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Whether we like to admit it or not, notifications are the primary reason why so many of us are attached at the hip to our phones. No one wants to miss an important one. Android handles notifications the best, but if you have a Pixel phone, it gets even better.

Windows 11 and its native apps don't have the best reputation. Microsoft has packed the system with all kinds of features, making it feel increasingly bloated.

Two USB-C cables can look identical, fit the same port, and behave completely differently on your computer. One charges a laptop at full speed and transfers files in seconds; the other barely keeps a phone topped up. Baffling, I know. But you'd be surprised by how much stuff can differ between two cables full of copper.

I've used PuTTY for years. It's a great program that has lasted this long because it does one thing really well. When I need to connect to another computer over SSH, PuTTY gets the job done without a lot of extra stuff getting in the way. I know how it works, I trust it, and I've never had much reason to replace it.

Samsung is the reigning champion of foldable phones for a reason: it pushes the category forward with strong designs. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is one of my favorite folding phones of all time, and it helped popularize the passport-style shape that's quickly taking over the mobile world.

CDs have been around for a long time, with people still having ones from decades ago. Even today, CDs — which stand for compact discs — are sold to people who like owning physical music and want the additional content included with the physical copy rather than what is on streaming services.

The reason many of us build smart homes and tinker with microcontrollers is to make the mundane feel a little more special. Though these projects are far from necessary, they can bring a bit of magic to your everyday routines and teach you a thing or two along the way.

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.

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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

Rounded.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

CURVY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A collection.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 13, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GROUP

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A large animal found in Alaska.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for September 13, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Sept. 13, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

MOOSE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Simpson patriarch.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

HOMER

Final Hurdle hint

To look into.

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

PROBE

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 may be hard to spot right now, but that won't last for long. As the new lunar cycle gets underway, a little more of it will become visible each night.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Sunday, Sept. 13, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waxing Crescent phase, with 5% of its surface visible.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on September 26.

What are Moon phases?

As the Moon orbits Earth, its appearance changes over the course of roughly 29.5 days, creating what we know as the lunar cycle, according to NASA. The phase we see depends on where the Moon is in relation to Earth and the Sun, and how much of its sunlit side is facing us. Throughout the cycle, it moves from a slender crescent to a half Moon and eventually a Full Moon, before the pattern begins again.

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.

What do you do when the big plans you made fall to pieces? This is both the question faced by the antihero at the heart of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, and the men who made it.

Written and directed by Bassam Tariq, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother stars two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali as Latif, a Muslim family man and hit man on a mission. Dedicated to protecting his community, Latif wields a sword in their defense. But when his wife dies unexpectedly, he drops everything (including properly disposing of a recently slain body) to care for their three children.

On a less dramatic level, one might imagine Tariq and Ali relate. The two met while in development on the MCU's Blade movie. But once they realized it wasn't coming together, Tariq approached Ali with his original script for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.

Here, in the story of a hit man having to question his choices while using violence to defend his loved ones, Ali finds a place to put the muscle he built prepping for Blade to use. But beyond that, he brings to life a complex character who adds to the rich tapestry of the American antihero.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a family drama, and a gangster drama, and an action movie. Credit: Orion / Amazon MGM Studios

Tariq begins his film with a compelling collision of sight and sound. Onscreen, Ali bursts into frame, bringing down a skinhead in an empty public bathroom. The violence is efficient, communicating this is not the first time Latif has taken on such a task.

Over this scene, audio plays, explaining the title, which comes from the Quran. An unseen girl reads a passage about how the Prophet was asked who to honor after Allah, and three times, the prophet said, "Your mother," before he said, "Your father."

SEE ALSO: 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother' trailer: Mahershala Ali leaps into action

Even before the phone call comes to announce how his world has changed — even if you aren't familiar with the Quran quotation — you understand Latif is ill-equipped to replace the void his wife's death leaves. Soon, we see how, as he struggles to speak to his teen daughter (a marvelous Adia) about her burgeoning sexuality, and to find a source for what his infant needs most: mother's milk.

While struggling to cope with his grief and the overwhelm of single parenting, Latif desperately tries to exit his violent vocation. But as every gangster movie makes clear, it's not an easy thing to walk away from being a hit man. The one last job demanded of his handler won't be ignored. So, as he seeks breast milk to feed his child, he must also face off against hired guns, and a Christian cult leader (John Cho) on a violent crusade.

Tariq's plot line seamlessly blends elements of a gangster drama with exhilaratingly intense action sequences and a tender father-daughter drama that is absolutely breathtaking. Like Sinners, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother moves smoothly, weaving together genre elements with character development in a richly realized world to create a film that is familiar yet scorchingly unique.

Under Tariq's direction, there is not only poignant dialogue or a surprising story. It's a film alive with tiny but crucial visual details. It's in the blade by Latif's side, or the saucy video his daughter sneaks on her laptop through stolen WiFi, and in the platinum grill that Cho sports on his teeth, glistening not only in precious metals but also diamonds forming a cross on each tooth. Each is evocative, urging the audience to think deeper about who each figure is — even as they rush to escape, fight, or rescue each other. Each element is an invitation to make the movie our own by how we choose to translate them.

Mahershala Ali is absolutely riveting in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. Credit: Orion / Amazon MGM Studios

When Ali revealed his Blade movie with the MCU seems dead, fans online grieved publicly. But from the ashes of Marvel's fumble comes an action hero that is all Ali's own, with one of the best performances of his career.

Brandishing blades and his muscle-bound arms, Ali tears into fight scenes with a focus that is exhilarating on its own. But Tariq enhances the stakes by putting Latif's children in immediate peril. It's not enough for Latif to rip through a flood of Christian militants, armed to the teeth with guns. He must do it while keeping an eye on his defenseless baby. And if that means putting lubricant and broken glass on leather gloves as an impromptu weapon, that's what it means. (And it's awesome.)

The resounding presence that Ali has brought to Moonlight, Green Book, and Luke Cage is radiant here. In moments of battle, he is quiet, his body primed to spring into action like a snake leaping from a coiled posture. There's moments where it seems Latif is most comfortable in warrior mode, where he can rely on his body and might. In scenes where he must cajole or convince, he's stiffer, clearly uncomfortable in being in a position of needing help.

In these scene's, Ali's stiffness reverberates with a tension born from Latif's fear that he is not enough. How can he compare to his wife when it comes to caring for their children? His fear of failing them drives every moment, major and seemingly mundane. But Ali makes sure no moment feels mundane.

Credit: Orion / Amazon MGM Studios

A scene of prayer at the mosque where he holds his hungry infant daughter as he silently cries becomes a moment of silent and stillness that reflects Tariq's keen understanding of great filmmaking. He pulls from Eastern masters like Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki, creating a moment of ma — a quiet space to allow the audience to see what the world is like before violence shatters its peace. Except, in this moment it's not a soft rain falling, it's a man whose faith is shattered by loss, crying by himself as he's surrounded by his community. In this moment, Latif cannot keep up the façade that he is okay. And his eldest daughter is the one who sees this. (I can sense the elder daughters out there nodding in recognition.)

Make no mistake. The action in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is electrifying, sparked with stakes, grit, and style. This is thanks in no small part to Ali's athleticism in the role, and Tariq's embrace of saturated colors, painting everything from mosques to strip clubs to a tacky mansion in vivid hues of red, gold, blue, and greens. But the heart of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is the relationship between Latif and his eldest daughter, who, on the brink of womanhood, sees him, flaws and all.

With her mom gone, she steps up as a second parent in the house, which brings tension and guilt to Latif's dealings with her. They also share a disillusionment with Islam, largely because of the cruelty of their lost mother. Latif certainly sees himself in her, and this weighs on him too. But it's not all heavy emotions.

Tariq and Ali smartly weave in not just levity, but the goofy intimacy that breathes in the bonds of father and daughter. A sendoff scene might have been too maudlin or earnest were it not for the pair sharing a laugh over a perfectly executed dad joke. Again, the moment of ma, as Latif sets off for the climactic battle, and Tariq takes the time to remind us exactly what is being fought for.

Adia is a superb scene partner, not only to Ali, whose intense glare she matches, but also in scenes shared with young Jahleel Kamara, her onscreen little brother. She gives her sister depth by showing her as both patient and caring and annoyed. In scenes with her Mormon crush, she shrinks in shyness. And these shades make her boldness in communication with her dad reflect not only their shared fire, but also the closeness of their bond.

Credit: Orion / Amazon MGM Studios

Then there's John Cho, who brings a fresh menace as the cult leader. Rather than delivering a big, brash performance, Cho's performance is more nuanced. He lets the sparkling grill and flashy cowboy attire — bedecked with Christian iconography — speak loud, so he can speak in a deceitfully folksy whisper. It's enchanting and alarming, because it's easy to imagine being sucked into the easy warmth in his tone. But the things he's saying with a smile are downright scary. His showdown with Latif is inevitable, and as it gets closer, the tension will catch the breath in your throat. And it won't be the last time.

Because of how Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother came about, some might write it off as the "not-Blade Blade movie." But that's their mistake.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a blisteringly original and absolutely gorgeous film. Tariq shows a comprehensive understanding of what draws Americans to not only action movies but also antihero/crime dramas. He delivers spectacles of violence, but grounds them in gripping, human stakes. Then, through that, he weaves a magnificent character-driven thread that is accentuated by color, details, and an extraordinary cast. Simply put, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a stunner, and easily one of my favorite films of 2026.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother was reviewed out its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie opens in select theaters on Sept. 25. and everywhere in October.

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you know like James Bond.

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 13, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Top Secret

The words are related to counter-intelligence work.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a spy.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Undercover.

NYT Strands word list for September 12

• Plant

• Agent

• Counterspy

• Asset

• Opertaive

• Mole

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 13, 2026 Droppy signal meaning

To hang downward.

Flaccid meaning

Lacking firmness.

Sagging meaning

Drifts down.

Slack meaning

Not tight.

Cleveland meaning

24th President.

Garfield meaning

20th President.

Grant meaning

18th President.

Madison meaning

4th President.

Empty meaning

Contains nothing.

Excess meaning

Contains too much.

Kewpie meaning

A small chubby doll with a topknot of hair.

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.

Odie meaning

Gender-neutral name of British origin.

Doublespeak meaning

Deceptive language.

Heathcliff meaning

A fictional character in Wuthering Heights.

Paramount meaning

Superior to others.

Porridge meaning

A soft food made of boiled grains in milk or water.

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

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

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

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

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

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you know U.S. History.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 11, 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: Soft

• Green: Leaders of the Executive Branch

• Blue: One word, two letters

• Purple: Words with a high point

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Lacking in Firmness

• Green: U.S. Presidents

• Blue: Words That Sound Like Two Letters

• Purple: Ending in Elevated Landforms

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 #1190 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Lacking in Firmness: DROOPY, FLACCID, SAGGING, SLACK

• U.S. Presidents: CLEVELAND, GARFIELD, GRANT, MADISON

• Words That Sound Like Two Letters: EMPTY, EXCESS, KEWPIE, ODIE

• Ending in Elevated Landforms: DOUBLESPEAK, HEATHCLIFF, PARAMOUNT, PORRIDGE

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

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

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if pay attention.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 13, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 13, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Lock in.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter F.

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...

FOCUS

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

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

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

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

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

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

Years ago, I bought an Android TV box so I wouldn't have to replace the TV in my bedroom with a smart TV. At the time, it seemed like a cheap and simple solution. All I had to do was plug the box into the TV, connect it to Wi-Fi, and I had access to all the streaming apps I needed. What I didn't expect was that I'd still be using the same box years later, even while newer streaming devices have come and gone.

If you've got an old Fire Stick that you no longer need to watch TV with, it doesn't have to become e-waste. With its built-in Alexa functionality, you can disconnect it from your TV and use it as a smart speaker. It's not quite an Amazon Echo, but it can make surprisingly good use of the hardware that you already own.

Wired Android Auto is about as plug-and-play as it gets. The moment you plug the USB cable into your phone, everything connects in less time than it takes your engine to warm up a little before you roll off. However, annoyingly, it always seems to turn on Bluetooth too, but why does that keep happening when you’re using wired Android Auto?

Things have been a little quiet on Paramount+ lately, unless you've been deep in cover-ops land with Lioness or eagerly awaiting some renewed Harrigan madness with the coming of season two of MobLand on September 18. But on the movie side of things, things are slow, which is a perfect time for a thriller to wake you up.

My Wi-Fi router sits out in the open in the kitchen next to the TV, and I've been thinking about hiding it in the cabinet under the TV for a while now. This would make the whole setup look a little tidier, but I didn't want to sacrifice Wi-Fi performance just for better aesthetics. So, I decided to test just how much worse my signal actually gets when I put the router in a cabinet.

An operating system is only as good as the apps you can run on it, but some apps go beyond that and end up defining the operating system. You seek them out, usually on day one of setting up a new PC, because Windows just feels incomplete without them. Here are three such apps that are so good that they define their entire categories — earning them the title of “greatest of all time.”