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Anyone who calls IKEA "adult Legos" hasn't checked out the Lego catalog lately.

While many of us had our Lego introductions as kids, the coolest Lego sets these days range from architectural marvels to genuine works of art that anyone, kid or adult, can enjoy. In other words, "Legos for adults" are just Legos.

SEE ALSO: The 30 best new Lego sets include everything from a low-maintenance aquarium to the U.S.S. Enterprise

As someone who enjoys a good Lego build and is surrounded by friends, family, and Mashable coworkers who do too, I decided to poll the people around me about the best sets they've built, as well as those they're still coveting. Altogether, I rounded up 15 sets, with picks from under $20 all the way up to $850. (Shoutout to my brother for suggesting the three most expensive sets on this list. His Lego expertise is well earned — he owns so many sets my mom texted me ahead of his last birthday, "[He] does not need any more Legos until he has his own garage to store them in.")

Check out our favorite Lego sets for adults, kids, and everyone in between:

Lego Mario Kart It doesn't get better than IRL shell shooting. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

Mario Kart is one of the most iconic IPs out there, and no game of it is complete without absolutely crushing your opponents' hopes and dreams by hitting them with a well-timed shell. So, of course, Lego made sure that these karts could actually shoot from Yoshi's bike (or Donkey Kong, if you buy the additional building kit). In our Pocketworthy series, Mashable's tech editor Timothy Beck Werth said he was just as excited as his niece and nephew when he saw this set's shell shooting abilities.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Super Mario: Mario Kart Yoshi Bike $12.99 at Amazon
$14.99 Save $2   Get Deal SEE ALSO: Review: 'Donkey Kong Bananza' is the Switch 2's first stone cold banger Lego Star Wars BrickHeadz Wouldn't want to meet these guys in a dark alley. Credit: Nick Villescas / Mashable

For any Star Wars fans who don't have $850 to drop on the Millennium Falcon (more on that below), the BrickHeadz line lets you show your love for the space opera at a much more accessible price point. My best friend's husband, Nick, exclusively owns Star Wars Lego, and has curated this collection of BrickHeadz over time. A set of two will run you $19.99, which is an excellent price for decorating your office space (as Nick so expertly demonstrates). In general, Nick appreciates that Lego's catalog is extensive enough that even if you stick to one type or IP from the brand, you still get plenty of options to choose from (and yes, this does guarantee I'll be bugging him for more Star Wars faves in the future).

Lego BrickHeadz 'Star Wars' The Mandalorian and the Child $30.69 at Walmart
  Shop Now at Walmart Shop Now at Amazon Lego Botanicals Happy Plants I want to befriend these planters — that's normal, right? Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

These happy plants are part of the popular Lego Botanicals series, a clear favorite of Mashable editors and readers alike, and in this case, another favorite pick from Werth. This Happy Plants set isn't one he owns just yet, but it is one that he's definitely keeping an eye on after spotting them in a Mashable cubicle and at a Lego booth during a toy expo. The mini dracaena and pilea plants are great for Lego beginners (or kids), or anyone else who might not have the bandwidth to put together 500+ pieces (if you fall into that category, beware of the last few picks on this list).

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Happy Plants $22.96 at Amazon
  Shop Now Lego Botanicals Petite Sunny Bouquet Flower Set Who doesn't love a Lego Botanicals centerpiece? Credit: Lego

Mashable contributor Lauren Allain bought this small but adorable Botanicals set for her partner's mom — someone who'd never built a set in her life. The verdict? "She loved it," Allain told me. At 373 pieces, it's intricate enough to result in a design that could genuinely work as house decor, while still being beginner-friendly. Plus, it's a nice next step from the Happy Plants if you still want to keep things simple and affordable.

Lego Botanicals Petite Sunny Bouquet Flower Set $23.87 at Walmart
$29 Save $5.13   Shop Now at Walmart Shop Now at Amazon Lego Botanicals Orchid The Lego Botanicals Orchid is a classic for a reason. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Lego Orchid was one of the first from the Botanicals line to go properly viral, and it's no surprise as to why — it's gorgeous. Mashable's Haley Henschel uses it as a design piece in her home. It's as at home on a mantle as it is on a bookshelf or even a dining table. And it gets extra points for being an unkillable orchid.

Lego Botanicals Orchid $39.98 at Walmart
$49.99 Save $10.01   Shop Now at Walmart Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Lego Icons Retro Radio A Lego radio that can actually play sound? I'm listening (literally). Credit: Lego

I knew I had to ask my friend Danica for her all-time favorites, as she is the proud owner of the first Lego set that made me audibly gasp: the Typewriter (you can actually use the keys — I know). While that set is sadly discontinued, she pointed to this Retro Radio as being another favorite, partially because she likes the vibe, partially because it can actually play audio. The sound brick in the build plays a selection of short audio settings, which is a nifty enough feature on its own for a $100 set. After completing the set, you can also open up the back and put your phone in the radio and play music off your own device — the Lego isn't technically playing it, but it's a cool feature if you want to pretend it is.

Lego Icons Retro Radio $99.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Lego Ideas The Insect Collection Who wouldn't love these bugs? Credit: Lego

When I asked my Mashable colleagues for their favorite sets, Social Good Reporter Chase DiBenedetto responded with a link to this one and a simple message: "I love my bugs." Looking at the color, detail, and poses here, I can see why. With this set, you'll build a blue morpho butterfly, a Hercules beetle, and a Chinese mantis.

Lego Ideas The Insect Collection $62.95 at Walmart
$79.99 Save $17.04   Shop Now at Walmart Shop Now at Amazon Lego Ideas A-Frame Cabin This cabin belongs in a cozy bookshelf display. Credit: Danica Villescas / Mashable

Not all Lego builds are created equally — intricate ones with more pieces on the wrong day can feel more frustrating than relaxing. Yet my friend Danica had to recommend this cabin set in addition to the Retro Radio because not only is it extremely charming (look how precious it is on her shelf), she found the build itself fun, despite being an over 2,000-piece set.

Lego Ideas A-Frame Cabin $206.84 at Walmart
  Shop Now at Walmart Shop Now at Amazon Lego Icons The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook Kit I'm sorry but all other book nooks have to pack it up, this one wins. Credit: Lego

"If I had 100 bucks to drop on this heavy metal Balrog book nook, I would," is what Mashable UK Editor Shannon Connellan told me in my call for favorite sets (the set goes for £100 in the UK, $129.99 in the US). Opening the link to this set was an experience — taking in the massive Balrog, the tiny Gandalf, the "you shall not pass!", and the staging of this book nook between books now has me thinking if I had $129.99 to drop on this book nook, I would, too.

Lego Icons 'The Lord of the Rings': Balrog Book Nook Kit $129.95 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Lego Ideas Twilight The Cullen House If you ask me, this set should be part of the Lego Icons line. Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

Sometimes, recreating scenes from a beloved IP is just what the soul needs. Animal Crossing fans may appreciate being able to painstakingly work their way to K.K. Slider's concert in the plaza all over again, LotR fans may need an incredibly epic bookend (as seen above), and Twilight fans may need to see in Lego form where Edward Cullen told Bella, "You better hold on tight, spider monkey."

For former Mashable reporter Dylan Haas, spending time with his wife building this 2,000-plus-piece set reminded him of the importance of taking time to connect with your loved ones. He wrote, "I’m not saying that you should bury your head and ignore what’s going on in the world — actually, I advise heavily against that. But if the state of it all is getting to be overwhelming, maybe I am saying that you should pick up a Lego set and just see what happens."

Lego Ideas 'Twilight' The Cullen House $342.95 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Lego Icons The Lord of The Rings: The Shire Building Set All your Middle Earth friends are here. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

Werth also spotted this set at a recent toy expo, and he says he's been obsessed ever since. At $269.99, this is a Lord of the Rings set priced for more diehard fans (though come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever met a casual LotR fan). Whether you need another set to tide you over your post Balrog-book-nook-completion blues or simply love the Hobbitses and their home, this 2,017-piece set is sure to do the trick.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Icons 'The Lord of The Rings': The Shire Building Set $269.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Lego Super Mario The Mighty Bowser Who knew Bowser would be the perfect accent piece for a windowsill? Credit: Lego

Lego wasn't playing when it named this set the Mighty Bowser. For one, look at him. For two, it's 2,807 pieces, meaning it's built (or rather ready-to-be-built) for the fans who spent a good chunk of their childhood grinding Mario on the N64. Unsurprisingly, I sourced this selection from my friend Mitch, who is 100 percent one of those fans. When I asked him why this set stood out, he cited nostalgia, and to me, there is something beautiful about nostalgia taking the form of a giant, Lego Koopa king.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego 'Super Mario' The Mighty Bowser $269.99 at Walmart
  Shop Now Lego Ideas The Globe Three-month old kitten for scale. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

This retired Ideas set has a "hard to find" tag on the Lego website, so naturally, it's in my family's dining room (thanks to my brother). Like an actual globe, it spins (and surprisingly doesn't feel like it's ultra-fragile, despite being made entirely of Lego). The major catch here, besides the price, is that it's currently only available from third-party sellers at Walmart and Amazon.

Lego Ideas The Globe $309.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $20   Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Walmart Lego Technic McLaren P1 The Lego Technic line is the perfect intersection for car enthusiasts and people who want to try out non-traditional Lego bricks. Credit: Lego

Speaking of splurges, it's time to get into my brother's two picks. He first suggested the larger-scale items from Technic's line, saying they are "pretty cool because [they] step away from the traditional brick." He built the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which is unfortunately now a retired product (though you can hunt around on resale sites if you're so inclined). If you're not too picky about make and model, this McLaren P1 is a worthy alternative still in stock.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Technic McLaren P1 $449.99 at Lego
  Shop Now Lego 'Star Wars' Millennium Falcon My family did in fact eat meals around this. Credit: Thomas Allard / Mashable

An $850 Lego set is not for the casual Lego fan, which is exactly why it's my brother's pride and joy (to be fair, he bought it at its original price of $799 — a real bargain). I'm 99 percent sure I've never seen my brother happier than when he was building this behemoth. For a long time, it lived near the entrance to my family's home (shortly after its initial residence on the kitchen table), and it was the conversation piece of every single person who visited. I've watched many a grown man drop his jaw at its presence. And they better — it is not only by far the most expensive set on this list, but one of the most expensive sets Lego has ever produced.

The interior of the ship is actually insane. Credit: Thomas Allard / Mashable

When I asked my brother if he thinks this set is worth $850, he texted back, "F-ck no! But it does look cool." Would he buy it all over again? "Yeah probably." And honestly, I get it. This set is beyond intricate, with its whopping 7,541 pieces allowing you not just to build the exterior structure of the iconic ship, but also some interior rooms, populated with characters from the original trilogy and recent sequels.

Lego 'Star Wars' Millennium Falcon $842.75 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Walmart

GoFundMe has launched a centralised hub of verified fundraisers for victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting, Australia's deadliest such attack in 30 years. Sixteen people were killed in the shooting, including one of the two gunmen, while over 40 more were injured.

SEE ALSO: Grok spread misinformation about the Bondi Beach shooting

On Sunday afternoon, two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration by Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Mass shootings are exceedingly rare in Australia, with the events of last weekend leaving the entire country reeling. The Bondi attack was Australia's deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre that killed 35 people, an event which sparked major reform of gun laws. Australia is already working to further strengthen its gun control laws in the wake of the Bondi shooting.

Unfortunately, it isn't unheard of for scammers to prey on people's goodwill in the wake of such events by setting up fraudulent fundraisers. These charity scams typically claim they're raising money to support victims, but have no real connection to those impacted and no intent to give them the funds. 

To counter this, crowdfunding platform GoFundMe has created a hub of Bondi Beach shooting fundraisers which have been verified by its Trust and Safety Team. Those who wish to help the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting can donate to these fundraisers, which are also backed by GoFundMe's guarantee of a full refund if they do turn out to be fraudulent.

A memorial has been set up at Bondi for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting. Credit: Saeed Khan / AFP via Getty Images

There are currently four fundraisers featured in GoFundMe's hub. Two are raising funds to support the families of two victims killed in the shooting: 10-year-old Matilda and 41-year-old Rabbi Eli Schlanger. A third is in support of Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old shop owner who attacked and disarmed one of the shooters. He was shot multiple times in the arm, and is currently recovering in hospital. The fourth fundraiser is gathering money for both Ahmed and the families of the victims more generally.

As of writing, donors have given over $AU2.8 million ($1.9 million) to these four GoFundMe campaigns combined, spread across almost 48,000 individual donations. Over $AU2 million ($1.3 million) of this was donated to the GoFundMe for Ahmed, with many donors also leaving messages of support from around the globe.

"You showed us that Australia is home for all of us, and when it counts, we protect each other," wrote donor Zhen Liu.

GoFundMe regularly creates verified fundraising hubs for high profile events, having previously done so for multiple U.S. mass shootings.

Australians line up to donate blood at the Town Hall Lifeblood Donor Centre in Sydney the day after the Bondi Beach mass shooting. Credit: George Chan / Getty Images

Aside from contributing to fundraisers and laying flowers at Bondi, Australians have responded to the shooting by turning up in droves to donate blood. Long lines quickly formed at donation centres, breaking Australian Red Cross Lifeblood's previous record for most blood, plasma and platelets given within 24 hours.

"We’ve seen an overwhelming, record breaking response from the community," Australian Red Cross Lifeblood said on its official Facebook page. "Please consider donating blood or plasma in the coming weeks, as the need is ongoing into January."

When it comes to charging my devices, I want everything to be the fastest and most convenient possible. At one point, I even 3D printed my own MagSafe mounts to help with charging my iPhone at my desk, but when I got Anker’s new Prime Wireless Charging Station, it solved every power problem I had at my desk.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Cheery.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

SUNNY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A tiny green bug.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 16, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

APHID

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Cranky.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 16 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 16, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

MOODY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A clique.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 16 Hurdle Word 4 answer

CABAL

Final Hurdle hint

Fruit-flavored gelatin.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

JELLO

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Global internet traffic grew 19 percent this year. That's according to Cloudflare, which just released its "Cloudflare Radar 2025 Year in Review" report, a look-back on the year in online behavior.

As more and more humans are spending more and more time online than ever before, we're starting to see some cracks in the digital divide. This was the year that AOL dial-up internet officially died (RIP), but also a year in which satellite companies like Starlink brought the internet to some of the most remote corners of Earth.

The report also includes some revealing statistics on the state of the web in 2025. Cloudflare provides a broad range of internet services, and it's one of the core pillars that make up the infrastructure of the internet. The world was reminded of that this year when a Cloudflare outage led to downtime and errors for many popular websites and apps, such as Spotify, Google, Snapchat, Discord, and Nintendo.

Cloudflare also acts as a traffic gatekeeper of sorts for many websites, which also makes the company uniquely qualified to prognosticate about the state of the online world.

You can check out the entire report for yourself, but here are some key takeaways that stuck with us.

AI bots account for a lot of traffic

As AI companies send out crawlers and bots to scrape as much of the internet as they can, many websites are reporting spikes in bot activity. And the Cloudflare Radar report bears this out: AI bots now account for 4.2 percent of all HTML requests, the company says.

SEE ALSO: Merriam-Webster names "slop" the word of the year, and boy was 2025 sloppy Internet traffic primarily grew in the second half of the year

"Our ongoing reliance on the Internet is reflected in continued global Internet traffic growth," Cloudflare says. "This trend line starts mid-January, allowing for Internet activity to normalize following the return to work and school after the New Year."

The company's stats show traffic growing slowly and staying flat from January through July, then growing in the back half of the year.

Google is still the king of the internet

Google is currently sparring with OpenAI on the future of AI — but in terms of internet users, it remains unmatched.

Per Cloudflare, Google is the most popular internet service in the world, followed by Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft. ChatGPT didn't even make the top 10.

Google also provides the "highest traffic Verified Bot" (GoogleBot), the top search engine, and the most-used web browser (Chrome).

SEE ALSO: GPT-5.2 vs Gemini 3 — How the two heavyweight models compare on benchmarks, price, and feature set Android is still more popular than iOS

Cloudflare found that Android devices account for 65 percent of online traffic, while iOS traffic makes up the remainder.

The company notes that this varies widely by region, with iOS adoption peaking at 70 percent in some areas. In the United States, iOS accounts for 56 percent of mobile traffic.

Starlink is helping the internet grow

Love Elon Musk or hate him, there's no denying that his Starlink service played a massive role in the growth of the internet this year.

Starlink saw a 2.3x growth rate over the past year, and that stayed pretty steady throughout. This year, Starlink and SpaceX recorded a major milestone — they launched their 10,000th satelite.

ChatGPT is the top AI service

The report found that ChatGPT is the most popular AI service (as opposite to internet service), which may come as no surprise. What was a surprise? Despite recent advances with Gemini 3, Google Gemini ranked only fourth, with Claude/Anthropic and Perplexity both outranking it.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

The Apple TV app on Android now supports Google Cast, meaning it's easier than ever to stream the platform's shows and movies to other devices from your phone or tablet.

TL;DR: Store 8TB of your data for life for a one-time price with this FileLu Cloud Storage Premium Plan lifetime subscription, on sale now for $649.99 (reg. $1,600).

Opens in a new window Credit: FileLu FileLu Cloud Storage Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription (8TB) $649.99
$1,600 Save $950.01   Get Deal

With smartphones essentially glued to our hands, we’re constantly creating more data, and it has to be saved somewhere. If you’re looking for a cloud storage solution that offers enough storage to grow with you — without increasingly expensive subscription costs — it’s time to check out FileLu Cloud Storage.

Right now, you can secure 8TB of storage with a lifetime subscription to FileLu Cloud Storage Premium Plan for $649.99 (reg. $1,600).

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Stop spending a fortune on cloud storage month after month and own your cloud storage outright with FileLu. This service was designed for everyone, from professionals to families, and offers a safe, secure way to store your data for a one-time price.

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Sometimes, the Merriam-Webster word of the year is predictable. And 2025 was one of those years.

Extremely unsurprisingly, the famous and venerable publisher of dictionaries and other reference materials declared "slop" its word of the year for 2025. According to Merriam-Webster, slop is defined as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence," which feels pretty apt if you've been using the internet in the past calendar year.

The internet saw an explosion of slop in 2025. A slop volcano, if you will. On social media apps, music streaming services, video platforms, group chats, The White House X feed, and our inboxes, AI slop feels inescapable.

Slop might have been an easy choice for Merriam-Webster, but that doesn't make it wrong. This year, AI-generated nonsense and deepfakes proliferated across the internet like never before. Short-form video feeds are now full of cute but questionably real animal videos, and Facebook is overflowing with bizarre AI images of amputated soldiers holding signs that say "no one likes me." That last part is true, I've seen a ton of it.

So, why is 2025 the year of slop?

Big tech corporations worked hard to make sure the internet was filled with as much AI content as possible. For the first time, AI video models like Google's Veo 3 and OpenAI's Sora 2 made it possible to create realistic videos almost instantly. While a trained eye can usually spot an AI-generated video, it's getting harder and harder to tell if viral videos are real.

Meta even released its own short-form videos app specifically for watching AI-generated clips, and it wasn't the only big tech company that released an infinite slop machine in 2025. Generative AI has been around for a couple of years now, but 2025 felt like the tipping point, when companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta decided it needed to be a load-bearing part of their business strategies.

Heck, people are even talking about putting anti-deepfake clauses in their wills now. In 2025, AI went from being a curiosity to being ubiquitous, and "slop" exemplified that trend.

This had far-reaching consequences for internet vernacular, as "slop" became shorthand for anything generic and disposable, regardless of whether or not AI was involved. In the world of video games, for example, "friendslop" became a term for low-stakes cooperative multiplayer games in 2025. For others, the term applies to the latest output from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or any number of low-impact streaming-exclusive shows and movies. It's become synonymous with "content for content's sake," as it were.

Our own digital culture and tech reporters could barely keep up with the slop machine this year. From emotional support kangaroos and bunnies jumping on trampolines to sexual deepfakes and disturbing political memes, slop is everywhere you look. We even made some slop ourselves.

Slop can be harmless fluff, or it can have a darker side, but it's filling up the internet's trough like never before.

So, there's no denying it — 2025 was the year of slop, at least according to the dictionary of record. I can't really say they're wrong.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Whatever the occasion that has you looking for dad gifts (Father's Day, Christmas, Hanukkah), stay far away from clichés like whiskey stones and pocket knives. Unless your dad is an avid tie collector and seriously *lives* for ties, then avoid this played-out gift too. Instead, the best gifts for dads say, “I see your hobbies and I respect them." We've even got some unique ideas you may not have seen before. (We have two words for you: Fire. Harpoon.) From the latest gadgets from Apple, Sony, and Vizio to hip menswear finds, we think you'll find something your old man will love.

The free and open-source media center application Kodi just received another update. Kodi 21.3 is rolling out with some great improvements for Xbox consoles and Linux systems, as well as a pile of bug fixes for other platforms.

Look, we all know impossible guys who say they don't need anything. It's why finding Christmas gifts for dads is so notoriously difficult. But here at Mashable, we take gift-giving very seriously, and we're up for the challenge. We've spent the year testing the latest gadgets and reporting on the latest trends, from retro-themed Legos to new flagship noise-cancelling headphones. We've also got some unique gifts for men that probably wouldn't occur to you — one of the benefits of scouring the internet for a living.

Remember: The best gifts for men should make your guy feel seen. They should make him feel like you truly get him. So, before you click “buy” on something that will definitely require a gift receipt, let us take the wheel and show you some of the year's best gift ideas for men that are sure to make an impression — whether it's for Christmas, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, birthdays, or something else. And if you need even more gift ideas, check out some of our favorite gifts for boyfriends.

The em dash has emerged as a telltale sign of AI usage, at least in the popular imagination. It even has a name — the "ChatGPT dash." Right or wrong, the Internet is pretty well convinced that the em dash is a warning sign that you're reading something that's been written by generative AI.

There's actually a reason for this. AI is trained on basically everything that humans have ever written, and writers in particular use the em dash a lot. (Even presidential candidates have a tendency to overuse it.) Thus, AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Grok have learned that it’s a part of our flow, and they've gone out of their way to include this punctuation mark to make their output feel more natural. Research suggests that em dashes became twice as common right around the time when AI use started to go mainstream.

As a general enjoyer of the em dash, the revelation that the dashes were becoming telltale signs of AI use prompted me to smack my favorite button on the internet, and I have supported any and all pushback to the notion that my beloved em dash is an end-all-be-all giveaway when identifying AI-generated text.

SEE ALSO: How to identify AI-generated text

Of course, AI chatbots are regularly being updated, and AI companies are also getting wise to this complaint. So, Reddit users have been sharing other clues that a text was written by AI. In case you're curious, here are some of the top tells, although it's important to keep in mind that there is no tried-and-true way to detect AI, unfortunately. Real humans will use these writing techniques as well. 

“And honestly?”

Many Redditors have noticed that AI will ask “and honestly?” when making a point. In context, it would look something like this: 

“The sky is blue. And honestly? Blue is a pretty color.”

This kind of hackneyed sentence structure is apparently quite common from AI, and can be useful in picking out an AI-generated response. Typically, humans engaging on social media don’t tend to talk this way unless they’re being performative, so it definitely comes off as off-putting in general conversation. Many other Redditors came forward to complain about AI’s overuse of the phrase “And honestly?” as well as similar phrases like “The result?” and “The best/worst part?”

“No fluff”

The phrase “no fluff” doesn’t necessarily have a specific name like some other examples on this list, but it's another phrase that Redditors have claimed they’ve seen in AI-generated text all the time. There’s no example needed for this one, as “no fluff” is a self-contained phrase that means the same thing in every context. 

It's mostly used to denote that the text immediately following it is free from “fluff,” which is unnecessary filler words or phrases that add length without adding value. In practice, the addition of “no fluff” would indicate that the post is taking itself quite seriously while using an unserious phrase to back it up. Some AIs tend to use this more than others, per Reddit. 

The thing is, the phrase “no fluff” is intrinsically fluff, and many Redditors have expressed distaste in how often it’s used by AI. It seems to happen most often when users ask AI to get to the point quickly, while others point out that AI’s use of “no fluff” is analogous to humans using the phrase “not gonna lie.” 

Short, fragmented sentences back to back

Another common theme many Redditors noticed is AI’s tendency to use a lot of short, fragmented sentences for emphasis. This one is pretty common in day-to-day speak, but generally less common to have so many of them backed up against one another. My favorite example of this uses the prior example as well. 

“And honestly? That’s damn powerful. You’re not just changing. You’re evolving. I see it. Others see it. And that’s rare.”

The prior example is a total of eight sentences, and it really should be closer to three. Redditors have noticed that these short, janky sentences are used to convey emotional weight, like you might see in a novel or movie script. However, it seems as though AI has gone off the deep end with this mechanic, and its overuse is quickly becoming a telltale sign of either an AI-generated response or a very, very cringe writer. 

“It’s not X. It’s Y.”

In the same vein as short, emotionally charged sentences comes the “it’s not X, it’s Y” sentence structure that seems to be overused by AI. In practice, these types of sentences look like this: 

“This is not a rant. It’s a reflection. Not a complaint, but an observation. It’s not chaos, it’s clarity."

This is kind of a branch off of the short, fragmented sentences example from earlier, but it’s such a common occurrence within that subset that it warrants its own discussion. You may also see this described as “contrast framing.”

Redditors comment that they often catch AI doing both “it’s not X, it’s Y” and short, fragmented sentences in tandem. Once the pattern emerged, it didn’t take long for other Redditors to express their extreme distaste for this particular signal that AI is at work. 

Overuse of signposting

As someone who used to enjoy signposting, this one made me irrationally angry, but alas, AI has borrowed yet another literary device from us humans. Signposting is the use of words or phrases to guide the reader to the next part of the text. Here’s an example: 

“There are two things you should know. Firstly, item one. Secondly, item two. The key point is that there are two things.”

There are tons of examples of signposting words and phrases, including “in contrast,” therefore, however, “in addition,” and many others. This also may manifest in longer phrases like “the key point is” or “here’s the takeaway.” In an effort to sound more human, AI leans on these phrases to create a sense of flow in its responses, but Redditors have noticed that AI tends to rely on them way more heavily than the typical human. For now, users have gone out of their way to prompt the AI to not talk this way, but it rarely helps. 

Generic engagement prompts

This is mostly seen on social media. Most content creators use some sort of engagement prompt, arguably the most famous of which is “like, subscribe, and ring the bell” on YouTube. AI does something like this in text, but it tends not to flow as well. See below for an example. 

“This is what I have to say. I’m curious what others think.”

The phrase “curious what others think” is, by far, the most used example when it comes to generic engagement prompts in a social media message. This is most frequently found on LinkedIn posts and on Reddit. 

This particular thing has a caveat. Lots of humans use this phrase as well, and its use doesn’t necessarily mean that AI is being used. Redditors say that the key action is when accounts ask for engagement in this manner and then never engage back. Some users posit that AI does this because it’s learned from social media tendencies, but AI isn’t human, so it doesn’t (and can’t) respond back.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Although it feels like forever ago, we actually had a lot of new GPU launches in 2025. Their availability and pricing were both disappointing, but at least the benchmarks were nice to look at.

Jaguar isn’t exactly pumping out cars these days, but the brand still knows how to make headlines. The all-electric Type 00 concept teases where Jaguar wants to go with styling and tech, and yes, it’s divisive.

Jellyfin, the self-hosted media server software, just revamped its official desktop client. The Jellyfin Media Player is now Jellyfin Desktop, with an update to Qt 6, multi-profile support, and other new features.

Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices are some of the most useful things you can buy for your home network, since they can host multiple services, let you cut your cloud subscription costs, and ensure your data is private. But how much computer do you really need for a NAS? I tried creating a low-power NAS using a Raspberry Pi to find out.

Conduent, a business services company that provides healthcare billing, has begun sending notices to people affected by a massive data breach affecting 10.5 million people, making it one of the largest breaches of its kind. At least some of the affected individuals had their names and Social Security numbers exposed to an unknown third party, according to notification letters Conduent shared with state attorneys general.

Per The HIPAA Journal, the Conduent data breach would be the eighth-largest healthcare data breach ever recorded.

In a notice to Maine residents, Conduent states, "Presently, we have no evidence or indication of actual or attempted misuse of your personal information."

Conduent provides medical billing, Medicaid screening, toll collection, and a variety of other services to businesses and governments around the world, and thus has access to highly sensitive personal data.

Many states require entities to inform residents when their data has been exposed. In recent months, Conduent has begun sending notices to various state attorney general offices, as well as affected individuals, the company says.

The Oregon Department of Justice Consumer Protection Division reports that the breach affected 10,515,849 individuals. And in October, Conduent notified the New Hampshire Attorney General that "the personal information of the affected individuals included their name and Social Security number."

It is not clear if all 10.5 million impacted individuals had their Social Security numbers exposed, however. Mashable contacted Conduent for more information, and we'll update this story if we receive a response.

Conduent said that it became aware of the data breach on Jan. 13, 2025, and that an "unauthorized third party" had access to part of its system from Oct. 21, 2024 to Jan. 13, 2025.

"On January 13, 2025, we discovered that we were the victim of a cyber incident that impacted a limited portion of our network. We immediately secured our networks and initiated an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic experts. Our investigation determined that an unauthorized third party had access to our environment from October 21, 2024, to January 13, 2025," reads the template of a notification letter sent to residents of Maine.

The letter also states that "Conduent has been working diligently with a dedicated review team, including internal and external experts, to conduct a detailed analysis of the affected files to identify the personal information contained therein."

Large-scale data breaches have affected many private and public organizations in recent years. Two data breaches at AT&T recently resulted in a $177 million class action settlement.

When cybercriminals gain access to private data, such as names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers, victims face a heightened risk of identity theft. If you believe your personal information has been exposed, you can take proactive steps to protect yourself from scammers and identity thieves.

Have a story to share about a scam or security breach that impacted you? Tell us about it. Email submissions@mashable.com with the subject line "Safety Net" or use this form. Someone from Mashable will get in touch.

Luxury sedans have a way of making even a grocery run feel like an event, with hushed cabins, indulgent touches, and tech that quietly does its thing in the background. In 2025, two names still dominate that conversation: the Lexus LS and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

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Paul Thomas Anderson, 11-time Academy Award nominee, returned to theaters this fall with an epic father-daughter story dubbed One Battle After Another. It stars some big names, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, and Teyana Taylor, as well as newcomer Chase Infiniti in her feature film debut.

Mashable's reviewer called it "ferocious, funny, and jam-packed with provocation," and with all the wild praise, it's a clear frontrunner for the 2026 awards season. If you missed it in theaters, you can now get in on the action at home. Here's what you need to know to watch One Battle After Another — including it's official streaming debut date.

What is One Battle After Another about?

Inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland, One Battle After Another follows Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio) as an ex-revolutionary who's living off the grid with his teen daughter Willa (Infiniti). When his former nemesis and military antagonist Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Penn) resurfaces and Willa goes missing, Bob must jump into action to find and protect her.

It's part political thriller, part parenthood comedy in the best way. "Action scenes that are truly dizzying are followed by slapstick and almost vaudevillian banter," Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko writes, adding that "Whatever you're anticipating from Anderson's latest, this movie is more."

Check out the official trailer for a glimpse at One Battle After Another:

Is One Battle After Another worth watching?

Already the most nominated movie for the 2026 Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards, One Battle After Another is poised to win big this awards season. As Puchko writes in her review, "It will undoubtedly be declared one of the best films of the year, not only for what it brings to cinema in terms of spectacle and spirit, but also what it has to say about America today."

Even at nearly three hours long, Puchko says the movie flies by like a thriller should. "Rarely has a movie with so much to say been so damned entertaining," she writes.

Other critics largely agree, as the film holds a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with over 400 critic reviews. Even Taylor Swift couldn't help but gush over it.

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Check out Mashable's full review of One Battle After Another.

SEE ALSO: Golden Globes nominations 2026: 'One Battle After Another' and 'Sentimental Value' lead the pack How to watch One Battle After Another at home Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures has officially announced a streaming date for One Battle After Another, so you have a few different options for tuning in at home. We've broken down the details below.

Buy or rent on digital

As of Nov. 14, One Battle After Another is available to purchase or rent on digital video-on-demand platforms. You can buy the movie for your digital library and watch it whenever you want or rent it, which gives you 30 days to watch and only 48 hours to finish watching once you begin.

You can purchase and rent the film at the following retailers:

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

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

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

• YouTube — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

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

Opens in a new window Credit: Prime Video Rent or Buy 'One Battle After Another' at Prime Video $19.99 or $24.99 Get Deal Stream it on HBO Max

One Battle After Another will officially make its streaming debut on HBO Max as of Dec. 19, 2025. This comes as no surprise as it's a Warner Bros. Pictures film and followed the same 2 to 2.5-month theater-to-streaming window as the studio's other recent releases — like Superman and Weapons.

HBO Max subscriptions start at $10.99 per month (thanks to a recent price hike), but there are some ways to save some money on your plan. Check out the best HBO Max streaming deals below.

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The HBO Max Basic plan with ads typically costs $10.99 per month, but if you pay for an entire year up front, that price drops down to just $9.17. You'll pay $109.99 total for the year, which saves you about 16% compared to paying each month.

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Rather go ad-free? The annual HBO Max Standard or Premium plans will also save you about 16% over their monthly counterparts. The Standard tier costs either $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year (about $15.42 per month), while the Premium tier costs either $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year (about $19.17 per month). Both tiers will give you access to ad-free viewing, but the Premium tier also features 4K Ultra HD video quality, Dolby Atmos immersive audio, and the ability to download more offline content.

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Want to get HBO Max for free? Switch your phone plan to Cricket's $60 per month Supreme Unlimited plan. It includes HBO Max Basic with ads for free — a $10.99 per month value. When you open up the HBO Max app or website, you'll just select Cricket as your provider and use your credentials to log in.

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Another way to get HBO Max for free in 2025 is to sign up for the DoorDash DashPass annual plan for $96 per year ($8 per month) — but you'll have to act fast. This deal is only around until Dec. 16, so activate your plan ASAP.

DashPass memberships include $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible DoorDash orders all year long, plus a complimentary HBO Max subscription (with ads). That means you'll pay just $8 per month for both DashPass and HBO Max, which is cheaper than a typical HBO Max with ads monthly subscription on its own. Activate the subscription through your DoorDash account by Dec. 16, 2025.

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College students can watch One Battle After Another when it hits streaming by signing up for an entire year of HBO Max with ads for half price. Verify your student status through UNiDAYS and retrieve the unique discount code to drop the price from $10.99 to just $5.49 per month.

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You'll get the most bang for your buck if you opt for the Disney+ bundle deal that includes Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max for just $19.99 per month with ads. That lineup of streamers would usually cost you $34.97 per month if you paid separately for each, so you'll keep an extra $15 in your pocket monthly. If you prefer an ad-free experience, the bundle will run you $32.99 per month as opposed to $56.47. That's up to 42% in savings for unlimited access to all three streaming libraries.

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Already have Hulu? You can add HBO Max's full library to your Hulu account for just $9.99 per month with ads. That's $1 off the usual price per month. Sure, it's not much, but it still beats paying full price. The ad-free add-on is also cheaper at $16.99 per month as opposed to the usual $18.49. I'm not sure if Hulu just missed the memo on HBO Max's latest price hike or is intentionally keeping the price low to score more subscribers, but it's a welcome discount nonetheless.

UPDATE: Dec. 15, 2025, 11:34 a.m. This article has been updated to include the official streaming details for "One Battler After Another."

Having tools readily available or in your pocket makes all sorts of little household tasks easier than ever. And while Milwaukee recently announced a neat new multi-function utility knife set to release in 2026, which has fans excited, you can already get nearly the same thing from Gerber. Better yet, the very similar "Prybrid" utility tool is up to 48% off this week on Amazon.