IT General

When it comes to Wi-Fi, most of the time our concerns are related to the signal not going far enough, but the opposite problem also exists. What if you don't want a Wi-Fi signal leaving a room? Or, alternatively, what if you don't want people within a room to receive any radio signals?

Most people shortlisting distros completely skip over MX Linux. There’s no glossy marketing campaign behind it, most YouTube channels don’t cover it, and you probably won’t see it trending on social media. However, at the time of writing, MX Linux ranks number three on DistroWatch, beating popular names like Ubuntu, Fedora, and even Zorin OS—which recently got a million downloads. Here are three reasons that justify its dominant position.

On a Friday afternoon in July, Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand 818 transformed The Surf Lodge’s waterfront beach club into a tequila lover’s paradise.

Guests sipped on one-too-many frozen 818 margaritas (made in Ninja SLUSHi machines) and cans of creator Alix Earle-backed cocktail brand SIPMARGS, cooled off with Shark’s new ChillPill handheld fans, and snacked on Popeyes chicken tenders — part of the fast-food chain’s summer-long partnership with The Surf Lodge. Creators including Halley Kate McGookin, Lilly Sisto, and Carly Weinstein mingled with media, customers, and friends of the brand as DJ duo Two Friends performed against the Montauk sunset.

Credit: Sansho Scott/BFA Credit: Sansho Scott/BFA

The party marked National Tequila Day, but it was only one piece of 818’s "Best Summer Ever" campaign. Throughout the season, the brand served tequila and frozen slushies at bars out East and wrapped a jitney in 818 branding. The Hampton Jitney is the coach service that shuttles passengers between New York City and eastern Long Island. The brand also brought influencers and members of its online community to Montauk for a getaway that included two nights of accommodations — designed to look every bit as enviable online as it felt in person.

Credit: Sansho Scott/BFA Credit: Sansho Scott/BFA

Elaborate as that may sound, 818 was hardly an outlier. Spend a summer weekend in the Hamptons, and there’s a decent chance you’ll encounter a brand activation before you find a parking spot.

SET Active took over Amagansett’s iconic Clam Bar for one night, promising lobster rolls, games, custom keychains, and early access to its Coastline collection. (More than 200 people marked themselves as attending.) Cowboy Colostrum brought several newly famous Love Island USA contestants to both Sag Harbor and Montauk for one of their first brand trips after leaving the villa. Armani Beauty gathered celebrities and creators at The Surf Lodge to introduce its new Dolci Blush. WashWise invited female founders, executives, and creators to a morning of yoga, cold plunges, saunas, and mini therapy sessions in Montauk.

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The list of activations goes on.

Of course, branded events in the affluent zipcode(s) are nothing new. This summer, however, the Hamptons calendar felt more saturated than ever. So how — and why — did this small stretch of Long Island become such a powerful stage for creator marketing?

"Consumers, creators, tastemakers, and media in one place"

The creator marketing industry is expanding quickly. U.S. spending on creator advertising is expected to reach $44 billion in 2026, up from $29.5 billion in 2024. Nearly half of the advertisers surveyed by IAB described creators as a "must buy," placing them behind only social media and paid search.

Sarah Janetti had a front-row seat to that packed calendar. The creator behind @sjeaats and author of the Substack Dish and Tell estimated that she attended at least 15 Hamptons brand events this summer, sometimes squeezing three into a single weekend.

Views from the Reunited Beauty yacht event Credit: Sarah Janetti

Janetti rattled off events from Kith and Vivrelle, Fleur du Mal, Creed, ORA Method, and Evolv, but the invitations varied almost as much as the brands. Some leaned into the Hamptons’ built-in glamour: Clean cosmetics label Reunited Beauty celebrated its launch aboard a yacht in Sag Harbor.

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Others were more family-friendly. Frozen-treat brand JonnyPops staged a pop-up at Amber Waves Farm, handing out complimentary pops and take-home boxes to visitors. "So many invitations centered on fitness," Janetti told Mashable, with brands using workout classes as a natural setting for creators to try activewear, wellness products, drinks, and beauty items.

Merchandise from Gurney's Montauk Credit: Sarah Janetti

Taken together, her schedule resembled a circuit: A creator could spend the morning at a branded workout, the afternoon at a pop-up, and the evening aboard a sponsored yacht, producing several distinct pieces of summer content before the weekend was over.

There’s clear intention behind this strategy. "The Hamptons is uniquely powerful because it brings together consumers, creators, tastemakers, and media in one place," Jenny Brown, executive creative director at 818, told Mashable. "It’s one of the few destinations where people aren’t just experiencing culture—they’re actively documenting it."

Other factors explain why it has become such a hot spot. The most obvious is the audience already there: wealthy residents and vacationers, celebrities, creators, media figures, etc. I mean, the median Hamptons home sold for $2.5 million in the second quarter of 2026, up nearly 32 percent from a year earlier. Brands also get an instantly recognizable backdrop, from beaches and farm stands to sprawling houses and waterfront restaurants. Venues like The Surf Lodge and Gurney’s bring their own cultural cachet and experienced event teams, while the East End sits close enough to New York City for brands to shuttle guests out for an afternoon, a weekend, or the entire summer.

Evolv and OneSkin dinner at Shou Sugi Ban House Credit: Sarah Janetti

"You’re meeting people when they’re relaxed and making memories, rather than trying to capture their attention in the middle of a busy weekday," Brown added.

Brown also pointed to a renewed interest in East Coast summer traditions after years of "Euro Summer" dominating social media. "This summer, we’ve seen a real shift toward celebrating iconic American summer destinations," she said.

Has the Hamptons reached activation overload?

The obvious drawback is that seemingly every brand has arrived at the same conclusion. In 2025, an executive at event-production company LDJ Productions told Vogue Business that approximately 90 percent of the luxury events the company worked on that summer were held in the Hamptons.

Executing those events is expensive. Companies must account for venue fees, transportation, shipping, production, seasonal staffing, and accommodations in an area with limited housing and punishing weekend traffic. Rain can derail an outdoor activation, while an invitation may be competing with several other events scheduled on the same afternoon that can blur together.

The crowding has already pushed some fashion companies to look elsewhere. A July Business of Fashion report found brands opening stores and hosting events in Nantucket, Newport, and other affluent coastal destinations where there may be less competition. One handbag founder told the publication that cutting through the Hamptons’ noise had become nearly impossible.

But moving the activation circuit somewhere else can bring the new tensions to a new place. Back in July, a Nantucket craft store sparked controversy by displaying a sign that read "No influencers," reviving a broader debate over the rise of creator culture and how disruptive it can be to independent businesses and communities.

SEE ALSO: Nantucket's 'No influencers' sign reignites debate over social media tourism

Still, all that backlash is unlikely to bring the influencer era to an end. With creator ad spending on track to reach $44 billion in 2026, these events offer companies more than a single sponsored post. One weekend can generate days of content, introduce products to several audiences, and build an entire aspirational world around a brand.

At their best, these events do more than give creators something to post; they give everyone there something to remember. And it seems the Hamptons is hard to beat — at least this summer.

Another week, another Ninja product gone viral.

This time, however, the viral videos are spurring awe rather than abject horror (please clean your Creami correctly, folks). Following the release earlier this month of the Ninja HydraSense — the brand's first ever water filter — the internet has done what it does best and stress tested the product with liquids that are definitively not water. In goes pickle juice and Sunny D, out goes clear water that users swear tastes like the real deal.

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Our sister site CNET (also owned by Ziff Davis) posted their own HydraSense transformation on TikTok after a rep from Ninja poured red Kool-Aid mix into the HydraSense. Clear water came out of the dispenser, and CNET Managing Editor David Watsky confirmed the result tasted like clean water.

TikTok user Michael DiCostanzo used the HydraSense to create a spin on the blind soda guessing game. In his version, he guessed which non-water drink (a word used generously here) yielded which water, featuring everything from fruit punch to hot dog water. Spoiler: He was able to correctly identify four out of six of the beverages, but he did maintain that the taste got awfully close to water, especially considering the source material.

I reached out to SharkNinja for their official guidance on pouring anything that's not water into the filter, and will update this article once I hear back. That said, they aren't exactly discouraging it in their own promo materials. A TikTok on the official SharkNinja page shows a product developer pouring green soda into the filter and dispensing clear water out of it.

So what makes this filter so effective? According to Ninja, the HydraSense uses its Precision Pressure Technology, which removes up to 80 contaminants (compared to eight by other brands), while preserving minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. And yes, Shark does have the certification from the National Sanitation Foundation to prove these claims.

The countertop filter can hold up to 96 ounces of water, filters water quickly, and lets you know when to change your filters thanks to a built-in monitor. It's not the basic Brita you used in your college dorm. It's also priced to match, at $199.99, with replacement filters going for $39.99. But hey — can your standard reverse osmosis filter turn shelf-stable orange juice into water?

Ninja HydraSense $199.99 at Amazon
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Grand Theft Auto VI will present players with no shortage of unfamiliar challenges, from elaborate robberies to its revamped police system. But for a generation increasingly reaching adulthood without much dating experience, the game’s most novel mechanic may be answering a partner’s goodnight text.

Following Netflix’s GTA 6 Extended Look, IGN published details from an additional gameplay demonstration at Rockstar’s studio. The preview revealed that GTA 6 includes an optional relationship system that allows players to shape the bond between its protagonists, Jason and Lucia. Maintaining their relationship requires more than completing missions together, though: Players can explore Leonida as a couple, plan activities, communicate over text, and make small choices that affect how close they become.

Many online have realized the implications.

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"This may just be some gamers’ first experience of putting effort into a relationship," one Instagram commenter wrote. Another predicted that Lucia would become some players’ first-ever girlfriend at all. Many X users imagined taking Lucia on dates "while my IRL relationship falls apart."

The joke isn’t coming out of nowhere. For many Gen Z adults, dating simply wasn’t a standard part of adolescence. Only 56 percent said they had a boyfriend or girlfriend as teenagers, compared with roughly seven in 10 millennials and more than three-quarters of Gen Xers and baby boomers.

For some, that delayed start has continued into adulthood. A 2025 survey found that three in 10 Gen Z adults had never gone on a romantic date, including one-third of Gen Z men.

SEE ALSO: Why Gen Z is ditching mainstream dating apps for 'hyper-niche' spaces

That doesn’t mean young people have given up on love. In fact, the disconnect between wanting a relationship and feeling prepared for one may help explain why GTA 6’s system has struck such a chord. A nationally representative survey found that 86 percent of single Gen Z respondents wanted a committed relationship, but only 55 percent felt ready to pursue one.

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Rockstar’s new system turns the basic work of maintaining a relationship into something players can practice — or avoid — inside one of the most anticipated games ever made. According to IGN’s preview, Jason and Lucia can spend time together by shopping, playing pool, kayaking, working out, visiting the zoo, or buying each other food. They can hold hands and help one another choose outfits. Robbing a gas station together also builds their bond, because every couple needs shared interests.

When the protagonists are apart, players can also call or text the other character. Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson said one might message to say they are going to bed and ask whether everything is OK. Sending a quick response will apparently suffice. Ignoring the message, however, "may impact your relationship a bit."

SEE ALSO: 'GTA 6' Netflix extended look: Everything we learned about the plot in the 26-minute reveal

For some players, the idea of managing both sides of a virtual relationship raised an obvious question: Isn’t that just texting yourself? Some Instagram commenters wondered the same, comparing the mechanic to playing chess against yourself.

Still, the relationship appears to be less about choosing the correct dialogue response and more about doing the ordinary things that keep a relationship going: answering texts, running errands, trying new activities, and choosing to spend time together (even when no mission requires it).

That approach also aligns with what young audiences increasingly want to see onscreen. A 2025 survey of 1,500 people ages 14 to 24 found that nearly 61 percent wanted romantic relationships in entertainment to emphasize the friendship between a couple over sex. So far, that sounds a lot like Jason and Lucia’s story, which seems built as much around everyday companionship as romance in this "Bonnie and Clyde" type tale.

Don’t worry, though: Players can opt out of the romance if they aren’t interested. Jason and Lucia will remain partners in crime regardless of how close they become and will continue working together and having each other’s backs, but Nelson said that completing story missions together may not be enough to keep them romantically involved. He told IGN that Rockstar did not want to "foist" a relationship on players.

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Players have spent years preparing to survive Leonida. They may not have expected to practice being a good partner there, too.

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

Recently, I had the realization that phone cases are underdeveloped real estate. Few things are with us as often as our phones, and that includes anything attached to them. So, why not have a phone case that can also be used as a tool?

The Trump administration's dramatic decision to mark Anthropic's AI models as a "supply chain risk" earlier this year was illegal, a federal judge has ruled.

"The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics," wrote Judge Rita Lin in a 59-page ruling. The judge determined the federal government unlawfully retaliated against Anthropic despite its engaging in "constitutionally protected expressive activities."

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's SpacexAI faces another lawsuit from child sexual abuse survivor

Lin pointed to renewed conversations between Anthropic and the federal government, as well as the government's decision to back away from national security allegations, as corroboration that the designation was an attempt to make a public example of the company, the New York Times reported.

"We welcome the court’s ruling that this supply chain risk designation was unlawful. We remain focused on working productively with the government to harness A.I. for our national security so all Americans benefit from this technology," Anthropic said in a statement following the decision.

• Play our Big Guessing Game: Make your predictions now for a chance to win a new Apple Watch. Time's running out! 

What happened between Trump and Anthropic?

Anthropic filed a series of lawsuits in March, amid a heated back and forth between the developer, the Department of War, and President Donald Trump himself over the government's potential use of Anthropic's AI models for nationwide surveillance or lethal autonomous weapons.

The complaint accused the federal government of engaging in a targeted campaign against the company following the contract disagreement. Anthropic argued that the government's designation, typically reserved for foreign companies and national security risks, was an overly broad interpretation and "ideologically motivated."

Trump himself directed an immediate blacklisting of Anthropic products across federal offices, calling the developers "leftwing nut jobs" and Anthropic itself a "radical left, woke" AI company.

Following the fallout, which received widespread attention, Anthropic and the federal government reentered negotiations.

Then, in June, Anthropic was forced to pull its latest Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 models under an export control directive from the federal government, citing security concerns about foreign nationals' access to the technology.

SEE ALSO: Claude Fable 5 vs GPT 5.5: Is this why the Trump admin banned one and not the other? What does the decision mean for AI companies?

Civil society groups see the ruling as a win for free speech proponents amid a government that is increasingly pushing back against dissenters.

"Yesterday’s ruling is a vindication of the First Amendment and a clear reminder that the government isn’t allowed to use national security designations to punish companies or individuals for public criticisms or business disagreements," said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology. "Procurement policy can’t be an end run around the Constitution. The Pentagon can pick and choose which products it wants to buy. It can’t use the power of its size and position to stamp out disagreement."

Over the past week or so, someone (or perhaps a group of people) called Cyberleek has been very busy sharing short gameplay clips of Grand Theft Auto 6. On Aug. 20, Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of GTA-maker Rockstar Games, filed subpoenas against Microsoft and Discord to try to unmask the leaker, followed soon after by subpoenas against Google and X Corp. Those filings specifically cited "stolen content," seemingly confirming that at least some of the Cyberleek videos are legitimate.

Prior to Thursday's "Extended Look" on Netflix, the GTA 6 leaks represented the first real glimpse of gameplay from the hotly anticipated title. In addition, countless AI-generated videos posing as "leaks" have been circulating widely on social media. So, we've put together a quick list of everything Cyberleek released before seemingly throwing in the towel. We're not going to embed or link to any of these clips; however, they're easy enough to find on X or Reddit if you look hard enough.

SEE ALSO: What is Cyberleek? Everything we know about the alleged GTA 6 leakers. Every GTA 6 leak from Cyberleek so far

At the time of publication, 16 gameplay clips and three map screenshots have been posted by Cyberleek that show different aspects of GTA 6, including glimpses of cutscenes. The leaker did post some minor story spoilers in the most recent release, so be careful if you want to avoid them.

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Here are the GTA 6 leaks Cyberleek has shared so far:

• Map sneak peek 1: A small, cropped portion of the in-game world map, showing a location called Dalton Island.

• Map sneak peek 2: Another cropped portion of the map showing locations called Tequesta Retreat, Gloriana Key, and Catalan Key.

• Basketball video: A clip of protagonist Jason Duval throwing a basketball into a hoop in a mini-game.

• Full map: An alleged view of the entire in-game map.

• Random video 1: A clip of Jason driving around for a little bit before beating up a truck driver.

• Taser video: A clip of Jason driving at night, stealing a security guard's taser, and using it on him. Jason then repeatedly kicks the guard while he is on the ground.

• Junkies video: A clip that appears to show a healing drug called Zombix. A tooltip indicates that Zombix's effects will weaken over time if the player uses it too much.

• Plane video: A clip of Jason flying a plane over Vice City, with much of the game world visible below. At the end, whoever is playing the game in the clip shoots the word "LEEK" into a wall with bullets, suggesting the leaker has a playable build of the game.

• Hypercar part 1: A clip of Jason driving a high-end sports car around Vice City.

• Hypercar part 2: A clip of Jason driving the sports car some more, before committing armed robbery.

• Strip club: Jason wanders around a strip club, then a short clip of an in-game cutscene is shown.

• Gas station: Jason causes trouble at a gas station, steals a truck with a bed full of gasoline, and crashes and dies; more of the previous cutscene is shown.

• Plane video 2: Jason flies a plane over Vice City at night.

• Nudist colony: Jason explores a nudist hangout spot (where the NPCs are, obviously, nude) and attacks NPCs.

• Nightclub: A pretty uneventful video of Jason walking around the interior of a nightclub.

• Beach cycling: Jason riding a bicycle on a beach full of NPCs.

• Video game store: Jason walking around a video game store with shelves full of fake video game boxes.

• How does Cyberleek drive?: Jason steals a hotrod and evades the police; the clip ends with a cutscene showing Lucia Caminos, the game's second playable character, for the first time. Caminos talks about someone who "drives like a bitch."

• Lucia prologue: A four-and-a-half-minute video of a prologue introducing Caminos; the clip includes minor story spoilers.

What could Cyberleek release next?

Cyberleek was running polls on its website that allowed people to pay in cryptocurrency to vote on what should be leaked next. In recent days, Cyberleek teased footage featuring the Lucia Caminos character, in particular. On Wednesday, Cyberleek made good on those promises and released a short cutscene with Caminos, followed by an extended look at the character's prologue.

However, that appears to be the end of it. Cyberleek's crypto meme coin appears to have been completely cashed out for about $250,000, and its value has cratered to a tiny fraction of its former value. Additionally, since before Thursday's official trailer on Netflix, Cyberleek has gone completely silent. No new leaks have appeared since Wednesday.

You can see the game officially now

Speaking of the Netflix trailer, it's now on YouTube in all of its 26-minute glory. There were plenty of little details that Cyberleek never showed, such as gameplay footage of Lucia, among many other things. If you want a real idea of how GTA 6 works, you're probably better off watching the Netflix video than anything Cyberleek posted at this point.

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Updated on Friday, Aug. 28 at 1:30 p.m. ET — We've updated this story with additional details.

Updated on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 3:20 p.m. ET — We've updated this story with details on Rockstar's statement and additional GTA 6 leaks.

Updated on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 11:40 a.m. ET — We've updated this story to reflect the latest Cyberleek videos.

Updated on Monday, Aug. 24 at 1:30 p.m. ET — We've updated this story to reflect the latest Cyberleek leaks.

Updated on Friday, Aug. 21 at 3:00 p.m. ET — Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., the parent company of Grand Theft Auto-maker Rockstar Games, has filed two subpoenas naming Microsoft and Discord as it hunts the leaker known as Cyberleek. The legal filings specifically cite "stolen content," seemingly confirming that the leaks are legitimate. Take-Two is also requesting the removal of leaked material that violates its copyrights, as well as information that could unmask the leakers. Read more about the Microsoft and Discord subpoenas.

One of the last remaining Apple products to avoid a price hike so far this year just got more expensive.

On Friday, Apple bumped the price of its Apple TV streaming service to $14.99 per month or $119 per year. 

And if you were hoping to renew your subscription before the price hike at the previous rate of $12.99 per month or $99 annually, it's too late. The Apple TV price hike took effect immediately.

Those who subscribe to the Apple One Individual bundle will also pay more as a result, as the price jumped from $19.95 per month to $21.95 per month. Apple One bundles Apple TV, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage into one subscription.

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Apple previously raised Apple TV prices last August, bumping the price from $9.99 to $12.99, back when the service was still called Apple TV+. Apple dropped the "plus" from the branding in October 2025. Apple's streaming film and TV service now costs $10 per month more than it did when it launched in 2019 at an affordable rate of $4.99 per month.

SEE ALSO: Apple TV+ just got more expensive. Again.

However, Apple TV has a lot more to offer now than when it first launched. Unlike other streaming services that focus on distributing third-party movies and TV shows, Apple has focused entirely on original series and films. It seems to have paid off, as Apple TV is the exclusive streaming home of Ted Lasso, Severance, The Studio, Pluribus, and more. Apple TV also includes all Major League Soccer (MLS) games, which could be another draw for the service, especially after the World Cup.

Apple has been hiking prices for all of its products and services this year. Devices such as MacBooks and iPads went up by as much as $500 in June. Just one month later, Apple raised the price of another one of its streaming services, Apple Music, from $10.99 to $11.99 per month. Now, it's Apple TV's turn. 

This leaves the iPhone as the last remaining major price hike holdout. But, that won't be the case for long. Apple is reportedly planning to raise iPhone prices at its big annual September event in just a few weeks.

It seems like there isn't any major Apple product that will avoid a price hike this year — unless you count the Apple Polishing Cloth, which dropped from $19 to $9.

First, TikTok wanted to know whether your boyfriend would peel an orange for you. Then, whether he cared that you saw a bird. Now, users on the app have arrived at a more fundamental question: Can your boyfriend read?

In the latest relationship trend spreading across TikTok, women hand their boyfriends or husbands lists of words and ask them to read each one aloud. The lists vary, but each version includes words that are tricky to pronounce based on their spelling, yet common enough that most adults would recognize them: "epitome," "hyperbole," "colonel," "quinoa," and "niche," among others.

Then the boyfriends have a go — and, in many of the videos, get nearly all of them wrong. And viewers have found it increasingly difficult to blame every answer on the English language being notoriously quirky.

"This trend has unearthed a fear of mine that I didn’t know existed before this past week," creator Isabella Von Ghoul said in a response video, adding: "The state has failed your man, and I’m scared." Influencer Christina Najjar, also known as Tinx, asked women, "Why are you guys boasting that your boyfriends can’t read?" and creator Daniel Bennett was even more direct: "In the videos, the girlfriends are giggling. But we aren’t laughing with you. We’re laughing at you."

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On Reddit, where a post asking “Why can’t Gen Z read?” attracted hundreds of comments, some users viewed the sheer number of boyfriend videos as evidence of a generational problem. Many on X encouraged girlfriends to "either dump or immediately begin to get [your boyfriends] to start educating themselves."

The reaction reflects a larger conversation that had already been building online before the challenge emerged. Earlier this summer, viewers treated the vocabulary of the Love Island USA Season 8 cast as evidence that America’s literacy crisis had reached the villa. Islanders mispronounced words, mixed up common expressions, and, in one episode, even floated using ChatGPT to help write a love letter.

Contestant Sincere received particular attention after pronouncing "epitome" incorrectly (yes, a word featured in the TikTok challenge), saying that he wanted to "emerge" himself in the experience, and describing someone as a "ball" of fresh air. He wasn't alone, fellow Islander Jen pronounced "compromise" as though it contained the word "promise."

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Of course, a few verbal flubs on reality television cannot diagnose someone’s literacy, much less prove the existence of a national crisis. But the numbers help explain why viewers are so ready to interpret them that way.

According to the latest federal data, the percentage of American adults ages 16 to 65 performing at the lowest literacy level rose from 19 percent in 2017 to 28 percent in 2023. Men performed slightly worse at the bottom of the scale: The share of male adults at Level 1 or below increased from 19 to 29 percent, compared with an increase from 18 to 26 percent among women. (However, NCES found no statistically significant gender gap in overall literacy scores.)

Those scores are only one part of the growing concern. Federal data shows that the share of adults who read at least one book fell from 54.6 percent in 2012 to 48.5 percent in 2022, while daily reading among 13-year-olds nearly halved. College professors have responded by shortening reading lists as students struggle to finish full books, and some now use ChatGPT to bypass difficult texts entirely. In July, The Atlantic described this shift as "The End of Reading," arguing that the country may be becoming "post-literate": Most people can read, but sustained reading is increasingly treated as an unnecessary burden.

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Boyfriends have become their own recurring category of TikTok content, often in genuinely charming ways. Last year, the "my boyfriend wants to show you" trend encouraged men to proudly explain their plants, Lego sets, golf clubs, and other interests while their partners demanded that viewers pay attention and leave supportive comments.

There are also tests: The orange peel theory instructed women to ask their partners for an orange and treat their willingness to peel it as a measure of devotion. The bird theory judged whether a partner responded enthusiastically when told about a bird sighting. In the "name a woman" challenge, girlfriends asked their partners to name any woman and reacted with mock horror when they received an answer other than their own name.

SEE ALSO: TikTok trend features women protecting soft-spoken boyfriends showing off their special interests

As people have previously warned about TikTok relationship tests, a single recorded interaction cannot reliably determine whether a relationship is loving, healthy, or built to last. Not that that has ever stopped TikTok from trying.

Nevertheless, trends don't emerge in a vacuum. As more information arrives through short videos, podcasts, and AI-generated summaries, it appears these days you may not know how your partner processes the written word...until a TikTok list forces him to try.

Above all the other streaming services out there, Netflix has a penchant for delivering a consistent stream of compelling and interesting documentaries and docuseries. And U.S. subscribers to the service keep eating them up, proving they'd rather watch something true than something invented—Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing, which we covered last week, is still in the Top 10, and Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young, my top pick this week, sits at No. 2 as I type this.

There's a generally accepted rule when it comes to Excel alternatives: if you need to do something complicated, you need Excel, but if you're only doing basic spreadsheet work, a free, open-source alternative should be perfectly adequate. But after spending a week in ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet, I'm not convinced it's that simple.

TL;DR: Samsung just announced its 2027 Odyssey monitor lineup at Gamescom. The collection includes four new models.

I didn't even know human eyes could process 1,100 frames per second, but Samsung is betting they can. At Gamescom this week, the brand announced its 2027 gaming monitor lineup, and the specs are out of control.

According to the official press release, these next-gen monitors were designed for players who want total flexibility in speed and resolution. So, if you're used to blaming your refresh rate for your stats, Samsung's about to eliminate your favorite excuse.

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“With new form factors, higher refresh rates, and advanced display technologies, the 2027 Odyssey lineup gives players more choice across competitive play, cinematic games, and multi-purpose setups," Hun Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display (VD) Business at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.

The 27-inch Odyssey G6 is the world's first monitor to reach a 1,100Hz refresh rate. Credit: Samsung

Here's everything we know so far:

• Odyssey G6 (27-inch): Samsung says the Odyssey G6 is the "world's first 1,100Hz gaming monitor." It uses a fast IPS panel with a 1ms response time and lets you toggle between HD at up to 1,100Hz and QHD at up to 600Hz through its Dual Mode.

• Odyssey OLED G9 (49-inch): If you want a wider field of view, the OLED G9 has a 49-inch Dual QHD monitor, a 360Hz refresh rate, and a 0.03ms response time. If you need more speed, you can use the Dual Mode to drop the resolution to Dual HD and push the refresh rate to 720Hz.

• Odyssey OLED G8 (32-inch): This 4K OLED monitor features Triple Mode, so you can swap between UHD at 360Hz, QHD at 520Hz, or FHD at 680Hz depending on what game you're playing.

• Odyssey OLED G7 (42-inch): Samsung claims this is the "world's first 42-inch 16:9 curved OLED gaming monitor." It features a 1000R curve to bring the edges closer to your natural sightline, 4K picture quality, and a 165Hz refresh rate.

Samsung hasn't announced pricing or release dates for the OLED models just yet, though the 1,100Hz G6 is set to launch globally in the second half of 2026.

SAVE $20: The Apple 2026 Mac mini M5 Pro is listed for $1,669.99 at Amazon. That's the best preorder deal we've found ahead of the Sept. 22 release date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple 2026 Mac mini M5 Pro $1,669.99 at Amazon
$1,699 Save $29.01   Get Deal

We were really pleased to see Apple's brand-new Mac mini M6 discounted on Amazon. We were absolutely delighted to see the Mac mini M5 Pro get the same treatment.

Apple has just unveiled these new Mac minis, so we weren't expecting to see any price drops so soon. And it might not look like we have got any price drops, but look closely and you'll see that Amazon's preorder listings are cheaper than anywhere else. For the Mac mini M5 Pro, you're looking at a saving of about $30 compared to Apple and anywhere else.

That's not the biggest discount we've ever seen, but we'll take what we can get. You just know these are going to sell quickly, whatever the price.

SEE ALSO: Surprise! New Macs Before iPhone Event — What’s Going On?

The Mac mini M5 Pro has up to an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU with up to 64GB of RAM and 8TB of storage. It starts at $1,699 from Apple with 24GB of memory and 512GB of storage. Apple is aiming this model at "pro users with seriously demanding workflows."

Score the best preorder deal on the Mac mini M5 Pro at Amazon.

We live in a creative world. Apps, books, hobby kits, and everything in between all exist to help streamline the creation process. Making things should be easier than it is sometimes. Printing, laminating, and cutting, as well as other processes that contribute to a project’s completion, can be labor-intensive, especially when you have to use three or four different machines.

Bluesky, one of the more successful alternatives to Elon Musk's X, has just added a brand new feature that sets it apart from other social media platforms.

On Thursday, the official Bluesky account on the platform announced that an opt-out option has just gone live that prevents a user's post from being included in algorithmic recommendations. 

Now you can opt out of having your posts shown to non-followers in the Discover feed. We know not everyone wants to go viral. Sometimes you're just posting for your followers. This is one of a few updates we're working on to give you more control over your experience and help you find your people.

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— Bluesky (@bsky.app) August 27, 2026 at 3:03 PM

"Now you can opt out of having your posts shown to non-followers in the Discover feed," Bluesky said. "We know not everyone wants to go viral. Sometimes you're just posting for your followers. This is one of a few updates we're working on to give you more control over your experience and help you find your people."

When turned on, a user's posts notably stay public. Everyone will continue to see the account. It does not turn the account private. Instead, the algorithm just doesn't recommend the account's posts on the platform's main feed, Discover, to other users who don't follow the account.

Technically, a post can still go viral. Another user can screenshot a post and share it far and wide. But, toggling the opt-out feature on will certainly make it a lot harder.

How to turn on the Bluesky opt-out feature

To turn the opt-out feature on, go to the Bluesky app's Privacy and Security settings and turn the toggle on for "Ask apps to hide my posts from algorithmic recommendations." According to Bluesky, it can take up to one hour for the opt-out to take effect across the platform.

As TechCrunch notes, the setting is recorded at the account level. This means that other apps that use Bluesky's AT Proto protocol can utilize the feature if the third-party app maker so chooses

In order to set itself apart from competitors, Bluesky has been adding a slew of hyper-customization features that provide users with more control over their accounts. Earlier this year, the company rolled out a new feature that gave users more custom feed options.

Just this week, Bluesky also rolled out new video limits that allow users to upload longer videos that are up to 10-minutes long.

Remote access rarely starts as a complicated problem. You have a server somewhere, you need to reach it, and a VPN seems like the obvious answer. Then the number of machines grows, networks change, and suddenly the simple solution has accumulated enough configuration to deserve its own documentation.

Pokémon continues its reign of taking over, and we're not mad. The Fitbit Air, Google's first faceless fitness tracker, just got a new special edition that not only comes with a band featuring Pikachu, but it also syncs up to a designated Pokémon sleep app. Introducing the Google Fitbit Air Special Edition Pokémon Sleep.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Fitbit Air Special Edition Pokémon Sleep $129.99 at Google
  Pre-order Here A fun but subtle design

The Pokémon Sleep version of the Fitbit Air has a sleepy blue colorway that doesn't give any indication it's a Pokémon edition until you look at the inside of your wrist. There, sleeping in a ball, is the adorable Pikachu. The sleeping Pikachu is on a custom silk-print label that gives this Fitbit Air a unique element that's awesome for Pokémon fans.

A sleep blue colorway with Pikachu sleeping on silk. Credit: Google

I've been wearing the Fitbit Air for over three months, and I can say it's the most comfortable fitness tracker I've ever worn. While it has missed tracking a few of my naps, it does a great job with nightly sleep tracking. And since it's the most comfortable sleep tracker I've ever worn to bed, I can't complain much about an occasional missed nap.

Sync up with the Pokémon Sleep app

The new Pokémon Sleep Fitbit Air gets even more fun when you download the Pokémon Sleep app and pair it with your Google Health app. After you're connected, you'll be invited into the world of your sleep activity, unlocking access to interactive rewards. You get to make friends with Pokémon who have similar sleep styles to your own. Your team then sets off to collect Berries, which raise Snorlax's strength to increase "Drowsy Power." The more sleep you get, the more Pokémon you'll get to see.

Collect as much Drowsy Power as possible Credit: Google Your sleep type will attract Pokémon with similar stats. Credit: Google

In more fun news, you don't need to purchase the special Pokémon edition of the Fitbit Air to use the app. Google's blog post about the special edition explains that the sleep experience works with all Google Pixel and Fitbit wearables.

How to buy the Google Fitbit Air Special Edition Pokémon Sleep

Preorders for the Pokémon Sleep Fitbit Air are live at Google with a launch date set for Sept. 15. The Fitbit Air Special Edition Pokémon Sleep comes with a price of $129.99, meaning it's $30 more expensive than the standard Fitbit Air. For Pokémon fans, that doesn't feel like a massive price increase to get something you can wear 24/7 and admire every time you glance at your wrist.

TL;DR: Hello Nancy just launched its limited-edition Center Court Collection right in time for the U.S. Open — and both new toys are already on sale.

Shop the Court Collection: Smash Wand Vibrator $129 (save $100) Get Deal Ace Air Suction Massager $99 (save $100) Get Deal

Hello Nancy just dropped two brand-new toys that are somehow even cuter than the Lem (I know, I couldn't believe it either) — and they're already on sale.

SEE ALSO: I've tested 100+ sex toys. Here are the 15 most mind-blowing toys I've ever owned.

As you may know, I'm a huge fan of Hello Nancy (even more so now that they share a roof with Biird under parent company Care & Bloom). Their iconic lemon-shaped clitoral massager basically broke the internet, racking up over a million sales since April 2023. According to the brand, one Lem is sold every 23 seconds.

Now, they're heading courtside for the U.S. Open (which runs through Sept. 13), with the Center Court Collection. They only made 500 units for this first limited drop, so if you want in on the action, you'll definitely want to move fast.

The Ace is a tennis ball-shaped clitoral suction toy. Credit: Hello Nancy The Smash is a wand vibrator with a tennis ball head. Credit: Hello Nancy

Here's a quick look at the drop:

• Ace ($99 to $109): Ace is an air-suction massager (because, of course, it is), and it looks just like a tennis ball. I haven't gotten my samples yet, but judging by the ergonomic design, it looks ideal for anyone who wants something palm-sized and easy to hold. It has eight intensities and four patterns, and here's the best part: It has a runtime of three and a half hours. It's also USB-C rechargeable and IPX7 waterproof. You can get it in Tennis Green ($99) or Nancy Pink ($109).

• Smash ($129): If you prefer a traditional wand vibrator (my fave wand died on me, so I'm currently on the hunt for a new one myself), Smash is a full-sized wand with a flexible head shaped like, you guessed it, a tennis ball. It's deep, rumbly, IPX7 waterproof, and built for people who want widespread power (use it on your vulva, clitoris, nipples, perineum, or anywhere else).

Netflix has no shortage of award-winning movies that capture your attention and leave you breathless with their storytelling and premise. I save these for when I want to watch something that feels a little more substantial than whatever happens to be on my watchlist or usual radar.