IT General

The Dimension 20 cast (Brennan Lee Mulligan, Ally Beardsley, Lou Wilson, Siobhan Thompson, and Zac Oyama) locked in to draft their ultimate teams of characters from Intrepid Heroes campaigns.Which PC will be the first pick?

Which cast members betray each other in order to get the characters they want? And most importantly, which of these teams do you think will prevail in a no-holds-barred battle royale?

The new season of Dimension 20, Dimension 20: Titan Takedown, premieres Apr. 2 at 7 p.m. ET on Dropout.

You can start your smart home journey with as little as a cheap smart plug. Your home will already be smarter, but it can quickly get addictive. One plug becomes five, and before you know it you've decked your home from top to bottom in smart home tech.

NotebookLM, the AI-powered notebook and research tool with Google Gemini, just received yet another update. Google has added 'Discover sources' as a new option to help you find sources for whatever you're working on.

If you want the best screen possible for the NCAA Final Four, or just been waiting for a great deal on a new TV, look no further. You now get LG's 65-inch C4 OLED 4K TV from Best Buy for $300 off the original MSRP.

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StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: 1min.AI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription AU$158
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Free apps get a bad rep for not being as robust as their paid counterparts. That is not always the case, though. I have compiled a list of the ones I use on Windows instead of paying for their popular counterparts.

Discord has become an essential tool for gamers who want to play multiplayer games in groups, helping players stay connected during gaming sessions. Both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S have Discord support, but Nintendo is going a different way with the Switch 2.

Alfred Hitchcock had blondes, MacGuffins, and director’s cameos. Spike Lee has dolly shots, New York settings, and fourth-wall breaks. And Jared Hess has tots, llamas, and frequent use of “friggin.’” 

I’m not saying that the Napoleon Dynamite director is on the level of those two auteurs. However, it’s impressive that despite being an adaptation of a juggernaut of a video game, A Minecraft Movie still feels like a Jared Hess movie at its core, even down to its setting in Idaho (when it isn’t set in the world of Minecraft, that is).

Jack Black as Steve, Danielle Brooks as Dawn, and Jason Momoa as Garrett in “A Minecraft Movie." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

A Minecraft Movie could have simply been driven by its mammoth video game origins, content to drop in-jokes and references inscrutable to those who haven’t dived into playing Minecraft and delightful to those who have. That would have been the safe route — and it’s one that most IP adaptations are OK with taking — but oddly, Warner Bros. and game studio Mojang appear to be fine with Hess putting his own quirky stamp on this universe. 

Maybe it’s not so odd after all. From my limited understanding of the game (very limited as a childfree adult who googled “Minecraft explainer” on my way to the theater), creativity and making the world your own are valued within Minecraft gameplay. And even if I hadn’t done five minutes of pre-screening research, A Minecraft Movie is vocally explicit in espousing imagination as a key to success in the Minecraft land of Overworld.

The plot of A Minecraft Movie is a lot — and also not the point. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

The plot of this family-friendly adventure is challenging to explain succinctly; whether that’s my fault as a Minecraft noob or has to do with the five credited writers (Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James, and Chris Galletta) is up for debate. Mine-obsessed Steve (Jack Black) accidentally discovers a portal (in a mine, naturally) that leads to Overworld, an animated universe filled with blocky animals, trees, and structures. Steve masters building and crafting in Overworld and decides to stay, especially after he bonds with a cube-shaped dog that he names Dennis. 

Later, that same Overworld portal also sucks in former video game champion Garrett “Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), realtor/mobile zoo entrepreneur Dawn (Danielle Brooks), and two young siblings, Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers). They discover the rules of Overworld by trial and error, learning how to build structures and craft tools during the day and simply trying to stay alive at night, also by building and crafting, amidst attacks from zombies, spiders, and creepers. Their experience basically echoes the game’s mods: in Create, players focus on constructing their own world, while Survive finds them attempting to not die with each nightly assault from creepy creatures.  They go on a quest for the movie’s MacGuffin — the cube-shaped Orb of Dominance — where they encounter more creations that made the kids in my screening lose their little minds with excitement. Meanwhile, they try to avoid the invading hordes from a hell-like underworld populated by beefy, blocky pigs and ruled by the sorceress Malgosha (voiced by Taika Waititi–favorite Rachel House). 

Beyond all of … that, A Minecraft Movie also features a wholly unnecessary subplot about a cubist Overworld citizen who stumbles into our world and encounters Henry’s daffy, oversharing vice principal, played by Jennifer Coolidge. These scenes could have been cut out entirely without affecting anything else on screen, but a credits sequence offers payoff. It’s hard to be too mad at its inclusion because it exists as a vehicle for Coolidge, who also starred in Hess’s Gentlemen Broncos, and is very much on the same comedic page as the filmmaker.

Jason Momoa and Jack Black are at their comedic best. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Leads Momoa and Black are also on Hess’s weirdo wavelength. Momoa stars as the has-been video game king with a wardrobe of fringed jackets and a glorious curly shag haircut, and his deadpan delivery is the most hilarious the Aquaman actor has ever been. Hair-metal-loving Garrett is desperately trying to recapture his previous glory, and Momoa speaks in the oh-so-serious-but-oh-so-funny cadence that will be familiar to anyone who watched Napoleon Dynamite on repeat. 

Similarly, Black has his trademark exuberant energy that borders on obnoxiousness, and it’s the perfect fit for this perfectly silly movie and its young audience. Some adults may not find Black entertaining, but they are old and boring. For his second round with Hess, following Nacho Libre, Black gets that the director doesn’t want naturalistic performances steeped in Stanislavski. A Minecraft Movie isn’t attempting to be subtle; it’s the bigger, the better, and Black understood the assignment.

In her first film appearance post-Oscar nomination for 2023’s The Color Purple, Brooks isn’t given a ton to do. However, if everyone in the cast were operating at the over-the-top level of Momoa, Black, and Coolidge, A Minecraft Movie would be overwhelming and exhausting, a fate it somehow skirts despite everything going on here. Hansen and Myers, the two young actors playing brother-and-sister duo Henry and Natalie, are charming enough and comical when they’re required to be, but it’s easy to get lost amidst the bigger performances and the backdrop of blocky animated sheep.

All those weird right angles and the oddly inorganic shapes of the organic things of Overworld mean that the animation and special effects don’t have to — and shouldn’t — convince the audience they’re real. Minecraft itself looks pretty low-fi, and the visuals of Hess’s film work well within that established style. Yet it doesn’t look cheap; it’s as though Warner Bros. didn’t mind spending a little money in anticipation of the pile of money the film will likely make.

Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess brings his signature silly style. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

While I don’t love that IP rules the box office, Hess’s tater-tot-grease-stained fingerprints are all over A Minecraft Movie. It feels like it was made by a human — and a wonderfully weird one — rather than simply churned out by a studio or media conglomerate to take advantage of their property. It’s fun and funny, fully engaged with the spirit of the game, in which creativity and imagination rule. It doesn’t feel like it’s pandering to kids, but, as evidenced by the giggles at my screening, they were enjoying it. For adult viewers who require logic in their storytelling, however, mileage may vary. 

“This place makes no sense,” Natalie says at one point with a tinge of exasperation, and she is speaking for all of us uninitiated. While it is largely coherent, A Minecraft Movie is all over the place. But no one in the audience is here for the plot. They’re either watching A Minecraft Movie for their love of the Minecraft world or because they love someone who loves it and isn’t old enough to drive themselves to the movie theater. As far as video game adaptations and children’s films go, A Minecraft Movie is so much better than it needs to be. 

Parents will likely find this film more entertaining than listening to their kids talk about Minecraft for the equivalent amount of time (101 minutes, for the record). A Minecraft Movie might also provide a deeper understanding of the universe (Minecraft’s, not the real one) for those who haven’t experienced it firsthand before. It’s a good primer for the game that never feels like homework.

A Minecraft Movie opens in theaters nationwide and in IMAX on April 4.

Razer's Seiren V3 Mini USB microphone is currently on sale, which is a great value for casual users and serious content creators. With a 40% discount, this small but powerful microphone gives you high-quality audio without breaking the bank.

Nintendo has now fully revealed the Nintendo Switch 2, including details about the hardware upgrades, future games, and backwards compatibility with the original Switch. It looks like a decent enough upgrade from the original Switch, but there’s not enough here to get me interested.

A child's fanciful drawings coming to life sounds like the start of a sweet adventure. But what if said child's drawings were of monsters with foreboding names like the Blood Eater?

That's the hook of the upcoming film Sketch, directed by Seth Worley, which sees 11-year-old Amber's (Bianca Belle) imagination literally running amok. She's the artist behind such creatures as the Blood Eater, which "eats blood and pukes the blood back onto people," as well as other strange, often one-eyed beings.

Her drawings cause concern in everyone around her, including her widowed father Taylor (Tony Hale, The Decameron). Yet he at least tries to understand where Amber is coming from, telling his sister Liz (D'Arcy Carden), "She's working through some stuff."

When a magic mishap brings Amber's creations into the real world, Taylor finds himself swept up in an adventure alongside her, Liz, and his eldest son Jack (Kue Lawrence). Check out the trailer above for glimpses of the film's colorful creatures, which promise to bring tons of fuzz and glitter to the big screen.

Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko praised Sketch in her review out of the Toronto International Film Festival, calling it "a fantastically fun and heartwarming movie with a slathering of weird that makes it a real treat."

Sketch hits theaters Aug. 6.

SPEND $150, GET $20: As of April 2, Best Buy is offering a $20 reward for every $150 you spend on Nintendo Switch games, gift cards, and select accessories. The deal is available to all My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members until Aug. 3, so we recommend waiting until some Nintendo Switch 2 game preorders pop up before shopping.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch games, gift cards, select accessories Spend $150, get $20 (exlcusive to My Best Buy Plus and Total members) Get Deal

Amongst all the Nintendo Switch 2 excitement, Best Buy has announced a big promotion to commemorate the upcoming launch of the iconic gaming company's newest handheld console. From April 2 to Aug. 3, My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members can get a $20 credit for every $150 they spend on select Nintendo Switch games, accessories, and gift cards. It's a great opportunity to stock up on all the Nintendo goodies you want ahead of the Switch 2 launch, but just be aware that this offer does not apply to Nintendo Switch hardware, so you won't be able to use it for any console purchases or preorders.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo announces 'Hollow Knight: Silksong' for Switch 2

But before you start shopping, hear us out: We think you should wait. Well, not too long — just until some of those Nintendo Switch 2 titles go up for preorder. The promotion will most likely include some of those marquee games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza when they're available to buy, and we wouldn't want you to miss out on that. So, be patient and have your Switch 2 shopping list at the ready. (If you don't plan to upgrade to the Switch 2, go nuts.)

There's some other fine print you'll want to keep on your radar, too. You'll only be able to receive a maximum of five $20 vouchers (which you'd get for spending $750 total), and each voucher needs to be used within 30 days of issuance. Nothing too extreme, but we'd hate to see you miss out on your free money because you didn't spend it quickly enough. Once you finish shopping, your credit should show up in your Best Buy account approximately 15 days after your purchase.

Mobile apps have become a way of life since the dawn of the smartphone era. However, you'll find far fewer offerings in the way of native applications on your actual computer. Fed up for years, I've found peace in using Nativefier to create apps out of my most used sites.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will soon be yours, barring any supply chain issues or shortages.

After pulling back the curtain on its new console during a one-hour Direct livestream, Nintendo announced in a press release Wednesday that Switch 2 preorders will open at select retailers on April 9. It'll be available as a standalone console for $449.99, making it $150 pricier than the original Switch from 2017 and $100 more expensive than the 2021 OLED model. The Switch 2 will also be sold as part of a limited-time $499.99 bundle that includes a download code for Mario Kart World, one of two exclusive launch titles. Its release date is set for Thursday, June 5.

SEE ALSO: Switch 2 Nintendo Direct: Everything announced today

Interested shoppers could sign up for preorder access through the My Nintendo Store at the time of writing. (A Nintendo Account is required.) According to the fine print, priority registration will be given to "registrants who have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2024." Once Nintendo sends invites to all priority registrants, they'll go out to everyone else who signed up "on a first-come, first-served basis."

Shoppers will be notified via email when it's their turn to place a Switch 2 preorder and have 72 hours to do so. The first round of invites will go out on Thursday, May 8, "with additional batches of invitation email sent periodically until purchasing on My Nintendo Store is opened to everyone," per the FAQ section of the registration page. Preorders are limited to one system per Nintendo Account.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 $449.99 at the My Nintendo Store
Register for preorder access Learn More

Among third-party retailers, GameStop and Best Buy are both giving shoppers the option to sign up for online availability notifications ahead of time. Best Buy has also announced that it will open its stores for in-person preorder pick at midnight ET on launch day.

The Switch 2 console ships with the following accessories:

• Joy-Con 2 controllers (L+R)

• Joy-Con 2 Grip

• Joy-Con 2 Straps

• Nintendo Switch 2 Dock

• Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable

• Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter

• USB-C Charging Cable

Nintendo will sell several Switch 2 accessories separately, including a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller ($79.99), a Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip ($34.99), a set of two Joy-Con 2 Wheels ($19.99), a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera ($49.99), a Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector ($34.99), and a Nintendo Switch 2 All-In-One Carrying Case ($79.99). They'll go up for preorder the same day as the console itself.

According to a January Bloomberg report, Nintendo's suppliers have been preparing to sell more than 20 million Switch 2 units this year. That's 5 million more units than the first Switch, so hypothetically, it'll be a little easier to find in stock at launch.

TL;DR: Get a lifetime subscription to BitMar’s content finder for A$23 through 27 April only with code BITMAR5 at checkout (reg. A$238).

Here’s a challenge: cut the cord with your streaming services. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, all of them. You’re likely paying hundreds each year in subscription fees and, chances are, you still can’t find the one movie you want to watch on any of them.

All of these reasons are probably why so many people are turning to BitMar, a streaming service alternative. You know how you can find some free movies or TV shows available online if you dig hard enough? This powerful search engine does that for you. And, for a limited time, you can get it for A$23 with code BITMAR5 at checkout (reg. A$238).

Wait…how does it work?

BitMar is powered by the Bing search engine, but it only has eyes for free streaming content. You’ll use a far more user-friendly interface to plug in a channel, genre, actor, or a specific movie or TV show you have in mind, then this content aggregator scours the web to find it.

Is it legal? Yes. BitMar is fully compliant with copyright laws — and it’s simply locating content already available on the web.

If you’re wondering why you wouldn’t just spend the time searching for it yourself, that’s the reason right there — it saves you time. BitMar also filters out the garbage to leave you with high-quality, ad-free content.

Enjoy no subscription streaming with a BitMar lifetime subscription at A$23 with code BITMAR5 at checkout (reg. A$238). This coupon code expires after 27 April.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar Streaming Content-Finder: Lifetime Subscription AU$23
AU$238 Save AU$215 Get Deal

TikTok could soon be a part of Amazon.

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Amazon had bid to purchase TikTok before the potential ban deadline on April 5. The Times noted, however, that the offer might not be the most likely to go through.

The paper reported:

"Various parties who have been involved in the talks do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously, the people said. The bid came via an offer letter addressed to Vice President JD Vance and Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, according to a person briefed on the matter."

TikTok has until April 5 to find a U.S. buyer, a date set by President Donald Trump after giving the China-owned app an extension upon taking office. A host of rumored suitors have been named, including Oracle, Microsoft, Project Liberty, and several more billionaires.

Breaking News: Amazon made a last-minute bid to acquire all of TikTok as the app approaches an April deadline to be sold by its Chinese owner or face a ban in the U.S., people familiar with the offer said.

[image or embed]

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) April 2, 2025 at 12:18 PM

This story is developing and will be updated with more information.

One way to display figures in an Excel table according to certain time periods is by using filter buttons. However, a better way to do this is to use a timeline, a dynamic filter option that allows you to quickly display data from individual days, months, quarters, or years.

SAVE $89: As of April 2, you can get a Nespresso Vertuo coffee and espresso maker for just $129.99, down from $219. That's a 41% discount and an $89 price cut.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nespresso Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Maker $129.99 at Amazon
$219 Save $89.01 Get Deal

If you’re tired of schlepping to your local coffee shop every morning for a caffeine fix, dealing with coffee grounds, and cleaning your machine, it might be time to invest in a pod-based coffee maker. Specifically, a coffee and espresso machine that can do it all right on your kitchen counter.

As of April 2, you can get the Nespresso Vertuo coffee and espresso maker for $129.99 at Amazon. That’s a 41% discount and $89.01 in savings (enough to cover a few weeks of lattes).

SEE ALSO: The best coffee machines for modern kitchens

The Nespresso Vertuo machine is designed to brew single-serve coffee and espresso using Nespresso Vertuo capsules. Bonus: If you go online and create a Nespresso account, you can get a pre-labeled recycle bag to fill with your used capsules and ship it back to Nespresso to recycle.

This machine heats in just 25 seconds and includes an extra-large 54-ounce water tank, so you can fill it and forget it (for at least a few days). You’ll also get a complimentary starter set of Nespresso capsules with your purchase.

If your Windows 11 PC uses an SSD, there are actions you can take to make your SSD last as long as possible. These tips help reduce your drive’s wear and tear, and I’ll show you how to use them.

SAVE $200: As of April 2, get the Google Pixel Tablet for $299.99, down from its usual price of $499.99, at Woot. That's a discount of 40%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Woot Google Pixel Tablet $299.99 at Woot
$499.99 Save $200 Get Deal

Sometimes you need more screen real estate than a phone can provide you with. Whether you want something to watch your favorite shows and movies with on the go or a better way to handle multitasking while you work on your morning commute, a tablet is always a good option. You can get a tablet that fits all your needs without spending an arm and a leg too, all without skimping on quality. Thanks to this Woot deal, you can save big time on a new Google Pixel Tablet.

As of April 2, get the Google Pixel Tablet for $299.99 at Woot, down from its usual price of $499.99. That's a discount of 40%.

SEE ALSO: The best live deals on tablets in the Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025

We named the Google Pixel Tablet as an honorable mention in our list of the best tablets available, and for good reason. The Google Pixel Tablet is powered by the Google Tensor G2 chip with 8GB of RAM and 8MP cameras on both the front and back. It boasts a crisp 11-inch screen with 256GB of storage and a battery life of 12 hours, depending on usage. Best of all, it's quite attractive and lightweight.

One of the best things you can do is add the charging speaker dock, which turns the tablet into a second monitor with excellent audio. This deal doesn't include the dock at this price, but it's something to keep in mind to make this purchase even better.

If you're ready for a new tablet that can handle whatever you need on a daily basis, this one is worth scooping up.