IT General

Dreams really can come true. In some cases, that looks like landing the job you've always wanted, or finding the love of your life. In my case, that looks like reading an excerpt of a made-up romantasy novel from a TV show.

That show is Vince Gilligan and Apple TV's sci-fi series, Pluribus, and that novel is none other than Bloodsong of Wycaro by Carol Sturka (played by Rhea Seehorn).

SEE ALSO: 'Pluribus' review: I can't tell you much about Vince Gilligan's sci-fi series, but what I can say is glowing

As viewers learn in the Pluribus premiere, Bloodsong of Wycaro is "the fourth book in [Carol's] Winds of Wycaro trilogy." The series as a whole is a bestselling phenomenon, with diehard fans eager to see how the high-stakes romance between Captain Lucasia and corsair Raban unfolds. Carol hates the fans and her work, but that didn't stop me from hoping the Wycaro books could somehow become a reality.

And now they have! Kind of.

Apple Books has released a free chapter from Bloodsong of Wycaro, one that reunites Lucasia with Raban in an island cave. The entire excerpt is a spot-on pastiche of historical fantasy, complete with otherworldly jargon and overly descriptive passages. You can imagine Carol rolling her eyes at herself as she writes about sandy cyclocanes and painful moonsburn. Still, though, it's tough not to get sucked into Lucasia and Raban's story, even without the context of three other books to guide us.

SEE ALSO: Carol's books in 'Pluribus' aren't real, but I need them to be

However, the most fascinating part of the Bloodsong of Wycaro excerpt is the letter from Carol at the beginning. In the letter, Carol reveals that she's releasing this excerpt to appease the hordes of "Rabasia" shippers who are angry that Raban (presumed dead after walking the plank) is not on the cover.

"You know I am on record for despising 'spoilers' in any form, that my preference would be to let events unfold in their own time through Lucasia’s anguished eyes. But I also understand that’s not everyone’s preference," Carol writes in the letter. "Different strokes for different folks. How hellish would the world be if we all thought exactly the same?!"

Of course, the entire world thinking the same is precisely the hell that awaits Carol in Pluribus, where she is one of the sole humans unaffected by the happiness hive mind. That line is a darkly tongue-in-cheek reminder of what's to come for her. The same goes for the beginning of the letter, which reveals that Carol is finishing up the final leg of the Bloodsong of Wycaro tour. In Pluribus, the worldwide joining of the hive mind happens right after finishing the tour, which means that as of writing this letter and publishing the excerpt, Carol only has a short amount of time left before the world as she knows it vanishes.

For more foreshadowing and excellent fantasy parody, check out the full excerpt from Bloodsong of Wycaro.

Bloodsong of Wycaro is free to download on Apple Books. Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

Road construction is a necessary evil when we talk about infrastructure, but it always brings along a frustrating mix of traffic jams, surprise detours, and trips that take way longer than they should. For most drivers, seeing those orange cones and flashing lights means their day is about to get worse, turning a normal drive into a real test of patience.

The entire point of mobile payments is to be more convenient than a physical card. Any little bit of friction ends up feeling more cumbersome than just pulling out your wallet. While Google Wallet is genuinely great, there are a few often-hidden tweaks that can make the tap-to-pay process even better.

3D printing is a hobby that quickly turns casual observers into enthusiasts. That means it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and overlook the rougher edges, even if you’re completely taken in by it.

We've all purchased a tool, gadget, or tech item that we eventually regret or don't use enough. However, if there's one thing you'll end up using frequently, or be glad you have a few extras in your garage, it's power tool battery packs.

Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update pulled no punches on President Donald Trump this week, with anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che skewering him over his connections to the Epstein emails released this week.

SEE ALSO: Donald Trump crashes Epstein email press briefing in 'SNL' cold open

"House Democrats released an email written by Jeffrey Epstein in which he claims that Donald Trump 'knew about the girls,'" Jost says. "It's bombshell news that legal experts are calling, 'duh.'"

Che also zeroed in on an email from Epstein's brother Mark. "In one of the emails, Epstein's brother asked if Vladimir Putin has a picture of Donald Trump giving oral sex to someone named Bubba, which was an old nickname for Bill Clinton," Che says. "So I guess that's one job Trump has created."

Weekend Update didn't stop at the Epstein emails, though. Jost and Che also targeted Trump's request for the new Washington Commanders stadium to be named after him, his denial that his golden White House decorations come from Home Depot, and his $5 billion threatened lawsuit against the BBC.

"This might be my favorite episode," Che says.

The rest of this week's SNL episode further lampooned Trump's connections to the Epstein emails, addressing them in the cold open and in a series of shorts that brought back Will Forte's MacGruber.

A smart home needs solid foundations, and that means reliable wireless pathways that ensure your lights, sensors, and remotes can communicate effectively. If you’re suffering from dropouts and spotty performance, there’s a cheap trick you can use to get a bit more range out of your Thread, Zigbee, or Z-Wave networks.

Toyota has long been synonymous with resale value, but one of its newest models breaks sharply from that reputation. Despite wearing one of the most trusted badges in the industry, this vehicle sheds more than 80% of its original price within just five years, an eye-opening contrast to the brand’s usual strong performers. For shoppers who assume every Toyota is a safe financial bet, this outlier proves that name recognition isn’t everything.

Saturday Night Live brought back Will Forte's long running character MacGruber for its Nov. 15 episode. But this time around, the bomb-defusing man of action is hiding some seriously messed-up secrets about his ties to the Jeffrey Epstein files.

SEE ALSO: Donald Trump crashes Epstein email press briefing in 'SNL' cold open

Each of Nov. 15's three pre-taped MacGruber shorts follow the same formula as prior installments: MacGruber and his assistants Colton (host Glen Powell) and Tawnee (Chloe Fineman) are trapped in control rooms, trying to disarm a bomb that's about to explode.

However, it's not long before Colton drops a bomb of his own: He has an uncensored copy of the Epstein files. And based on MacGruber's reaction — and subsequent shredding of the files — he's definitely on the list. It's going to take more than a pencil sharpener and a square of foil to get him out of this mess.

The MacGruber shorts were only the tip of the iceberg of this very Epstein-heavy SNL installment. The cold open saw Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) react to the release of thousands of Epstein emails this week, and Weekend Update continued to mock Trump over his Epstein connections.

I've always loved to read. My house is so full of books that I'm struggling to find places to put them all. I've listened to audiobooks in the past, but I always found myself returning to physical books. I finally decided to give audiobooks another try, but the experience still left me cold.

This week, the House Oversight Committee released thousands of documents from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, including emails that mention President Donald Trump. While the real-life Trump has mostly dodged questions about the emails — even yelling "quiet!" at a reporter asking follow-up questions about them — Saturday Night Live's version of Trump (James Austin Johnson) had a lot to say in this week's cold open.

SEE ALSO: 'SNL' Weekend Update torches Trump over Epstein emails

The cold open kicked off with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (Ashley Padilla) reluctantly fielding questions from reporters about the emails at a press briefing.

"The only thing these emails prove is that President Trump did nothing wrong!" SNL's Leavitt says. "If anything, his crime was loving too much, and possibly too young."

It's not long before Johnson's Trump takes over the press briefing, aiming to hit journalists with some "gotcha" questions designed to highlight his innocence.

"If I was innocent, wouldn't I just release all the files?" Trump asks.

Well, yes, say the reporters grilling him.

It turns out that SNL's Trump does have plans to release all the Epstein files — as part of a business venture, that is. For the low price of $800, buyers can get framed, extremely low-resolution screenshots of Epstein's emails, including the infamous one that asks, "Does Putin have the photo of Trump blowing Bubba?"

"It makes a great stocking stuffer," Trump proclaims. So if you're low on Christmas gift ideas, there's an idea straight from SNL.

And if you thought SNL was done with the Epstein emails after that cold open, you'd be wrong. This week's installment of Weekend Update continued to lampoon Trump's connection to the emails, while the return of Will Forte as MacGruber yielded unexpected ties to the Epstein files.

pandas is the premier library for data analysis in Python. Here are some advanced things I like to do with pandas DataFrames to take my analysis to the next level.

As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, we can quickly fall into the trap of the winter blues. Luckily, technology offers simple tools to help boost our mood and motivation. Here are the ways I use tech to stay energized and positive throughout the winter months.

Every recent Windows update feels like a lateral move in terms of new features added (unless you count Copilot, which I won’t). However, behind the scenes, Microsoft developers have built some super useful new features for Windows 10 and 11, but you have to install them manually. It’s a set of utilities called PowerToys, and the best part is they’re free and open source. Let me show you how you can use these tools to add features that Windows should have by default.

Did your smart home devices suddenly stop responding? There’s a good chance that the cloud is to blame. But, what do you do when that happens?

Do you ever wish you could easily let everyone who uses your Jellyfin server know what shows and movies you just added? I did, and I found out it's pretty simple to set up an automated email newsletter thanks to a third-party Jellyfin plugin.

I was 18 for most of 2005, and I have fond memories not only about that time in my life but also the technology that came to define it. So is this pure nostalgia, or is there something desirable about a simpler time?

Have you ever seen those GIFs that animate the command line and wondered how they look so good? Or seen a tiny GIF and wondered how they're so small? It's not as difficult as you may think, and I address both with two easy-to-use commands.

Home products have gotten much "smarter" in recent years. According to Statista, smart home penetration will reach 89.5 percent in 2025, and will hit 99 percent by 2029. That means virtually every household in the U.S. is using some form of smart home device. We've come a long way since the days of The Clapper.

Smart home devices can add a level of convenience to daily life, assuming that they’re set up correctly and genuinely offer seamless integration and a user-friendly experience.

But that leads us to question: Which home devices are actually worthy of being smart?

Instead of simply answering that ourselves, we put it out to you, our readers. In our first-ever Readers’ Choice Awards, we asked you which smart home brands you use and love across different smart home categories.

Best home security cameras in 2025

First up is security cameras. In a survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report, 62 percent of respondents use outdoor security cameras, while 36 percent use indoor security cameras. Home security cameras can obviously be great for some peace of mind and a sense of safety, or monitoring porch pirates. But your privacy is also an important factor to consider in a device that captures constant footage of you, your home, and your neighborhood.

Blink was the winner here in overall satisfaction with a score of 7.8 out of 10, narrowly beating out Ring and Wyze, which both secured a 7.7 rating. A note from us: We don't endorse Ring in our product recommendations because of a host of privacy issues.

(Make sure to click the arrows on the chart below to cycle through each of the categories from our survey results.)

The three brands were pretty even across the board, but each stood out in some areas. Blink users appreciated the ease of setup and use, budget-friendly pricing, and free cloud storage.

Wyze was rated the best for cost, but rated lowest in audio quality and motion detection, so that could be a potential trade-off. Price was definitely a big factor with survey respondents, with comments such as, "Great products. Reasonably priced," "The cameras work good and the price was within budget," and "Wyze security cameras are decent for the price."

Our readers lauded Ring for its easy setup, with two respondents writing, "I've owned several generations of cameras over 20 years and Ring are the easiest to set up and use," and "I've had security cameras in the past. None were as easy to set up and use as Ring."

A common complaint across all three brands was that the cameras don't record enough time before motion is detected.

Blink Mini Pan-Tilt Camera $39.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Blink Outdoor 4 $27.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $52   Shop Now at Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Ring Ring Spotlight Cam Plus $149.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Wyze Wyze Cam OG Indoor/Outdoor $29.60 at Amazon
  Shop Now Best smart home assistants in 2025

Smart assistants are like the brain of a smart home. They act as a hub to control other devices via voice, schedule, or other triggers. Smart assistant devices can range from small speakers that take up very little room to large screens that sit on your countertop or mount to the wall. Apple's Siri is arguably the most popular among smartphones, while Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are the big names in smart home devices.

Google was our winner across the board, though Amazon Alexa was a close second. One survey respondent said, "I like Alexa for routine items and integrations, but Google Assistant [is] better [at] answering questions."

Some survey takers had similar experiences in that they like the convenience provided by their smart assistant, but they've had frustrating interactions as well.

One wrote: "I've had a pretty good experience with Amazon Alexa. One of the best moments was when I set up my smart home with Alexa and connected everything from lights to thermostats to smart plugs. It was so easy to control everything with just my voice. For example, I could tell Alexa to turn off the lights or set the temperature, which made life a lot more convenient, especially when my hands were full. However, I did run into some issues. There were times when Alexa misunderstood my commands, especially if there was background noise or if I wasn't very clear. It was a bit frustrating when it didn't respond properly. Sometimes, Alexa also didn't sync correctly with certain smart devices, which required troubleshooting. Overall, though, I've found Alexa to be helpful and a great addition to my home automation."

And a Google user wrote: "Our whole house has Google displays, speakers, TVs integrated with Google TV, and third-party plugs, bulbs, and the like. Just recently, I upgraded to a Google Mesh router. The third-party devices can occasionally be a bit tricky to set up, but once everything is working, it's nice to be able to control everything right in the Google Home app."

Amazon Echo Dot $49.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Nest Mini $49 at Google Store
  Shop Now Amazon Echo Show 8 $149.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Nest Hub $99.99 at Google Store
  Shop Now Best smart lights in 2025

Smart bulbs and smart plugs are some of the most accessible smart home devices in terms of price and ease of use. Philips Hue, Govee, and TP-Link (Kasa) are some of the big names in smart lights. Each has a smattering of product offerings from basic dimmable white light bulbs to programmable outdoor string lights or TV backlights.

Philips Hue is a more premium brand with a higher price point, and that was apparent in our survey results. Just a note: TP-Link has been under investigation for security vulnerabilities with its routers and predatory pricing.

TP-Link took the cake for most of our survey categories; although, both TP-Link and Philips Hue were rated the same for likelihood to recommend.

One reader wrote, "The only reason I am not 'extremely likely' to recommend Philips Hue is they are relatively expensive compared to other brands." And we saw that reflected in TP-Link users' comments, with one person writing, "I had another brand before and found them so frustrating. I was glad to find these worked to my liking at a lower cost."

TP-Link Kasa color-changing smart bulbs (4-pack) $26.99 at Amazon
$31.99 Save $5   Shop Now at Amazon Philips Hue A19 white and color bulbs (3-pack) $99 at Amazon
$147.99 Save $48.99   Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Best smart vacuum brands in 2025

Our resident vacuum expert, Leah Stodart, says, "Actual cleaning performance plays a huge role in how spotless your floors will be, of course. But if your vacuum is a pain to clean with, you won't feel like using it — whether it's an upright vacuum that's too clunky to get out of the closet or a robot vacuum that gets stuck more often than not." And these are the types of functions we wanted to ask you all about.

Only two brands made the cut for our readers, but Stodart tests upright vacuums and robot vacuums in her apartment and has some great recommendations from other brands.

iRobot offers different price points, ranging from basic and budget-friendly to high-tech and downright expensive. Our survey participants had some newer models as well as older, simpler models that get the job done without any extras. One wrote, "It's an easy-to-use, simple feature, low-end smart vacuum robot; however, that makes it desirable for a lot of people like me because it's easier to use than complicated systems."

Roomba Combo 10 Max + AutoWash Dock $598.96 at Walmart
$849 Save $250.04   Shop Now at Walmart Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Roomba 105 Vac $249.99 at Amazon
$279 Save $29.01   Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at iRobot Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Vacuum $399.99 at Walmart
$549 Save $149.01   Shop Now at Walmart Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Dyson 360 Vis Nav Robot Vacuum $399.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $600   Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Walmart Shop Now at Best Buy

Mashable's Readers' Choice: Smartest Home survey ran from Nov. 16, 2024, to March 20, 2025. Stay tuned for our next survey.

If you've spent any amount of time swiping on Hinge, you've probably hit that inevitable wall — either you've run out of potential matches or your queue just isn't hitting like it used to. Eventually, the thrill fades, the dopamine drops, and you might start thinking it's time for a break.

Taking a break can mean a few things. For the terminally online daters dissecting the algorithm to beat the ELO, it might mean deleting your account and starting from scratch. For others, it's simply pausing the profile, deleting the app, and waiting until the next self-esteem dip prompts them to return. Either way, burnout on dating apps is real.

How to use Fresh Start on Hinge

Hinge, however, quietly offers an in-app reset button called Fresh Start. It's a hidden feature for users who are unhappy with their experience and want to refresh their feed. Whether you feel invisible or like your current lineup doesn't reflect your vibe, Fresh Start basically reboots your Discover page to resemble those early, exciting days on the app.

To access it, head to Settings -> Delete Account, and when prompted to explain why, select "I wasn't satisfied with my Hinge experience." A pop-up will appear offering you a fresh start — accept it, and you're all set.

Credit: Screenshot: Hinge / Chance Townsend

Some notes, though: it's a full reset so while you'll keep your current matches, you'll lose any pending likes in your queue. That also includes profiles you've swiped left on and any cuties stuck in Rose Jail. Additionally, this option is only available once every two to three weeks and also won't work if you're profile is currently paused.