IT General

The first post-credits scene for Marvel's Thunderbolts* takes us on a trip down the cereal aisle.

SEE ALSO: 'Thunderbolts*' end-credits scene, explained: Who are the New Avengers?

The mid-credits scene sees Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) hanging out in a supermarket, waiting to see if anyone will buy a Wheaties box with the Thunderbolts — sorry, New Avengers — on it.

The entire gag plays off one of Alexei's earlier lines, where he yearns to be on a team of heroes that people will love and respect to the point where they get that ultimate prize: a place on the front of a Wheaties box. Now that the Thunderbolts have been dubbed the New Avengers and have a public-facing role as heroes, that dream has been fully realized.

That doesn't mean people are actually buying the New Avengers Wheaties, though. Alexei tries to convince one woman, adding that the cereal is "good for kids" and pointing himself out on the box. The shopper, bless her heart, does take a box — only to put it down at the end of the aisle and run off. Sorry, Alexei, you're just not the best salesman!

If you, unlike this mid-credits shopper, actually want to see a New Avengers Wheaties box, you're in luck! You can buy a collectible box (no Wheaties included) or see a massive standee of the box at a movie theater.

Yummy. Credit: Belen Edwards

I'd say it's part of a balanced breakfast, but I don't think a balanced breakfast comes with quite this much murder.

Thunderbolts* is now in theaters.

On Wednesday, BBC Maestro — a similar service to Masterclass — launched a new writing course taught by the best-selling novelist of all time. There’s a catch: the author, genre-defining mystery writer Agatha Christie, died 50 years ago, and was thus unavailable to participate.

Instead, BBC Maestro used an actress and artificial intelligence to recreate Christie, drawing from the author’s own novels, interviews, and letters for the course material. The creators describe the effort as a “world-first,” and the “Agatha Christie On Writing” masterclass is available now.

Almost as soon as the course launched, critics accused the BBC of making an Agatha Christie “deepfake.”

Meanwhile, BBC Maestro wants to emphasize the participation of the Christie estate and their high esteem for the late author.

“This groundbreaking course was carefully created over two years by a team of almost 100 people, including academics, researchers, creative professionals, and a team of leading global Agatha Christie scholars, who have each studied Agatha’s written and spoken words and who curated the course to reflect all her teachings,” an announcement reads. 

The Agatha Christie writing course is available now. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of BBC Maestro Is the Agatha Christie writing course inspired or unsettling?

The BBC Maestro says viewers and aspiring writers can learn "the art of suspense, plot twists, and unforgettable characters" from Christie herself, yet many creatives are extremely wary of applying artificial intelligence to the arts — no matter what.

Whether the course qualifies as a deepfake depends on how you define deepfake. A 2024 article from BBC Newsround defines deepfakes as “videos, picture or audio clips made with artificial intelligence to look real. They can be used for fun, or even for scientific research, but sometimes they're used to impersonate people like politicians or world leaders, in order to deliberately mislead people.” 

The term is most often used with negative connotations to refer to AI-generated content created without consent. Just this week in the United States, congress passed the “Take It Down” Act to prevent deepfakes and revenge porn from spreading online.

Obviously, Christie can’t personally consent to her likeness and voice being used to sell writing courses, but the Christie estate was involved in this project from its inception. The BBC worked closely with Christie’s great-grandson James Prichard, who manages the author’s estate.

Certainly, the BBC knew this project would be controversial, and both Prichard and BBC Maestro reject the use of the term “deepfake” in this context.

SEE ALSO: Google invented new ways to alter movies with AI for The Sphere. It's sure to be controversial.

In a statement provided to Mashable, Prichard, the Chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd., said, “What we have created is a course that distills my great-grandmother’s ingenious craft into an easy to follow and accessible course. This isn’t a fake. The words are Christie’s own, carefully sourced by researchers. As a family, we approached the project with the utmost care and respect with the overarching goal of honouring my great-grandmother and to share her immense talent and process with the world.”

Both Prichard and BBC Maestro are keen to emphasize that Christie’s likeness was lovingly rendered, despite the controversial nature of AI resurrection projects like this.

In answer to our questions, BBC Maestro CEO Michael Levine told us that the term “deepfake” most commonly refers to material made “without permission” and “often for malicious purpose.”

“That is absolutely not what we’re doing,” Levine said in an email statement to Mashable. “Every step was guided by ethics, transparency, and a deep respect for her legacy.”

Levine also emphasized the involvement of Christie’s own estate and leading scholars of her work.

“From the outset, our focus was on being 100% ethical and respectful in honouring Agatha Christie's remarkable legacy. We worked hand-in-hand with the Christie Estate to ensure her image is used only with their express approval and in a way that reflects her values. We collaborated with four world-leading Agatha Christie scholars who developed the script using her own words and writings. An actor then performed the role with full awareness of how the material would be used — exclusively in the context of this programme."

The team took great care over two years to represent Christie as realistically as possible, yet AI skeptics condemned the entire project immediately.

Whether you think this is an exciting opportunity to “learn directly from the most successful novelist of all time” or a grotesque application of AI technology, BBC Maestro is absolutely correct to call the course “groundbreaking.” 

President Donald Trump's tariffs are hitting tech companies hard, or at least they are in this one specific case.

Wyze, a company that specializes in security equipment like cameras, took to X on Wednesday to share an example of what tech companies are going through right now. According to Wyze, one shipment of floodlights accrued a tariff bill that was much larger than the sticker price: $255,000 in tariffs on a $167,000 purchase. The Wyze tweet also claimed that the amount is more than any of its founders made last year.

SEE ALSO: 'Fortnite' will finally return to the iOS App Store This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

For clarity's sake, this shipment came from China, which currently has a staggering 145 percent tariff slapped on all imports. It also happens to be where a lot of tech products are manufactured. The company suggested in a follow-up tweet that it would be rapidly moving production to Vietnam instead, which is in the middle of a 90-day pause on tariffs.

Whether or not this means Wyze products will go up in price due to the tariffs, the general takeaway here is that importing things from China is now prohibitively expensive. Given that so many products are made in China, that's going to be problematic over time. We already knew all of that, but seeing the actual numbers as shared by a company's social media manager is a sign that we're living in strange times, indeed.

HP laptops are becoming more repairable and upgradable, thanks to a partnership with iFixit. The two companies are working together to sell replacement parts, create repair guides, and other steps to make HP laptops more sustainable and repair-friendly.

Working in space is more than floating in microgravity. Astronauts train intensely and use advanced tools to not only survive, but also conduct advanced scientific research. Given the difficulties, how do they pull it off?

Google is making its AI Mode search tool available to many more people, but it's also getting some upgrades. At first, AI Mode was only available through a waitlist in Google Labs, but now it is being offered to more people.

Gaining control over the Linux operating system requires mastering the terminal—and one of the foundational skills is learning how to open files from the command line. This not only builds confidence in using the Linux OS, but also opens the door to faster workflows and automation.

Amazon’s Baseus storefront is currently running a big discount on the Baseus 100W 3-port USB-C charger. The deal includes the 100W charger plus two free 45W USB-C chargers with cables, bringing the total price down to $38.50 on Amazon. This is a major discount since the usual retail price for all these chargers together is around $70.

Sony's INZONE ANC wireless gaming earbuds are now available at a much lower price, making this a great chance for anyone who wants high-quality sound while gaming. Right now, the price has dropped to $168 on Amazon from the original price of $198.

There are many reasons why you might want to start spending less money online: It can be bad for the environment, it can be bad for your quality of life, it's bad for your wallet, and, with the "de minimis" import rule changing, it will soon be extra bad for your wallet.

On Friday, May 2, packages worth less than $800 entering the U.S. from China will no longer be tax-exempt. President Donald Trump announced he would be pull the de minimis exemption in April, and now the change is set to take effect. His official reasoning is that Chinese-based shippers use the de minimis exemption to ship illicit substances like fentanyl in low-value packages. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that a reform on the de minimis provision could slow the spread of drug trafficking in the U.S., but slashing the exemption will have lasting effects on other spaces within the economy, particularly the world of e-commerce.

So, online shoppers, businesses, and retailers who rely on low-cost imported Chinese goods should brace for impact. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 92 percent of all cargo entering the U.S. fall under the de minimis exception, with the CBP processing "approximately 4 million de minimis shipments a day." And according to Reuters, more than 60 percent of those packages come from China, which faces additional tariffs as high as 145 percent. Many of those shipments are bound for Temu and Shein shoppers.

The May 2 deadline approaches in the midst of a trade war between the U.S. and, well, most other countries, and as fears of a recession spread.

So, what does the expiring de minimis exception mean for you?

SEE ALSO: Is that the sound of the TikTok Shop bubble popping? These creators aren’t worried yet. If you like shopping for inexpensive items on Temu or Shein...

Chances are, cheaper items will become significantly more expensive due to taxes. This includes the bulk of items you'd buy on TikTok Shop, Temu, Shein, and other online retailers that rely on inexpensive labor in China to lower the cost of items.

If you like to shop on Amazon...

One survey found that up to 70 percent of brands selling products on Amazon source products or parts from China. And when a rumor spread this week that Amazon might show a tariff surcharge to shoppers, The White House accused the company of a politically motivated "hostile act" against the administration. So, expect even more brands to raise prices on Amazon in the weeks ahead.

If you own a business that relies on Chinese-made goods...

Chances are, you'll have to spend a whole lot more money up front before you can start selling those goods. You'll have to make a tough decision: increase the prices of your goods and risk losing customers or somehow pay the difference yourself.

Expect even more surprises...

On Thursday, the smart home company Wyze shared a message on X about the impacts of Chinese tariffs on their products. According to the company's figures, an order of $167,000 resulted in tariffs of $255,000 — 153 percent more than the products themselves.

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

While a large $167,000 order doesn't fall under the de minimis rule, it shows just how high costs are getting for businesses. And since we've already seen tariff-related price increases on tech gadgets and sex toys, we expect to see higher import taxes passed on to customers after the May 2 deadline passes.

Who doesn't love playing as a gun-toting action hero? Power fantasies and non-stop action sequences are a staple of modern video games, but sometimes it's nice to solve problems with more than just bullets and fists.

Getting a car that can accelerate to 60 miles an hour from a standstill in under five seconds is an expensive ambition. Most new cars capable of this feat come with fairly hefty price tags. If you are willing to by something used, however, it becomes a much more affordable goal.

Behold, Earth.

The live stream you see above is beamed down from the International Space Station, which orbits some 250 miles above our planet. It's filmed by the Earth and space live streaming company Sen, whose high-definition camera system, SpaceTV-1, peers down at sprawling forests, oceans, metropolises, and beyond.

"You see a beautiful planet and a borderless world," Sen's founder and CEO, Charles Black, told Mashable.

Anyone, with internet, can watch it. "It's about democratizing space," Black added.

SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.

The video from Sen, a Mashable media partner, averages about 20 hours of live footage every day, with just a few seconds or so of latency as the signal travels to Earth's surface — via NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System — and is then distributed to people watching, like you. Spread out over 24-hours are routine loss of signal periods, which can last fewer than two minutes or as long as some 20 minutes, wherein Sen will replay recently live streamed footage. Signal losses in orbit occur for a variety of reasons, such as when NASA switches satellite relays during downlinking or when the signal is blocked by the station's sprawling solar arrays.

"You never know what you might see." - Charles Black

Tuning in, you'll regularly see new sights. The space station orbits Earth about 16 times a day, and during each orbit the floating laboratory shifts a little to the west. "Whenever you log on, you can see something different," Black said. "You never know what you might see." When the station is orbiting above the nightside of Earth, a message on the bottom of the screen will read "Sunrise in X minutes." The messaging also shows where the view is, such as "Tanzania."

We've certainly come a long way since U.S. researchers captured the first view of Earth from space in 1946. It's grainy, but poignant. Some 14 years later, a new era in Earth observation commenced when the U.S. weather satellite TIROS-1 beamed back over 19,000 orbital images in 1960.

Now, you can watch high-definition live footage from your phone.

Xbox announced a series of price hikes for its consoles, controllers, and new games. Although they don't appear to have taken effect everywhere, they will soon be adjusted worldwide. It's not great news if you're in the Xbox ecosystem or planning to pick up a console soon.

For nearly five years, Fortnite has not been natively playable on iPhones. That could change as soon as next week.

Fortnite developer Epic Games, via founder and CEO Tim Sweeney on X, announced that the game would return to the iOS App Store in the U.S. next week. This comes half a decade after the game was unceremoniously dropped from Apple devices due to a dispute between Apple and Epic over Apple's policy of taking a commission on in-app purchases. That turned into an ongoing legal battle between the two companies, and a Wednesday court order in Epic's favor prompted the decision to bring Fortnite back to iPhones.

SEE ALSO: Meta lobbies Apple and Google to take over age verification for young people online This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

In case you haven't been following along, the short version is that Apple likes to take as much as 30 percent off the top of all in-app purchases, and Fortnite got booted from the App Store because Epic sidestepped that process by encouraging users to make purchases on Epic's website instead. Apple was eventually ordered by the courts to stop blocking third-party apps from linking to alternative payment options.

However, Wednesday's ruling found that Apple had allegedly been charging a 27 percent commission on out-of-app purchases, alongside other measures meant to deter users from paying for things that way. Apple is now held in contempt of court over all of this and has been ordered to stop. To make matters even more inconvenient for Apple, Sweeney said Fortnite will return to the App Store globally and the case will be dropped...only as long as Apple extends the court-ordered policy to its global App Store operations.

The ball is in Apple's court now, I guess.

Have you ever stopped to question why a clean desktop is considered good while a messy desktop is bad? Well, I have, and found that having a messy desktop can actually benefit your workflow. Here's why I don't keep a clean, icon-free desktop and how it improves my productivity!

TL;DR: Live stream Athletic Club vs. Manchester United for free on RTBF Auvio. The best service for live streaming sport is ExpressVPN.

The Europa League semi finals are here, with all eyes on Athletic Club vs. Manchester United. This absolutely huge matchup is all that matters to Manchester United at this stage of the season. It has been a season to forget, but they could end things on a much more positive note by winning this competition and securing qualification for next year's Champions League.

If you want to watch Athletic Club vs. Manchester United for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Athletic Club vs. Manchester United?

Athletic Club vs. Manchester United kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on May 1. This fixture takes place at the San Mamés Stadium.

How to watch Athletic Club vs. Manchester United for free

Athletic Club vs. Manchester United is available to live stream for free on RTBF Auvio in Belgium.

RTBF Auvio is geo-restricted to Belgium, so if you're away from Belgium for this fixture, you'll have to use a VPN to get access to your usual coverage. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Belgium, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access RTBF Auvio from anywhere in the world.

Unblock RTBF Auvio by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Belgium

4. Visit RTBF Auvio

5. Stream Athletic Club vs. Manchester United in the Europa League for free

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to provide free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to RTBF Auvio without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Athletic Club vs. Manchester United before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ServusTV?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on ServusTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Austria

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Athletic Club vs. Manchester United for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Europa League semi finals are here, offering a chance at redemption for Tottenham Hotspur. It has been such a tough season for Spurs, but they could end things on a high by lifting the Europa League. Of course, they've got to get to the final first, with Bodo/Glimt standing in their way.

If you want to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt?

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on May 1. This fixture takes place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt for free

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.

ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Austria, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access ServusTV from anywhere in the world.

Unblock ServusTV by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria

4. Visit ServusTV

5. Stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League for free

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to provide free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to ServusTV without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ServusTV?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on ServusTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Austria

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt for free with ExpressVPN.

Was Tesla's board looking to replace Elon Musk as CEO?

A surprising new report from The Wall Street Journal claims Tesla's board sought to replace Elon Musk with a new CEO. However, since the report was published, Musk has denied the accuracy of the WSJ's reporting.

In a late-night post on X, Musk wrote, "It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the @WSJ would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla board of directors!" Musk also shared an official statement from Tesla chair Robyn Denholm, which called the report "absolutely false."

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

According to the report, some Tesla board members were "irritated" with Musk's lack of focus on Tesla. Musk famously stepped away from running his EV car company to take on a new gig with the Trump administration as a special government employee. Musk has been closely involved with a controversial government cost-cutting effort known as DOGE. The WSJ reports this prompted the Tesla board members to contact executive search firms to start the process of finding a new CEO for Tesla.

The WSJ reports that the Tesla board members were close to working with one major executive search firm. In addition to a new CEO, Tesla's board was reportedly searching for an independent director to add to the company as well.

In March, a long-time Tesla investor urged Musk to either return to the company or resign as CEO. And after a dismal earnings report in April, Musk said he would step away from DOGE and devote "far more" time to Tesla.

"Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company," Denholm's statement reads. "This is absolutely false (and this was communicated to the media before the report was published). The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the Board is highly confident in his ability to continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead."

Tesla has been struggling in recent months, ever since Musk started working with President Donald Trump and DOGE.

Musk's EV car company reported a 71 percent drop in profit for the most recent quarter. Tesla attributed much of this to boycotts and protests against Tesla, Musk, and DOGE. Tesla sales have fallen around the world as a result. Many Tesla owners have also been looking to get rid of their EVs due to the company's ties with Musk.

Lyft is launching a new app experience for older riders, intended to support senior independence.

Called Lyft Silver, the new update redesigns the app into a simplified, heavily-supported ride experience featuring enlarged text and simplified ride options, with just single "request ride" and "schedule a ride" buttons. Lyft Silver users will also be paired with easier-to-enter cars and will have access to live phone support.

SEE ALSO: Chronically online drivers are scarily distracted, survey says

According to research conducted by Lyft, 71 percent of older adults reported "low" levels of tech savviness, and are more likely to cancel or "no show" a requested ride than younger users. "They may fear making permanent mistakes or be quick to abandon experiences that feel overwhelming. Some worry about running into problems when using apps on their own, feeling anxious about getting stuck. Lyft Silver can play a vital role in changing that," the company explained. "By focusing on the needs of older adults, we aim to provide a transportation option that empowers independence and enhances their daily lives."

Credit: Lyft

To activate Lyft Silver, riders can open the app, tap 'You' in the bottom right corner, and choose 'Lyft Silver' from the main menu. Riders can also be gifted a Lyft Silver account.

The experience was designed with input from advocacy groups like the Foundation for Social Connection Action Network, which works to address social isolation and loneliness, as well as local partners such as AltaMed, Urban League, NOAH, SAGE, and Self Help for the Elderly. The company says it is collaborating with community organizations to offer discounted rides to older rides, too.

Credit: Lyft

Family and caregivers can also connect their loved ones' Lyft Silver accounts to a family account and use a Lyft Cash wallet to ensure their rides are paid for, or link it with Lyft Concierge, a courtesy ride program that allows businesses, health care providers, and caregivers the ability to schedule rides for others.

Early access to the feature is now available nationwide.

UPDATE: May. 2, 2025, 1:24 p.m. This story was updated with information on Lyft Silver's nationwide release.