback?

As Dunk (Peter Claffey) blacks out on the trial of seven battlefield, the lights come up on a different battlefield in a different time: the aftermath of the Blackfyre Rebellion, with young Dunk and his friend Rafe looting bodies in the hunt for something valuable.

Later, as they walk back to their home of Flea Bottom in King's Landing, they have a conversation about how Rafe wants them to leave the city. We've transcribed it in full below.

Dunk: "I just don't know why we're in such a rush to leave anymore? The war is over. The Black Dragon's dead. Ferret said we'll all get free bread now."

Rafe: "Are you stupid? Nothing's over. Don't you remember when Pudding killed Cedric's little brother?"

Dunk: "That was an accident."

Rafe: "Aye. And we all figured that'd be the end to it, only for Cedric to come back a year later and near burn down half of Flea Bottom trying to kill Pudding. No one forgets shit. You hurt someone, they hurt you back. If you want to stay, fine. But Flea Bottom is full up on people hurting. It's tinder waiting to catch."

It's a conversation that foreshadows Rafe's death, but it's also so much bigger than that.

Why is the conversation so important?

The conversation between Dunk and Rafe taps into a theme that's been prevalent in every single Game of Thrones story so far: the cycle of violence. In House of the Dragon, this takes the form of the escalation between Team Green and Team Black, and in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it's already been plainly demonstrated by the trial of seven Dunk's forced into to defend his life.

And while this exchange between Dunk and Rafe resonates throughout the wider GoT universe, it's not the only purpose the flashback serves.

Later, after Rafe has been mortally wounded, the way Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb) intervenes to protect young Dunk mirrors the way an adult Dunk intervenes to protect Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) from Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett). In this way, the flashback to Dunk's childhood shows us why he values the principles of being a knight as strongly as he does. Dunk's heroism is learned behaviour, and Tanselle is a reminder of the friend he was unable to save as a child.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes hitting HBO and HBO Max Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 doesn't just give viewers a brutal trial of seven to prove Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall's (Peter Claffey) innocence. It also offers up an extended flashback to his past as an urchin in Flea Bottom — and that past includes a Westerosi history lesson.

SEE ALSO: 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Targaryen family tree: How everyone connects

After scavenging around a battlefield with his friend Rafe (Dune: Prophecy's Chloe Lea), young Dunk (Bamber Todd) remarks that "the war is over. The Black Dragon's dead." But what war is he talking about, and which Targaryen has the title of the Black Dragon? Let's break it down.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms references the Blackfyre Rebellion.

The war Dunk mentions is known as the Blackfyre Rebellion, a Seven Kingdoms-wide conflict that took place in 196 AC (after Aegon's conquest), 13 years before the Ashford Meadow tourney. Similarly to the Dance of the Dragons seen in House of the Dragon, the Blackfyre Rebellion was fought between members of House Targaryen.

On one side of the war was King Daeron II Targaryen, who is still on the Iron Throne by the time of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Opposing him was his half-brother Daemon I Blackfyre, a legitimized Targaryen bastard.

Both Daeron II and Daemon were sons of Aegon IV Targaryen, the grandson of House of the Dragon's Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith). Prince Daeron's relationship with his father was tense, as Aegon IV wanted to attack Dorne unprompted, while Daeron II (married to Dornish Princess Myriah Martell) urged caution.

During this time, Aegon IV earned his father of the year status by spreading rumors that Daeron II was a bastard and that he would choose a new heir. He heavily favored one of his bastard sons, Daemon Waters, going so far as to give him Aegon the Conqueror's sword Blackfyre after he won a tournament at age 12. Daemon took Blackfyre as his own name after that.

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Aegon IV never did appoint a new heir, but he did legitimize all of his bastard sons on his deathbed in 184 AC, setting the stage for maximum Targaryen chaos. It took 12 years, but in 196 AC, Daemon opted for open rebellion and made a play for the Iron Throne. His sigil was a black dragon on a red field, the inverse of House Targaryen's usual sigil, prompting him to be known as the Black Dragon.

Daeron II won out in the end thanks to a decisive victory in the Battle of Redgrass Field, which Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) references in song back in episode 3. Both Daemon and his twin sons died in battle, but they were far from the last of the Blackfyre Pretenders. Others departed Westeros for the Free Cities, only to come back later to try and take the Iron Throne for themselves.

Spoiler alert: It doesn't quite work out, but that's a story for another time (and potentially another season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms).

New episodes of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Industry has never been afraid to shy away from frank depictions of sex and kink.

In Season 1, Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela) made Rob Spearing (Harry Lawtey) eat his own ejaculate off a mirror. In Season 3, Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington) asked Yasmin to urinate on him. Each scene was about sex, yes, but also about the power dynamics at play: Who was willing to give up control, and who relished it.

SEE ALSO: 'Industry's Ken Leung on Eric's episode 6 sacrifice: 'It's his ultimate show of love'

The same goes for a new sex scene in Season 4, episode 6, titled "Dear Henry." The episode sees Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella) manipulating Henry before leaving him implicated in Tender's illegal activities. Among his manipulative tactics? Plying Henry and Tender's auditor with expensive alcohol at dinner, thereby breaking Henry's sobriety. Afterwards, Henry and Whitney go to a gay club, where Henry receives oral sex at a glory hole while Whitney urges him on.

"When you see that on paper, you're like, 'Bloody hell, this is going to be intense,' and you kind of laugh about it," Harington told Mashable in a video interview alongside Minghella. "Then you get to the actual scene, and it's so much more than just a glory hole scene. There's so much more going on than the fetish and slightly giggly nature of it. It's about these two characters, and it's about manipulation, and it's about intensity and falling down some rabbit hole."

SEE ALSO: 'Industry's Miriam Petche weighs in on Sweetpea's big episode, including those devastating final moments

The roles here are fairly clear-cut: Whitney is the manipulator luring Henry further into his web, while Henry is swept up in the ride. It's been that way since Whitney brought Henry on as CEO, but Whitney's guidance of Henry throughout the scene lays their dynamic even more starkly bare.

Minghella, tasked with playing the season's slippery puppetmaster, found his own mind changing about the sequence.

"I had ideas on the day of what was authentic about that moment or inauthentic about it, and I have slightly different feelings now that I've seen the episode cut together and in the context of the season as a whole," Minghella said.

These different feelings stem from Industry's process of pinning down the "mercurial" Whitney in the show's edit.

"We changed quite a lot of things quite drastically in post, not specifically around this [glory hole] scene, but for me, large components of the character were shifted as we worked on the edit and ADR and all these things," Minghella explained. "We're constantly finding Whitney and where the truth of Whitney lies."

In the final edit, Henry and Whitney's trip to the club is accompanied by voiceover from Whitney, as he reads from one of the many drafts of the letter Henry will receive by the episode's end, when he learns he's been implicated.

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"Dear Henry," Whitney says in voiceover. "You have to be the person that makes the other feel safe in the fullest expression of who they really are."

Voiceover Whitney is laying out his seduction plan of Henry as it's nearing its completion. Between the alcohol and the stroking of Henry's ego, Whitney has made him feel "safe" enough to let his guard totally down, leading to the glory hole scene.

Henry's giving in here marks a far cry from his earlier argument with Yasmin about Whitney's attraction to him. When she reminded Henry that he gave one of his male classmates a blowjob, he defensively shuts it down, saying, "you can be a homo at school."

(Later, Henry hooks up with two women, perhaps another defensive mechanism to affirm his straightness.)

For Harington, that all of these layers of backstory and power are swirling during the scene is "typical" Industry.

"It spoke to what Industry really is about," Harington said. "So much of the time you're reading a scene, and it's never really about the banking or financial jargon. It's the same with this. It's never really about that glory hole. It's about everything else that's around. It's about these two characters delving into the most intense and seductive thing they can find in life."

New episodes of Industry Season 4 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Industry Season 4, episode 6 should have been a victory lap for Harper Stern (Myha'la) and Eric Tao (Ken Leung). Instead, it was a heart-wrenching parting of ways.

The episode, titled "Dear Henry," saw Harper present SternTao's findings on Tender's scam activity, kicking off a large-scale short on the fraudulent fintech giant. Eric declares their win his "favorite day in finance."

SEE ALSO: Kit Harington and Max Minghella break down 'Industry's NSFW glory hole scene

However, that all comes crashing down when Eric receives a text from an unknown number. It's a video recording of his tryst with escort Dolly (Skye Lucia Degruttola), from earlier in the season. A photo of her passport soon follows, revealing that she was born in 2011.

It's a nauseating discovery, one that leaves Eric shell-shocked. Making matters worse is the fact that one of his teenage daughters, Lily (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss), is in the room when he receives the text. (She's just told Eric how much she loves him, a huge step in their otherwise-distant relationship, and he's simply unable to respond.)

SEE ALSO: 'Industry's Miriam Petche weighs in on Sweetpea's big episode, including those devastating final moments

Turns out, this is Whitney Halberstram's (Max Minghella) playbook at work. He hires escorts like Hayley (Kiernan Shipka) to get opponents in compromising sexual situations, then he blackmails them with the footage. Eric doesn't back down right away, though. He takes Whit head-on in a CNN interview, then transfers the entirety of his partnership in SternTao to Harper.

"It's yours, not mine," he tells her.

Their goodbye scene is shattering. So often a toxic mentor-mentee, father-daughter relationship, Harper and Eric have somehow managed to find more of an equilibrium in Season 4. Now, it all comes crashing down, but for Leung, Eric's sacrificing of his place at SternTao "is his ultimate show of love."

"It's his version of the highest love that he can give, the surrendering of self to protect [Harper]," Leung told Mashable in a video interview. "[He's thinking,] 'I'm going to kill myself to protect you.'"

Eric's protectiveness revolves around his complicated relationship with his daughters: Both his twins, Lily and Lara (Isla Bonner), as well his daughter figure in Harper. This season has seen him grow far closer to the latter, even pouring the Lily Lara Fund he'd established for his twins into SternTao.

But even as Eric has been estranged from Lily and Lara, he's had to face some uncomfortable truths about them. First, as he says in episode 5, he doesn't feel a "celestial" bond to them — more of a transactional one. Second, he's realizing that they have a similar capacity for ruthlessness as he does in the finance world. Lily was expelled from school for catfishing a classmate.

"In the professional sphere, Harper has come to take on a form that resembles [Eric], in his mind," Leung explained. "In the personal sphere, his daughter has become a version of him in her being a monster at school, getting kicked out of school. In one world, he can speak the language, and in the other world, he doesn't know how to, and I think for this season, Eric is trying to learn how to [get through] to his daughter through the world that he knows."

In the end, that internal struggle culminates in Eric's decision to give SternTao entirely up to Harper.

"It's what he's always wanted to do, tried to do, dreamt of doing as a dad, and could never [do]," Leung said. "But in this world, he can, and so that's what he does."

New episodes of Industry Season 4 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you keep calm.

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 February 16, 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: A good laugh

• Green: They sound the same

• Blue: Bird noises

• Purple: Reactions

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Knee slapper

• Green: Homophones

• Blue: Sounds a chicken makes

• Purple: Stress responses

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

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #981 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Knee slapper: HOOT, LAUGH, RIOT, SCREAM

• Homophones: DO, DOE, DOH, DOUGH

• Sounds a chicken makes: BUCK, CACKLE, CLUCK, SQUAWK

• Stress responses: FAWN, FIGHT, FLIGHT, FREEZE

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 February 16, 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 love being on the ice.

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 February 16, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 16, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: The cutting edge

The words are related to sports.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a popular winter sport.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Figure Skating.

NYT Strands word list for February 16

• Crossover

• Jump

• Spin

• Lift

• Throw

• Figure Skating

• Loop

• Combo

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 bird watcher.

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 February 16, 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 February 16, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A bird landing.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter O appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter R.

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...

ROOST

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.

TL;DR: Convert, edit, OCR, and manage PDFs with a $24.97 AcePDF lifetime license — one tool that replaces multiple document apps.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acethinker AcePDF Converter & Editor: Lifetime License $24.97
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PDFs are one of those file types everyone uses, but almost nobody enjoys working with.

That’s why all-in-one tools like AcePDF Converter & Editor exist — to turn PDFs from “locked document headaches” into files you can actually work with.

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The biggest advantage here is flexibility. AcePDF lets you convert PDFs into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, HTML, and text while keeping original layouts, formatting, and links intact. It also works in reverse, letting you create PDFs from Office files or images in just a few clicks.

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TL;DR: Get lifetime access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more for Mac for $49.97 — a one-time purchase that replaces ongoing subscription fees.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License $49.97
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Some software purchases feel optional. Productivity software usually isn’t one of them.

For most Mac users, apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are daily tools — whether for work projects, school assignments, business tasks, or keeping life organized. That’s why one-time payment software options have a lot of appeal.

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Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac delivers the core Microsoft apps most people already rely on, just without the ongoing subscription model. Everything installs directly onto your Mac and is tied to your Microsoft account, so you can keep using it without worrying about renewals.

The bundle includes Word for documents, Excel for data and budgeting, PowerPoint for presentations, Outlook for email and calendar management, plus Teams (basic) and OneNote for notes and collaboration.

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The lifetime Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac license is available for $49.97 (reg. $219) through Feb. 22.

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Regardless of how we feel about virtual keyboards, many of us type more words on our phones than anywhere else. If you’re frustrated by the keyboard on your Samsung Galaxy phone, not only can you swap it out for an alternative, but you can even create your own!

If you're encrypting your drives, you're already well ahead of the curve when it comes to backing up your files. But there are reasons to be wary of them, too, and they apply especially if you're not used to the idea just yet.

Tesla Cybertruck owners can stop randomly digging through their vaults and start sliding! Unplugged Performance has released a convenient bed storage system for the Cybertruck with sliding drawers to keep all your gear organized and protected. To match the Cybertruck’s exterior look and overall aesthetics, Unplugged Performance designed the system with a high-strength stainless steel frame and heavy-duty latches and clips for the two sliding drawers.

Back in the late ’80s, when American muscle was all about big V-8s and playing it safe, one tiny manufacturer decided to flip the script entirely. They weren’t trying to beat Detroit at its own game—they were rewriting the whole playbook.

Dead zones are one of the most frustrating parts of Wi-Fi. Mesh systems fix that by letting your devices switch seamlessly between nodes as you move around your home, but their price tags can easily make you think twice.

Looking to buy a new hard drive? Get ready to pay even more this year.

According to Western Digital, one of the world's biggest hard drive manufacturers, the company has already sold out of its storage capacity for 2026 with more than 10 months still left in the year.

"We're pretty much sold out for calendar 2026," said Western Digital CEO Irving Tan on the company's recent quarterly earnings call. 

Tan shared that most of the storage space has been allocated to its "top seven customers." Three of these companies already have agreements with Western Digital for 2027 and even 2028. 

SEE ALSO: This is your last chance to get super cheap SSDs and hard drives at Amazon

Furthermore, the incentive for these hardware companies to prioritize the average consumer is also dwindling. According to Western Digital, thanks to a surge in demand from its enterprise customers, the consumer market now accounts for just 5 percent of the company's revenue.

AI companies have been eating up computer hardware as industry growth accelerates. Prices for products ranging from computer processors to video game consoles have skyrocketed due to these AI companies cannibalizing supply chains.

The tech industry has already been experiencing a shortage of memory due to demand from AI companies. PC makers have been forced to raise RAM prices on a near-regular basis as shortages persist. Video game console makers, like Sony, have even reportedly considered pushing the next PlayStation launch beyond the planned 2027 release in hopes that AI-related hardware shortages would be resolved by then.

With this latest news from Western Digital, it appears the ever-increasing demands from AI companies for memory and storage will continue to grow, with no end in sight. Unless, of course, investors decide to pull back from AI over fears that AI's promises may not come to fruition. But, for now at least, the shortages – and price hikes for consumers – will continue.

I think it's no surprise that many of the team here at How-To Geek love Linux. Open-source operating systems that you can play around with and tweak exactly how you want to are a geek's dream, after all.

When I’m asked to recommend a Linux distribution for beginners, I always suggest Ubuntu. It’s one of the easiest to master, but there’s still a learning curve for longtime Windows users. Here's what I recommend for first-time Ubuntu users to make the transition much easier.