IT General

On occasion, you might have seen a red warning from your internet browser when it blocks access to a potentially harmful website. Blocks like those are only one of the many, many security measures modern browsers have in place to keep you safe online.

Wisconsin Democrats have introduced a bill looking to crack down on soaring ticket prices, and, of course, they've named the legislation in honor of Taylor Swift.

The bill, officially called the "Stop Wildly Inflated Fees and Ticketing Industry Exploitation" act, was introduced earlier this week just before the release of Swift's new, somewhat divisive album, The Life of a Showgirl. The legislation would institute "requirements for sellers and resellers for price disclosure, refunds and ticket transferability, along with rules for acquiring and advertising tickets for resale," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

"Live events are one of the great joys of life. If you are a fan, you deserve to go see your favorite artist or sporting event without being exploited by unscrupulous scalpers, third-party bot farms that drive up prices, and other practices that exploit fans, venues, and artists," said Wisconsin State Sen. Kelda Roys — the lawmaker who introduced the legislation, in an Instagram Reel.

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Roys mentioned how expensive Swift's last tour proved to be for fans. However, if you ask the head of Ticketmaster, concert tickets are actually underpriced.

As we covered at Mashable, LiveNation/Ticketmaster CEO Michael Rapino said, "The concert is underpriced and has been for a long time."

Rapino argued that sports can actually be more expensive. But an average fan of any big musician knows how expensive concerts can be, too.

Python has some wonderful libraries for statistical analysis, but they might be overkill for simple tasks. The built-in statistics library might be what you want instead. Here are some things you can do with it. You don't have to remember complicated formulas or look through tables anymore.

The cp command on Linux has some cool options that extend its usage. Most users only do vanilla copying and never bother to explore the flags that come with it. After trying out a few, I realized that there are some flags that I keep using for a better experience.

If you have to sleep, you’re never safe from Freddy Krueger. He was unlike any previous slasher villain for his ability to slaughter teenagers in their dreams. While there might be places to run from other horror villains like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, there’s no escaping Freddy's domain, where he has a frightening level of imagination to toy with his victims.

Is your Netflix watch list looking a little dry after the September high of new releases? With the new month comes newer, exciting titles, as Netflix has lined up a string of new releases for October.

Recently, as I was editing an article, I noticed an accent over an “a” that definitely shouldn’t have been there. I backspaced to no avail and even went so far as to make sure my Spanish keyboard wasn’t turned on by mistake. Turns out it was a fleck of dust or dirt, which is how I knew it was time to clean my laptop screen.

As with most valuable tech devices, there is a right and a wrong way to clean your laptop screen. So, here’s the 411 on exactly how to clean your laptop screen so you’re left with a shiny, sparkly, and almost-new-looking screen.

First off, you definitely shouldn't just pull your sweatshirt sleeve down over your hand and wipe away. That’s totally not what I did when dust was conspiring against my latest writing assignment. “I always use a microfiber cloth with a small amount of a very gentle chemical that specifically states it is 'LCD safe,'" says Pedro Serrano, senior technician at New York Computer Repair. "The number one step is to power off the device before you clean the screen with the cloth.” He recommends you clean your screen with gentle circular strokes and wait for it to dry completely before turning the device back on. 

“I would never use any towels or anything abrasive like regular towels, paper towels, or toilet paper,” Serrano adds. Paper towels and tissues can come apart and leave debris behind on the screen.

And while Serrano's advice covers most LCD and LED screens, we also have some extra advice for OLED displays, which come with some newer laptops. Our advice will also apply to smartphones and similar gadgets with displays.

How to clean your laptop screen1. Shut down your device completely

Serrano added that even though the cleaning solutions may be safe for your screen, absolutely no liquid should be near a running laptop. If it gets near on the hardware while it is running, it could break or damage your device.

2. Use a screen-safe microfiber cloth and an LCD-safe solvent

You don’t want to use anything too harsh, according to Serrano. Even something like a glass cleaner (for example, Windex) can leave rainbow-like stains that could be permanent. For OLED displays, which tend to be more sensitive, MSI specifically recommends using a microfiber cloth and 70 percent ethanol solution.

3. Gently wipe your screen in a circular motion and leave it to dry completely before turning it back on

Serrano stressed that you should use a very small amount of the cleaning solution and let it dry before you return to using your device so that you protect it from any potential damage.

What to avoid when cleaning your laptop screen

Always avoid the following cleaning products:

• Paper towels, toilet paper, or tissues

• Regular towels or cloth fabric (such as your own shirt sleeve)

• Harsh cleaning chemicals with ammonia or bleach 

• Excessive amounts of liquid that could leave drips behind

• Window cleaner

• Dish soap (or soap of any kind)

• Makeup remover

Finally, here are some of our tech reporters' favorite products for cleaning laptop screens safely:

Best products for cleaning your laptop screen EDITOR'S PICK OXO Good Grips Sweep & Swipe Laptop Cleaner $11.99 (save $3) Shop Now EDITOR'S PICK Pristine Screen 4-pack $17.98 (save $12.02) Get Deal Screen Cleaner Spray Kit $7.99 Shop Now MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloths 2-Pack $6.98 (save $3.01) Get Deal YTT Touchscreen Mist Cleaner $6.99 (save $1) Shop Now WHOOSH! Screen Shine Duo $17.99 (save $2) Shop Now Windex Electronic Cleaning Wipes $4.77 Shop Now Fintie Screen Cleaning Pad $8.99 Shop Now

There are many horror sub-genres, but cosmic horror is one of the most fascinating. Mixing in science fiction and monster elements, the terror from the skies can take many forms. Sometimes a strange force threatens our realm, and other times we stumble upon it when venturing across the stars.

Xbox is planning to add a free, ad-supported tier to its cloud gaming service. That means you should be able to stream certain games without paying.

The Verge broke the news, citing sources familiar with Microsoft's plans. The tech site reported that Microsoft was getting ready to announce the news and had been testing ad-supported gaming internally. The ads would reportedly take the form of a two-minute pre-roll before playing, and there may be limits on how long games could stream.

Wrote The Verge:

"I understand that the free ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming will include the ability to stream some games you own, as well as eligible Free Play Days titles, which let Xbox players try games over a weekend. You’ll also be able to stream Xbox Retro Classics games."

SEE ALSO: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is about to cost more — here's how to lock in a better price

Xbox Cloud Gaming is a key offering from Microsoft and allows gamers to stream with certain Game Pass subscriptions. The company recently instituted a price hike — like everything else these days, it seems — pushing Xbox GamePass Ultimate up 50 percent to $29.99 per month.

Whether you're building your own PC or just trying to save as many cents as possible on your power bill each month, there are many areas in which your computer may be unnecessarily drawing power. Follow these tips, and you can tone that power draw back as much as possible.

Samsung makes incredible phones I've enjoyed for years, but I recently switched from my Samsung Galaxy S25+ to the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. And while I'm currently loving this phone and being on team Pixel, there are several aspects I miss about my Samsung Galaxy and One UI.

Desktop upgrades are usually either expensive, underwhelming, or both. It’s easy to spend a fortune on some piece of equipment, only to realize later that it’s completely useless. However, with this particular gadget, the opposite is true—it’s both cheap and incredibly effective.

The vi editor is confusing if you're not used to it. It takes a secret handshake to escape this application if you've stumbled into it. Here's how to quit vi or vim on Linux, macOS, or any other Unix-like system.

Remakes tend to get a bad rap for being seen as lazy and/or safe retreads of the familiar. If you’ve already seen a story, what’s the point of seeing it again with different forces trying to make the same movie? While plenty of remakes undoubtedly fit that description, there are just as many that offer a refreshing revision instead of a reprisal.

This was another busy week in tech, with Google and Amazon revealing new smart home devices, the arrival of Windows 11 25H2, a big update for Raspberry Pi computers, and much more. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed.

Sometimes you want to get more out of streaming television than an enthralling story and a mindless time-waster of game shows and reality competition. Sometimes you want to learn something to understand the world better. We have a wealth of media at our fingertips, and we should be getting more out of it besides a few gasps and laughs.

The seq command is far more than a simple number printer. It's a fundamental building block you can use for creating test files, controlling loops, performing network scans, and running mathematical calculations. Here are some common ways to use the seq command.

Whether you're trying to cut back on subscription fees, avoid auto-renewal after a free 30-day trial, or align your spending more closely with your values, there are tons of reasons you may want to cancel Amazon Prime. We totally get it and make no judgments.

Of course, you might want to keep your Prime membership for October Prime Day (aka Prime Big Deal Days), since Prime members have exclusive access to most of the deals during the shopping event. The fall shopping event falls on Oct. 7 and 8 and promises millions of deals across categories, giving customers a head start on holiday shopping.

Nevertheless, here's a step-by-step guide on how to bid Bezos goodbye if and when the time comes to cut ties with the mega retailer. Trust us; it's not as straightforward as it should be.

How to cancel your Amazon Prime membership in the Amazon app

The process for canceling your Prime subscription via the Amazon app is the same on both iOS and Android.

Total Time

• 2 min

What You Need

• Smartphone
• Amazon mobile app

Step 1: Open the app and tap the middle button at the bottom (it should look like a person).

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 2: Tap "Your Account."

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 3: Scroll down through the list of options to "Manage Prime Membership" (under "Account Settings").

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 4: Hit "Manage membership" at the top of the page.

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 5: Tap "Manage Membership (Update, cancel and more)."

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 6: Tap "End membership."

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 7: Review how many days are left in your current Prime billing cycle. Scroll all the way down to "Continue to cancel."

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 8: Confirm your cancellation by clicking the yellow button that says "End on [date]."

Your membership will officially end once your current billing cycle is over.

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon How to cancel your Amazon Prime membership on desktop Total Time

• 2 min

What You Need

• Laptop or desktop

Step 1: Log in to your Amazon account on your browser. Hover over "Accounts & Lists" in the upper right hand corner. In the menu of options, click "Prime Membership."

You'll pull up your personal Prime membership page with a collection of plan benefits and options.

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 2: Click "Manage Membership" in the top right-hand corner. Click "End Membership."

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 3: Review how many days are left in your current Prime billing cycle. Click the yellow button on the lower-right side of the page that says "Continue to cancel."

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Step 4: Confirm your cancellation by clicking the yellow button that says "End on [date]."

Your membership will officially end once your current billing cycle is over.

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

I’ve been collecting digital media for decades, be it movies, TV shows, MP3s ripped from a few hundred of my old CDs, and more videos and pictures than I care to acknowledge. Between my wife and I, we’ve gone through nearly twenty phones over the years, and each one has left a trail of videos, photos and clips that I would prefer not to lose. All of this has left me with messy, undocumented archives scattered across PCs and hard drives. What I really want is one clean, intuitive hub I can share with family, something that feels like Netflix, not a jumble of random folders. That’s where Plex comes in.

This week, OpenAI finally released Sora 2, the highly anticipated follow-up to its generative AI video model. OpenAI launched Sora 2 in a standalone iOS app (sorry, Android users), which is currently available for free on an invite-only basis. Because we didn't have enough slop machines.

I managed to get a Sora 2 invite code, and I've been scrolling through the app and making videos ever since (and getting paid to do it).

My first impressions are a bit complicated. The technology is impressive, certainly. And I had some fun scrolling through the app, but just as often, I found content that left me feeling uneasy.

What is Sora 2?

Sora 2 is a new video generation model and app from OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. Sora 2 can make videos (with corresponding dialogue and audio) based on natural language prompts. It's the first true rival to Google's Veo 3 AI video maker, which has been in a league of its own since its launch earlier this year. I don't even want to mention Meta's lackluster Llama or Grok Imagine video tools in the same sentence as these apps, though Meta should get a boost now that it's licensing Midjourney technology.

The invite-only screen... Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora ...and what awaits you on the other side. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

Using Veo 3 for the first time was one of those crossing-the-rubicon moments for me. The level of realism was equally impressive and horrifying. Sora 2 feels the same way. Like Veo 3, it's mostly being used to make viral meme content and short-form videos like you'd see on TikTok. Videos of a Golden Retriever being arrested for shoplifting steaks at the grocery store, or an emotional support kangaroo being stopped at the airport, seem cute, not sinister.

But Sora 2's potential for harm has a 1:1 relationship with its quality. The better and more realistic the videos are (and some of them are very good, and often realistic), the more I worry about deepfakes and misinformation.

Sora 2 has much better safeguarding than Grok Sora will reject prompts for overtly sexual videos. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora Sora makes it easy to report offensive content. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

When xAI and Elon Musk launched Grok Imagine, a generative AI image and video generator, I was, frankly, horrified by the lack of safeguarding. Musk has pitched xAI and Grok as the politically incorrect alternative to artificial intelligence apps that are, he says, bogged down with liberal bias. Grok also has a much more laissez-faire approach to content moderation and safety, resulting in sexual deepfakes on Grok Imagine.

On the other hand, OpenAI has implemented much saner safeguards for Sora 2. If you upload an image to serve as the inspiration for a video, the app will reject your image if it detects a face — any face.

A screenshot of the Sora app showing a rejected photo, partially censored by Mashable. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

If you want to create a video featuring a real person, you have to use the Cameos feature. This feature lets you create videos with the likeness of specific people — as long as they've agreed to participate in the feature.

When I tried to create videos of public figures like, say, Taylor Swift, using common jailbreaking techniques, the app refused to make the video. Needless to say, this is not the blonde showgirl I had in mind.

Cameos tool is cool and unnerving

Cameos are the most famous feature of the new Sora app so far. When you get access to the app, the first thing you have to do is opt in or out of the Cameos tool, which allows your likeness to be used in videos on the app. You can give yourself the ability to make videos of yourself, but also grant access to contacts, specific users, or the public.

The Cameos tool in Sora. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

Cameos has resulted in a flood of videos featuring the likeness of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Cameos is a clever way to circumvent the deepfake problem by letting users essentially opt in to deepfakes.

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I created a video of myself, and it was weird. Sora didn't get my voice right, but my face, body, hair, and general likeness were spot on. Seeing yourself say and do things you've never said or done is a very strange feeling.

Unfortunately, you may need to get used to that feeling — as AI enthusiasts are fond of saying, it's a new era.

Sora 2 and Veo 3 are in a league of two

A lot of generative AI tools can animate photographs, but few can make realistic videos with corresponding dialogue and sound effects. Sora 2 does this easily, like Veo 3 before it. We'll have a more in-depth comparison of Sora 2 and Veo 3 coming soon. In the meantime, I'll just say Sora 2 lives up to the hype in ways that GPT-5 did not.

The Sora app can make videos in a variety of styles — fake police body-cam videos, '90s TV commercials, music videos, sports broadcasts — that don't immediately look like AI videos at all.

SEE ALSO: Sora 2 app: 7 weird AI videos people have already made with the new OpenAI tool Sora 2 seems to play fast and loose with intellectual property

Mashable has written extensively about the fight between artists and IP holders and the AI industry. AI companies like Meta have won some early victories in these fights, and President Donald Trump's executive orders and comments on the topic have favored the AI industry.

"You can't be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book, or anything else that you've read or studied, you're supposed to pay for," Trump said when announcing The White House's AI Action Plan this summer, per Politico. "We appreciate that, but just can't do it — because it's not doable."

Pokemon in the style of 'The Breath of the Wild'. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora SpongeBob and Patrick in 'Midsommar' by A24. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

Obviously, many artists and rights holders strongly disagree. Disney lawyers famously called Midjourney a "bottomless pit of plagiarism" in its lawsuit against the AI company. But, for now, the federal government seems to be clearing the way for companies like OpenAI to use IP with impunity, lest China gain the edge in the AI arms race.

So, unless Disney or Warner Bros. suddenly scores a surprise legal victory, I'd expect the SpongeBob Squarepants, Star Wars, and Rick & Morty AI videos to keep spreading like meme-fueled wildfire. Mashable asked OpenAI if the company had a licensing agreement with Warner Bros., which owns the rights to Rick & Morty, but the company declined to answer.

Deepfakes and memes as far as the eye can scroll

There are some recurring themes in the Sora app. Users seem to be turning Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" and JFK's "Ask not what your country" speeches into video memes. A representative example: "I have a dream that Xbox Game Pass will not raise prices." Did I laugh the first time I heard Martin Luther King Jr. say, "I have a dream that I'm never going to give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you"? I may have chuckled. But I wish I hadn't.

I also saw a lot of SpongeBob memes in particular, and to a lesser extent, various riffs on Rick & Morty and Pokémon. That could be because a lot of millennials are using Sora, and millennials hold SpongeBob Squarepants and Pokémon in a special place in their hearts.

Screenshot of Sora app with user details blurred out. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora Screenshot of Sora app with user details blurred out. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora

Public figures and beloved TV characters have always been fodder for memes. What's novel here is the ability to easily create videos featuring these figures saying whatever you want. In my experience, Google Veo 3 is more sensitive to prompts involving IP.

How could this be problematic? With Elon Musk currently leading a Netflix boycott over transgender characters in children's TV shows, now anyone can make a realistic video featuring characters saying whatever they want. It could be a powerful tool for outrage farmers.

So, it's once again time to practice media literacy and hone your ability to identify viral AI videos.

I reached out to OpenAI for comment, and a company representative said that Sora was built to provide users with as much creative freedom as it could. The rep also said that IP holders can submit takedown requests through the company's Copyright Disputes form; however, there is not a blanket opt out for IP holders.

SEE ALSO: How to identify AI-generated videos online "We're under heavy load, please try again later."

For early users, expect to see this message a lot. As when OpenAI first integrated image generation into ChatGPT, the company is facing extremely high demand for Sora. I don't expect that to change any time soon. I repeatedly received this error message while testing the app. In fact, it was hard to use up all my credits due to this frequent error.

Sora app with error message: 'We're under heavy load, please try again later' Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora My favorite feature so far

In the Sora feed, you can scroll up or down to find new videos, which is typical. However, on some videos, you can also scroll sideways to see alternative versions of the users' posts. This video album feature lets you see how the video turned out with slight tweaks to the prompt, which is pretty darn cool.

Body cam-style AI video of dogs shoplifting. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora "Make it a pitbull cops treat him a lot worse because of his breed" Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Sora It's a little addicting

Finally, I have to admit that Sora 2 is a little addicting, but only in the same way that all short-form video apps are addicting. Just like it's easy to fall into a TikTok hole, it's easy to fall into a Sora hole, and I suspect many early adopters are wasting a lot of time on the app.

As I said, the tech is certainly impressive. But, better slop is still slop, no matter how many likes it gets.

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.