IT General

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A front porch.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

STOOP

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A small parcel.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GRAIN

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A pitted appetizer.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 21 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

OLIVE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Brighter.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

BLUER

Final Hurdle hint

An inkling.

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

HUNCH

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

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 21, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for January 21, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 21 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (7): Everything in this space must be greater than 7. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 21 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 4. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this purple space must add up to 10. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed vertically; 2-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 2-3, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 21 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this red space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-0, played vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically; 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you remember your childhood games.

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. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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

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

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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: Success

• Green: The Ws

• Blue: Nickname for team names

• Purple: Greatest edge rushers of all time

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Victory

• Green: Pro Teams Whose Names Start with W

• Blue: Colloquial Nicknames for College Teams

• Purple: Players with 20-Plus Sacks in a Season

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 #485 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Victory - DUB, TRIUMPH, W, WIN

• Pro Teams Whose Names Start with W - WARRIORS, WHITE SOX, WILD, WIZARDS

• Colloquial Nicknames for College Teams - CATS, HOOS, VOLS, ZAGS

• Players with 20-Plus Sacks in a Season - GARRETT, HOUSTON, WARE, WATT

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.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love comics.

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

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

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

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

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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

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

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 21, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Reuse

• Green: Needed to sleep

• Blue: To copy

• Purple: Associated with a famous superhero

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Items to recycle

• Green: Bedding

• Blue: Plagiarize

• Purple: Batman's "Bat" things

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 #955 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Items to recycle: BOTTLE, CAN, CARDBOARD BOX, NEWSPAPER

• Bedding: BLANKET, SHAM, SHEET, THROW

• Plagiarize: COPY, CRIB, LIFT, PIRATE

• Batman's "Bat" things: CAVE, MOBILE, SIGNAL, SUIT

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 21, 2026

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you don't have proper etiquette.

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 21, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 21, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: That's not very polite

The words are related to ettiquette.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe things that are impolite.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Don't Be Rude.

NYT Strands word list for January 21

• Gloat

• Tease

• Burp

• Shout

• Don't Be Rude

• Stare

• Point

• Interrupt

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love geometry.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 21, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 21, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Cube-shaped.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter C.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

CUBIC

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 21, 2026

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

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

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

HULU BUNDLES: Hulu is offering a range of bundle deals so you can stream from its impressive library without breaking the bank.

The best Hulu deals and bundles in January 2026: Best Hulu Bundle Deal Disney+ and Hulu Bundle 1st month for $9.99 Get Deal Best HBO Max Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Best Student Deal Hulu Student Deal Hulu with ads for $1.99/month Get Deal Best ESPN Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle $35.99/month Get Deal

There's a wide range of excellent shows and films to watch on Hulu. From The Life of Chuck to the thrilling Alien: Earth series, it's a library that's full of options to keep you entertained through these winter months.

If these have caught your eye and have you itching to sign up for Hulu, we're here to help you get the best deal. Outside of the standard ad-supported and ad free plans, there are quite a few bundle deals available with Hulu that are worth exploring if you're looking to save some cash. This includes a great limited time deal on the Disney+ and Hulu Bundle, which is offering its first month for just $9.99.

SEE ALSO: 'Bob's Burgers' creator Loren Bouchard credits 'early fans' for the show's success

Considering Hulu and Disney Plus have just increased their prices, there's no better time than now to find a way to save through bundles. Below you can find details on Hulu's best bundles at the moment — alongside information on both its ad-supported and ad free plans, if you just want the basics — offering you a way to save on the service without going overboard on spending.

You can get additional streaming services thrown in at a lower cost, and what's better than that?

Best Disney+ bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Get your first month of the Disney+, Hulu Bundle for $9.99 Get Deal Why we like it

For those interested in the ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu Bundle, it's enjoying a limited-time offer at the moment that runs until Feb. 17. Both new and eligible returning subscribers can get their first month of this streaming bundle for just $9.99. Usually it costs $12.99, which it will auto-renew at after the first month is up, but it's still a nice deal to take advantage of.

• Disney+ and Hulu Bundle — Get your first month for $9.99, then $12.99 per month

Unfortunately, this deal does not apply to the Premium ad-free version of this plan. This option is still available for $19.99 per month, as usual.

• Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Premium — $19.99 per month

Best HBO Max bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Why we like it

Released last July, this is one of the best Hulu bundles available at the moment. Starting at $19.99 per month, this bundle grants you access to Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max's streaming services for a much lower price than what you'd pay for the three of them separately. It's an incredible deal to take advantage of, especially if you've already got Disney+ and HBO Max subscriptions. There are two plans to choose from with this bundle, and they are:

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (with ads) — $19.99 per month (save 42%)

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (no ads) — $32.99 per month (save 41%)

Best student deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu Student Deal Hulu with ads for $1.99/month Get Deal Why we like it

If you're a student enrolled at a university, you can score a Hulu (with ads) plan for even lower than the above bundles. Hulu's Student Deal gives eligible college students the ability to buy a Hulu (with ads) plan for just $1.99 per month. Hulu notes that the deal lasts "so long as student enrollment status remains verified," then it goes back up to the standard monthly price.

• Hulu Student Deal — $1.99 per month

Best ESPN bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle $35.99/month Get Deal Why we like it

Alongside the big Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max bundle, Hulu also has plans for sports fans that throw in ESPN Select or ESPN Unlimited. According to ESPN, "ESPN Select includes ESPN+ content only. Fans who want ESPN+ exclusively may subscribe to the ESPN Select plan. ESPN Unlimited includes all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN+." 

The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle, which has ads, is available for $35.99 per month. The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited premium bundle without ads is available for $44.99 per month.

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $19.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $29.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle — $35.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium — $44.99 per month

Hulu's monthly plans

If you're just looking to jump straight into Hulu's library without any fancy bundles, there are a couple of subscription options to consider. The ad-supported tier comes in at $11.99 per month, but you'll get your first month free, which is a great way to test the waters and see if it's the right fit for you. If you want to go ad free, that'll cost you $18.99 per month. Unfortunately, this plan does not offer a free trial like its ad-supported sibling.

• Hulu (with ads) — $11.99 per month (get first month free), $119.99 per year

• Hulu Premium (no ads) — $18.99 per month

If you really want to go big on a streaming investment, there's the Hulu + Live TV plan. This costs a whopping $89.99 per month for its ad-supported plan, but comes with plenty to keep you busy. Hulu + Live TV (with ads) gets you access to 95+ channels, unlimited DVR, Disney+ (with ads), ESPN Select (with ads), and Hulu (with ads). If you want to go even bigger with the ad-free plan — which offers Hulu (no ads), Disney+ (no ads), and ESPN Select (with ads) alongside Live TV — it'll cost you $99.99 per month. The ad-supported plan also offers a free trial, but for just three days instead.

• Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN Select (with ads) — $89.99 per month (three day free trial)

• Hulu Premium + Live TV, Disney+ Premium, and ESPN Select (no ads) — $99.99 per month

• Hulu + Live TV, Disney+ Premium, and ESPN Select — $94.99 per month

• Live TV Only — $88.99 per month

Wondering what to watch once you get set up with a Hulu plan or bundle? We're here to help with that as well. Have a look at our roundups of the 30 best comedies on Hulu, the 25 best sci-fi movies on Hulu, and the 26 best horror movies on Hulu to start building your watchlist. And if you're in the mood to binge-watch a show, check out our breakdown of the 25 best shows on Hulu.

TL;DR: Make 2026 the year you sharpen up your mind with a 5-year subscription to memoryOS Expert Plan, on sale now $142.97 (reg. $749.95).

Opens in a new window Credit: memoryOS memoryOS Expert Plan: 5-Year Subscription $142.97
$749.95 Save $606.98   Get Deal

Want to finish out the year with a better memory? There’s now an app for that — memoryOS. This brain-training tool makes improving your memory fun with bite-sized lessons scientifically proven to be effective.

Right now, you can secure a 5-year subscription to the memoryOS Expert Plan for just $142.97 (reg. $749.95).

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If self-improvement is one of your 2026 resolutions, you need to add memoryOS to your routine. This app offers plenty of fun via gamified mini-lessons that use proven methods to improve your memory. All you need is some free time and a smartphone.

Over 100,000 users are already taking advantage of memoryOS, and they’ve seen an average increase of 70% in memory recall. You’ll quickly see why it was the most funded app on Kickstarter, as you’re guided by the app’s co-founder, Jonas von Essen, a two-time World Memory Champion.

memoryOS digitizes time-tested ways to improve your memory, like mnemonics to help you store and recall information, along with spaced repetition, a proven method for helping your brain retain information more effectively. The Mind Palace technique has actually been used for more than 2,000 years, as it changes how we encode, store, and recall data.

Aside from letting you take advantage of this new proprietary virtual Mind Palace technology, this 5-year memoryOS subscription also gives you exclusive access to the Early Adopters private group, so you can connect with others who have the same goal of memory improvement.

Secure a 5-year subscription to memoryOS Expert Plan for just $142.97 (reg. $749.95).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

You may think of Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, as an autocracy governed by founder Mark Zuckerberg. Given his shares give him a majority (60 percent) of any shareholder vote, that's not far off the mark (pun not intended). Zuckerberg is CEO for life, or at least as long as he wants to be.

But there is at least one entity within Meta, independently financed, that has accumulated enough soft power to keep Zuckerberg in line a majority of the time: The Meta Oversight Board. Zuckerberg once described it as a "Supreme Court" for Facebook, and in its five years of life it has come out against Meta's cross-check program, which the company mostly amended, slammed its content moderation, gave whistleblower Frances Haugen a hearing, and done all this while improving its attention to basic human rights.

"Although Meta is not legally required to implement every recommendation," the Board noted in a report on its first five years, "it has implemented 75% of the more than 300 we have issued." The company is required to respond to all board recommendations, at least, within 60 days.

SEE ALSO: Watch the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses fail in Mark Zuckerberg's painful live demo

All of which explains why the Oversight Board's latest case actually matters, when it comes to Meta accounts and permanent bans — and why it's so keen on your input.

The case, which the Board announced it would take on Tuesday, concerns an unnamed but "widely followed" Instagram account that was permanently banned in 2025, and is appealing the decision. The account's posts included "visual threats of violence and harassment against a female journalist," the board says, as well as "anti-gay slurs against prominent politicians and content depicting a sex act, alleging misconduct against minorities."

This marks the first time that the Oversight Board has looked at an account banned for targeting public figures. (It previously upheld Donald Trump's suspension in Jan. 2021, but that was for supporting violence at the Capitol insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. In that case, the Board also said Facebook couldn't ban Trump indefinitely — it had to be permanent, or time-limited. Zuckerberg chose the latter.)

Unlike the actual U.S. Supreme Court, the Meta Oversight Board is very clear about why it chose to take on the case: To establish a precedent for other account ban appeals to follow.

The Instagram ban "represents a significant opportunity to provide users with greater transparency on Meta’s account enforcement policies and practices, and make recommendations for improvement," the Board wrote.

What recommendations? Well, that's where you come in. The Meta Oversight Board has already received more than 11,000 public comments in its first five years of cases, and now it's actively soliciting more. Specifically, the board says it would love it if you could "contribute valuable perspectives" on:

• How best to ensure due process and fairness to people whose accounts are penalized or permanently disabled.

• The effectiveness of measures used by social media platforms to protect public figures and journalists from accounts engaged in repeated abuse and threats of violence, in particular against women in the public eye.

• Challenges in identifying and considering off-platform context when assessing threats against public figures and journalists.

• Research into the efficacy of punitive measures to shape online behaviors, and the efficacy of alternative or complementary interventions.

• Good industry practices in transparency reporting on account enforcement decisions and related appeals.

Got ideas? Then you have until Feb. 3 to leave your comment here — anonymously, if you wish. Zuckerberg will be watching closely, given that Meta referred this case to the Board in the first place. For the average Facebook or Instagram user, this may be as close as you get to influencing the supreme autocrat of social media.

Raspberry Pi single-board computers are awesome for so many reasons—they're low-power, extremely capable, and have small footprints. I love all those things about my Raspberry Pi, but my favorite feature is one that I don’t hear talked about nearly often enough.

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If you want to feel like you’re living in the future, let My Notes AI serve as your personal note-taking assistant. This app captures, organizes, and enhances your notes, transcribing and summarizing everything from Zoom meetings to live lectures to audio files.

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True crime might be Netflix's most consistent genre in terms of hit rate. True-crime documentaries, including The Perfect Neighbor and Amy Bradley Is Missing, dominated the Netflix algorithm last year. The sentiment also includes scripted true crime, and Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story is the latest hit for the streamer.

The rollout of ChatGPT age prediction is now underway, according to an announcement OpenAI made Tuesday.

Last fall, the company indicated it would introduce age prediction as a safety measure for teens. OpenAI has been sued by parents of teens who died by suicide after ChatGPT allegedly coached them to end their lives or didn't respond appropriately to their discussions of psychological distress. OpenAI has denied the allegations in the first of those lawsuits.

In December, the company introduced an update to its Model Spec, which guides how its AI models should behave. The update focused on principles for responding to under-18 users in high-stakes situations.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI says its mystery AI wearable is on track for 2026 as AI earbuds rumors spread

The details made public on Tuesday explain that age prediction will launch on consumer plans.

ChatGPT's age prediction model estimates a user's age based on behavior and signals from their account, like when the person is active during the day, long-term usage patterns, how long the account has existed, and the user's stated age.

If the user's age is assessed as under-18, their account should not be exposed to graphic violence, depictions of self-harm, and sexual, romantic, or violent role play, among other types of potentially harmful content.

Teens who tell OpenAI they're under 18 upon opening a ChatGPT account are automatically subject to such safeguards. If OpenAI isn't confident about a user's age, their account will default to safer settings.

OpenAI said that adult users whose accounts are mistakenly placed in the under-18 experience can confirm their age by submitting a selfie to Persona, a third-party identity verification service. OpenAI did not provide additional information about how ID documents would be retained. In Oct. 2025, a third-party vendor used by the messaging platform Discord was breached, exposing upwards of 70,000 government IDs.

OpenAI said it planned to improve age-prediction accuracy and make further improvements based on observations from the initial rollout.

A FlexJobs survey in August 2025 found that even though most employees have paid time off, almost one-quarter didn’t take a single vacation day. Meanwhile, our inboxes can often feel like a mess, as the average person receives over 100 e-mails a day.

Only a couple weeks removed from seeing a bunch of weird robots at CES, scientists have unveiled a new innovation in the world of creepy robotics — the detachable crawling robotic hand.

Of course, one person's creepy is another person's awesome, and it's an impressive little bot that invites an instant comparison to Thing, the sentient, crawling hand from The Addams Family.

As published in Nature Communications, a group of scientists, and first author Xiao Gao, recently unveiled the new type of robotic hand. Videos published alongside the paper show how the hand can detach itself from its arm and use its fingers to crawl around like a spider.

The detachable robot isn't constrained by the limitations of the human hand. While its six fingers aren't too far off from the five digits on our own hands, everything else about this little creepy crawler is pretty divergent. For instance, the fingers can bend backwards as well as they bend forwards, so the robot can hold objects against both sides of its base (or palm, if you want to map it to human anatomy) at the same time. It's even capable of carrying small objects on its back (or belly) while it does so, using its free fingers for locomotion.

Obviously, these features would be most useful in industrial settings, but maybe someday robots like this will find their way into regular people's homes, too.

2026's television slate has no shortage of familiar faces returning to our screens. Not only will series such as Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Boys take us back to fantastical realms, but grounded series like The Pitt will return to shine a light on the struggles that the real heroes in our world face.

If you’re after a car that won’t leave you stranded and won’t guzzle gas, this Toyota hybrid has you covered.

Fast charging is an equally complex and fascinating technology that allows phones to draw much higher levels of power for quicker battery top-ups. What many people don’t realize is that it relies on constant communication between the phone and the charger, and when that communication breaks down, charging falls back to much slower speeds.

Audiobooks are a great way to “read” when you’re not able to read for real. However, if you switch between audio and text, you know how annoying it can be to sync your progress—especially across different mediums. Spotify is working on a clever solution.

What started as a compromise eventually led to a new preference for me. I had always thought I needed 18V tools for DIY projects around the house, but I was sorely mistaken. Here’s why my Milwaukee M12 tools are more than enough for DIY projects around the house, and how they became my go-to tools for everything.