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If you're like me, you're always looking for a reason to justify buying a few more power tools. Or, more importantly, additional battery packs for your collection. If so, I have good news. While it's not quite the holiday season yet, that hasn't stopped The Home Depot from launching a slew of discounts or free battery and tool deals that are too good to pass up.

Before smartphones became ubiquitous, the whole idea of a phone was to have a small communication and entertainment device that could comfortably slide into your pants pocket, jacket, or purse.

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.

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

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

Scrooge.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

GRUMP

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Choppy.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 10, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

JERKY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Gripped.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Nov. 10, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Nov. 10, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CLUNG

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Chocolate.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

BROWN

Final Hurdle hint

Refuge.

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

HAVEN

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

Sometimes the most-watched part of a two-hour podcast is the 30 seconds someone else pulled out of it. That's good publicity for the show, but if the clip takes off on another account, who gets paid?

X's new clipping tool lets both the person who posts the clip and the creator who made the original video earn from it, as long as they’re enrolled in the platform's Original Content Rewards program. Every clip also links back to the exact moment in the original video, so anyone who wants to hear what happened next can keep watching.

"Everyone wins when great moments travel. Clipping is one more step toward making X the best place to create, grow and earn," the @XCreators account posted on the platform.

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Using this new feature, making a clip works a lot like reposting. Tap the repost icon, choose "Clip video," and trim the moment you want to share. You can add your own commentary, and anyone who taps the "Clip from" label can pick up the original video right where the clip begins.

The tool is live on iOS and Android, with web access on the way. For now, it works on prerecorded videos at least two minutes long, and clips can run from five to 60 seconds, or up to 30 percent of the original.

What does a good clip actually pay?

People were getting paid to find those 30-second clips before X put a button on it.

Podcasters, streamers, and marketers recruit clippers through Discord servers and marketplaces like Whop, where they pay people to cut up footage and post it on their own accounts. Marketers told Business Insider earlier this year that campaigns typically pay $1 to $4 per 1,000 views. One Whop listing offered $1.75 per 1,000 views for clips of Sofia Franklyn's Nov. 10 appearance on Aspire With Emma Grede. That’s $175 before fees for 100,000 qualifying views (assuming the clip meets the campaign’s terms).

People online are equally as excited as creators.

"this is HUGE for creators and their payouts," said X creator @0xhades. "amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! prayers answeredddddd" said another user. "Whoa this is crazy useful. Nice," wrote a third.

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As X introduces an easier way to clip, YouTube is moving in the opposite direction. As Mashable reported in October, YouTube is changing what it recommends in the Shorts feed to give less reach to reposts that add little to the original. YouTube wants clippers to bring something of their own, whether that's commentary, creative editing, or a story built around the footage in order to "improve the Shorts experience for everyone."

SEE ALSO: YouTube Shorts is cracking down on clipping. Here’s what that means for creators.

For now, X's clipping rules don’t list a flat rate. And if creators would rather keep their videos from being clipped in the first place, they'll have to wait for the opt-out X says it’s working on.

If X clipping catches on, the next thing to watch is whether podcasters start uploading full episodes to X just to see which moments fans pull out of them.

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage, sign up for our Trending Now and Top Stories newsletters or get Mashable push alerts to discover the internet's most exciting voices. 

Durable watches that can take a beating don't need to be pricey, and you can find options like Timex's legendary Expedition Scout for under $50 with a limited-time Amazon deal. It's the quintessential field watch, blending style and simplicity to take on your outdoor adventures.

Kai Cenat has one more game to beat before he can call his Grand Theft Auto marathon done. The streamer, with 22 million followers on Twitch, cleared GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA IV in under 100 hours. And on Monday night, Nov. 6, he told fans on X he’d made it to the fifth and final game on his list. "PLAYING GTA 5 NOW GET IN HERE," he posted on X.

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Cenat kicked off the marathon Nov. 5 with a plan to beat all five games on stream. Along the way, the games started spilling into real life. In a video posted to his YouTube channel with over 500,000 views, Cenat dressed as GTA IV protagonist Niko Bellic and took a performer dressed as Big Smoke to a McDonald's drive-thru, where Big Smoke tried to place his famously huge San Andreas order.

Now that Cenat is back in Los Santos, some viewers were hyped. "Let's gooo," said one user, while another viewer joked that he was "warming up like it's a preseason game" ahead of GTA 6, which launches Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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For GTA 6, though, Cenat is planning to take his time. As Mashable previously reported, he wants to spend time exploring between story missions and encouraged fans to make time for their own playthroughs, too. As for when he’ll log off, he’s leaving that open. "I ain’t coming off stream until I feel like it’s the right time," he wrote.

GTA 6 launches Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, bringing the series back to Vice City. Until then, there’s still one stop left on Cenat’s tour. The marathon is streaming on Twitch.

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The Raspberry Pi is great for DIY projects, but it has a few limitations that become obvious once you start connecting sensors, motors, and other electronics. The ESP32 has its own limitations, especially when you want to run more demanding software. If you have been using either board for a while, you have probably run into situations where you wished it could do something the other handles easily.

We live in an increasingly disposable world where people upgrade their perfectly functional phones every year or are forced to replace products because they're no longer supported. It's not always the case; my surround system is still going strong after more than 15 years, which isn't something that can always be said of soundbars.

Ultralight mice have completely taken over the FPS scene. The CORSAIR SABRE v2 PRO weighs in at a featherweight 36 grams, putting it in the same weight class as some of the most agile wireless mice on the market. If you've been waiting for a flagship wireless mouse that balances top-tier specs with a more reasonable price, today's deal is exactly what you've been looking for.

SAVE $130.99: As of Nov. 10, the all-in-one Shark FlexFusion Air + Ceramic Styling & Drying System is on sale on Amazon for only $299 (normally $429.99). That's an unprecedented 30% savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark FlexFusion Air + Ceramic Styling & Drying System with Air Straightener $299 at Amazon
$429.99 Save $130.99   Get Deal at Amazon

We adore the Shark FlexStyle here at Mashable (it's our top Dyson Airwrap dupe). But if your budget has a little wiggle room, consider upgrading to Shark's more versatile FlexFusion multi-styler.

Released in 2024, the FlexFusion has the same ingenious twisting base as the FlexStyle, but it utilizes heat styling (not just air styling) and adds attachments for both wet and dry hair. It's basically a prototype of the Shark Glam with a slightly bulkier build, no idling sensor, and — as of now — a much cheaper price.

In the lead-up to its Black Friday Week sale, Amazon has an all-in-one FlexFusion bundle on sale for only $299 — a 30% discount on its usual sticker price of $429.99. That's its lowest price ever, according to data on the price-tracking site camelcamelcamel.

This bundle comes with every attachment made for the FlexFusion, including an Air Straightener, a FrizzFighter finishing tool, a Wet-or-Dry Fusion Brush, two auto-wrap curling barrels, and a styling concentrator.

Amazon has its FlexFusion offer labeled as a "limited time deal," so don't miss out.

A Vanderbilt University professor was in the middle of class on Monday, Nov. 9, when about 40 files labeled "Read Me" popped up on her screen and a spoken message started playing. That would be creepy enough on its own. But the professor's account was one glimpse of an ongoing cyberattack that prompted Vanderbilt to tell students and staff to shut down their school-issued devices and disconnect from campus WiFi.

While Vanderbilt has restored access to some of its systems, an update posted to the university's X account on Tuesday morning stated that "Vanderbilt Information Technology continues to work with government agencies and other partners to manage the situation,” promising further updates.

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Vanderbilt hasn’t said how its IT team first spotted the attack, but there are clues, namely an alleged ransom note on a Vanderbilt computer published by BleepingComputer.

"If you could not tell already, your databases are locked," a ransomware group calling itself BYOD wrote in a post claiming responsibility for the Vanderbilt cyberattack. "We have your entire estate and research data," the group added, claiming it had stolen more than 1 million Social Security numbers along with student and employee records. In a separate ransom note obtained by BleepingComputer, the group threatened to release the data unless Vanderbilt negotiated.

Whether BYOD actually has that data is still an open question. A Vanderbilt spokesperson told The Washington Post that the university hadn't verified the group's claims.

Just two weeks before the Vanderbilt attack, on Oct. 26, employees at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center heard a similar message.

Several UNM Health employees told the Associated Press that a voice played over their work computers, claiming that student, employee, and patient information had been stolen. BYOD also claimed responsibility for that attack. As UNM Health responded, it diverted ambulances to other hospitals and temporarily suspended outpatient surgeries and appointments. (UNM later said its investigation found that the attack affected some staff and student devices but didn't reach its core systems or servers.)

SEE ALSO: $6 billion Binance hack started with a fake job interview

Vanderbilt's WiFi was back by Monday evening, but getting online didn't mean students could get to everything they needed. By Monday night, Vanderbilt's IT team had cleared Brightspace, where students access course materials, and the YES student portal for use, but File storage services OneDrive and Box were still affected. Vanderbilt said classes and student services would follow their usual Tuesday schedule and told students who were having trouble finishing assignments to ask their instructors about extensions.

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The disruption went beyond coursework. One person told the Nashville Scene they'd lost access to research stored on Vanderbilt's systems and were relying on personal backups.

The next question is whether Vanderbilt can determine whose information was exposed, if anyone's.

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I love a good FOSS tool. LibreOffice has long been one of my go-to suites for work, both personal and professional. Used in conjunction with my other favorite productivity tool, Obsidian, I find that I can get a lot done. The spreadsheet (Calc) is superior to Excel for my needs. I love the word processor (Writer), and I still use my old desktop publishing tools for major work, but I've converted to LibreOffice Draw for quick projects. But it does have some occasional hiccups, like paragraph justification in LibreOffice Writer. I've certainly noticed it in the past, but learned that a recent update to LibreOffice fixed this text problem. It's noticeably different and very easy to use.

It’s no secret that the iPhone Duo launch has been plagued with issues. However, a nasty screen defect is far from the only reason why people are unhappy with Apple’s first foldable phone. The complaints go beyond the surface.

In the streaming wars, Fox has a new asset in Roku. On Nov. 6, Fox Corporation successfully completed its $22 billion acquisition of Roku, Inc., which came well ahead of the previously projected 2027 date. Roku will now fall under Fox Digital Platforms, a new division that includes Roku, Tubi, Fox One, Red Seat Ventures, and other digital products and services.

Not everyone has a new car with the latest touchscreen infotainment systems. That doesn't mean you can't upgrade to the latest tech and get Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and modern navigation. Upgrading is easy with Surcsa's 9-inch CarPlay Screen, now 40% off with a limited-time deal.

Google Fi's first key feature was the ability to automatically switch between multiple networks. In recent years, however, Fi transitioned fully to a T-Mobile-only MVNO. Now, Google is bringing the network switching technology back, specifically for 5G.

Unlike its biggest competitor, OpenAI, Anthropic doesn't appear to be backing away from its IPO.

Anthropic, the AI giant behind the Claude chatbot, is preparing for an IPO roadshow, according to an announcement from the company. An IPO roadshow is basically a series of sales presentations to potential investors in order to gauge interest and set a final share price.

Interestingly, Anthropic is looking to go public at a $1.4 trillion valuation. This is lower than investor expectations, which reportedly reached $2 trillion just two months ago.

Anthropic's decision to go forward with an IPO is in sharp contrast to the approach of its largest competitor, OpenAI, which has largely shied away from doing so anytime in the near future. Anthropic beat OpenAI to an IPO filing earlier this summer when both AI companies were still pursuing a public stock offering. Since then, OpenAI has put its IPO plans on hold, citing concerns around AI safety.

Anthropic's IPO will be a first among the big AI companies, and it comes as investors' faith in the AI boom seems to be waning.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic IPO docs reportedly reveal over $40 billion in losses last year

One major issue for investors is that the big players in the AI industry are simply unprofitable. Anthropic's prospectus, which lays out its finances for potential investors, says that the company brought in $4.6 billion in revenue last year and posted a $42 billion loss. On top of that, Anthropic's operating costs are rising year over year, and the company plans to spend $518 billion in "cloud, computing and infrastructure obligations" over the next few years.

As Reuters reports, some of Anthropic's current investors are hoping to sell 825 million shares at $78 per share to raise as much as $64.4 billion. However, according to outlets like CNBC, Anthropic is considering a price range of $70 to $78 per share.

According to those same sources, Anthropic aims to set the share price on Nov. 18 and go public on Nov. 19.

SAVE $1,100: As of Nov. 10, get the Mammotion Luba 3 for $1,999 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $3,099. That's a discount of 35%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Mammotion Luba 3 $1,999 at Amazon
$3,099 Save $1,100   Get Deal at Amazon

The weather may be getting cooler, but that doesn't mean the grass is suddenly going to stop growing. Taking care of your lawn, at least until the cold does eventually take it, is going to be part of your home routine for the foreseeable future until winter sets in. But you don't have to spend hours on handling landscaping when robot lawn mowers exist, and we've found a great early Black Friday deal on one that you should snatch up while it's still available.

As of Nov. 10, get the Mammotion Luba 3 for $1,999 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $3,099. That's $1,100 off and a discount of 35%.

SEE ALSO: We found 45 early Black Friday deals already live: Get $250 off MacBooks, 53% off Bose headphones

This robot lawn mower is powered by two 165W motors so it can tackle just about all your lawn care needs. It boasts an all-wheel-drive system with omni-wheels that let it tackle yards with just about any type of terrain. That includes inclines up to 39 degrees. It can use this power to roll over roots, potholes, curbs, and more without forcing you to have to run over and place it back on the grass.

The motors can adjust speed as they go based on how thick your grass is, and runs nearly 200 minutes per charge, so you don't have to stop and recharge it to power through each cutting job. It can even identify hundreds of types of obstacles on its own, so it can spot issues and move forward without your input thanks to its 1-2 punch of camera and LiDAR.

If you're ready to let robots handle beautifying your yard, this is a great deal that won't last long, so snag it while you can.

I spent years putting up with Phone Link when it kept letting me down. The connection kept dropping, notifications didn't show up, and most of the time the find phone feature didn't work. I eventually found a different app that I now use every single day.

Amazon has nailed down its holiday plans. Today, the retail giant announced that it will host Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday sales from Nov. 19 to Nov. 30 — that's 12 straight days of deals.

In a company blog post, Amazon said its holiday savings events will feature "millions of deals across popular categories and new daily themed deal drops," including "double drops" on Black Friday and Cyber Monday proper. Here's what you need to know before you start filling your cart.

When does Amazon's Black Friday sale start? Credit: Amazon

Amazon's Black Friday Week sale will begin at 3:01 a.m. ET (12:01 a.m. PT) on Thursday, Nov. 19, a week before Thanksgiving Day.

This will be the fourth year in a row that Amazon starts its Black Friday sale at least a week early. (The actual holiday falls on Friday, Nov. 27 this year.)

Amazon is hardly the only major retailer that draws out its Black Friday programming. Best Buy, Target, and Walmart are also offering Black Friday deals throughout the month of November — a win for early birds who are worried about popular gifts selling out as the holiday shopping season revs up.

When does Amazon's Cyber Monday sale start?

Amazon hasn't officially said when its 2026 Cyber Monday sale will start, but in the past, it's kicked off the day right after Black Friday. With that in mind, Mashable's Shopping team expects Amazon to make the shift into Cyber Monday mode on Saturday, Nov. 28 this year.

Is Amazon offering early Black Friday deals?

Yes, Amazon has already dropped a bunch of early Black Friday deals. Head to amazon.com/blackfriday and look for the offers with a red "Early Black Friday Deal" label. (If you'd rather not sift through them all yourself, check out our running list of Amazon's top early Black Friday deals so far.)

Now through Nov. 14, Amazon is supplementing these with "early Haul-iday deals" on Amazon Haul, its Shein-rivaling budget storefront. Shoppers will encounter $1 flash deals there all week, plus a selection of 11-cent deals on Nov. 10 and 11.

What to expect during Amazon's Black Friday sale Credit: Amazon

On each day of its Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday sales, Amazon will run themed daily deal drops called "Today’s Big Deals." They'll involve limited-time discounts of up to 60% on popular products from brands like Balsam Hill, HydroJug, and Theragun, and they'll go live once a day except on Black Friday and Cyber Monday proper. Shoppers will get two batches of Today's Big Deals on those days: once at 3 a.m. ET, then again at 11 a.m ET.

Beyond those drops, here are the kinds of Black Friday deals shoppers can expect to see on Amazon in the coming weeks, it said:

Amazon devices and services

• Save up to 35% on Amazon's latest gadgets, including the new Alexa Photo Frame, Alexa tablets, Echo Show 16, Echo Time, and Fire TV Stick 4K

• Save up to 45% on Amazon's 2024 Kindle Colorsoft, 55-inch Ember Artline TV, and 55-inch Ember Mini LED-Series TV

• Get a $1,500 gift card when you buy or lease a new car through Amazon Autos from Nov. 12 to 30

• Get three months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free (a $38.97 value)

• Get three months of Kindle+ for free (a $35.97 value)

Tech

• Save up to $600 on select Sony and Hisense TVs

• Save up to 50% on select headphones and speakers from Beats, JBL, Marshall, and Sonos

• Save up to 30% on select laptops and gaming PCs from Alienware, Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenvoo

Home and kitchen

• Save up to 40% on select Ninja appliances, including the Creami, Foodi, and Slushi

• Save up to 40% on select iRobot and Bissell floorcare

• Save up to 30% on select Yeti and Solo Stove gear

• Save over $200 on select Breville espresso machines

• Save up to $80 on select Levoit air purifiers

Beauty

• Save up to $90 on select beauty tools from Braun and ghd

Toys

• Save up to 50% on select Crayola and Melissa & Doug crafts

• Save up to 45% on select Magna-Tiles, Mattel, Nerf, and Play-Doh toys

• Save up to 30% on select Barbie and Hot Wheels toys

• Save up to 30% on select Ravensburger games

Books

• Save 80% on Game Changer by Rachel Reid (the first book in the Heated Rivalry series)

• Save 60% on Strangers by Belle Burden

• Save 55% on Kin by Tayari Jones

• Save 50% on Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Holiday decor

• Save up to $500 on select Balsam Hill and Fraser Hill Farm artificial Christmas trees

• Save up to 35% on select Lenox ornaments

• Save up to 30% on select Hallmark cards, gift wrap, and ornaments

These will likely be some of Amazon's most competitive deals of the year. However, know that its prices may not be as low as they've been on Black Fridays past. That's because myriad products have seen price increases in 2026 due to factors like higher fuel costs, tariffs, and the ongoing memory shortage, aka "RAMageddon."

The latter is the reason why Amazon raised the prices of its Kindle e-readers, Fire TV Sticks, and most Echo smart speakers in August.

Do you need to be a Prime member to shop Amazon's Black Friday sale?

Amazon's Black Friday sale won't be exclusive to members of its Prime program. This is one of the main things that separates it from other Amazon events like Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days.

Does Amazon price match?

No, Amazon does not price-match competitors' deals — not on Black Friday, nor any other day of the year. If you find a better price on something you've recently purchased there, you'll have to return it to Amazon and rebuy it where it's cheaper.

What is Amazon's holiday return policy?

Most items purchased on Amazon from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 can be returned through Jan. 31, 2026, except for Apple products, which have a return deadline of Jan. 15, 2027.