IT General

The internet is full of bad things — you might even posit, not entirely incorrectly, that it's become mostly bad things. But sometimes it sparks a bit of magical positivity. It actually can bring people together.

Take Buddies Coffee Roasters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Owner Rachel, TikTok handle @its.rachel.rose, posted about her business struggles. The nearly seven-minute video is worth watching in full, but she goes in depth about her difficulties — many of which are outside her control. Her lease is running out in a few months, and the rent is set to go up. A new, seemingly corporate-owned coffee shop is moving in next door. She's worked endlessly, with no financial backing, and still won't be able to make it work.

"Today, I just got word that I might not be able to stay in the same lease because of rent increase, which is the reality for so many people," she said in the TikTok. "But not only that, right next door to me they're putting [in] a coffee shop. And I don't know if I sound so stupid, crying and complaining. But it just feels like you just can't win. The small people can't win."

SEE ALSO: 'Ask an Axolotl' is TikTok's sweet, comforting viral ditty

It's emotional, and she sobs as she talks about her uncertain future. Rachel correctly pointed out that Williamsburg — before becoming a hipster haven turned uber-expensive luxury neighborhood — has a rich history of Puerto Rican residents. While some Puerto Rican mainstays remain — Buddies is actually just a couple blocks down from Toñita's, where Bad Bunny celebrated his recent album release — so much has disappeared. Rachel described being proud to open a new Puerto Rican-owned business in Williamsburg. 

"I won't regret posting this. It's important to see raw emotion," she said. "It's important to see... what people push through, what people have to deal with, why native New Yorkers roll their eyes at gentrification."

The TikTok took off. Her raw honesty resonated, especially with New Yorkers. It's racked up more than 3 million views. It seems like every TikTokker in New York City is posting about it. Hell, Joe Jonas commented, showed up, and posted about going to Buddies. The line was out the door just a day later.

So many people had placed online orders that Buddies' website had a pop-up notice that shipping might take longer than usual.

Soon enough, Rachel posted a thank-you for all the support, noting that "vulnerability is power." Her tearful message certainly generated a response. (Mashable reached out to Buddies and will update if we receive a response.)

It's unclear what Buddies' future might look like — but for now the present is lots and lots of business. And the internet actually did something good.

Just got a new Chromebook? How you set it up can greatly impact its speed, security, and overall usability. So, you must configure it properly to get the best experience. If you're going to be using ChromeOS for the first time, here are a few steps you should follow once you unbox your device.

Apple is building new systems to encourage the use of parental controls on iOS. Interestingly, these systems are skewed toward privacy and make an effort to hide children's birth dates from app developers.

Microsoft's Copilot integration has mostly been reserved for Windows computers until now. If you have a Mac and you want a way to interact with Copilot that's not just the web version, this official app might just be what you need.

TL;DR: Harness the power of AI and get this lifetime subscription to the AI MagicX Rune Plan on sale for A$102 (reg. A$1,530) using coupon code MAGIC35 for a limited time.

Ever thought about having your own virtual assistant that would do whatever you wanted it to? While we're not offering an assistant that can fold your laundry and do your dishes (yet!), there is a great deal available on a helpful AI generator and editor by AI MagicX.

Imagine having a powerful AI tool at your fingertips that can generate high-quality text, stunning visuals, and professional designs with just a few clicks. Now you can with lifetime access to AI MagicX, on sale for A$102. No more staring at a blank screen or struggling with design software.

AI-powered services you can use:

• AI Logo Designer

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What sets MagicX apart is its user-friendly interface and advanced capabilities. With this tool, you can easily and quickly create engaging blog posts, chat bots, social media content, marketing materials, and so much more. The AI-powered editor ensures that your content is not only visually appealing but also grammatically correct. You can use the design features to create stunning graphics and layouts without needing any prior experience.

Save time and let AI figure it out for you. 

Score this great price on a lifetime subscription to AI MagicX Rune Plan on sale for only A$102 (reg. A$1,530) using coupon code MAGIC35 through 30 March at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: AI Magicx AI Magicx: Lifetime Subscription (Rune Plan) A$102.00 at the Mashable Shop
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A new Google app automatically installed on Androids has users outraged about the invasion of privacy, but don't worry, it can be uninstalled.

ZDNET, which first picked up on the chatter online, reports that the app SafetyCore, designed to protect sensitive content on users' phones, also scans their entire photo gallery. The tool was introduced in October as part of its latest system update and has been gradually rolling out to users, which is why they have begun to notice it now. 

Tweet may have been deleted

The feature in question on the app is called Sensitive Content Warnings for Google Messages. It's an "optional feature that blurs images that may contain nudity before viewing, and then prompts with a 'speed bump' that contains help-finding resources and options, including to view the content," according to a description in the Google Security blog.

"When the feature is enabled, and an image that may contain nudity is about to be sent or forwarded, it also provides a speed bump to remind users of the risks of sending nude imagery and preventing accidental shares."

However, for the feature to scan for nudes, it must access the nudes along with the rest of your photos. Google stressed that the scanning only happens on-device, and message contents are end-to-end encrypted. "Sensitive Content Warnings doesn’t allow Google access to the contents of your images, nor does Google know that nudity may have been detected," the description added.

Despite assurances that Sensitive Content Warnings is safe and private, users remain skeptical since Google installed the SafetyCore app without their knowledge, and it runs silently in the background without explicit user consent, so users wouldn't even know that they need to disable or uninstall anything. As one Redditor said, "Silently installed itself in the background and scans all your data. If you take the name Google out of the equation, this is textbook malware behavior." And the reviews on the Google Play store are similarly scathing.

How to uninstall SafetyCore

Don't worry, you can uninstall SafetyCore. Here's how:

• Go to Settings > Apps

• Select "See all apps" and then select "Show system apps" under the three dot menu

• Scroll to find SafetyCore

• When you find the app, tap Uninstall. As ZDNET notes, this option may be grayed out, in which case you can only disable it.

Passwords are a pain. Secure passwords need to be unique, complex, and are difficult to remember. Even the best passwords can still be leaked or phished, leading to account takeovers. Passkeys are supposed to solve all of these problems, but do they, and are they worth the time to set up?

The team behind Minigalaxy, a custom Good Old Games (GOG) client for Linux, has dropped a new update with a number of tweaks and an upgrade to the Windows game installation experience.

Car depreciation is unavoidable. Sports cars lose 56% of their value over five years, and it's even worse for electric vehicles. We've already seen some of the worst depreciating EVs drop over half of their value after one year, and now we're finding out which depreciate the most after two years. While there are some overlaps from the one-year list, there are surprising new entries below.

You don't need to follow the numbers to know there has been a surge in SUVs over the past decade. Over 15.8 million new vehicles were registered in 2024, according to Edmunds, with SUVs making up 81% of all sales. We've reviewed the final figures from automakers to find the ten best-selling SUVs of 2024.

Framework has branched out. The company made some of the most interesting laptops we've seen, but it has now also announced the release of a desktop computer. We had our doubts about how upgradeable this computer might actually be, but an early teardown suggests there's more than what Framework let us on initially.

A set of new PC fans can markedly improve the level of airflow inside your PC case, resulting in lower CPU and GPU thermals. RGB case fans can improve airflow, give your PC a facelift, and turn it into a proper light show of a gaming PC.

There’s one problem that has followed Android around from the beginning: long-term software support. Only in the last few years has it considerably improved, but Google and Qualcomm are working together to make it even better.

UPDATE: Feb. 27, 2025, 11:46 a.m. EST This article has been updated with the latest details on streaming the Best Picture nominees, as well as who is presenting and performing at this year's Oscars ceremony.

The best deals for watching the Oscars live without cable: BEST OVERALL Hulu with ads annual subscription $99.99 per year (save 16%) Get Deal BEST BUNDLE DEAL Hulu and Disney+ with ads $10.99 per month (save 45%) Get Deal BEST FOR STUDENTS Hulu Student $1.99 per month (save 80%) Get Deal BEST WAY TO GET HULU FOR FREE Hulu with ads Free for select T-Mobile customers (save $9.99 per month) Get Deal BEST LIVE TV STREAMING DEAL YouTube TV free 21-day trial, then $69.99 per month for 6 months (save $78) Get Deal MOST AFFORDABLE LIVE TV STREAMING SERVICE Sling Blue $23 for your first month, then $45.99 per month (save $22.99) Get Deal

After another year of movie magic, the 97th Academy Awards are upon us. On March 2, Hollywood will honor the films that outshined the rest. The one and only Conan O’Brien is set to host the Oscars ceremony, with many of your favorites from years past presenting the biggest awards of the night.

Want to see who takes home the titles of Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, and more? Here's everything you need to know to tune into the ceremony live — with or without cable.

When are the 2025 Oscars?

The 97th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 2, 2025, and will air live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and Hulu, with the pre-show airing ahead of it at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Who are this year's Oscar nominees?

Emilia Pérez leads this year's Oscars with a baker's dozen nominations, including nods for Best Picture, Best Director, Lead Actress, and Supporting Actress. The Brutalist and Wicked follow with 10 nominations apiece, while Conclave and A Complete Unknown earned eight each.

Each year there are just as many snubs as there are surprises, and this year is no different. For instance, we were astonished that Challengers — one of Mashable's favorite movies of 2024 — came up totally empty with zero nominations. Other hopefuls like Babygirl and Queer also came up empty.

See a full list of the 2025 Oscar nominations below in the FAQ section of this story.

How can I watch the Oscar nominees for Best Picture?

Want to get up to date on the best films of the year (at least by the Academy's standards) ahead of the ceremony? As usual, you're going to need a lot of streaming services. Dune: Part Two and Emilia Pérez are both streaming on Netflix. Conclave is streaming on Peacock, Nickel Boys is coming soon to MGM+, and The Substance is on Mubi. Anora, Wicked, A Complete Unknown, and The Brutalist are currently only availably to rent or purchase on digital, although Anora is set to make its streaming debut on Hulu on March 17 and Wicked is set to stream on Peacock on March 21. I'm Still Here is still in theaters and can be pre-ordered on digital.

Learn more in our guide of the best ways to watch all 10.

How to watch the Oscars live without cable in 2025

For those with cable or over-the-air TV, you can tune your TV to your local ABC station or watch online via ABC.com or the ABC app by logging in through your pay TV service provider. No cable access? No worries; This year, the awards will simultaneously stream on Hulu for subscribers. This is the first time the Oscars will be available to stream live.

You also have the option of signing up for a live TV streaming service to catch the Oscars live. These services essentially act as cable alternatives, allowing you live access to a well-rounded channel selection via your internet connection (rather than a cable connection). They're contract-free and often offer trials to test them out. That means you could very well watch the Oscars live for free, then cancel before being charged. But we'll leave the nitty gritty details up to you. Here are the best options (and deals) to watch.

Hulu streaming deals

Hulu is one of the most generous (if not the most generous) streamers in that it offers new and eligible returning subscribers a free 30-day trial. That means you can easily sign up and watch the Oscars for free during that time period. If you don't qualify for the free trial, we've also rounded up a few ways to save some money on your subscription.

Best Hulu deal for most people: Save 16% on a Hulu (with ads) annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu with ads annual subscription $99.99 per year (save 16%) Get Deal

The best way to cut the cost of a Hulu subscription is to sign up for an annual plan with ads. You'll have to endure a few interruptions in your content and pay upfront, but it'll save you 16% or just shy of $20 in the course of a year. A yearly subscription costs $99.99 (or $8.33 broken down monthly), while a $9.99 monthly plan would add up to $119.88 in a year. If you want to cut ties with ads, the price jumps to $18.99 per month and there's no annual offer available at this time.

Best bundle deal: Get Hulu and Disney+ for 45% off Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu / Disney Hulu and Disney+ $10.99 per month (save 45%) Get Deal

Bundling services is the best way to save money on streaming in 2025. The Disney Duo Basic bundle, which gets you both Disney+ and Hulu (with ads), is only $10.99 per month. That's only $1 more than paying for Disney+ alone or a savings of 45% overall. Sports fans can also throw ESPN+ into the mix for just $16.99 per month total — a savings of 47% on all three.

Best for students: Save 80% with Hulu Student Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu Student $1.99 per month Get Deal

Students can sign up for Hulu for only $1.99 per month and stream the Academy Awards live. That's 80% off the usual cost of a Hulu with ads plan. The only requirement is that you can verify your college email address using SheerID.

Best for T-Mobile users: Hulu (with ads) included for Go5G Next customers Opens in a new window Credit: T-Mobile / Hulu Hulu with ads Free for select T-Mobile customers Get Deal

Aside from a 30-day free trial, the only other way to get Hulu for free in 2025 is by switching your phone plan to T-Mobile's Go5G Next plan. Customers on this plan can enjoy Hulu with ads for free, as well as Netflix and Apple TV+.

Already on the Go5G Next plan? Just head on over to the T-Mobile promo page and choose "redeem now" to claim the offer. You'll need to enter your T-Mobile account details in order to sign up for Hulu.

Live TV streaming deals

If you prefer a cable alternative, which will give you access to your local ABC station as well as hundreds of other live channels, there are a few live TV streaming services we recommend. And many of them offer free trials and introductory pricing. Here are a couple options to choose from.

Best introductory offer: YouTube TV Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube YouTube TV 21-day free trial, then $69.99/mo for your first 6 months (save $78) Get Deal

YouTube TV's base plan includes over 100 live channels, including your local ABC network. You'll also get unlimited DVR space, three simultaneous streams, and up to six individual accounts with personalized recommendations. For a limited time, you can get a free 21-day trial to test the waters. Then, your first six months will cost just $69.99 per month instead of the usual $82.99 per month.

Most affordable overall: Sling TV (only for select areas) Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Blue package $23 for your first month, then $45.99 per month Get Deal

Sling's a la carte setup and affordable pricing make it a huge competitor in the live TV streaming market. You can pick your package and channels depending on what you actually want to watch. In order to watch the Oscars, you'll need access to ABC, which is included in Sling's Blue base package. Unfortunately, since ABC is a local network, it's only available in some local markets. Check to see if your local market includes ABC before you pull the trigger — Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, and more are included. Typically, Sling's base package costs $45.99 per month, but with the current introductory offer, you'll pay just $23 for your first month.

Honorable mention: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV free 7-day trial, $59.99 for your first month Get Deal

FuboTV offers seven-day trials to newbies, giving you the ability to watch the Oscars on your local ABC station for free. You'll get access to over 200 other networks, as well as unlimited cloud DVR, and up to 10 different screens. After your trial, the cost for your first month is $59.99 ($84.99 per month thereafter).

Among massive shifts in Meta's policies, the company said on Thursday that it fixed an error that resulted in a flood of violent and graphic content on some users' Instagram Reels pages.

"We have fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram Reels feed that should not have been recommended. We apologize for the mistake," a Meta spokesperson told CNBC.

SEE ALSO: Leftist meme creators are undeterred by Meta’s rightward shift

The aforementioned content, according to one Reddit user, was a stream of Reels videos "full of street fights, school shootings, murder, and gore accidents." Another user on Reddit described a feed that switched from "planes, watches, miniature painting, and cats" to "body horror and videos with descriptions in Russian."

In a different Reddit post about Meta's apology, the comments section is flooded with posts blaming AI, Meta's recent layoffs, and misguided policy changes. One user commented, "Okay Meta but I saw a guy get executed." Another user said they were done with Instagram altogether after the platform's error. "I’m still not going back after their 'mistake' decided to show me child p*rn as soon as I opened the app. Never again."

SEE ALSO: Meta offering 200 percent bonuses to execs after laying off thousands

While Meta allows some graphic content on its site, its guidelines say it protects users from prohibited content like "videos depicting dismemberment, visible innards or charred bodies" and "imagery depicting the suffering of humans and animals."

This comes just a few weeks after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg eliminated fact-checkers in favor of community notes, lifted prohibitions on certain forms of hate speech, scrapped DEI initiatives, removed trans-inclusive features from its apps, and reinstated political content recommendations. As CNBC pointed out, in 2022 and 2023, Meta cut 21,000 employees, many of which were part of its civic integrity and trust and safety teams.

Amazon stole the show with its Alexa+ AI announcements on Wednesday, but OpenAI isn't waiting around for another chance in the spotlight.

The company behind ChatGPT announced on X on that it would livestream...something at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. The livestream will be...somewhere, presumably, at that time. The tweet features zero other usable information of any sort, like a link or even a reference to which website the stream will be on. It could be on OpenAI's X account, or OpenAI's website, or maybe even OpenAI's YouTube page. None of them say anything about an upcoming livestream at the time of writing.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI GPT-4.5 launch imminent, report suggests. What we know. Tweet may have been deleted

We actually have more information about what might be in this mystery livestream than we do about where to watch it. Various reports point to OpenAI announcing GPT-4.5 imminently.

Apple's PowerBeats Pro 2 offer a landmark feature—heart rate monitoring. Unfortunately, early reviews show that this feature is flawed in ways that may not be resolved through firmware updates.

SAVE $580: The DJI Power 1000 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $419 with the on-page coupon, down from the usual price of $999. That's a 58% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Power 1000 portable power station $419.00 at Amazon
$999.00 Save $580.00 with on-page coupon Get Deal

Surprise power outages can be rough. Instead of going without power during a storm, or even while out camping, get a great deal at Amazon on a portable power station that can charge all your devices.

As of Feb. 27, the DJI Power 1000 portable power station is on sale for just $419, down from the usual price of $999, with an on-page coupon at Amazon. That's a major 58% discount that'll save you $580 on the power station.

SEE ALSO: Grab the EcoFlow Delta 2 portable power station for 59% off and stay charged up anywhere

The DJI Power 1000 focuses on ultimate convenience when you're not connected to power. It comes with high-capacity stable output of 2,200 watts with peak output getting up to 4,400 watts.

In real-life terms, when on the go, DJI says the Power 1000 is capable of recharging a mobile phone 57 times, or keeping a car refrigerator powered for 19 hours. If you're using the DJI Power 1000 as a home backup, it'll keep the refrigerator on for about 45 hours, a lamp for 93 hours, and a WiFi router for almost 77 hours.

The convenience also extends to the charging ports with two USB-A, two USB-C, and two AC ports. The DJI Power 1000 is also compatible with solar power, coming with one SDC port and one SDC lite port.

Once you're back connected to the power grid, the DJI Power 1000 will take just 70 minutes to get back to 100% if the battery has run dry. Getting to 80% power takes only 50 minutes.

If you'll be heading on outdoor adventures that won't keep you in normal power grid range, the DJI Power 1000 is the perfect way to keep charged up. Thanks to today's deal at Amazon, the portable power station is on sale for under $420. The convenience that staying powered up affords is pretty close to priceless.

TP-Link has released the Archer GE650, a tri-band gaming router that uses Wi-Fi 7 technology. It's on the cheaper side compared to other gaming routers, but it does offer a lot for the price.

The Windows Settings app is great, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming because of the number of options it offers. To make things easier for me, I installed Wintoys, which is my go-to platform for uninstalling apps, fixing performance issues, and making tweaks to my computer.