IT General

TL;DR: Live stream Cruz Azul vs. Puebla in Liga MX on FuboTV.

Cruz Azul and Puebla have made poor starts to the Clausura, but there is still plenty of time to turn things around. And that starts with this matchup, with both teams looking to secure their first win of the campaign.

If you're looking for the best way to live stream Cruz Azul vs. Puebla in Liga MX from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Cruz Azul vs. Puebla?

Cruz Azul vs. Puebla in Liga MX starts at 6 p.m. ET on Jan. 25. This game takes place at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario.

How to watch Cruz Azul vs. Puebla online

You'll need to select a streaming service to watch Liga MX fixtures without cable or satellite TV.

FuboTV is the best streaming platform for watching Cruz Azul vs. Puebla in Liga MX. FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens simultaneously. You can even try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Fubo TV FuboTV Pro plan Learn More How to watch Cruz Azul vs. Puebla from anywhere in the world

If you're traveling outside of the U.S. during this game, you might need to use a VPN to unblock this live stream. VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server, meaning you can unblock live streams of Liga MX from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Cruz Azul vs. Puebla from anywhere in the world 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 the U.S.

4. Sign in to your favorite streaming app

5. Live stream Cruz Azul vs. Puebla from abroad

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to live streams of Liga MX without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream Cruz Azul vs. Puebla before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Liga MX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• 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 one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Cruz Azul vs. Puebla in Liga MX with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to 1,000+ courses on IT, marketing, and more with EDU Unlimited by StackSkills, on sale for $19.97 until Feb. 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

Opens in a new window Credit: StackSkills EDU Unlimited by StackSkills: Lifetime Access $19.97 at Mashable Shop
$600.00 Save $580.03 Get Deal

It's tough when you're applying for jobs and keep running into skills you haven't learned or qualifications you don't have just yet. But that's the thing: you may not be an Excel expert yet, but nobody's born knowing what a pivot table is. 

If you want to learn new, marketable skills in your free time, then check out EDU Unlimited by StackSkills. This learning platform has well over 1,000 courses on everything from coding to project management, marketing, and so much more. And for a little while longer, lifetime access is on sale for $19.97 (reg. $600). 

Learn what you want

Online learning isn't new. What makes StackSkills unique is just how vast the library is, and it's always growing. New courses are added every month, so you can take your time going on a deep dive into coding, remote desktop management, cybersecurity, investment strategies, and even some courses for hobbies. It might finally be time to get really good at chess or start a crypto side hustle.

Your access lasts for life, so there aren't any additional costs to worry about, and you can access the platform on desktop or mobile from unlimited devices. You can even track which courses you've completed. They each have their own certificate of completion that you can use to prove your expertise, too. 

Until Feb. 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT, you can get lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited for $19.97. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

TL;DR: Get a lifetime subscription to Babbel Language Learning for just $149.99 with coupon code LEARN20 — only through the end of today.

Opens in a new window Credit: Babbel Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) $149.99
$599.00 Save $449.01 with coupon code LEARN20 Get Deal

While it's a few weeks into the new year, it's not too late to set a New Year's resolution. Here's an idea: learn a new language! It's helpful if you're traveling, working across different continents, or if you want to communicate with others in your community better.

You don't need to sign up for in-person classes to learn — just get a language-learning app like Babbel. It's one of the most popular language-learning methods available, with over 15 million users on the App Store and Google Play Store. Lifetime access is now available for just $149.99 with coupon code LEARN20, but only until the end of today.

What makes Babbel different?

If you're ready to learn a new language, hop onto Babbel. You'll only be able to learn one at a time, but you could just master 14 new languages in total, all at your own pace.

Unlike apps like Duolingo, Babbel's structured, practical approach can actually help you gain fluency in languages like Spanish, Dutch, and Indonesian rather than just memorize random phrases and words. Lessons last just 15 minutes each, and you'll learn real-world vocabulary and how to apply your new language skills in conversational settings.

To enhance your learning, use Babbel's speech-recognition technology to improve your accent. Speaking and letting the system hear your pronunciation could help you refine your speech before interacting with native speakers. The app also offers personalized review sessions so you can ensure what you're learning actually sticks.

Set a new resolution in 2025 to learn a new language or two with this Babbel lifetime subscription, now available at the unbeatable price of $149.99 when you use code LEARN20 at checkout. Just act before 11:59 p.m. PT tonight, January 25, or before supplies run out.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: 1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan gives you multiple tools for content, design, multimedia creation, and more for just $99.99 (reg. $540) for life.

Haven't we all imagined what it would be like to have a personal assistant? Ideally, that someone would be part graphic designer, content writer, video editor, and translator — all rolled into one.

That’s exactly what 1min.AI delivers, and now you can get lifetime access to its Advanced Business Plan for just $99.99 (regularly $540). If you’ve ever wished for a magic wand to streamline your workload, this might be the closest you'll get.

This all-in-one AI app is ideal for professionals, creatives, and entrepreneurs. Need a blog post in minutes? Done. Want to upscale an image for your presentation? Easy. Looking to translate or summarize a lengthy PDF? No sweat. With 4,000,000 credits per month and up to 450,000 bonus credits, you’ll have the tools to tackle almost any project.

1min.AI leverages cutting-edge AI models like GPT-4, Claude, Llama, and Mistral to offer a vast array of tools. From keyword research and social media content generation to audio editing and video creation, this platform ensures you can achieve professional results without professional fees.

Its image generator can bring your visual ideas to life in a snap, while the PDF tools let you summarize or translate documents. And with advanced audio and video editing capabilities, producing polished multimedia content is much easier.

What sets 1min.AI apart is its flexibility. Use it to create a brand voice, engage with social media, or brainstorm ideas with AI chat assistants. Whether you’re a marketer refining copy or a small business owner managing online content, this app was made to adapt to your unique needs.

For less than a dinner out for two, this lifetime subscription eliminates the recurring fees of other AI tools.

If you’re serious about leveraging technology to save time and boost productivity, this could be your next best decision.

Get lifetime access to 1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan for just $99.99 (regularly $540) while it's on sale.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: 1min.AI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription $99.99
$540.00 Save $440.01 Get Deal

On its surface, Pee-wee as Himself is a loving two-part documentary looking at the life of the late Paul Reubens, the brilliant comic mind behind the iconic Pee-wee Herman. However, even from the film's opening moments, the battle is clear between subject and director. Reubens sits before a camera, looking straight down the lens, and speaking to his annoyance that his perspective may not be the dominant one in the finished product.

"It turns out you're not supposed to control your own documentary," he laments with clear frustration. He promises the unseen director that he will fight him on this point, adding, "You mark my words." The title card that comes up next plays like a punchline: A Film By Matt Wolf. 

As Reubens died in July of 2023, Wolf has the last laugh here. But the beloved yet controversial comedian is not the butt of the joke in Pee-wee as Himself. Instead, Wolf smartly sets up this battle between Reubens and himself as a parallel to the main thrust of this HBO original: Pee-wee versus Paul.

Over the two feature-length episodes, the documentary guides audiences through his cheerful childhood and wild years at CalArts, his rise to stardom, the turbulent sexual scandals that made him tabloid fodder for years, as well as his comeback. Through it all, Reubens and Wolf explore how Pee-wee was a blessing and a curse for the provocative artist. In doing so, Wolf creates as in-depth a portrait of Reubens as any fan of Pee-wee could ever hope for. However, that means seeing behind the playful boyish exterior, which had so long been a shield, to see the sensitive, wounded man behind him. 

Paul Reubens shares his queerness and inspirations in Pee-wee as Himself. 

A dedicated collector, Reubens not only opens his Los Angeles home with its absurd wealth of kitschy collectibles to Wolf, but also his family photo albums, revealing pictures of him dressed in drag in college and on a Halloween in his youth. With long, elegant dark hair down to his waist, he was an androgynous vision at the art school, playing Jesus in one student film and a sultry mermaid inspired in the next. (When he says he was channelling Cher, the inspiration is immediately clear.)

In interviews, Reubens speaks warmly about the creative discovery of these days, when he first became friends with Laraine Newman, Phil Hartman, and Elvira, the last of whom also shares warm recollections in the doc. But cozy remembrances of twenty-something performance art and first love takes a heart-wrenching turn as Reubens admits frankly that he realized his queerness would be an obstacle to success. So he cut his hair short and strove to "pass" so he might make it big.

When he looks into the camera to explain directly to a younger generation less accustomed to brutal homophobia of the 1980s what "passing" means, there's a familiar pull, like when Pee-wee would look right out to the kids at home, urging them to be their weird selves. Yet here, our hero admits how he hid. 

Reubens gets the last word, eventually.

Wolf's team is up front about the access they had to the star. In title cards they note two important elements to the film's context: 1) Wolf and his team interviewed Reubens for 40 hours, and 2) In that time Reubens never chose to reveal his cancer diagnosis to them. So, he was aware these might be his last days, but the filmmakers were not. The film was precious to its director and subject in different ways. As such, there's an electrifying tension watching his interviews, because while he insists he's not fretting about his "legacy," these very videos show it was on his mind. 

In one moment, he'll offer up a deeply personal revelation, but in the next, he'll insist with a sharp or bored tone that he was joking. As Pee-wee's creator and player, he was in control of his image for much of his professional career. On one hand, his alter-ego was a worldwide sensation, heading hit movies like Pee-wee's Big Adventure, the adored children's program Pee-wee's Playhouse and its spinoff Broadway revival, and endless appearances on talk shows — but always in character. This gave Reubens anonymity, but also denied him acclaim beyond his playhouse buffoonery. But all that changed in 1991, over an incident in an adult movie theater in Sarasota, Florida. 

When the film speaks on this scandal and the unrelated obscenity allegations that arose in 2002, Reubens' perspective takes a backseat. It becomes clear through his absence that Wolf and his team hadn't gotten much footage on these topics before the actor's death. In his place, the friends that stood by him, like his personal assistant Allison Berry, Debi Mazar, and David Arquette, share what those years of public scorn and isolation were like for him. There's an ache in his absence from this second half of the doc, which — intentionally or not — reflects the greater loss of Reubens in the world, both during his exile and now, in the wake of his death.

Yet there's a glorious resilience in his example. For each time he was knocked down and publicly scorned, he rose again, making movies and TV shows in character (2016's delightfully daffy Pee-wee's Big Holiday) and out (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mystery Men, Pushing Daisies). For Wolf, it could have been easiest to make this upswing the end of his movie, remembering Reubens on a high note. Instead, he circles back to the man himself, playing the self-recorded audio that the multi-hyphenate phenomenon left behind for use in the movie. In it, Reubens' sounds painfully exhausted, but he speaks plainly about how he hopes to be remembered, trying one last time perhaps to take control over a project he worried would define him without his direction. 

In the end, Pee-wee as Himself is not a simple love letter to the iconic character or Reubens. That would suggest Wolf goes easy on either, fawning over them without reservation. This is something greater. Wolf gives Reubens the space to speak for himself, allowing in the edit even the moments when the actor — traumatized by tabloid coverage — second-guesses his desire to share himself. Yet, what's clearest in this marvelous movie is how Pee-wee was a kitschy collection of Reubens' greatest loves and most-treasured ideals. Pee-wee's Playhouse embraces queer performance art, Andy Warhol paintings, and punk band graffiti in a candy-colored vision that allowed its subversion to sneak under the nose of Reagan's ruthlessly conservative America. Through bonkers cartoons, outrageous characters, flailing puppets, and secret words of the day, Pee-wee urged children to be seen, heard, and unapologetically themselves. 

This was his gift to us as children. Thought-provoking, boldly funny, and emotionally riveting, Pee-wee as Himself is his gift to us as grown-ups, as it reveals how hard that lesson can be, and how we must keep pushing ourselves to learn it. 

Pee-wee as Himself was reviewed out of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

TL;DR: Get a refurbished MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) price-dropped to $229.97 through Feb. 2 and enjoy all the essentials in a thin, lightweight package.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished 2017 Apple MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $229.97
$999.00 Save $769.03 Get Deal

Been feeling like your laptop just isn’t cutting it anymore? Maybe it’s slowing down, getting bulky, or just doesn’t fit your on-the-go lifestyle. If you’re juggling work, personal projects, or just streaming the latest shows, you need a computer that’s reliable, lightweight, and won’t make your wallet cry.

Enter the 2017 13.3-inch MacBook Air, refurbished but still as sharp and sleek as ever. With an "A" refurbished rating (meaning minimal to no scuffing or damage) and a minimum of 80% battery health, it's on sale until Feb. 2 for $229.97 (reg. $999).

This mid-2017 model packs 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage into a super-slim body, making it perfect for everything from handling your work projects to streaming your favorite shows. The 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor gives you plenty of power to get things done, whether you’re editing documents, browsing the web, or hopping on video calls. And with a 13.3-inch display, you’ll enjoy crisp visuals without lugging around a heavy screen.

Light enough to carry wherever you go, you can take it from your morning coffee run to late-night study sessions. Plus, with up to 12 hours of battery life, you’re free to work or play without constantly hunting for an outlet. And since it’s refurbished, you’re getting a solid deal on a reliable piece of tech that's been certified to work like new.

Priced at just $229.97 through Feb. 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT, this refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Air could be a great investment in your productivity and peace of mind this year — without the hefty price tag.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Save with a one-time purchase of Microsoft Office 2019 for $34.99 for your PC — lifetime access, no subscription required.

Why get tied to a subscription when Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 gives you everything you need with a single payment? Ideal for freelancers, IT pros, small business owners, or anyone on a budget, this suite lets you stay productive without ongoing costs.

This lifetime license includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access — everything you need to manage projects, create presentations, and tackle tasks like a pro. Plus, with a one-time cost of $34.99, you’ll save big compared to Office 365’s recurring fees.

Why choose Office 2019?

• No subscriptions: One-time payment, no surprise renewals

• Cost savings: Perfect for those who don’t need cloud features or constant updates

• All-in-one suite: Manage everything from spreadsheets to emails with one package

• Predictable budget: Avoid the price hikes and unpredictable costs of subscription plans

• Lifetime access: Own it forever without the hassle of ongoing payments

Compatible with Windows 10 and 11, Office 2019 is designed for users who value simplicity, reliability, and affordability. Why pay every month when you can own it for life?

At just $34.99, this is your chance to secure a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2019 for Windows — no strings attached.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows $34.97
$229.00 Save $194.03 Get Deal

TL;DR: Live stream Sabalenka vs. Keys in the 2025 Australian Open final for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Can anyone stop Sabalenka from winning another Australian Open? She's going for her third title in a row, with only Madison Keys standing in her way. The American has defied the odds to make the final this year. Could she go all the way and shock the tennis world?

If you want to watch Sabalenka vs. Keys in the 2025 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Sabalenka vs. Keys for free

The 2025 Australian Open is available to live stream for free on 9Now, including Sabalenka vs. Keys.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2025 Australian Open 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 Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2025 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer incentive deals such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these deals, you can live stream Sabalenka vs. Keys without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to watch the Australian Open before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live tennis on 9Now, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Sabalenka vs. Keys in the 2025 Australian Open for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Get a lifetime subscription to Headway Premium for just £48.05 (reg. £240.26) and crush your goals with bite-sized insights from the world’s best thinkers.

If you’re feeling stuck in a scroll hole and wondering where your time went, it’s time for a new habit — one that actually helps you grow. Headway is the mobile app designed to make personal growth simple, fun, and fast. With concise, 15-minute summaries of the world’s best nonfiction books, Headway delivers actionable insights that you can apply to your life right away.

Think of it as a growth hack for your brain. Whether you want to improve your career, relationships, or well-being, Headway gives you the key ideas and concepts from acclaimed bestsellers. The best part? You can listen or read — whatever suits your needs. And at just £48.05 for a lifetime subscription (down from £240.26), this is a one-time investment in your future self.

This can help keep you up to date with curated content tailored to your goals. From productivity hacks to mindfulness tips, Headway makes self-growth easy and sustainable.

And it’s also about retaining what you learn. Thanks to gamified features like challenges, achievements, and progress tracking, you’ll stay motivated to return for more. Headway turns self-improvement into a fun game that fits into your life, whether commuting, working out, or waiting in line.

So, why waste time scrolling aimlessly when you could be growing on the go? With Headway Premium, you’ll get lifetime access to a growing collection of summaries, personalised learning paths, and thousands of practical tips to help you reach your goals faster.

Ready to trade mindless scrolling for mindful learning?

Headway Premium is now just £48.05 (reg. £240.26) for life, and it can make self-growth a habit — without the overwhelm.

StackSocial prices are subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: GTHW App Limited Headway Premium: Lifetime Subscription £48.05 at the Mashable Shop
£240.26 Save £192.21 Get Deal

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

The best Hulu deals and bundles in January 2025: Best Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle $16.99/month with ads, $29.99/month ad-free Get Deal Best Add-On Deal Disney Bundle Duo Basic Disney+ and Hulu with ads for $10.99 per month Get Deal Best Student Deal Hulu Student Deal Hulu (with ads) for $1.99 per month Get Deal

There's an abundance of excellent shows and films to watch on Hulu. From Poor Things to the thrilling (and Golden Globe-winning) Shōgun, it's a library that's full of options to keep you entertained for hours. If you've been itching to sign up for a Hulu plan but are unsure where to start, we're here to help. 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.

SEE ALSO: Rate your favorite smart home gear for a chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card

With streaming prices on the rise (Hulu even recently increased its prices just last year), there's no better time than now to find a way to save on streaming services like this one. Below you can find details on Hulu's best bundles at the moment — alongside information on both its ad-supported and ad free plan, if you just want the basics — offering you a way to save on the service without going overboard on spending. You'll even get additional streaming services thrown in at a lower cost, and what's better than that?

Best Bundle Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle $16.99/month with ads, $29.99/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 $16.99 per month, this bundle grants you access to Hulu, Disney+, and 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 Max subscriptions. There are two plans to choose from with this bundle, and they are:

• Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle (with ads) — $16.99 per month (save 43%)

• Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle (no ads) — $29.99 per month (save 42%)

Best Disney+ Add-On Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Disney Bundle Duo Basic Disney+ and Hulu with ads for $10.99 per month Get Deal Why we like it

If you don't want to splash out on the full Hulu, Disney+, and Max bundle, the next best thing is the Duo Basic bundle. This comes with just Disney+ alongside Hulu, giving you access to each of their ad-supported streaming platforms for as low as $10.99 per month. If you're already subscribed to Disney+ or have been hoping to jump into its library, this is well worth investing in.

• Disney Bundle Duo Basic — $10.99 per month

This isn't the only Disney+ plan available with Hulu, though. For those looking to jump into an ad-free tier for the Disney+ and Hulu bundle, there's the Duo Premium (no ads) plan that'll cost you $19.99 per month instead. And if you're a sports fan and want to throw in ESPN+, there are also Disney Bundle Trio Basic and Trio Premium plans, which run for $16.99 per month and $26.99 per month, respectively.

• Disney Bundle Duo Premium — $19.99 per month

• Disney Bundle Trio Basic — $16.99 per month

• Disney Bundle Trio Premium — $26.99 per month

Best Student Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu Student Deal Hulu (with ads) for $1.99 per 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

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 $9.99 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) — $9.99 per month (get first month free)

• Hulu (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 $82.99 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+ (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+ (with ads) alongside Live TV — it'll cost you $95.99 per month. The ad-supported plan also offers a free trial, but for just three days instead.

• Hulu + Live TV (with ads) — $82.99 per month (three day free trial)

• Hulu + Live TV (no ads) — $95.99 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.

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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's The Mini crossword answers for January 25 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: Segments of the school day

• Green: Found in a skiing area

• Blue: Popular terms borrowed from an East Asian language

• Purple: Implies three or more

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: School Periods

• Green: Features of a Ski Resort

• Blue: Words Derived from Japanese

• Purple: Words After the Prefix "Tri-"

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 #594 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• School Periods: CLASS, HOMREROOM, LUNCH, RECESS

• Features of a Ski Resort: LIFT, LODGE, MOGUL, SLOPE

• Words Derived from Japanese: EMOJI, GINKGO, KARAOKE, TYCOON

• Words After the Prefix "Tri-": ANGLE, CYCLE, DENT, POD

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 25

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 today's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

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 today: Hints and answers for January 25 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's The Mini crossword answers for January 25, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Crunchy or fresh.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no re-occurring 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...

CRISP.

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 25

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 today's Wordle.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new 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.

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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.

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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.

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: Hurt (like an injury)

• Green: Played in the beaver state

• Blue: QBs with first-year playoff success

• Purple: Share the same first name

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Soreness

• Green: An Oregon athlete

• Blue: Rookie QBs to reach conference championship

• Purple: Jalen _________

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 #124 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Soreness - ACHE, DISCOMFORT, PAIN, STING

• An Oregon athlete - BEAVER, THORN, TIMBER, TRAIL BLAZER

• Rookie QBs to reach conference championship - DANIELS, FLACCO, PURDY, SANCHEZ

• Jalen _______ - BRUNSON, HURTS, RAMSEY, ROSE

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.

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 today's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands 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 25 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 25 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Seeing double

These words have repeated letters.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words have double letters.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Letters.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for January 25

• Coffee

• Balloon

• Succeed

• Committee

• Whippoorwill

• Letters

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 today's Strands.

Centering on a ghost as it haunts a family in a cozy suburban home, Presence might seem like a horror movie in the vein of Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror, or The Conjuring. But in their follow-up to the tech thriller Kimi, longtime friends director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp say that Presence was never conceived of as or intended to be a horror movie. 

"It's a ghost story," Koepp told Mashable in a joint in-person interview with Soderbergh, who concurred, adding that the film is not horror by his definition. For Soderbergh, whose mother was a parapsychologist, the idea of a ghost in the house isn't inherently scary. Or more specifically, it's not scary in the way modern audiences think about horror. He thinks of Presence as "more The Shining than Longlegs."

Koepp expanded on this: "In the last 10 to 15 years, horror has really been prominent and changed. Gore and jump scares are huge. When people hear horror, they think of that. When I think of horror, I think of Linda Blair in the MRI tube [in The Exorcist]."

SEE ALSO: David Koepp talks 'Stir of Echoes' legacy, and why he hasn't seen 'The Sixth Sense'

It's in such moments of grounded, everyday, human anxiety that Presence thrives. Using first-person perspective — shot by Soderbergh, who served as helmer and cinematographer — Presence follows an enigmatic spirit as it eavesdrops unseen on a family of four (Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, and Eddy Maday), who are going through an array of personal and professional tensions. Rather than this presence being a menace in their household, it is a captive audience who seems desperate to be a part of the family's lives and help however it can. But without a voice and little ability to be acknowledged by anyone but a grieving teen girl, its struggle is fraught with anxiety and heartache. And this was inspired by Soderbergh's own brushes with ghosts. 

Presence is loosely based on Soderbergh's own haunted house.  Callina Liang, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday, Lucy Lui, and Julia Fox seek a forever home in "Presence." Credit: NEON

For the director behind Ocean's Eleven and Logan Lucky, Presence began when "our house sitter saw a ghost" in his Los Angeles home. While Soderbergh hasn't experienced a paranormal encounter with a spirit in his home or elsewhere, he believes those who say they have — citing Jeff Ross, who shared his scary story on Celebrity Ghost Stories — because of his trust in them and their genuine alarm. And this got him pondering, as he told Mashable, "I just got to thinking how I would feel — if I'd been killed in my own house — about other people coming into my house. And that's where it started." 

From there, he'd sent Koepp a few pages of a draft, imagining the spirit wandering the space and seeing a realtor arrive with prospective buyers. "Steven had this idea: first-person point of view of the ghost, should all be in one house, and it feels like it wants to be a family drama. And I was like, well, okay, those are my three favorite things. I know how to write a family. I love a contained space, and your aesthetic idea is really cool." 

"The ghost is the Trojan horse for a portrait of a family struggling," Soderbergh explained, "And that has an incredible blind spot in the center of it." 

The first-person perspective meant that all scenes would be shot as oners — a long take with no cuts. This was a "box movie" challenge (as Soderbergh put it) that Koepp, the screenwriter behind similarly constrained films like The Paper and Panic Room, relished. Yet there's one scene in Presence that, for a few moments, seems to break this POV framework to a surprising and clever effect. Just don't call it a "wink." 

SEE ALSO: Why the first-person perspective is so affecting in 'Presence' Steven Soderbergh hates winking, both literal and metaphorical.  Producer Ken Myers, screenwriter David Koepp, producer Julie M. Anderson, and director Steven Soderbergh pose at the "Presence" premiere. Credit: NEON

Presence — which I championed as an excellent example of horror in my review — turns the expectations of a ghost story on its head by putting audiences in the shoes of the gentle spirit at its center. Rather than this first-person perspective being used as spooky voyeurism, as the shot is often employed in slasher movies, it carries a sense of vulnerability that excited both Koepp as a writer and Soderbergh as the performer of this ghost through his camera's lens.

"Vulnerability was [crucial], because in the pages he sent me," Koepp said, "The thing's looking around the empty house, people come in, and it retreats to the closet. And I thought, 'Oh, it's scared, it's vulnerable.' That changed everything, because it's not the presence that wants to scare you and has some kind of power and authority. It's not at all. It's exactly the opposite. It's that vulnerability that was key to writing that." 

Yet there's a moment where Soderbergh's camera switches from its fluid wandering motion, instead perching high in the daughter's bedroom, overlooking her at her desk. Then, in the edge of the top right of frame, a very familiar sight in a horror movie about ghosts occurs. The bedroom door opens slowly, as if on its own. But just as the audience might think Soderbergh has unceremoniously ditched his first-person POV, the father of the family enters, slyly subverting the expectation of a scare for something comforting and common. 

"That was in the script," Soderbergh says, crediting Koepp. "And it came at the right time to kind of — I don't want to say wink. I don't want to say it was a wink. My wife made the mistake early in our dating, and I don't know what motivated this, but she winked at me. And I lost my mind, and was like, 'Do not ever.' So just the word and the whole notion of 'wink' [repulses me] — I don't think we were winking. But I liked the idea that for a second, you know, 'Oh, they're gonna do that thing.' And then his head comes out, and she jumps [in surprise]. Okay, so you do need to find those moments of release, absolutely. You know, Jaws is one of the funniest movies out there — the audience wants that release [amid the tension]." 

Credit: NEON

Pressed on why winks bother him so, Soderbergh mused, "I've really got to do a deep dive on why, in real life, I find that so disturbing. Maybe it's because I can't understand. It's unthinkable that I would do it to someone, so it's a lack of imagination on my part, to enter a headspace in which I would think that was a good thing to do, you know? And made me feel like, who are you? She just laughed about it when she saw my reaction, like it wasn't that big an ask." He continued, "And then as far as films go, I think that's very, very dangerous territory, because the default mode is that it's somewhat self-referential. I was comfortable with it here because it was referential to a genre as a whole, right? And not like another movie that I had made…I'm just unnerved by [winks]." 

From there, the pair discussed how there are names and numbers that recur in their respective projects. But Soderbergh insists this isn't self-referential winking. "There's a company name that always clears that I use a lot, called Perennial," he explained, "So if you were to go through my filmography, there are probably eight or nine Perennials in there. It works for anything: dry cleaner, armored cars. So that, to me, is not winking, I'm trying to solve a problem." 

The pair have known each other since 1989, when their respective first films — Soderbergh's Sex, Lies and Videotape and Koepp's Apartment Zero — played at the Sundance Film Festival. Though Koepp once pitched his follow-up Death Becomes Her to Soderbergh, the two didn't collaborate until 2022's Kimi. But since then, they've reunited for Presence and the upcoming spy drama Black Bag. So, after all these decades together, how do they know when a project is best suited to their collaboration?

Koepp said it's when a casual conversation about an idea comes up repeatedly, and the concept grows from there. Soderbergh concurred, then quipped, "I'll wink!"

Presence is now playing in theaters. 

Operator, OpenAI's new AI agent, will save your deleted data for two months longer than deleted data from ChatGPT.

OpenAI has some noteworthy privacy policies nestled in the fine print of Operator's help page. One of which says that data from your Operator interactions — chats, browsing history, and screenshots — are kept in OpenAI's servers for up to 90 days after a user deletes them, per TechCrunch, which first spotted the discrepancy. ChatGPT retains deleted data for only 30 days.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI's plan to make ChatGPT the 'everything app' has never been more clear

Data retention policies are standard practice, and its common for them to range from months to years depending on the nature of the data. But fundamentally, Operator has access to personal and sensitive data by performing tasks on a user's behalf like browsing the web, logging onto sites (with your supervision), and taking regular screenshots of your screen in order to visually process the task at hand.

This data is automatically stored until you choose to delete it in your account settings. But even after you do that, "deleted chats and associated screenshots will be deleted from our systems within 90 days," said the help page.

Why does Operator save data longer than ChatGPT?

Naturally, this raises questions about why Operator data is saved for longer than ChatGPT data. An OpenAI spokesperson told Mashable, "as agents are a relatively new technology, we wanted to make sure our teams have the time to better understand and review potential abuse vectors." This allows the OpenAI team to improve security measures and protect from misuse, the spokesperson continued.

What does Operator do with my data?

On that note, OpenAI and "authorized service providers" can also access your Operator content. This is the same as ChatGPT's policy. But with Operator, that means OpenAI can also see screenshots, which adds a new level of Big Brother surveillance. OpenAI says this is in order to investigate illegal activity or misuse, provide technical support, or "handle legal matters."

Unless you've opted out, OpenAI also uses your Operator content to train its models. But the same setting that applies to ChatGPT also applies to Operator. So if you've already toggled off model sharing with ChatGPT, your Operator data stays with you. To enable this setting, go to your ChatGPT account page, then Data Controls, and click "Improve the model for everyone. In the popup window, toggle off this setting and hit Done.

Given the responsibility granted to Operator, OpenAI has taken other security measures. When it encounters a login page, it pauses and hands over access to the user for "take over mode." In this mode, Operator stops taking screenshots. It also has "watch mode" when navigating certain sites like Gmail, which requires the user's supervision.

"Hi, are you doomscrolling? Our bodies were not designed to be anxious and stressed for this long."

Back in the very anxious year of 2021, a friendly little bot on Twitter — the Doomscrolling Reminder Bot — came along to offer mindfulness reminders like this. Created just after doomscrolling became the 2020 word of the year, the Doomscrolling Reminder Bot soon became a kind of anxiety index. It gained its largest bump in followers during Elon Musk's chaotic takeover of Twitter.

The Bot quit posting new content in 2023, as a lot of the service's less chaotic creators were heading for the exits; even so, its follower count has never dipped below 100,000 Twitter users.

These days, however, you don't need a bot to tell you you're doomscrolling. If you're on social media at all, you're doomscrolling. With nightmare fuel coming thick and fast, with trolls in charge of the news cycle, even an aggregator like Google News or Apple News offers potential for doomscrolling. Heck, any feed featuring multiple photos of the world's richest man doing a, uh, "Roman salute" practically screams doomscroll!

And in 2025, even a cursory check in on Facebook — where Mark Zuckerberg has long been trying to lower the algorithmic importance of news stories — can turn into an hour of sad rubbernecking as your family appears to tear itself apart.

You might think you have more productive ways to spend your time — at least, if you have any hope of being part of the solution. You'd be right. The main reason we doomscroll, as psychotherapist Tess Brigham puts it, is that it's a "way of feeling in control in a world that feels out of control all the time."

SEE ALSO: You've been getting self-care all wrong. It's a political act and always has been.

But after a certain point, you're not informing yourself; you're filling your head with images and worries that may disturb your sleep and thus make you feel more ragged the next day. A world on fire needs you at your best; the world does not need you to obsess over bad things or their potential to get worse.

Deny the doomscroll

So if the mere nudges of a mindfulness bot can't prevent us from filling our tanks on nightmare fuel, how to stop?

Like trying to break any compulsive smartphone-based behavior that delivers dopamine to your brain — also known as a habit — ending the doomscroll is not as easy as it sounds. I quit Twitter on election night (and decided on a conscious effort to avoid as much news as possible through the end of 2024), but for days after that it was touch-and-go: I would often catch my finger hovering over that awful X icon in my iPhone's "Communication" folder, one I open all the time.

If I'd followed one popular thread of online advice, I would have used a service like Freedom, or Apple's Screen Time, to lock that X down. Freedom, which has recently started posting its own articles on the dangers of doomscrolling and news addiction, boasts more than 3 million customers who pay up to $8 a month to limit their access to certain apps or sites across multiple devices.

More power to you if you're one of those millions. For me, being told I can't have something — even by myself — can be a way to ensure I want it more. I've used Screen Time for years to limit my access to Threes, an iPhone game I often turn to in times of stress, to 15 minutes a day.

Roughly half the time I get that 15-minute warning, I accept it as a mindfulness reminder and get on with whatever task I was avoiding. Trouble is, the other half of the time, a surly teenager appears in my head.

"Screw you, me, you're not the boss of me," he says, and hits the snooze button that offers another 15 minutes of respite from the real world.

SEE ALSO: 5 practical ways to cut back on doomscrolling

There are other tips and tricks for reducing the attractiveness of your smartphone, such as turning your screen monochrome. But I didn't need to go that far. Nor did I need to delete Twitter from my phone altogether, a drastic step that felt like it would have induced a panicky, pendulum-swing-like re-download the following day.

Ultimately, the reason I didn't touch that X again was that I followed the first recommendation way back in our 2020 anti-doomscrolling article: reorganize your apps. Putting X and the equally addictive Threads at the back of my Communication folder, three pages in, was better than deleting them altogether. Over time I simply forgot they were there.

"Out of sight, out of mind" may be an underrated dictum in the digital age. Nutrition behavior experts recommend putting healthy snacks like nuts and fruit on the kitchen counter, while chips and cookies languish at the back of the cupboard — not denied, just forgotten. Why not do the smartphone equivalent with your home screen?

Better living with better apps

It wasn't enough to just hide the X app. As with every behavior change, it had to come with a significant vibe shift. And, as the science suggests, it was a lot easier with the creation of new habits to help disrupt the old.

First off, I had to stop telling myself that it was the job of a journalist like me — whose area of interest is pretty much anything that fits on a screen — to be on social media all the time. For this I was indebted to a November article by Laura Hazard Owen, the editor of Nieman Lab, that drew a critical line in the sand: Going forward, she wrote, "I'll read news, not other people's reactions to news."

However, I wanted to take the experiment a step further. Could I stay sufficiently informed without opening news apps or going to aggregators? Indeed I could, because email newsletters are still a thing. You should of course sign up for all of ours, but I also solicited newsletter recommendations from friends and have particularly enjoyed low-key, no-nonsense news recaps from The Conversation.

When I was mainlining news I used to find email newsletters irritating, almost akin to spam. Now I see they're a great way to put news in its proper productive context — important, but rarely more important than the most urgent things in your inbox.

As for habit disruption — well, you don't need me to tell you that there are some apps on your phone that are way more educational than others. For example, if I'd put all the hours I spent scrolling Twitter and Facebook in 2024 into Duolingo instead, I could have learned a new language.

Ultimately, I went in a simpler and more fulfilling direction. Since my doomscrolling habit was essentially a reading habit, every time I had the itch to read news, I just read books on my phone instead (in dark mode, naturally). Kindle, Books, the library apps Libby and Hoopla, and the book streaming service Everand (formerly known as Scribd): All took pride of place on my phone's home screen.

My brain felt a bit weird at first; it had become so used to reading e-books on an actual Kindle device or iPad. But once you give yourself permission to do so, the advantage of reading books on your phone become clear. You can knock out a chapter anywhere, whether waiting for a friend in a restaurant or waiting in line for the DMV.

The less reactive your reading, the more you can slip into what is known as Type 2 thinking: slower, more logical, leading to better decisions.

In a world off the rails that demands our best thinking, a Doomscrolling Bot won't save us. But taking the time for deep reading just might.

Almost anyone can get a good view of the night sky without specialist knowledge or equipment. However, some things will certainly go a long way to making your stargazing experience the best it can be if you're a newbie—tips that I wish I'd known before I started!

As of January 2025, Microsoft 365 Family or Personal customers will automatically get Copilot in their Microsoft productivity apps when they install the latest version. What's more, this automation comes with a $3 monthly price increase.

There's a new, quite common E-ZPass scam text making the rounds — don't fall for it.

In case you haven't heard of it, the scam text in question claims the receiver has unpaid tolls and that they need to pay their balance in order to avoid consequences such as fines or losing their license. It also leads out to a link, which you should not click. We've got the details on the scam and what to do if you get the text.

What is the scam and how to spot it?

The scam text shouldn't be hard to spot, should you receive it. It has the hallmarks of a classic scam. It typically features a link with a questionable URL, it insists on an urgent action (in order to make you not think it over), and it comes from a random number. In the case of this scam, the texts have usually come from a +63 country code, which is for the Philippines. The messages seem to threaten folks with consequences such as added fines or losing their license, which would be pretty extreme for unpaid tolls.

Folks online have posted examples of the scam.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

Mashable's own Crystal Bell received a scam text, which, in her case, claimed she had unpaid Fast Trak tolls.

Credit: Mashable / Screenshot: Crystal Bell

The texts have had slight variation but, in general, they follow that similar pattern.

What to do if you get the scam E-ZPass text

First and foremost Do. Not. Click. Any. Links.

"Not only is the scammer trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity," wrote the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a blog about the scam.

The FTC recommended you not click the link, reach out to your local tolling agency to see if it's legit, and report and delete the scam messages. Most phones have a "report junk" option for instances just like this.

So, in short: Stay vigilant and keep the delete button handy.