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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

Played in nursing homes.

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

BINGO

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Water.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 26, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

HYDRO

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Comical.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 26 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 26, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

FUNNY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

To spin.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for July 26 Hurdle Word 4 answer

TWIRL

Final Hurdle hint

Used at barbecues.

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

GRILL

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

The moon is becoming a little bit brighter each night as we work through the phases of the lunar cycle.

The lunar cycle is a series of eight unique phases of the moon's visibility. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth. 

See what's happening tonight, July 26.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Saturday, July 26, the moon phase is Waxing Crescent. There's still not much to see tonight, with only 4% of the surface visible to us on Earth (according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation).

It's the second day of the lunar cycle, and with such limited visibility, there's nothing for you to spot on the moon's surface tonight, not even with binoculars or a telescope.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on August 9. The last full moon was on July 10.

What are moon phases?

According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side.

Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for July 26 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Used to season food

• Green: Similar colors

• Blue: To walk

• Purple: Found overseas

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Herbs and spices

• Green: Shades of green

• Blue: Travel on foot

• Purple: Starts of European capitals

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #776 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Herbs and spices: ANISE, DILL, MACE, SAGE

• Shades of green: BOTTLE, HUNTER, KELLY, PEA

• Travel on foot: HIKE, MARCH, TRAMP, TREK

• Starts of European capitals: COPE, LUXE, SARA, WARS

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 26

Are you also playing NYT Strands?

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 26 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 26 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: It's been a while

The words are group-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are associated with coming together.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Reunion.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for July 26

• Convene

• Gather

• Assemble

• Reunion

• Muster

• Congregate

• Meet

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for July 26 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for July 26, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To spook.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter H.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

HAUNT.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 26

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

Recently, I wrote that the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Amazon's very best streaming stick, was over 40% off. If you read that one late, or if you missed it completely, don't worry, because I have an even better deal for you right now.

The rise of RCS has allowed for way better communication between Android phones and, more recently, has helped bridge the gap between iOS and Android messaging-wise. With this improvement, your experience might be about to get a lot better if you rely on voice messages a lot.

In my search for a media center front-end, Home Assistant server, media server, and do-everything-else computer, I briefly considered buying a Raspberry Pi. Then I caught wind of the used Mac mini market, and it was clear which direction made more sense.

By now most people understand that online creators hold power and influence — but that doesn't always mean they can transfer their skills to other modes of entertainment. For creators KallMeKris and Celina Spooky Boo — given names Kris Collins and Celina Myers — they've taken a major jump from creating online to making a feature film set to hit theaters this week.

Collins, Myers, and editor Jason-Christopher Mayer are the driving forces (and cast) behind House on Eden, a found-footage horror flick hitting theaters on Friday. Though they have massive TikTok audiences, writer/director Collins (51 million followers) and Myers (29 million) know that doesn't guarantee a platform or audience for a movie — but that built-in base certainly doesn't hurt. The trio shot the film in just seven days, relied on their backgrounds as creators, and now have a major film. They talked with Mashable over Zoom for our Creator Playbook series to talk about the transition from creating to filmmaking. (The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity and brevity.)

How did you decide to go from online creation to making a feature film?

Collins: We all became friends through the creator space. Celina and I met, like, five years ago, when we both started. Jay and I, it was like four years ago, that he started editing for me. But he's done stuff in the traditional space as well. So when we started working together, it was just kind of a natural segue. We were like, "Okay, we really love making videos, but we almost take a cinematic approach to our paranormal videos already." So we're like, what if we could actually control the narrative of these. So that kind of, it kind of just went from there.

Myers: I think our goal was always to do something like this.

Mayer: Yeah, agreed. [Laughs.] We were doing ghost-type videos and then one thing turned into another. And here we are.

What did your movie-making process look like?

Collins: We had talked about it for like, at least a year or two, just passively. And then we actually announced that we would be making a horror movie at, I think it was VidCon 2023, almost to just keep us accountable. We had no plans at that point. But we're just like, "If we say it, then we have to do it." So it was a few months after that where I was just like, hanging out, like 2-3 a.m., and I had an idea for a movie. So I just started sending voice memos, manically, to both of these guys. And I was like, "OK, it opens on a Venus flytrap, and it goes from here to there." So it started with that, and then we wrote an outline, like a rough outline....We tried to film at some point, but then we had to push it back, but then we ended up shooting almost this time last year. It kind of all happened within a year, which is crazy to think about. And the movie itself, the shooting happened within a week."

That must have been one heck of a week.

Myers: It was really, really cool. We met together in Texas before shooting it and we kind of went over it all. And there's this moment where everyone's kind of like, "Do you think we can bang it out in a week?" And I think everyone was just kind of like, "Bet."

As creators, how did those skills transfer to making a feature film?

Collins: I think [those skills] lent to making a found footage film — not easy by any means — but it definitely helped. The videos we already post, the paranormal ones, we kind of just followed that formula. And then we were able to [make it more cinematic] by using timing, and sounds, and framing, and all that kind of stuff. That's why we did found footage. Also, because [it's a] lower budget. We could have a smaller team. We could film the whole thing ourselves, essentially. So it really was just a YouTube video that we could control.

Myers: We were talking about just getting our toes wet and trying this the first time. Going into found footage, it just felt familiar.

Moving into this space, how has the response been from your audience?

Collins: I know our followers always have wanted us to do something bigger and better.... Audiences like seeing creators grow...I think it's expected for creators to keep raising the bar for themselves. There's kind of a glass ceiling with digital creation. So breaking through that and going into traditional [media] was something that was really cool to do. I think the audience appreciates that.

How do you try to convert that digital audience into people going to the theater?

Myers: I think what's fun is because we are, you know, influencers, we do have this platform that we created. So it was really interesting to try and figure out the way to market [the film] and look at what we think would reach our audience the best. Was that something like using trending sounds? Or, you know, doing content that we know people are familiar with?

It's fun to advertise [House on Eden] in funny ways, because we're known for a lot for comedy.

How does it feel with the film coming out Friday?

Collins: It's been crazy waiting, because as digital creators, we can just make something [one] day and then post it the next day. So that has been horrible for anxiety. But it's good. I'm to the point where I'm just like, "Let's just get it out there." I care, obviously, about what people think, but I'm also like, "I don't even care, just put it out there, let people see it."

Myers: [In a deep, raspy tone] Get 'er out, baby!

Mayer: It's really rare to get an independent movie that was made for like, you know, $10,000 to now be distributed to over 1,500 screens in America alone.

I'm curious to see what the horror community thinks of it, because they're a very, very loyal and dedicated fan base. And, you know, Kris and Celina have such a massive audience themselves, but the horror world is a whole other entity. So I'm excited.

I'm curious to hear more about the difference between creating something and bam, it's out, and creating something that takes months to come out.

Collins: Yeah, it's, um...it's horrible for a digital creator. When I make something, I'm obviously proud of it. It's something I want to put on the internet. But as soon as it's out, I'm like, "I don't need to ever watch that again." I'm good. I don't watch myself.

So watching myself hundreds of times over and over again in the same film is horrible. Because I'm just picking at it and being like: I hate that. I wish I could have changed that. This should be like this. We should have added this. It gave me so much time to just pick myself apart, which I think is good in a lot of ways because I know — if I ever do a project like this again — what I'd change. But it's like sitting in boiling water for over a year. Love it. Grateful. But also awful.

Mayer: It's such an extreme analogy, but it's like having a baby and now you're giving this baby out to the world for everybody to see it. Hopefully my baby is pretty!

The speed of the process for your digital projects, did that help when you're trying to film a movie in seven days?

Collins: It absolutely helped. It helped that we came in with a good plan. We didn't have a hard script. I wrote a decently detailed outline that we could follow and do improv.

Myers: We had a really small team. Not having too many cooks in the kitchen made things a lot smoother.

Mayer: Technically, when they go ghost hunting, that's literally filming a movie in one night. It's an hour-and-a-half to two hours, getting different angles, getting b-roll and we have like 4-6 hours to do it.

You said there's a rough script and a detailed plan, did your working relationship help make the improv process easier?

Myers: Kris and I have worked together for five years. We improv really well together. So I think her having this really tight beat sheet, it was really cool, because we knew where we wanted to start and we knew where we wanted to end. But there were funny moments in there, too.

The bloopers reel could be so long for this, because at the end of the day, we are all friends.

What do you feel like you all learned from doing this film?

Collins: Oh my gosh. Patience. And just doing it. We were talking about it for almost two years. And then one day we were just like, "Hey, I have an idea." Let's write an outline. Let's put a date down to film. I think that's what a lot of people struggle with — creators have seen the movie and asked us, "How did you do this?" It's like...we just did it. And we did it without any expensive gear, it was very low budget.

Myers: I learned that we are so capable. To anyone out there: You can do it. ... I think I learned not to have so much fear about things.

What will you take from movie-making and apply it to digital creation?

Collins: Maybe giving more time to projects in the digital space, like everything's so go, go, go, and everybody's attention span is so short. It's not that I don't put heart into what I put out. I try to as much as I can. But I'm leaning more towards quality over quantity these days and I think [the film] has a lot to do with it.

Since its launch on June 5, every time we find another Switch 2 restock, the inventory is gone almost as fast as we can tell you about it. To be honest, it's really annoying.

Ever since 2020, supply shortages in the gaming console market have been a given. It happened with the PlayStation 5, it happened with the Xbox Series X/S, and it happened with the recently released Nintendo Switch 2.

Thankfully, though, it seems like the Nintendo Switch 2 shortages are finally coming to an end, because the coveted handheld gaming console is currently available to purchase at most big-name retailers, whether online, by invitation, or in-store. And this isn't another blink-and-you'll-miss-it Switch 2 restock.

SEE ALSO: Switch 2 smashes Nintendo's own record, selling 3.5 million consoles

Read on for our breakdown of which retailers have the Nintendo Switch 2 in stock as of July 25, as well as how to get one. We've even included the newly announced Pokémon Legends: Z-A bundle, which is available for preorder. We don't want to speak too soon, but it looks like we might finally be able to retire our Switch 2 inventory tracker.

Nintendo Switch 2 console Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 $449.99 at Best Buy
Shop Now

If you just want the Nintendo Switch 2 console with no games to go with it, you can grab the console-only version at multiple retailers right now. Target, Walmart, and Best Buy have them available for shipping, but Amazon and GameStop are a little trickier. For Amazon, you'll need to request an invite on the store page to shop for one, and for GameStop, you'll need to buy one in-store using the store locator on its website.

More retailers

• Target - in stock

• Walmart - in stock

• Amazon - invite only

• GameStop - in-store only (used consoles for sale online)

Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 'Mario Kart World' bundle $499.99 at Best Buy
Shop Now

This popular bundle comes with a copy of Mario Kart World and saves you $30 compared to the price of buying the game and console separately. Note that if you're buying at Amazon, Nintendo Switch 2 sales are only available via invite (just click "request invite" on the store page), and if you want to get one at GameStop, you'll need to shop in-store. Just use the site's store locator to check if your local shop has them in stock.

More retailers

• Best Buy - in stock

• Target - in stock

• Amazon - invite only

• GameStop in-store only

• BJ's Wholesale Club - in stock for members

Nintendo Switch 2 Pokémon Legends: Z-A bundle Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 'Pokemon Legends: Z-A' bundle $499.99 at Best Buy
Pre-order Here

The Nintendo Switch 2 Pokémon Legends: Z-A bundle is the company's newest Switch 2 bundle to hit the market, and you shouldn't have any trouble preordering one of your own. So far, we've been able to get to check out at almost every single retailer, save for Amazon, which doesn't have the bundle listed yet. Just note that this bundle won't arrive until Oct. 16, so be prepared to wait.

More retailers

• Target - pre-order now

• Walmart - pre-order now

• GameStop - pre-order now

UPDATE: Jul. 25, 2025, 4:41 p.m. EDT Since we originally published this article on Friday morning, the Switch 2 remains in stock at most major retailers.

Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg has interviewed (and flirted) with everyone from Andrew Garfield to Jonathan Bailey. Now she welcomes drag legend, makeup mogul, and all-around skinny legend Trixie Mattel to her chicken shop domain.

Trixie Mattel is the second drag queen Dimoldenberg has chatted with on the show, the first being RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 2 runner-up Bimini Bon-Boulash. And honestly, her episodes with both drag queens make the case for inviting even more drag performers to Chicken Shop Date.

SEE ALSO: Jonathan Bailey's 'Chicken Shop Date' is a delight from start to finish

Right from the jump, Dimoldenberg's deadpan interviewing style proves the perfect match for Mattel's dry humor. She also admits that she's quite starstruck, to which Mattel replies, "You seem very attracted to me." Turns out, Dimoldenberg does have a crush on Trixie — when she's bald, that is.

The pair discuss The Bald and the Beautiful, Mattel's podcast with fellow drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova, along with Mattel's thoughts on the state of the U.S. and Donald Trump. ("Floptina boots.")

But the most fun part of the episode has to be the pair lightly reading each other.

"I hope I fall in love," Dimoldenberg says of her many conversations on the show.

"I mean, how many years has it been?" Mattel asks.

"It's been, like, 10 years now," says Dimoldenberg.

"You're really circling the drain," Mattel deadpans.

Dimoldenberg gets Mattel right back, though, when Mattel mentions that she and Zamolodchikova rarely talk outside of work, and that Zamolodchikova won't even laugh react to the TikToks Mattel sends her.

"Well, maybe they're not very funny," Dimoldenberg retorts.

Check out the rest of Dimoldenberg and Mattel's delightful conversation above.

Anker is a brand name known for affordable, yet reliable accessories. It was also briefly a name you could find on 3D printers, but that’s come to an end. Anker's foray into the world of 3D printing seems to have fizzled out, leaving owners in an unfortunate situation.

Learning to play guitar used to cost a lot of money, if you wanted to learn quickly and didn’t know anyone who would teach you for free. However, the internet has completely changed how people learn new skills, making it possible for beginners to the world of guitar playing to pick to it up quickly and easily, often without spending a dime.

You probably know by now that Pebble is back. Everyone knows that. But the marketing for these products couldn't quite use the term "Pebble." Now, that's changed, and nature is healing.

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Wes Anderson's latest project — which is fully stocked with an all-star cast and aesthetic splendor — is officially available to watch at home. An "absurdist delight," The Phoenician Scheme tells the tale of international intrigue, corruption, family dynamics, and knife-wielding nuns. It stars Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera, and features other heavy hitters like Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, and Scarlett Johansson.

The newest film from the Academy Award winner behind Asteroid City and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar landed in theaters at the end of May, but if you missed it on the big screen, you can officially rent, buy, or stream it. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch The Phoenician Scheme at home.

What is The Phoenician Scheme about?

Co-written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, The Phoenician Scheme follows Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), a wealthy, scheming businessman, as he reunites with his novitiate daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) and introduces her to the family business. He exposes her to his complicated Phoenician Scheme after he names her as his sole heir (though he has nine sons), and what follows is a cacophony of assassination attempts, eccentric characters, nightclub robberies, hand grenades, and...basketball? It's an espionage movie, but make it quirky and pastel.

Check out the official trailer below.

Is The Phoenician Scheme worth watching?

The latest from Wes Anderson took home a global haul of $37 million, making it his lowest-grossing film in nearly two decades. But box office numbers aren't really telling of whether a movie is worth the watch. The Phoenician Scheme currently holds a 78 percent critic rating and 70 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty solid, but ultimately can't compete with Anderson's most popular films (Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, etc.). Still, if you're an Anderson fan, it has all of the elements you've come to know and love, making it a worthwhile watch.

While some critics out of Cannes Film Festival dubbed The Phoenician Scheme one of his worst, Mashable's own reviewer couldn't relate. Instead, she called it a "charmingly hopeful tale about how even with our flaws we might find love, family, and salvation."

Read our full review of The Phoenician Scheme.

How to watch The Phoenician Scheme at home Credit: TPS Productions / Focus Features

There are a couple of different ways you can watch The Phoenician Scheme. You can buy it or rent it on digital for as low as $19.99, or you can stream it on Peacock. See the details below.

Buy or rent it on digital

The Phoenician Scheme is available as of July 8 to buy for $19.99 or rent for $9.99 at digital on-demand retailers. While saving a few bucks and opting for the rental option is tempting, just be aware that you'll only get 30 days to watch the film and just 48 hours to finish it once you start. If you choose to buy it instead, then it's yours to keep.

Here are some quick links to rent or purchase the film:

• Prime Video — buy for $19.99, rent for $9.99

• Apple TV — buy for $19.99, rent for $9.99

• Fandango at Home — buy for $19.99, rent for $9.99

• Google Play — buy for $19.99, rent for $9.99

Stream it on Peacock

As a Focus Features film, The Phoenician Scheme made its streaming debut on Peacock July 25. The digital-to-streaming arc of other recent Focus Features films (Nosferatu, The Ballad of Wallis Island, Black Bag) was a full month, meaning we're getting blessed with the latest Wes Anderson movie two weeks earlier than expected.

Don't have a Peacock subscription? You can sign up for as low as $10.99 per month with ads or $16.99 per month without (thanks to a recent price hike). Before you get ahead of yourself, though, be sure to check out the best ways to save some money on a subscription below.

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Students can get an entire year of Peacock Premium at a discounted rate of $2.99 per month instead of $10.99. That's a total of just $35.88 for the year. You'll need to verify your student status via SheerID and retrieve the unique promo code to unlock the savings. Just note that it can only be used once, and after the promo year is up, you'll be charged full price again.

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Educators who can verify their status on SheerID can get Peacock Premium for just $3.99 per month instead of $10.99 for a full year. Once the promotional period ends, you'll be charged full price, so be sure to cancel before the year is up.

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By signing up for Instacart+ ($99.99 per year), you'll unlock a free Peacock Premium subscription — on top of free grocery delivery, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders. That's a $109.99 per year value tacked on to your Instacart+ subscription for free. Oh, and here's a pro tip: If you're new to Instacart+, you'll get a free two-week trial to test the waters. That means you can watch The Phoenician Scheme and plenty more for free. Just be sure to cancel before you're charged.

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New age checks for websites with explicit content continue to send users flocking to Proton VPN.

The popular virtual private network (VPN) is reporting a 1,400 percent hourly increase in signups over its baseline so far on Friday, July 25, the day the UK's age verification law goes into effect. This is according to an Observatory page on the Proton VPN website that tracks such usage jumps.

SEE ALSO: UK age verification starts July 25. Here's what that means for you.

Under the UK's Online Safety Act, sites and apps with explicit content must now verify visitors' ages via methods such as facial recognition and banking info, per Mashable associate editor Anna Iovine, with the goal of preventing minors from accessing the content. The law applies to adult sites like Pornhub as well as dating apps like Tinder and Hinge. The UK communications regulator Ofcom began enforcing it at midnight BST Friday.

Proton VPN previously documented a 1,000 percent surge in new subscribers in June after Pornhub left France, its second-biggest market, amid the enactment of an age verification law there. Later that month, Pornhub's parent company, Aylo, told Mashable in a statement that it agreed to comply with the UK's counterpart.

A Proton VPN spokesperson told Mashable that it saw an increase in new subscribers right away at midnight Friday, then again at 9 a.m. BST. The company anticipates further surges over the weekend, they added.

"This clearly shows that adults are concerned about the impact universal age verification laws will have on their privacy," the spokesperson said.

Proton VPN shared additional context on X, noting that "Unlike previous surges, this one is sustained, and is significantly higher than when France lost access to adult content. .... We would normally associate these large spikes in sign-ups with major civil unrest."

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Search interest for the term "Proton VPN" also saw a seven-day spike in the UK around 2 a.m. BST Friday, according to a Google Trends chart. Proton VPN shared a screenshot of the chart on X, writing, "Pretty sure it's not the footy this time..."

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A VPN is a service that routes the user's traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a remote server before sending it out onto the web, a process that masks their real IP address and hides their browsing activities from third parties. While not their main purpose, VPNs are also commonly used to spoof locations. If a user connects to a VPN server based in a country they're not physically in, they'll appear to be browsing from there instead.

Initial research shows that VPNs make age verification laws in the U.S. and abroad tricky to enforce in practice for this exact reason, as Mashable's Iovine reported. (Never mind the free speech and privacy implications.)

Founded in 2017, Proton VPN currently has 13,700 servers in more than 120 countries worldwide. Read our full review of its service here.

UPDATE: Jul. 25, 2025, 3:50 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with additional details about Proton VPN's signup surge.

UPDATE: Jul. 25, 2025, 12:35 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with a statement from Proton VPN and more information about how VPNs work.

Whether you're leading a business meeting, teaching a class, marketing your latest product, or presenting your research findings, PowerPoint is a powerful program that can make your content pop. Here are six tools that can take your presentation to the next level.

Past users of viral women's dating safety app Tea are the latest victims of a massive cyberattack, which has rendered thousands of user images held in a legacy database vulnerable.

First reported by Reddit users, the hack was verified by 404Media and later confirmed by Tea itself, and affects 72,000 images posted to the app over the last two years. Of the hacked data, 13,000 images were selfies or photo identification cards like drivers licenses submitted by users to verify their accounts. Another 59,000 images stored in the database were of individuals posted to the app.

Tea, founded by Sean Cook, was designed as a women-only app for users to document their negative experiences with men and warn other women of potential danger. According to Tea's website, 10 percent of its profits are donated the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

SEE ALSO: The Internet Archive just became an official U.S. federal library

The vulnerability was discovered by users on 4Chan, who began sharing photo IDs of women on the platform. In a thread detailing the hack, one user wrote: "Yes, if you sent Tea App your face and drivers license, they doxxed you publicly! No authentication, no nothing. It's a public bucket. DRIVERS LICENSES AND FACE PICS! GET THE FUCK IN HERE BEFORE THEY SHUT IT DOWN!” Other users stated they were collecting personal information from the images, 404Media reported. In a statement to the publication, Tea said the data was stored to comply with cyber-bullying prevention requirements and that no current user information had been breached.

Earlier this week and due to several viral tweets from its users, Tea became the number one app on the Apple App Store. The trending app has since become the subject of online controversy, particularly from individuals who disagree with the app's focus on documenting unwanted and inappropriate behavior of men in a public forum, without verification. Many critics (including men who have been implicated on the app) see the app's reporting mechanisms, such as users posting images of "red flag" men, and its user verification system, which uses photos to "confirm" a user's gender, as violations of privacy.

Culturally, others worry it's forum-like nature is too similar to online snark pages, which often incentive users to engage in obsessive cycles of gossip and online harassment, and could potentially lead to doxxing. It has been compared to the popular "Are we dating the same guy?" Facebook page.

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In an X post from July 22, one user wrote, "How long til there is a data leak? I'm giving it 1 month." Other emboldened online users responded to the popularity of the women-only app with overtly misogynistic "copycat" apps, including ones intended to track women's "body counts." "Introducing BoxScore, a man-only app where users anonymously share info and warnings about women to spot red flags and get feedback," wrote user @tolly_xyz in a post on X.

If you've felt the itch to get back into classic games, but you want to do it using original hardware and media, then you may have experienced some sticker shock when browsing sites like eBay or just your local classifieds. Was it always this expensive to pick up an old console and some games?