IT General

Most old PCs end up running a lightweight Linux distribution, but that path keeps narrowing as distros abandon older hardware. Haiku, the open-source successor to BeOS, takes a different approach, and its new R1/beta6 release makes a surprisingly strong case for reviving ancient machines.

A dedicated smart-home control panel makes Home Assistant easier to use. You can tap a screen to control your lights, check the weather, or adjust your thermostat without reaching for your phone. The trouble is that dedicated smart displays can cost considerably more than the hardware inside them.

Smart thermostats can learn your habits, but if your routine changes, you can't just tell them what's different and expect them to adapt. If a Large Language Model (LLM) were running my heating, I'd be able to do exactly that. I decided to let an LLM take control of my heating for a week to see how it compared to popular smart thermostats.

It's November, which means Netflix U.S. has an entire slate of new movies arriving on the service. Some of the notable licensed content includes Whiplash, Air Force One, Fury, and Bridesmaids. As for genre-focused content, there are a few nail-biting thrillers that should be saved to your My List.

Internet speak is a very real thing. Online communities develop their own vocabularies, particularly on sites and platforms that have been up and running for years — it's all part of the fun of belonging to the online world. Knowing specific terms is like a membership badge.

One place you'll find internet slang is AdultFriendFinder, one of the OG hookup sites. If you're new to AFF, it can be a bit confusing at first. You'll quickly come across lingo, acronyms, and shorthand terms that you've never heard before.

Some of the terms will be obvious or familiar from other online dating cultures, but some are particular to specialist communities, such as the worlds of BDSM and kink. 

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder   Learn More

To get you started on AFF, we've put together a glossary of essential AFF terms that will help you navigate the site:

Common AFF slang terms you need to know

• Aftercare: Term for cuddling and/or words of affirmation after a BDSM scenario

• Bate buds: Two or more people who enjoy masturbating to the same kinds of content and swap recommendations 

• CD: Cross-dressing, usually referring to a person who enjoys wearing the clothing of another gender

• Cuckolding: The practice of consensual infidelity, i.e. taking pleasure from your partner having sex with someone else, widely enjoyed in non-monogamous relationships

• DD/LG: Acronym for "daddy dom, little girl," describing a male-dominant, female-submissive relationship

• Dom/Domme: Short-hand term for the dominant partner in a BDSM relationship. The terms master/mistress are often used interchangeably with dom/domme

• Edging: The practice of bringing oneself close to sexual orgasm but without ever reaching it

• ENM: Ethical non-monogamy, which is otherwise known as an open relationship

• Little: Short-hand term for the submissive partner in a BDSM relationship

• Limits/Hard Limits: Someone's boundaries. Respecting limits is a central tenet of kink culture and should be practiced even in online encounters

• MD/LB: Acronym for "mommy domme, little boy," describing a female-dominant, male-submissive relationship

• Orgasm Control: A scenario in which one partner voluntarily relinquishes control of their sexual climax to another play partner

• Shibari: The Japanese art of decorative rope bondage, usually requiring a high degree of experience to execute properly

• Switch: Someone who occasionally enjoys being either dominant or submissive

• Vanilla: A non-pejorative term describing a preference for non-kinky sexual practices

When your Wi-Fi drops unexpectedly, what's your first guess? Mine is, naturally, to blame the ISP. Then, if I'm on my phone or something else portable, I'll start wondering about Wi-Fi dead zones.

Apple's 2009 "There's an app for that" slogan rings even truer in 2026. Anything you want to do, you'll find an app that's supposed to help you, and productivity apps are no exception.

TL;DR: Stop underutilizing Claude and unlock its full potential with some help from the Claude AI Professional E-Degree, on sale now for just $19.99 (reg. $159).

Opens in a new window Credit: Eduonix Learning Solutions Claude AI Professional E-Degree $19.99
$159 Save $139.01   Get Deal

Learning to use AI efficiently is becoming increasingly important, whether you’re working on personal projects or trying to incorporate it into your workflow. The Claude AI Professional E-Degree gives you a structured way to master one of the most popular AI models, with lessons on prompting, coding, and integrations to help you put your knowledge into practice.

Right now, you can secure the Claude AI Professional E-Degree for just $19.99.

When it comes to AI, you don’t want to miss the boat. The Claude AI Professional E-Degree lets you keep up without having to head back to school or spend hours doing your own research. This 8-hour E-Degree shows you how it works, how to prompt, how to use it for coding and integrations, and a whole lot more.

The Claude AI Professional E-Degree is taught by Eduonix Learning Solutions, a professional team of technology trainers who teach you how to use these skills the way they’re used in the real world.

You can work through the four hands-on modules at your own pace and go from a Claude beginner to an expert user. Start with Claude Chat: Best Practices, where you learn how to craft the most effective prompts and achieve the best results. From there, you move on to Claude Code: Agentic Coding, which helps you become a more efficient coder.

A Claude CoWork module shows you how to connect Claude with your favorite apps and plugins to streamline your daily routines. Then the Master Claude CoWork module takes things even further, showing you more advanced plugins and automation to help build a better AI-driven workflow.

There are quizzes available to test your retention as you go. You’ll also receive a professional E-Degree certification upon completion of the modules.

Master Claude with the Claude AI Professional E-Degree for just $19.99.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Whether or not you find Google TV compelling on a TV, there’s a different form factor where it’s a genuine game changer—on a projector.

Your Samsung Galaxy phone is great for many things, but one of the best parts about it is how you can personalize and set it up for your convenient use. You may not even realize it, but one simple way to set up your phone for daily use is with its buttons.

KDE Plasma has been my desktop for years, and it earned that spot. But Plasma’s latest direction changed the math for me, and Xfce now fits the way I work better. Here’s where Xfce pulls ahead, where KDE still wins, and who should pick which.

Sad news for space aficionados: the famous Hubble Space Telescope, responsible for some of the most jaw-dropping images of our solar system taken more than three decades since its launch into low-Earth orbit in 1990, is on a slow path towards a fiery fate. At its present rate of altitude loss, NASA's most famous telescope is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere sometime in 2033 or 2034, at which point it will come crashing down like a comet, according to Space.com, possibly endangering human life on its descent

It doesn't have to be that way, though. If NASA had more room in its budget, it could repeat its 2002 Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-109 and give the aging telescope a nudge into a higher orbit, extending its lifespan. In desperation, NASA has put out a Request for Information (RFI) to the fast-growing commercial space sector, hoping for aid to either boost Hubble's altitude and extend its lifespan or else guide its descent to a safe crash site, such as the middle of the ocean.

According to the RFI, a successful orbital boost would require an ascent of more than 370 miles (600 kilometers), which is a significant increase in elevation and an astonishingly difficult challenge from a purely technical perspective. 

In a statement on the NASA website, Nicky Fox, an associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate, spoke to the growing power and influence of the private space sector: "Commercial industry has rapidly evolved in recent years to offer new capabilities for in-space satellite capture and servicing. Given the time we have until Hubble’s anticipated re-entry, we are eager to explore the breadth of possibilities to boost Hubble to a higher orbit while we develop the flagship mission to follow."  

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman spoke of a duty to both "the American taxpayer" and "the scientific community" to explore all possible ways to extend Hubble's life, and the project is likely to attract serious interest from companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Peter Beck's Rocket Lab, which became famous for successfully catching a used rocket with a helicopter. 

It wouldn't even be the first time that the commercial space sector has lent NASA a helping hand. In March of last year, stranded astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were rescued from the International Space Station with assistance from SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

Let's hope history repeats itself and NASA finds a willing collaborator, because Hubble's insights over more than a three decades have radically altered our understanding of the universe we inhabit and inspired new generations to look to the stars.

Inde Navarrette has been hitting the gym for Marvel. She also had a little something to say to Shane Gillis in her opening monologue.

The Obsession star made her Saturday Night Live hosting debut on Halloween, slipping a jab at the show's previous host into an otherwise straightforward update about playing Rogue in the upcoming X-Men movie.

"I know it’s really important for Marvel that you get really fit, so I’ve been working out a lot," she said. "So every morning I put on my little whore outfit and I hit the gym."

Credit: Will Heath/Getty Images

The audience caught the reference, breaking into laughter and applause. Three weeks earlier, Gillis had stood on the same stage and complained that women "dress like whores now" at the gym, following it with a bit about revealing shorts and being told not to stare.

The comments prompted criticism from Dan Levy and former SNL cast members Cecily Strong and Ego Nwodim, who posted a gym selfie on Instagram Stories captioned "Whore reporting for duty."

Navarrette also had a less reassuring update about her love life. Addressing fans who wondered whether she resembled Nikki, her character in Obsession, Navarrette insisted that the similarities ended onscreen.

"My boyfriend is here tonight to support me and we have such a chill relationship, right?" she said.

The camera cut to her boyfriend, Nick Aiello, bound and gagged in his audience seat.

The monologue ended with cast members showing off their Halloween costumes, including Marcello Hernandez as a sexy TSA agent and Kam Patterson as Elizabeth Holmes. Jeremy Culhane turned up as Wolverine, hoping Navarrette could get him into her Marvel movie. Apparently, he'd come prepared for an audition.

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

An ESP32 development board can cost just a few dollars, making it a popular choice for DIY projects such as building your own smart home devices. The cost of the ESP32 itself doesn't tell the whole story, however. There are often additional costs that can be easy to forget.

The Google Play Store is the primary method of downloading Android apps on all Android phones. There are many reasons why you would want to install apps from sources other than the Play Store. Maybe you don't want to use a Google account, or perhaps you're using a de-Googled phone for privacy reasons.

TL;DR: Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels to watch select F1 races for free. Watch the Mexico GP for free with the Prime Video app.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple TV Prime Video Channel Watch the Mexico GP for free with a 7-day trial Shop Now

Kimi Antonelli had a slim chance of winning the title last weekend in Austin. He did his part by winning the Grand Prix, but Hamilton and Russell stayed in the game. Now the action heads to Mexico, where Antonelli's victory seems all but certain.

Antonelli needs to finish in ninth place or higher in Mexico to be crowned champion, even if Russell takes the race win. Surely it's time. I'd be shocked if Antonelli doesn't secure his place as the youngest champion in F1 history.

SEE ALSO: ExpressVPN review: A stylish VPN service with proven privacy and a large U.S. presence

If you want to watch F1 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is the Mexico GP?

The Mexico GP is the 19th race of the 2026 F1 season. Here's the full schedule from the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez:

• Practice 1 — 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 30

• Practice 2 — 6-7 p.m. ET on Oct. 30

• Practice 3 — 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 31

• Qualifying — 5-6 p.m. ET on Oct. 31

• Race — 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 1

Fans can follow all the action from this race weekend without spending anything.

How to watch the Mexico GP for free

Apple TV holds exclusive U.S. broadcasting rights for F1, and you can now sign up for a seven-day free trial of Apple TV directly through Prime Video Channels.

That trial gives you access to select races for free, including this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix. The subscription rolls over to $12.99 per month after the seven-day trial, but you can disable the automatic renewal and still stream the entire race weekend for free.

If you're already paying for Amazon Prime, calling it "completely free" is a stretch. But if you don't have an active membership, Amazon offers a 30-day free trial for new users. Stacking that Prime trial with the seven-day Apple TV channel trial means you're truly spending nothing to stream this weekend's race.

If you've already made use of this method, you still have a few workarounds:

• Apple TV: New standalone subscribers qualify for a direct seven-day free trial through Apple's app.

• Apple One: If you want more than just streaming, the Apple One tier packages Apple TV alongside Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, and 50GB of iCloud storage — and it comes with a full one-month free trial ($19.95 per month after the promotional period).

• Apple: The most generous Apple TV offer is tied to new hardware purchases. Buying an eligible iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV grants new subscribers three months of free service. You obviously have to spend money on hardware, but if you were already planning an upgrade, it effectively unlocks a massive chunk of the F1 season for free.

Hard drives became expensive very quickly—over the last year or so, hard drive prices have jumped about 50%, and prices show no sign of coming back down.

I am a long-time Roku user, going all the way back to when it was a little square box that plugged into my TV with RCA jacks. I have several Roku TVs and a few streaming sticks as well. While there's plenty of competition out there, I've always stuck with Roku because it was simple and straightforward. I would turn on the TV, choose a streaming service, pick a show and start watching. I never wanted Roku to recommend shows to me or make decisions for me. I just liked the fact that it was an easy way to access my streaming services. In fact, simplicity was the biggest selling point in my opinion.

I used to use Google Calendar almost passively, mainly to keep track of bookings and recurring bills. Even though it's not a particularly clunky app, I didn't manage to make it work for anything else.

David S. Pumpkins returned to Saturday Night Live for Halloween, but another familiar orange figure quickly took over.

Tom Hanks reprised his pumpkin-suited character during the Oct. 31 cold open, alongside Mikey Day and Bobby Moynihan as his dancing skeleton sidekicks. What looked like a Halloween reunion soon became a platform for James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump to discuss the midterm elections — and Hanks' backside.

The episode, hosted by Obsession star Inde Navarrette with musical guest Gracie Abrams, opened with a couple boarding a haunted attraction guided by Kenan Thompson. When Hanks appeared, the riders wanted to know why David S. Pumpkins belonged on the ride. Before he could explain, Johnson's Trump interrupted with one word: "Midterms."

"Aw, are you sad you don’t get to see your third David Pumpkins scene?" he asked. "I’ll save you four minutes: he keeps popping up and confusing people on the ride. The end."

With the performers frozen behind him, Trump compared himself to Pumpkins. "We both appeared in 2016, we’re both very loud, very orange, and very, frankly, annoying!" he said.

He then praised Hanks' acting before adding, "Great ass! A great ass on Hanks." The joke nodded to Trump's recent campaign speeches, in which he has repeatedly admired Ohio Republican Sen. Jon Husted's physique, describing his backside as "a pile of muscle." On SNL, that fixation extended to Hanks and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, making men’s backsides the butt of the joke (pun intended).

Holding up a bruised hand, Trump also compared its color to Texas turning purple, declaring that if the state went blue, he would abandon it.

Thompson, meanwhile, walked offstage. When Trump thanked him for a supposed donation, he replied, "Yeah, you wish, bitch."

Saidah Belo-Osagie appeared as Nicki Minaj, whom Trump introduced as a prospective press secretary. "I’m out here killing it," she said. "And by it, I mean my career."

Veronika Slowikowska followed as Katie Zacharia, who bungled the show’s opening line, leaving Hanks and his skeletons to deliver "Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!"

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.