IT General

If you're at all up to speed (or even care) about what's hot and not at the top of the Paramount+ movie charts, you'll have noticed that Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has been parked at No. 1. But hanging out right behind it is a pack of idiots in a Vegas hotel suite with a tiger in the bathroom. That's quite the double feature for American subscribers.

SAVE 10%: As of Aug. 17, you can get the Dreame L60 Ultra robot vacuum and mop for $1,169.99, down from $1,299.99, at Amazon. That's a 10% discount, or $130 in savings.

Dreame L60 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop With Dock $1,169.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $130   Get Deal at Amazon

Not to sound too cringey, but I'm a Dreame superfan. My floor-cleaning arsenal (aka the Dreame Team) includes the Dreame L60 Pro Ultra, Dreame N20 Steam Portable Carpet Cleaner, and the Aero Pro Steam. Each one is phenomenal in its own way, so whenever there's a sale, I'm definitely the first one to let people know.

SEE ALSO: Dreame's newest vacuum mop basically pressure-washes your floors

As of Aug. 17, you can get the Dreame L60 Ultra robot vacuum and mop for $1,169.99, down from $1,299.99, at Amazon. That's a 10% discount, or $130 in savings. That may not sound like much, but I can tell you from experience that these little robot vacuum-mops are worth every penny.

Although I have the upgraded version, the L60 Ultra still has some pretty impressive stats. You'll get 35,000Pa of suction, a detangling brush (great for pet parents), and an all-in-one PowerDock that auto-empties the dustbin (you'll get up to 100 days' worth of debris in one bag) and washes the mop pads with 212-degree hot water.

You can control everything through the app, and other than emptying the dirty water bin every now and again, this is a hands-off cleaning machine. (I've had my Ultra Pro for over two months and still haven't had to replace the bag.)

TL;DR: Pay $14.99 for the Borderlands 2 GOTY Steam key, including the base game, nine add-ons, six Vault Hunters, and 100+ hours of content.

Opens in a new window Credit: Steam Borderlands 2 Game of the Year Edition (Steam Key) $14.99
$39.99 Save $25   Get Deal

Borderlands 2 Game of the Year Edition sends players to Pandora for revenge, treasure, and a frankly unreasonable number of procedurally generated weapons. The Steam key is $14.99 instead of $39.99 for a limited time.

The story follows six playable Vault Hunters — Axton, Maya, Salvador, Zer0, Gaige, and Krieg — as they take on Handsome Jack and Hyperion. Each character has unique abilities and three skill trees, allowing players to shape different combat styles and experiment with new builds.

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Weapons come in millions of possible combinations, with different manufacturers, parts, statistics, and elemental effects. Loadouts also include shields, grenade mods, relics, and class mods. Incendiary, corrosive, shock, slag, and explosive damage provide tactical options against different enemy defenses.

Pandora spans frozen tundras, deserts, grasslands, corrosive caverns, and other environments populated by robots, bandits, Stalkers, Bullymongs, and Hyperion forces.

The campaign can be played solo or through four-player online co-op with drop-in and drop-out support. LAN multiplayer is also included, and character progress and equipment remain available between sessions. Local split-screen works on supported systems.

This Game of the Year Edition adds nine content packs to the base game. That includes four campaign expansions, Gaige and Krieg, the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack, Creature Slaughter Dome, and Collector’s Edition bonus content.

Across the main story, expansions, side quests, and higher-difficulty playthroughs, it offers more than 100 hours of gameplay. Steam Workshop support adds community-created mods, while official updates provide patches, fixes, and balance improvements.

Get the Borderlands 2 Game of the Year Edition Steam key for $14.99 (reg. $39.99).

Check out the other gaming codes and offers available.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

About 10 years ago, a software update for your vehicle, as if it were your smartphone, was rare enough to make the news. Tesla owners were often the only ones who were aware of it and talking about it. In 2018, Consumer Reports tested a new Model 3 and clocked its stopping distance from 60 miles per hour at 152 feet, seven feet longer than a Ford F-150. Tesla responded with a wireless update to the anti-lock braking software, a fix that allowed the Model 3 to stop in 133 feet without a physical repair.

On Aug. 4, a Nike customization trailer pulled up outside Gamma Phi Beta at the University of Alabama. Inside were sneakers, fleeces, and other gear that members could personalize with sorority details. Outside, three videographers waited to capture the results.

The event brought 150 women through the trailer, according to Campus Launch, the sorority-marketing agency that organized it. Soon, clips of members showing off their new Nike outfits began circulating online — including on my own For You Page.

Nike’s Alabama activation is just one of many examples of how brands are capitalizing on RushTok, one of the best times of the year for TikTok. In 2026, bands are more deeply embedded in the Greek spectacle than ever. The arrangement is mutually beneficial: Brands gain visibility among young consumers and the chronically online, while members receive free products and experiences, and chapters get the status boost of landing a major corporate partner.

SEE ALSO: TikTok shoppers spent $50 billion in six months on the platform

At 'Bama, that status can help a sorority compete for attention before recruitment formally begins. The university has called its recruitment the largest Panhellenic recruitment in the country, and more than 2,500 women registered in 2026 to consider 19 chapters through a mutual selection process.

Potential new members are trying to impress sororities, but the chapters are also making a case for why those women should want to join them. A Nike trailer parked outside the house with free, customized merch certainly helps make that case.

RushTok has become appointment viewing

Sorority recruitment had circulated on social media before 2021, but that year’s University of Alabama videos turned it into a national fixation. Potential new members posted outfit breakdowns, explained each stage of the process, and updated viewers as they advanced through recruitment. Strangers picked favorites, debated dresses, and waited for Bid Day reveals.

It was reality television produced by college students and released one short video at a time. Before long, the commercial value of that attention became difficult to miss.

Credit: Mashable/ TikTok / Ellette, sockbunstudio, kylan_darnell

At first, brands often benefited by accident. A woman would mention where she bought her dress or earrings, viewers would search for the item, and the retailer would suddenly find itself at the center of an unofficial campaign. Pants Store, a Tuscaloosa retailer frequently mentioned in early Bama Rush videos, said its online and local sales increased by more than 200 percent after RushTok took off in 2021.

Companies soon stopped leaving that exposure to chance. In 2022, Tarte sent mascara and lip balm to 30,000 prospective members at eight universities after reaching out to more than 90 sororities — sales through its student-discount program jumped 1,300 percent afterward. Hair coloring company Hally Hair brought a branded bus to the University of Alabama during 2023 recruitment and invited sorority members to help launch a product. The 2024 trip generated 500,000 impressions and boosted applications to its ambassador program by 200 percent within 12 hours.

That same year, Bubble Skincare used its Bubble on Campus ambassador program to partner with 25 chapters across 15 universities, distributing more than 5,000 products to 10 Alabama sororities alone.

RushTok can promote the women in the videos just as much as the products they’re selling. Take Kylan Darnell, who became one of the phenomenon’s biggest breakout stars after posting an outfit video on the first day of Alabama recruitment in 2022. The video racked up 6 million views by the end of the day, and Darnell went on to amass 1.3 million TikTok followers and build a six-figure influencer career, working with more than 50 brands over four years.

Blythe Beardsley, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Arizona, is another example. After a viral video of her dancing with her sorority sisters attracted more than 38 million TikTok views, Beardsley started receiving offers from fashion companies. Within weeks, Showpo paid for her and her mother to attend New York Fashion Week and supplied her with clothing in exchange for social media content.

"I felt imposter syndrome at first," she told the Arizona Sonoran News in 2025. "I’ve never had a big social media presence. I used to delete the apps to protect my mental health." The video now has over 45 millions views.

Most women who appear on RushTok won't turn a viral video into a trip to Fashion Week, let alone a six-figure career. Still, those success stories reveal another reason brands are eager to get inside sorority houses: The women promoting a campaign today could become the influencers companies pay tomorrow.

Meeting Gen Z 'where they are'

As competition for attention has intensified, handing out free products no longer cuts it. Recruitment dances — like the one that launched Beardsley onto millions of screens — have become one of RushTok’s most favorited formats. Members perform choreographed routines in coordinated outfits, often racking up thousands or even millions of views on their chapters’ accounts.

Nike has started sponsoring those performances, too. "Shoutout to Nike for helping us strut into this recruitment season," Arizona State University's Delta Zeta chapter captioned one video. Within a week, two videos from the partnership, also brokered by Campus Launch, had each pulled in over 2 million views.

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ASU Delta Zeta also partnered with Love Island USA Season 8 contestant Kayda Bosse, where she posed with members, sampled Poppi, and became the chapter’s honorary "bombshell for the day." Bosse brought an Instagram audience of 2 million with her. Delta Zeta declared it the "best day ever" and thanked Poppi for arranging the visit.

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Other companies have found their own ways into RushTok. Energy drink brand Gorgie used drones to drop cans into the backyard of Oklahoma Pi Beta Phi. The Coconut Cult developed a Princess Cake yogurt flavor for rush and dispatched two trucks to distribute it to sorority houses nationwide. Khloé Kardashian’s protein snack brand Khloud appeared in Alpha Delta Pi’s candy-colored "Life Is Sweet" campaign at Alabama. Dunkin’ distributed samples of its new drinks in holographic cups at Alabama’s Delta Gamma house. Fashion retailer Edikted supplied Gamma Phi Beta members with clothing for recruitment.

Sephora at Kohl’s has also capitalized on sorority rush. Last year, they launched beauty pop-ups on three campuses during recruitment. Students could get their hair and makeup done, sample products, and collect discounts. Thousands attended, demonstrating what Kohl’s chief marketing officer Christie Raymond described as an opportunity to meet Gen Z "where they’re already engaging."

This year, the company partnership returned this year with a traveling "Beauty Bodega" featuring free touch-ups, product giveaways, sweets, and a fragrance fridge. The pop-up supplies students with genuinely useful services during recruitment, when many are spending hours outside and changing their appearance between events.

Sorority rush has always required a certain amount of theater. At the University of Michigan, where I participated in sorority rush back in 2017, we had costumes, choreography, rehearsals, and enough synchronized clapping to qualify as an endurance sport. TikTok did not invent the performance; but it did place it in front of millions of spectators.

Now brands are the ones supplying the wardrobe, building the set, and waiting for the cameras to roll.

If you're heading to college and shopping for a new laptop or PC, get the best hardware you can afford—but when it comes to software, don't think you're locked into Windows. Linux has evolved a lot over the years, and modern distros are just as intuitive to use as Windows. More importantly, Linux is generally more efficient than Windows, so you can get more performance out of the same hardware. And as someone who went through college using a Linux PC, I can tell you that Linux has an impressive collection of apps to help you get through your day-to-day student life.

Your YouTube videos are about to get a lot more views. At least, that's what it'll appear like on the YouTube video view count.

On Monday, YouTube announced that it was changing how it counts video views on the platform. According to YouTube, starting on Aug. 24, the platform will start counting a view on a video from the moment it starts to play – or as YouTube puts it, "from the very first frame."

The company says the change will bring the way it counts views on long-form videos in line with its method for YouTube Shorts. Since March 2025, YouTube has counted a Shorts view from the moment the video begins playing. (YouTube Shorts are videos up to three minutes long that use a vertical or square format.)

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This is a big change from how YouTube previously counted a view on a long-form video. 

Until Aug. 24, a view on long-form content will be counted only if a viewer watches at least 30 seconds of the video. Viewers who watch less than that won't be included in the video's view counter. That threshold, however, has provided creators with useful data about how many people were actually watching their videos.

While the view count change will mean videos will look like they're receiving more views from before, YouTube appears to recognize that its previous metric remains useful to creators. The company announced it will continue counting the original view metric as "Engaged views" in creators' YouTube Analytics under Advanced Mode.

YouTube was the last of the major tech platforms to quantify video views as a viewer actually consuming a substantial amount of the content. Typically, platforms better known for short-form content like TikTok or Elon Musk's X all count views from the moment a video plays, even if the video autoplays and a user immediately scrolls past it or swipes to the next clip.

According to YouTube, this change won't affect the monetization requirements for creators' channels. YouTube just changed the YouTube Partner Program eligibility requirements for YouTubers earlier this month. Those changes will make it more difficult for creators to monetize their channels by requiring more watch hours or YouTube Shorts views than before.

In addition to the new view metric, YouTube says it will now refer to the "valid public Shorts views" and "valid public watch hours" monetization requirements as "qualified Shorts views" and "qualified watch hours," respectively. 

The most-watched movie on Netflix in the U.S. right now is about a family that's locked inside their house—which is either a stroke of marketing genius or a commentary on how a lot of Americans have spent August (or maybe a hint to get outside while the weather lasts).

Ryobi is one of the most popular and recognizable names in power tools, especially with the DIY crowd, but the tools themselves are only half the story. Sometimes, it's the accessories we use with our tools that make all the difference. And for me, that's a cheap DeWALT accessory I use constantly with my Ryobi drill and impact driver.

The Windows Settings app has gone through extensive overhaul and modernization. While that's a big win in many cases, including the UI, there are still so many things missing from it that rely on the Control Panel. Even in 2026, as of writing this, we still use the Windows Control Panel for a lot of advanced tinkering.

Last week, the King of Pop topped the list of new movies to watch on streaming as Michael hit Starz. This week, music plays a big part in the list, but this time, it's centered around a pop star played by Anne Hathaway.

Sonos' two-year quest to rescue its app now includes a feature that some speaker owners have been missing for much longer. The company has finally returned lock screen music playback controls to the iPhone, albeit in a different way.

Online AI services are a great way to search through and parse long documents, but they come with some drawbacks. Your data is held by someone else, you use up tokens or require a subscription to get access, and you need internet access for it to work. By switching to a local-only approach, I can ensure that no sensitive documents can be leaked accidentally, and I don't have to worry about whether my private data is being used to train cloud models.

The subcompact SUV segment is packed with affordable options, but most of them make some pretty obvious compromises to keep their prices down. One Japanese crossover takes a different approach, pairing a relatively attainable price with an upscale cabin, strong standard equipment, and driving dynamics that feel far more sophisticated than you'd expect from something this small. It isn't the roomiest choice in the class, but it makes a compelling case for buyers who care more about quality and driving enjoyment than sheer practicality.

Elon Musk-owned SpaceXAI is set to defend its artificial intelligence bot Grok in federal court, following a scandal that alleges the AI assistant was used to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

In March, three Tennessee teenagers filed a federal lawsuit against the company for its alleged role in producing millions of sexually explicit images of minors, claiming malicious actors used the AI tool to generate inappropriate images of them when they were children. Last month, the lawsuit expanded as two additional plaintiffs joined the case, detailing startling stories of online sexual abuse enabled by Grok's image-generating features.

The lawsuit also added a second defendant: Stability AI, the makers of the popular text-to-image model Stable Diffusion.

SEE ALSO: D23 2026: Every movie and series announced and shown at this year's fan event

"Limitless access to these tools is spreading so quickly. It is taking everyday life and turning it into child sexual abuse," said one of the two new plaintiffs. She is referred to in the case as Jane Doe 4.

Under U.S. law, companies are required to report suspected cases of child sexual exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). In 2025, Meta, Amazon AI Services, TikTok, Snapchat, Discord, X.AI, Grindr, and Roblox submitted a combined 17 million tips to NCMEC, which accounted for 80 percent of all tips. But, according to NCMEC, many of these reports left out key information, including disclosures regarding the presence of child sex abuse material (CSAM) in AI training data and specific details that could aid law enforcement in locating suspects.

According to information submitted as part of the expanded lawsuit, X sent in only one tip regarding Jane Doe 4's case and failed to provide additional information to law enforcement when asked. The perpetrator used Grok to produce more than 7,000 sexually explicit images and videos of Jane Dane 4 using a single childhood photo, police records show.

In addition to its alleged role in producing CSAM, the plaintiffs also argue SpaceXAI (formerly xAI) benefited from sex trafficking ventures via Grok's AI features. The case also argues the company has created a public nuisance through its "negligence" and "defective product design."

Annika Martin, the plaintiffs' attorney, told NPR that Grok is a "scourge on society."

If you have had intimate images shared without your consent, call the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s 24/7 hotline at 844-878-2274 for free, confidential support. The CCRI website also includes helpful information as well as a list of international resources.

Despite what most tech companies will tell you, not everything needs to be smart, designed around an AI assistant, or turned into an app. Sometimes, the old bits of tech you have lurking in your closet are still the best choice.

Going on a vacation means switching off from the outside world, and in more ways than one. Your devices can be the biggest distractions when you are traveling and taking time off, especially if you are someone who drowns in a sea of notifications and alerts from your work or personal life.

SAVE $400: The Antigravity A1 360 drone bundle is on sale at Amazon for $1,199, down from the normal price of $1,599. That's a 25% discount and the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Antigravity Antigravity A1 360 drone standard bundle $1,199 at Amazon
$1,599 Save $400   Get Deal

For so many reasons, owning a top-tier drone and being proficient in flying it is a great skill. Checking out the neighborhood, getting real-estate footage, or content for TikTok are just a few of the reasons why someone would want a drone. If you've been shopping for a drone other than a DJI, check out this Amazon deal.

As of Aug. 17, the Antigravity A1 360 drone bundle is on sale at Amazon for $1,199, down from the normal price of $1,599. That's a 25% discount and the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

You know you're in good hands with an Antigravity drone since the brand is an offshoot of Insta360, one of the premier 360-degree camera companies. Adam Doud reviewed the Antigravity A1 drone for Mashable and noted the high price point as one of the only negatives. Otherwise, he wrote, "While most drones are cameras that you can fly, the Antigravity A1 is a 360-degree camera that you can fly."

Doud also mentions the immersive googles are a big benefit with this Antigravity model, as is the remote control. Unlike most drones, the Antigravity eliminates the need to both fly the drone and point the camera in the direction of the footage you'd like to capture. Since the Antigravity A1 films in 360-degrees, you get to pick your content later.

SEE ALSO: Best Buy is turning 60: Celebrate with massive weeklong deals on iPads, laptops, and TVs

On that note, Doud explained, "As a content creator, all you have to focus on is putting the drone near the event you want to capture, and it takes care of the rest."

Since it's sitting at the lowest price we've seen at Amazon, now might be a great time to upgrade to the Antigravity A1 360 drone bundle. There's still plenty of nice fall weather to spend becoming an expert on this drone.

SAVE 24%: As of Aug. 17, you can get the DJI Mini 3 for $319, down from $419, at Amazon. That's a 24% discount, or $100 in savings.

DJI Mini 3 $319 at Amazon
$419 Save $100   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Best Buy

Becoming a drone enthusiast is an admirable, albeit expensive, hobby. But that doesn't mean you should put your dream of piloting on the shelf. Sometimes, you can find a really good deal on drones at Amazon (granted, you have to be careful about who you buy from — beware of third-party sellers!).

SEE ALSO: The FCC banned foreign routers, drones, robots: What it means for you

Right now, DJI has its Mini 3 drone on sale for $319, down from $419, at Amazon. That's a 24% discount, or $100 in savings. It's not the lowest we've seen for this model, but we can't really expect holiday-level prices in August. So, this is the best deal you're going to get on this drone right now.

The DJI Mini 3 is ideal for first-time fliers. It's so light (under 249 grams) that you don't have to register it with the FAA or use a Remote ID if you're just flying it for recreational purposes. It also has a 3-axis gimbal, captures 4K HDR video, and offers 38 minutes of battery life. Add in its Level 5 wind resistance and up to 10km of HD video transmission, and this little guy is ready to go on just about any adventure you have planned.

Windows gets blamed a lot for high RAM usage, and sometimes that's fair. However, if you've ever watched Task Manager fill up with processes from Slack, Discord, and VS Code all running at the same time, the operating system isn't really the culprit. Those are Electron apps, and each one quietly loads an entire browser engine into memory just to run a chat window or a code editor and eats up RAM.