IT General

If you have a 3D printer sitting idle, it’s time to put it to work. Your PC gaming setup can be made so much better by printing instead of buying off-the-shelf parts. Here are five things that you should definitely 3D print before you ever consider buying.

Even having a super speedy fiber connection won't make you immune to various bottlenecks. The reality is that if you use the internet, you're bound to have some issues with it at one point or another. For many, this can lead to a long stretch of frustrating troubleshooting that ends in an annoyed phone call directed to your ISP.

For most people, the Linux terminal is where you troubleshoot issues or run sudo commands—not a place where you do your day-to-day work. I used to think the same way until I stumbled into the world of TUI (Terminal User Interface) apps—terminal-based tools with real interfaces. I tried a few, and while most didn’t stick, these five did. In fact, they’re so good they’ve replaced several graphical desktop apps I used before.

Being an avid reader on the modern internet sucks. After the disastrous pivot-to-video debacle of 2015 and experiencing the excessive amount of ads, pop-ups, consent forms, and overlays that plague modern websites, I yearn for the days of Google Reader and the simple RSS feed.

Let’s set the scene: your phone or some other gadget is on its last battery percentage, and even though there’s a USB port nearby, you don’t actually have a cable to use it. I’ve run into that situation more times than I can count, so I picked up a tiny USB-C keychain cable that I can carry everywhere, and it’s been way more useful than I ever could’ve expected.

I have a confession—I am a Potterhead.

I've never been a big fan of big phones. Sure, they can almost completely replace your PC if you want them to, but they just aren't that convenient to use on the go. At least, that's what I used to think. I've finally started using Android's one-handed mode, and it's so good that I can't remember why I never used it before.

Manually typing data from a printout or a screenshot into Excel is time-consuming and error-prone, but you can skip the data entry grind by letting Excel do the heavy lifting. Whether you're on your phone or your computer, the Data from Picture tool turns image rows into digital cells in seconds.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require some knowledge of popular U.S. sports and pop culture.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest 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: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports 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 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 before 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: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Hitting the gym

• Green: NFL coaches

• Blue: Cursed

• Purple: Finish the Big Ten name

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: In Good Shape

• Green: Current NFL Head Coaches

• Blue: Famous Sports "Curses"

• Purple: Starts of Big Ten Names

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

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

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #586 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• In Good Shape: AGIL, ATHLETIC, FIT, STRONG

• Current NFL Head Coaches: COEN, GLENN, REID, RYANS

• Famous Sports "Curses": BAMBINO, BILLY GOAT, MADDEN, SI COVER

• Starts of Big Ten Names: BOIL, BUCK, CORN, HAWK

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections 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.

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.

There are so many smart home devices these days, it's hard to know where to start. A lot of smart home devices can be expensive, but a $7 smart plug is still one of my favorite smart home upgrades.

Saturday Night Live returned from a brief hiatus Saturday with a cold open depicting a joint press conference between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel, with "Master of None" creator Aziz Ansari playing the latter.

SEE ALSO: Aimee Lou Wood's addresses 'SNL' beef in in 'SNL UK' promo

Colin Jost's Hegseth hit the familiar beats at the podium — performative machismo, military bravado, and repeated jabs at the secretary's well-documented drinking habits. This time, Hegseth arrived at the mic hauling an oversized pitcher of scotch, which he assured the room was his one for the day. He then fielded questions from the press about the administration's handling of U.S. strikes on Iran, dismissing each reporter with the particular brand of smug confidence that has become central to Jost's portrayal of the character.

Ansari's Patel proved to be the sketch's standout, arriving to defend his tenure at the FBI and proceeding to do so poorly. The bit's centerpiece involved Patel simultaneously denying and admitting that he had locked himself out of his work email for 36 hours after forgetting he had changed his password to "kashmeoutside69."

Funnily enough, Patel was reportedly locked out of his FBI email in real life and believed, at least momentarily, that he was being fired. As the sketch demonstrated, the distance between SNL's Cold Open and the actual news cycle has rarely felt smaller.

Ethernet is the backbone of any healthy home network and you're probably not using enough of it. It's the gold standard for home networking, but it's also often misunderstood.

It's amazing how many of the futuristic features that I saw in sci-fi shows growing up already exist. Video calling and talking watches seemed like the stuff of fantasy, but now they're so ordinary we barely register them. The same is true of smart home tech; there are plenty of Home Assistant integrations that often make me feel like I'm living in the future.

Your Obsidian vault was supposed to be your second brain—but at some point it became a second junk drawer. Routine maintenance can keep things tidy, but if you’re anything like me, you probably enjoy capturing notes more than organizing them. The good news is you don’t have to untangle it manually. Claude can scan your entire vault and reorganize it into a clean, logical structure in the time it takes to make coffee.

Similar to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, the free and open source GNOME desktop found on Linux PCs can be radically customized using extensions. Which extensions are worth installing is a matter of taste, but there’s one that I can easily recommend to just about everyone.

I bought my Philips OLED television eight years ago, but I have yet to have any real bleed-in, burn-in, or anything close to it. It is thicker than TVs you can get today, and its quality has dropped over time, but there's nothing else wrong with it. My experience shows that while the risks are physical, you can manage them. Getting the best picture quality requires more conscious care than other technologies do, but the organic panel can last a long time if you have the right habits.

The Kindle is the go-to choice for anyone who wants to read eBooks. But if you don't already own one, don't rush out to buy it just yet. You already own a lot of devices that work pretty well as eReaders, and some might even suit your needs better.

I used to think that every captured thought, meeting note, and research snippet helped create a complete personal knowledge management system in Obsidian. It pushes the daily notes so you can make a "second brain." Unfortunately, the more information I captured, the faster my vault turned into a fragmented mess. My notes were stuck in strict folder structures, not connected, making it a frustrating memory test to find something. I got really frustrated when I realized I spent more time keeping my knowledge system working than actually using the information in it, at least, before I learned about the plugins.

If you’re like me and have a drawer full of Raspberry Pis that are sitting unused, pull them out and turn them into something useful. I chose to create a Docker Swarm cluster with mine, and I think it’d be a great benefit to your homelab, too.

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

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

We know the new F1 regulations are not for everyone. A lot of fans and drivers would like to go back to the way things were, but you can't deny that we've had some exciting racing this season. And after missing the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs due to regional conflicts, we're desperate to see some racing at the Miami GP.

Kimi Antonelli leads the standings coming into this race weekend, but George Russell is only nine points back in second. The Ferraris are third and fourth right now, but McLaren showed some promise in the last round. All eyes will be on Norris and Piastri as they look to challenge Mercedes at the front of the grid.

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 Miami GP?

The Miami GP is the fourth race of the 2026 F1 season. Here's the full schedule from the Miami International Autodrome:

• Practice 1 — 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET on May 1

• Sprint Qualifying — 4:30-5:14 p.m. ET on May 1

• Sprint — 12-1 p.m. ET on May 2

• Qualifying — 4-5 p.m. ET on May 2

• Race — 1 p.m. ET on May 3

It's possible for fans to follow all the action from this race weekend without spending anything.

How to watch the Miami GP for free

I've been a member of Amazon Prime for some time. I happily pay up for the fast shipping, exclusive Prime Day deals, and access to Prime Video. I can't say that I watch Prime Video all that often. I occasionally watch live soccer, but that's about it. That was until I found this hack for F1.

It is now possible to sign up for a seven-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels. F1 is exclusive to Apple TV in the U.S., so by accessing this free trial, you can watch select races for free this season. The subscription costs £9.99 per month after the trial ends, but you can cancel this automatic renewal at any time.

By cancelling ahead of the renewal, you can watch the Miami GP this weekend without actually spending anything.

I already pay for Amazon Prime, so I understand the argument that I'm not actually watching for free. But I was going to be a member whether I could watch F1 for free or not. Anyway, Amazon Prime offers a 30-day free trial period if you're new to the service. By signing up for this free trial and then gaining access to Apple TV through Prime Video Channels, you can truly watch select races for free this season.

If you've already used this method to watch a race this season, you've got other options to consider. I suggest you go direct to Apple TV. This popular steaming service comes with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. Alternatively, Apple One bundles Apple TV with Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, Apple News Plus, and 50GB of iCloud Storage for $19.95 per month after a one-month free trial.

It's also worth noting that the best Apple TV free-trial offer comes with purchases of new Apple devices. New subscribers can get three months of Apple TV for free after purchasing any eligible Apple product. If you're planning on upgrading to something from the Apple lineup, you could gain access to Apple TV for a good chunk of this season.

How to live stream 2026 F1 for free in 2026 Best Apple TV Deal Apple TV 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Prime Video Deal Apple TV Prime Video Channel 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Apple One Deal Apple One 30-day free trial Shop Now