IT General

TL;DR: A wide range of online courses from Georgia Tech are available to take for free on edX.

Do you love to learn? It's time you got to know all about edX. This popular platform hosts a large bank of free online courses from some of the top educational institutions in the world, including Georgia Tech.

We have checked out everything on offer from Georgia Tech and lined up a standout selection to get you started. You can find lessons on AI, machine learning, programming with Python, and much more.

These are the best free online courses from Georgia Tech this month:

• AI for Teacher Assistance

• Assessment Design with AI

• Chatbots for Instruction

• Computing for Data Analysis

• Computing in Python I: Fundamentals and Procedural Programming

• Computing in Python II: Control Structures

• Computing in Python III: Data Structures

• Computing in Python IV: Objects and Algorithms

• Data Analytics for Business

• Human-Computer Interaction I: Fundamentals and Design Principles

• Human-Computer Interaction II: Cognition, Context and Culture

• Human-Computer Interaction III: Ethics, Needfinding and Prototyping

• Human-Computer Interaction IV: Evaluation, Agile Methods and Beyond

• Introduction to Analytics Modeling

• Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with Java I: Foundations and Syntax Basics

• Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with Java II: Object-Oriented Programming and Algorithms

• Linear Algebra I: Linear Equations

• Linear Algebra II: Matrix Algebra

• Probability and Statistics I: A Gentle Introduction to Probability

These free courses don't include a certificate of completion, but that's the only catch. Students can still enroll at any time and start learning at their own pace.

Find the best free online courses from Georgia Tech with edX.

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TL;DR: Live stream Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne in the Champions Cup for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The next round of Champions Cup fixtures includes some huge clashes between the best rugby teams in Europe, but the biggest game of the bunch is almost definitely Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne. Leinster have lost the last three Champions Cup finals. Can they go one better this year and get their hands on the trophy?

If you want to watch Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne in the Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne?

Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne in the Champions Cup kicks off at 5:30 p.m. GMT on Dec. 14. This fixture takes place at the Aviva Stadium.

How to watch Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne for free

Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player in Ireland.

If you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to unblock RTÉ Player. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Champions Cup from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne on RTÉ Player 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 Ireland

4. Sign in to RTÉ Player

5. Watch Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne 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 VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne (plus more Champions Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including Ireland

• 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 Leinster vs. Clermont Auvergne in the Champions Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

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.

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 December 14 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: Excitement

• Green: Teams in southeast Texas

• Blue: NBA teams with one thing in common

• Purple: Football positions

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: Hype

• Green: Houston sports teams

• Blue: Teams Michael Jordan defeated in the NBA Finals

• Purple: _______ Back

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 #82 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Hype - ANTICIPATION, BALLYHOO, BUILDUP, BUZZ

• Houston sports teams - COUGARS, DASH, DYNAMO, ROCKETS

• Teams Michael Jordan defeated in the NBA Finals - JAZZ, LAKERS, SUPERSONICS, TRAIL BLAZERS

• _______ Back - CORNER, DEFENSIVE, FULL, RUNNING

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.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game 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 December 14 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Aquatic creatures

• Green: Traditional auction phrasing

• Blue: Money used around the world

• Purple: Precedes "cup"

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: Fish

• Green: Words in an Auction-Ending Phrase

• Blue: Global Currencies

• Purple: Words Before "Cup"

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 #552 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Fish: FLUKE, MULLET, SOLE, TANG

• Words in an Auction-Ending Phrase: GOING, ONCE, SOLD, TWICE

• Global Currencies: POUND, REAL, SOL, YUAN

• Words Before "Cup": BUTTER, DIVA, SOLO, WORLD

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 December 14

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 December 14 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 December 14 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Uncontrollable saliva.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There is one letter that occurs twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter D.

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...

DROOL.

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 December 14

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.

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 December 14 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 14 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Nothing can stop me!

These words are how you might describe extreme focus.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words describe someone who cannot be stopped when they set their mind to something.

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 GoGetter.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for December 14

• Fire

• Drive

• Purpose

• Passion

• Devotion

• Intensity

• GoGetter

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.

Series creator, Liz Feldman is joined by castmates Lisa Kudrow, Ray Romano, Linda Cardellini, Teyonah Paris, Luke Wilson, Abbi Jacobson and O-T Fagbenle to discuss the theme of communication in Netflix's No Good Deed.

No Good Deed is now streaming on Netlfix.

Nickel Boys filmmaker, RaMell Ross, is joined by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Daveed Diggs, Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson to discuss how they used a first-person perspective with the camera to tell the story based off of Colson Whitehead's novel, The Nickel Boys.

Nickel Boys is now in limited theaters.

Modern consoles all have USB ports, and they all technically support keyboards and mice, but just because the hardware is capable, doesn't mean the software is. Yet, today there is no real reason for game developers not to include support for PC-style peripherals, and if you ask me, they all should.

The idea of "value for money" and Apple don't often go together in the minds of the average computer buyer, but occasionally, an Apple computer comes out that's so obviously in the sweet spot that it feels like Apple done goofed. With the release of the M4 MacBook Pro laptops, it seems we have yet another candidate for that exclusive club.

Apple Intelligence allegedly misled BBC News readers and BBC News isn't happy about it.

Tweet may have been deleted

In a story reported by BBC News itself, the outlet accused Apple's suite of AI features (which includes the ability to summarize news headlines in push notifications) of writing and sending out a blatantly false push notification to users. In this case, the push notification read that Luigi Mangione, recently arrested in connection with the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, had shot himself. That headline is false, and no such event has occurred at the time of publication.

SEE ALSO: Apple Intelligence on Mac: 5 AI-powered features you can test right now

"Luigi Mangione shoots himself; Syrian mother hopes Assad pays the price; South Korea police raid Yoon Suk Yeol's office," the notification read in full. Apple Intelligence appears to have rounded up three separate news stories into one summary notification. Interestingly, only the Mangione one is incorrect; the others are accurate representations of the news stories they are referencing.

BBC News has complained to Apple about this, but Apple has yet to comment on it. Apple Intelligence was introduced to iPhones and other Apple devices earlier this year, with the feature set being greatly expanded with the launch of iOS 18.2 earlier this week. If Apple is going to keep trying with AI, it might be prudent to clean up some of these issues before lawyers get involved.

Mashable has reached out to Apple for comment and will update if we hear back.

The online audio sphere is plagued by myths. Most are fairly harmless, but it's nevertheless valuable to get the facts. Here are some of the most pervasive audio myths, and the truth behind them.

Setting up your speakers requires more than simply plugging them in. Improper positioning can undermine the performance of even the finest audio systems. Here are some common speaker placement mistakes you must avoid for clear, balanced sound and to get the most out of your audio system.

One of the most unpopular new Windows features is doing a lot to earn that reputation.

Microsoft Recall, which is an AI-driven tool that constantly screenshots your PC activity to build a searchable database of everything you've ever done, apparently can't always filter out sensitive information like credit card and Social Security numbers. This is according to real-life testing done by Tom's Hardware, which found that this information (whether it was dummy text or real) would occasionally still get captured by Recall screenshots, which could theoretically then be viewed by someone else.

SEE ALSO: I just demoed Windows 11 Recall: 3 useful features that may surprise you

The security risks here are numerous and obvious. There is a filter for cutting out sensitive information from Recall screenshots that is on by default (imagine if it wasn't), but per Tom's Hardware, it only works some of the time. On obvious e-commerce websites, credit card numbers generally get filtered out. But in other places, like PDF forms, the filter doesn't catch them.

Recall has easily been the most talked-about and controversial part of Microsoft's recent push into artificial intelligence. It's been called a "disaster" by security experts, and underwent a delay earlier this year, ultimately being released for testing in October.

If you do a lot of shopping online, maybe think about turning Recall off.

Sound matters. Among the many labels you’ll encounter when setting up a soundbar or home theater, “ARC” and “eARC” are sure to pop up. But what do they actually mean, and why should you care?

Tumblr is taking a page from Reddit and Facebook with its new "Communities" feature, which are digital spaces like subreddits and Facebook groups.

"Communities are a new and easy way to connect with the people on Tumblr who get it," Tumblr said in a post announcing the feature. "You can invite mutuals who share your obsessions to a private Community or start a public Community for the things you love and watch all the new friends pile in. Like a clown car, Communities can fit (almost) as many people in ‘em as you want."

Communities — which allows users to create a space for anything from a D&D campaign to cat photos — has been available to some users in beta but officially launched across the platform on web, iOS, and Android on Thursday, Dec. 12.

SEE ALSO: The inside story of how Tumblr lost its way

You can get started by browsing though Communities that already exist, like aesthetic, writing, and TV shows, or you can create your own Community.

It's not a huge surprise that Tumblr would copy its more successful social media sisters. The platform has been struggling to maintain relevancy after it banned porn in 2018, and it's kind of the Thing Platforms Do — copy whatever else is successful and see if you can't make it slightly better. Look at Instagram Reels copying TikTok, or Facebook Stories copying Snapchat. So...TikTok Communities when?

Taking acoustics into consideration is key for creating the optimal listening environment. Here are the key facts about room acoustics and how to improve yours.

You can now talk to Google's AI hosts that, in effect, will turn your meeting notes into a podcast.

NotebookLM, Google's AI-powered teaching tool, first debuted the Audio Overview tool in October. In short, it takes source material — e.g., meeting notes, diary entries, legal briefs — and condenses it into a podcast-like product where two AI hosts discuss the pertinent info. The idea is to provide a different mode of taking in the information, perhaps for the person too busy to read or who learns better via audio.

SEE ALSO: Google's crazy AI podcasting tool NotebookLM gets some upgrades

Now, in theory, you could ask the AI hosts questions should confusion arise or you need more info.

Wrote Google in a blog post about the update to NotebookLM:

"Over the last three months, people have generated more than 350 years worth of Audio Overviews. Today, we’re starting to roll out the ability to 'join' the conversation. Using your voice, you can ask the hosts for more details or to explain a concept differently. It’s like having a personal tutor or guide who listens attentively, and then responds directly, drawing from the knowledge in your sources."

Google did warn that it's a new feature and that the AI hosts may "pause awkwardly before responding and may occasionally introduce inaccuracies." That's to be expected, considering AI introducing inaccuracies isn't exactly a new or novel problem.

You can find the new tool by clicking the "Interactive mode (BETA)" button on a new audio interview.

Most people are aware of Google's AI efforts with Gemini, but there's also NotebookLM, an AI-powered notebook that also happens to be pretty useful. Now, it's getting updated—and among the updates, there is now a brand-new premium version as well.

California continues to build out what is already one of the largest clean vehicle networks in America, made up of more than 150,000 public and shared private electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

On Dec.11, the California Energy Commission (CEC) announced another $1.4 billion investment in its charging and hydrogen refueling network, the largest in the country, serving light, medium, and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles.

"An important part of achieving our clean car future is building chargers in every corner of California, especially in neighborhoods historically left behind. With this investment, and the help of the private sector, we’re building a bigger, better vehicle charging network that ensures Californians can reliably and affordably get where they’re going," said California governor Gavin Newsom.

SEE ALSO: Was your phone targeted by China's Salt Typhoon hack? Your provider might not tell you.

The billion-dollar allocation will see a four-year deployment of 17,000 more chargers, with the goal of reaching 250,000 chargers in the next few years. The announcement comes as part of California's Clean Transportation Program, a funding effort to deploy zero-emission transportation and fuel technologies as part of the state's climate change goals.

The Biden administration has invested heavily in building out the country's electric vehicle infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with a wave of clean energy fund announcements as his term nears it end. On Dec. 12, the Department of Energy (DOE) unveiled a $1.25 billion loan guarantee to EVgo Swift Borrower, operators of the nation's largest EV charging networks. The loan will see 7,500 new fast chargers added nationwide.

"There are currently more than 204,000 publicly available charging ports, with nearly 38,000 new public chargers already having been added this year and nearly 1,000 new public chargers being added every week thanks to a combination of direct federal funding, federal tax incentives, state and local funding, and private investment," the DOE explained.

In October, the administration announced $44 million in funding to reduce EV battery costs and reduce their environmental impact. In November, the Department of Energy released. $70 million in funding for small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs), specifically targeting the automative and electric vehicle industry. The agency simultaneously announced $17 million in grant funding for local and territorial governments to "improve energy efficiency, reduce climate pollution, and lower overall energy use."