IT General

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to Headway Premium for just $59.99 (reg. $299.95) through March 2 and transform spare moments into powerful learning experiences with bite-sized insights from the world’s best nonfiction.

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Headway Premium offers a smarter way to learn by delivering concise, engaging summaries of nonfiction bestsellers in just 15 minutes. This lifetime deal provides unlimited access to an ever-growing selection of summaries, allowing you to absorb key ideas, strategies, and insights without the time commitment of traditional reading.

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StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Headway Headway Premium: Lifetime Subscription $59.99
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TL;DR: Save 65% on a refurbished MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) M1 while supplies last — fewer than 50 remain in stock.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished Apple MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $514.99
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I went through two laptops in my four years of college. Yeah, yikes. I opted for cheaper models then, and, instead, I paid the price with sucky battery life. When the second one bit the dust, I knew I had to get something nicer. That’s when I finally sprung for a MacBook. But here’s something most people don’t know: they aren’t always expensive. 

On a college budget, I did some research and discovered refurbished laptops. Usually gently owned and restored to like-new condition, you can save buckets of cash — and help the environment. I found a deal on the Mashable Shop for a refurbished Apple MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) at $514.99, 65% off its sticker price of $1,499.

Here’s how it’s held up over the past two years

I’m the first to admit that I’m hard on the things I own (you read the opening line of this article, didn’t you?), but this Apple laptop has held up surprisingly well after two years of regular daily use. 

Apple’s M1 chip does an amazing job of powering me through my writing days. I often have 20+ Chrome tabs open at once, a YouTube video playing in the background, and pricing spreadsheets open. With everything running, I get a solid six hours of battery life, but it lasts all day if I’m only working in Google Docs.

Another thing I love about the laptop is the fanless design. It’s silent and weighs under three pounds. I work remotely, so it's easy to bring along when I want to write in a coffee shop or outside.

Don’t miss out on this refurbished MacBook deal. Once they sell out, they’re gone for good.

Get this 13.3-inch MacBook Air M1 for $514.99 (reg. $1,499).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Let's be real: PC gaming offers the best possible experience for gamers. We love consoles, too, but you just can't deny it.

High-end gaming computers pack more graphical and processing power than any home console, and they offer a level of freedom in terms of customization and game choice that you’re just not going to find anywhere else. Unfortunately, a desktop PC does force you to keep your gaming sessions tied to your desk.

While desktops deliver elite performance, the best gaming laptops fit into the modern lifestyle more smoothly thanks to their portability. It’s more convenient to take your gaming rig with you on the go, whether that’s to a friend’s place or just to another room. Whether you're looking for a powerhouse that supports eye-popping visuals, a lightweight notebook to fit snugly in your backpack, or hoping to find a gaming laptop on a budget, we promise there's a machine for you.

SEE ALSO: Gaming starter kit: All the gear you need to play like a real gamer What's the best cheap gaming laptop, and is it worth it?

When it comes to gaming laptops, it's totally fine not to immediately spring for the top-of-the-line, $3,000-plus powerhouse. Plenty of gaming laptops fall below the $1,000 mark and are well worth the money. But, we would advise you against going too cheap. You really do get what you pay for, and if you settle for a bottom-of-the-barrel machine, you're not going to be able to run the games you want to play anyway.

Testing the Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop for this guide. Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

However, if you're looking to keep a tight budget and don't mind playing via cloud streaming, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is a great option (more details on that laptop below). And if you're looking to spend even less, the Lenovo Gaming Chromebook 16 is another solid cloud gaming laptop, which you can read about in our guide to the best laptops under $500.

What are the best gaming laptops?

Finding the best laptop for your needs and budget can be tricky. They may be easier to parse than their desktop counterparts, but gaming laptops still require a fair bit of careful spec scrutinization. These are no consoles — you can’t just pick the latest generation system off the shelf and get playing. Choosing between the many graphics cards, processors, storage sizes, and screen types can be a real head-scratcher. Thankfully, you've got us to guide you through the process.

Read on to find our recommendations for the best gaming laptops of 2025.

TL;DR: Use our code KOOFR at checkout and get a 1TB cloud storage lifetime subscription from Koofr for £103.14 (reg. £642.81) through 23 February.

Opens in a new window Credit: Koofr Koofr Cloud Storage: Lifetime Subscription (1TB) £103.14 at Mashable Shop
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Having cloud storage shouldn’t make you feel like you’re Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, with subscription fees charging you over and over, for years or even decades. There’s a new way to protect your files that pays for itself — if you’re willing to spend a little more upfront.

Koofr is like any other major cloud storage platform, except they offer a lifetime cloud storage subscription. Instead of paying every month, you pay just once and never worry about fees again. Plus, through 23 February, this one-time fee is down to £103.14 (reg. £642.81) when you use code KOOFR at checkout.

Affordable, convenient, and secure

Koofr has hundreds of 5-star reviews that speak for themselves. Users seem to love Koofr because it pays for itself after just one year. Similar storage plans from Google Drive cost £8 monthly, so after 13 months, you’ll have money back in your pocket with Koofr.

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• Get 1TB of storage for life with no future fees

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Save on cloud storage with Koofr’s lifetime plan, now £103.14 with code KOOFR at checkout until 23 February at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

While cleaning your computer is necessary to keep it running well and help it last longer, doing it incorrectly can cause more harm than good. If you're new to cleaning your PC or doing it for the first time, here are some common PC cleaning mistakes to avoid that could end up straining your wallet.

I never liked the idea of cloud gaming or gaming subscriptions, but I've found myself using both. They make a lot of sense for someone who likes gaming on their phone. Still, I've stopped allowing these services to auto-renew, and I feel it's for the better.

Take the smart home survey.

Here at Mashable, we’re always trying out the latest tech products to help our readers determine whether or not they’re worth it. But now, we want to hear from you about the products you use and love. In our first edition of our Smartest Home Readers’ Choice Awards, we’re asking Mashable readers about the smart home devices you use in your home and daily life.

So, take a few minutes to fill out our Smartest Home survey. Your thoughts and feedback might just grant your favorite gadgets a Mashable Readers’ Choice Award — plus you could win a $250 Amazon gift card.

We’ll be running this survey for about two months, and then we’ll crunch the numbers to see what you all deemed the best smart home tech.

How to enter

There are two methods to enter the Sweepstakes: (1) fill out the online survey, or (2) enter by mail.

1. Survey Entry: To enter the Sweepstakes through the online survey, go to the survey page and complete the current survey during the Sweepstakes Period.

2. Mail Entry: To enter the Sweepstakes by mail, on a 3 x 5-inch card, print your first and last name, street address, city, state, zip code, phone number, and email address. Mail your completed entry to:

Readers' Choice Sweepstakes - Smartest Home
c/o M. Kern
360 Park Ave South, Floor 17
New York, NY 10010

Mail Entries must be postmarked by March 14, 2025, and received by March 20, 2025. For official sweepstakes rules and promotion start and end dates, please click HERE.

Apple is set to launch a few new products next week. What are they? Well, no one knows for sure. There have been rumors of a new iPhone SE or perhaps something new for the Apple Vision Pro line. 

But we do know of one of Apple's anticipated releases: iOS 18.4 beta, which, according to Bloomberg's Apple insider Mark Gurman, is set to roll out next week.

iOS 18.4 beta is set to bring the iPhone some new features and capabilities. Here are some of the cool things that iPhone users can expect.

New Emojis

Listen, this isn't the most innovative thing coming to the new iOS beta, but let's be honest: It's what users will be utilizing the most.

Credit: Unicode Consortium

Seriously, look at this "tired face with bags under its eyes" emoji. It's very likely you'll be seeing this one everywhere in your late-night iMessage group chats. There's also a harp, shovel, beet-like rootless vegetable, purple ink splatter, and a barren leafless tree that's expected to be on the way, too.

Apple usually includes the newest emojis approved by the Unicode Consortium in its latest iOS releases, so you'll likely see these added, too.

Apple Intelligence: Siri gets smarter

Siri is poised to get an Apple Intelligence upgrade, according to Bloomberg's Gurman.

And that upgrade could very well be coming in the iOS 18.4 beta.

Apple first announced its own set of AI features, Apple Intelligence, last June. Apple was already late to the AI space with the announcement. But, even then, the company took months to officially start rolling them out. On top of all that, quite a few of those Apple Intelligence features still haven't been released more than 8 months later.

SEE ALSO: iOS 18.3 is here. 3 major changes to know

On top of that list of upcoming AI features: A smarter, Apple Intelligence-powered Siri voice assistant.

Some of these Siri features include personal context or the ability for the voice assistant to utilize your own data to answer your questions and queries. Siri could also get an on-screen awareness capability, which would allow Siri to interact based on what you're already doing on your device. Apple also previously said that Siri will have a "richer language understanding, more natural communication" and the "ability to take action in and across apps."

Apple Intelligence: Better news summaries

Here's one feature that was taken away that we're expected to get back: News summaries.

Apple Intelligence was originally launched with a feature that generated news summaries via iPhone notifications. There was one problem, though. AI can often get these types of summaries wrong, and when we're talking about breaking news and current events, getting those summaries wrong could be dangerous.

After pushing out a few blatantly false AI-generated news summaries that went viral, Apple pulled the features for the News & Entertainment category of news and added a warning that the feature "may contain errors" in the settings sections for other news categories.

Apple said the AI news summaries that were disabled would return after the company made improvements. It seems likely that Apple will reintroduce the feature in the iOS 18.4 beta.

Default Map and Translation app

As MacRumors reports, Apple has been required by the EU's Digital Markets Act to allow users to set their own default Map and Translation app instead of using the default one provided by Apple.

Based on the timeline for rolling this out, it seems likely that those settings changes will be coming in the iOS 18.4 beta. Yes, Apple is only required to do this in the EU, and other DMA-required features haven't all rolled out in the U.S. But this one seems like a feature that Apple will bring to all of its users.

Home app updates

Apple's expected robot vacuum support was nowhere to be found in the Home app for the last iOS release. Well, to be clear, as MacRumors points out, it was found somewhere: Hidden in iOS 18.3's code. Yet, the feature didn't go live with iOS 18.3's launch.

Apple still mentions the feature on its website, which allows users to control their robot vacuum cleaner functions and monitor its status. Did Apple still need some more time to fine-tune robot vacuum support in the Home app? There's a good chance you'll be able to finally use Siri to control your robot vacuum very soon, possibly in the upcoming iOS 18.4 beta.

Take-Two's CEO has stated that if there is another version of Grand Theft Auto Online (possibly called GTA Online 2), it won’t take away from the current GTA Online. Basically, GTA Online will stay up for as long as there's an audience.

Hand and head tracking combined with a sense of immersion not possible on a TV mean that fitness games thrive in VR. While the popular martial arts games on Meta Quest 3 are too intense for me, I wanted to get in on the sweaty fun with intense Beat Saber sessions. It worked until it didn’t.

Planned Parenthood's official Instagram account went dark on Feb. 13, removing all of its posts and uploading a cryptic Instagram story complete with suspicious eyeball emojis and an "I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me" meme.

Reproductive justice advocates and some of the health organization's major opponents, like extremist hate-peddler Libs of TikTok, quickly jumped to the idea of a possible hack, amid growing concern that major social media platforms are censoring abortion and reproductive justice accounts. Patients and users expressed worry online that the vital resources routinely posted and archived on Planned Parenthood were lost. Conservative commentators suggested the account was shutting its doors as it bowed down to the far right campaign to defund the vital clinic network.

But, the organization confirmed to Mashable that the page wasn't the latest victim of a cybersecurity breach — just a cheeky attempt to "break the internet" in the name of safe, consensual sex.

SEE ALSO: Bookmark these abortion resources now

"Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Instagram went dark temporarily as we prepared to mark National Condom Week, February 14-21. Organizations and brands sometimes do this to promote something new — it’s a normal thing you’ve seen if you’ve spent any time on Beyoncé’s internet, but it sent some known opponents of Planned Parenthood’s mission spiraling," Planned Parenthood clarified in a statement to Mashable. "As the foremost sexual and reproductive health care provider in the country, Planned Parenthood will never stop working to help people get the information and care — and condoms — they need to have safe and healthy relationships. "

The Instagram page now sports two new posts: A set of tongue-in-cheek Valentine's Day cards and a guide to "flirty ways" to ask your partner to wear a condom. National Condom Week, celebrated from Feb. 14-21, is a national public service campaign encouraging safe sex and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. "This National Condom Week, Planned Parenthood is celebrating the power of condoms in making sex safer and more fun. Condoms not only protect against STIs and unintended pregnancies, but also help remove stress or worry, allowing you to relax and focus on the fun part," said Julia Bennett, senior director of Digital Education & Learning Strategy at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

The organization has confirmed that the page's previous posts will be restored following National Condom Week's close.

The last few weeks the tech news has been mostly about how DeepSeek, the Chinese answer to western large language models (LLM), is sweeping the world—and sweeping away a lot of market value, besides. What sets DeepSeek apart from GPT, though, and is there more to it than just being cheaper to run?

The Toyota 4Runner is one of the most iconic off-road vehicles to ever be built. Its rock-solid reliability and sturdy frame have made it a favorite for adventurous folk. The Japanese brand has finally brought it into the 21st century for the 2025 model year, with the SUV entering a new generation.

As the International Space Station (ISS) approaches the end of its life, a new era of permanent space occupation is on the horizon. Countries and private companies around the globe are racing to become the next leading space station operators—and more than one may succeed.

The original Nokia 3310 from 25 years ago doesn't work on most modern networks now, with T-Mobile having shut down its 2G network at long last just five days ago, but it's still a memorable phone. Now, someone has got tired of using those annoying universal chargers, so they added a USB-C port to the phone.

The best defense against buyer’s remorse is to learn to spot a bad decision before you make it. Here are a few tricks you can use to be a more mindful shopper.

TikTok is poking fun at the idea of who we choose to be our emergency contacts.

A popular new trend involves folks showing their emergency contact — typically a partner — doing something silly, odd, or even reckless. The joke is basically: Can you believe this person is in charge during an emergency? Can you square the idea that the person doing this is going to get the phone call when something goes wrong for me?

It's mostly a cute trend, with folks showing their loved ones' weird sides, set to the Hannah Montana song "Ordinary Girl." Typically speaking, the posts involve men doing something odd or ill-conceived, but it's presented in a playful manner. These sorts of posts are going super viral online at the moment, racking up millions of views.

For instance, there's this guy shoving his head into the snow.

Or here's Detroit Lion Amon-Ra St. Brown mostly being goofy.

Here's Basement Yard podcaster Joe Santagato.

And, this guy just being a dude.

Some folks noted they switched out their mom as their emergency contact for...someone who is not quite their mom.

Or there's Will Ferrell being Will Ferrell. Imagine having Will Ferrell as your emergency contact.

Will Ferrell's kid aside, this TikTok trend rests on the idea that, at some point, you become the adult. So many people feel like they are perennially the child, or the young person, or the person who's not responsible. And yet, there you are, relying on some goofball as your emergency contact.

UPDATE: Feb. 14, 2025, 11:35 a.m. EST This article has been updated with the latest streaming details and pricing for "Nosferatu."

The best streaming deals to watch 'Nosferatu' at a glance: BEST NON-STREAMING OPTION Rent or buy 'Nosferatu' on Prime Video $19.99 or $24.99 Get Deal BEST FOR MOST PEOPLE Peacock Premium yearly subscription $79.99/year (save 17%) Get Deal BEST FOR XFINITY CUSTOMERS Peacock Premium free for select Xfinity customers (save $7.99/month) Learn More BEST FOR STUDENTS Peacock Premium for Students $2.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal BEST FOR FIRST RESPONDERS/MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS Peacock Premium $3.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal BEST FOR TEACHERS Peacock Premium for Teachers $3.99 per month for 12 months (save $4/month) Get Deal BEST FOR MILITARY Peacock Premium for Military $3.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal BEST FOR INSTACART+ MEMBERS Peacock Premium free for Instacart+ members (save $7.99/month) Get Deal BEST FOR JETBLUE TRUEBLUE MEMBERS Peacock Premium free for one year for Mosaic status members (save $79.99/year) Get Deal

It's been over 100 years since Max Schreck's Count Orlok creeped out of the darkness and onto the big screen in F. W. Murnau’s horror classic Nosferatu. But the undead never stay dead. Writer-director Robert Eggers has resurrected the dark and sinister vampire tale, and it's officially set to make its streaming debut on Feb. 21. This time around, Bill Skarsgård stars as the fanged villain, with Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult playing Ellen and Thomas Hutter.

Here's everything you need to know to watch 2024's Nosferatu at home (and maybe even for free).

Is Nosferatu a remake?

Written and directed by Robert Eggers (The Northman, The Witch), Nosferatu reimagines F.W. Murnau's 1922 horror classic of the same name. Mashable's Shannon Connellan calls it "as literary history-accurate and painstakingly researched a Nosferatu remake we’re ever likely to see."

The film stars Depp as Ellen Hutter, a lonely woman who is haunted by vampire Count Orlok (Skarsgård) as the object of his infatuation. Ellen's real estate agent husband, Thomas (Hoult), is tasked with selling Orlok an estate. But as you can imagine, his intentions are much more sinister.

Check out the eerie official trailer:

Is Nosferatu worth watching?

Currently holding an 85 percent critic rating and 73 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Nosferatu has certainly won the approval of most viewers. It's earned $156 million at the global box office, despite any major franchise backing or widespread marketing, making it the second-highest grossing film for its studio, Focus Features.

Connellan notes that Eggers' remake is done "with extreme reverence for the source material, meticulous production design, and an unrelenting parade of close-up shots of Lily-Rose Depp in moments of ecstasy and agony." She writes that she loved the minute detail and Gothic aesthetic, as well as creative approaches to the lore, but ultimately wanted more of Eggers' own "penchant for strange and terrible original creations."

Check out our full review of Nosferatu.

How to watch Nosferatu at home Credit: Focus Features

Surprisingly, less than a month after its theatrical debut, Nosferatu made its video-on-demand debut on Jan. 21. Thanks to digital retailers like Prime Video and Apple TV+, you can rent or purchase the film online. If you'd rather stream Nosferatu, keep scrolling for more information.

Here are some quick links to rent or purchase Nosferatu on demand:

• Prime Video — rent for $19.99, buy for $24.99

• Apple TV+ — rent for $19.99, buy for $24.99

• Fandango at Home — rent for $19.99, buy for $24.99

• Google Play — rent for $19.99, buy for $24.99

Is Nosferatu streaming?

Less than two months post-theatrical debut, Nosferatu is officially coming to streaming. It's set to hit Peacock on Feb. 21, which is exactly when we predicted based on the digital-to-streaming arc of previous Focus Features films(Conclave, The Holdovers, Dìdi). In addition to Nosferatu, Peacock will also be streaming Nosferatu: An Inside Look, a behind-the-scenes feature with insight from the cast and creatives.

Peacock raised its prices last year, with subscriptions now starting at $7.99 per month with ads or $13.99 per month without ads. But, we've found a few different ways you can save some money — check out the best Peacock deals below.

The best Peacock streaming dealsBest long-term Peacock deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription $79.99 per year or $139.99 per year (save 17%) Get Deal

Rather than paying $7.99 ($95.88 per year) or $13.99 ($167.88 per year) every month, you can save about 17% by signing up for an annual Peacock subscription. A yearly subscription goes for $79.99 per year with ads or $139.99 per year without, which basically gets you 12 months of streaming for the price of 10. The only downside is you have to pay upfront.

Best Peacock deal for Xfinity customers Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock / Xfinity Peacock Premium Free for select Xfinity customers Learn More

Select Xfinity customers can score a Peacock subscription for free. Here's a brief breakdown of who is eligible:

• Xfinity Internet users on the Gigabit or Gigabit+ plans can score free Peacock Premium (with ads) for two years (offer ends June 25, 2025).

• Xfinity Internet customers who are Diamond or Platinum Xfinity Rewards members can get Peacock Premium for free by redeeming a reward for it. Sign in at xfinity.com/rewards and choose Peacock as a reward. Then, wait for your email (it may take a few hours) with instructions on activating the offer.

• NOW TV customers can also receive Peacock Premium as part of their service.

• New customers with Xfinity Internet and an X1 TV Box, Flex streaming TV Box, or a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity can get Peacock Premium for free for six months.

Best Peacock deal for students Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Students $2.99 per month for one year Watch Now

College students can watch Nosferatu and plenty more on Peacock Premium for only $2.99 per month for a full year. Prove your student status through SheerID and retrieve the unique promo code to secure the discount. Just remember it can only be used once.

Best Peacock deal for first responders and medical professionals Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for First Responders and Medical Professionals $3.99 per month Watch Now

First responders and medical professionals can score Peacock Premium for just $3.99 per month so long as they can verify their job status using SheerID. Once verified, you'll receive a unique promo code to enter that will drop the price down to just $3.99 per month. While the student discount is limited to a year, first responders and medical professionals are able to renew the deal annually as long as they continue to meet verification qualifications. You'll just have to go through the process each time to receive a new promo code and secure the discount. Learn more about eligibility terms and requirements.

Best for active military and veterans Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for active military $3.99 per month Get Deal

If you're an active duty U.S. military service member, Reservist, National Guard member, veteran, or U.S. military retiree, you can sign up for Peacock Premium for $3.99 per month instead of the usual $7.99 per month. As with the previous deals, you'll have to prove your military status using SheerID and retrieve the promotional code to activate the offer. Eligible military personnel who continue to meet requirements can redeem the deal annually.

Best for teachers Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for teachers $3.99 per month Get Deal

Teachers can get a bite of Peacock Premium as well for $3.99 per month instead of $7.99 per month for 12 months. Just verify your educator status with SheerID. Once verified, you'll receive a unique promo code that may only be used once for a discounted Premium subscription for one year. Once the promotional period ends, you'll be charged full price, so be sure to cancel before the year is up.

Best for Instacart users Opens in a new window Credit: Instacart / Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription Free for Instacart+ subscribers (save $79.99/year) Watch Now

Peacock and Instacart partnered up to offer paid Instacart+ members a free Peacock Premium (with ads) subscription. That's a $79.99 per year value for zero dollars. An Instacart+ account costs $99.99 per year and includes free grocery delivery on orders over $35, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders, among other perks. Plus, you can test the waters for two weeks without paying a cent. Just remember to cancel before that promotional period ends if you want to avoid being charged $99.99 for the year.

Best for JetBlue members Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock / JetBlue Peacock Premium Free for one year for Mosaic status members Watch Now

Through July 2025, JetBlue TrueBlue members earn 1,000 free TrueBlue points when they sign up for Peacock. Plus, if you have Mosaic status, you'll get your first year of Peacock Premium for free (reg. $79.99). Read more about eligibility and terms over on Peacock's special offer page.

It's February 14, 2025. You know what that means? Yes, Happy Valentine's Day, but there's also something else worth remembering today.

YouTube has officially turned 20 years old.

That's right, the internet's biggest video platform as well as one of the most trafficked websites in the world, was founded on Feb. 14, 2005. 

At least, that's when three former PayPal employees – Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim – got together and decided on a name: YouTube. As Karim later explained in an early re-telling of YouTube's history, "the work began" on YouTube on Feb. 14, 2005. The YouTube dot com domain name was registered 20 years ago on that date. 

However, the video platform you know and love today was certainly not what they had in mind. While the founders have previously shared other reasons behind starting YouTube, such as not being able to find clips of the infamous Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson Super Bowl halftime show online, the reality is that the first iteration of YouTube was a dating website.

That's right, YouTube was first intended to be an online dating site.

YouTube in April 2005 as saved by the Internet Archive Credit: Internet Archive

In fact, you can go check it out and confirm it yourself by looking at the earliest archived version of YouTube that's saved in the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine from April 2005. Prominently featured at the top of the page, right below the login section, is an area to input your gender identity, the gender of the type of person you're looking to find, and an age range you're willing to date.

The YouTube dot com domain being registered on Valentine's Day is starting to make sense now, right?

Unfortunately, for Chen, Hurley, and Karim, no one signed up for YouTube, the dating website. The three even posted on Craigslist, looking for women to upload a video for $20, in hopes that would kickstart activity on the website, according to a Vice story from 2015. No one took them up on that offer either, according to the YouTube founders.

The first YouTube video ever

YouTube's co-founders decided to ditch the dating aspect of the site shortly after and opened up YouTube to all types of video uploads. With that pivot, the YouTube founders themselves decided to upload the very first video to the site themselves. On April 23, 2005, Karim uploaded "Me at the zoo," a video featuring the founder talking directly to a camera about elephants while standing in front of the animals at the San Diego Zoo.

YouTube would officially launch in December 2005.

Even though YouTube is now synonymous with online video, it actually wasn't the first video platform on the internet. Vimeo, for example, had launched a whole year prior to YouTube's launch.

However, the same week as YouTube's official launch to the public, Saturday Night Live aired its "Lazy Sunday" sketch by The Lonely Island. An unauthorized upload of the video was published on YouTube and went viral, cementing YouTube early on as the online destination for viral clips.

Less than one year later, in November of 2006, Google would acquire YouTube for $1.65 billion.