IT General

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

Desolate.

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

SEEDY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Suspicious.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

FISHY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To intertwine.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 4 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

WEAVE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A luxurious estate.

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

VILLA

Final Hurdle hint

Contempt.

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

SCORN

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

It’s the New Moon tomorrow, which means the Moon is almost completely hidden tonight and there'll be barely any light to see in the sky.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Monday, Oct. 20, the moon phase is Waning Crescent. Tonight, only 1% will be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

With such a low percentage of visibility tonight, unsurprisingly, there's nothing to see on the moon's surface tonight.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Nov. 5.

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.

The eight main moon phases are:

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. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last 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.

It seems like every year at TwitchCon, something goes dangerously wrong.

In 2022, a foam pit disaster left one attendee with a broken back. In 2024, Kick-affiliated streamers harassed Twitch partners live on the convention floor. Stories of stalking, groping, and inadequate on-site response aren't uncommon.

Major creators, including Valkyrae, QTCinderella, Hasan Piker, Disguised Toast, and Yvonnie, all publicly opted out of attending in 2025, citing safety concerns. 

And this year, Emiru, a streamer with nearly two million followers, was assaulted at her meet-and-greet on the first day of TwitchCon 2025 in San Diego. Her attacker crossed multiple barriers, grabbed her face, and tried to kiss her before her own security intervened. TwitchCon security, she says, was nowhere to be found. Twitch's official response was a lengthy post on X describing how "safety and security of all those attending" is the event's "highest priority."

"Twitch has zero tolerance for harassment or acts that inhibit the safety and security of our community," the post read.

SEE ALSO: Streamer Emiru reportedly assaulted during meet-and-greet at TwitchCon 2025

In a post on X, Emiru said she was "hurt and upset by how Twitch handled it during and after the fact." She emphasized that it was her own staff — not event security — who intervened, and that nearby TwitchCon personnel "did not react and let the guy walk away."

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"The woman who is walking me away is my own personal manager, and behind the booth, the only two people who were checking on me and comforting me were her and my friend," she wrote. "None of the TwitchCon staff came to ask what happened or if I was OK."

After the clip of the assault went viral on social media, Twitch claimed that the man was immediately removed and permanently banned from the platform and future events. Emiru called that "a blatant lie." (Mashable reached out to Twitch about its approach to meet-and-greets more broadly, and whether there are plans to change or adapt them for future in-person events following this year’s incident.)

"He was allowed to walk away from my meet-and-greet," she wrote. "I didn’t hear he was caught until hours later — and it felt like that only happened because of my manager pressing for it."

This was, she said, her last TwitchCon.

"I did not feel cared for or protected, even bringing my own security and staff," she wrote. "I can’t imagine how creators without those options would feel."

Her statement echoed what’s becoming a growing chorus: TwitchCon isn't safe for streamers.

This doesn't happen at other conventions

At other massive fan events — like San Diego Comic-Con, held at the same San Diego Convention Center, or VidCon — the system is clear: celebrities are here, fans are there, and there are physical barriers, staffers, and buffers in between. These measures aren't perfect, but they’re consistent. The structure of those events is built on a basic understanding: People who attract millions of viewers online need real-world protection offline.

When creators began comparing their TwitchCon experiences to those at other conventions, a clear gap emerged in how safety is handled.

SEE ALSO: Streamer Emiru accuses Twitch of mishandling her assault at TwitchCon

Jessica Wyatt, a Twitch partner and gamer, shared on X that at PAX — a different gaming convention — a chat member discovered she was attending, flew to Melbourne, and "waited all day outside the gate to find me." She said he cornered her, confessed his love, and harassed her. After she escaped and alerted PAX staff, the response was swift.

"They were so incredibly responsive and took it so seriously," Wyatt wrote. "Due to them being dangerous, I was at PAX for only one hour to do brand work. The head of security introduced themselves and put three guards next to me for the hour. Obviously, they didn't know what he looked like, so they were watching every person who came up to me to meet."

Other creators pointed out how helpful and thoughtful security was at other GamerSupps events like Anime Expo in Los Angeles and other cons.

TwitchCon, meanwhile, has not quite found that rhythm. Streamers roam the show floor, film live content (known as IRL streaming), and interact with fans in real time — often without escorts, dedicated security, or even visible staff oversight. The same accessibility that makes Twitch feel authentic online makes TwitchCon feel alarmingly exposed in person.

"TwitchCon, you failed Emiru. You failed your female creators and female attendees," one fan wrote on X. "In just a few hours, you’ve shown parasocial fans that you’ve created an environment where [violence and violation] is possible. While the public decries this and demands reform, there are those watching this and seeing that it’s possible — and may be planning to do similar, or worse, to other female streamers before the con ends."

Are parasocial relationships to blame?

In part, yes. Streaming thrives on parasocial intimacy, or the illusion of friendship between creator and viewer. Unlike most YouTubers who attend VidCon or celebrities who attend Comic-Con, Twitch streamers are live for hours a day, responding to chat messages in real-time, and creating the sense of a two-way relationship. For some viewers, the boundary between "I support you" and "I know you" dissolves completely. That emotional closeness can curdle into entitlement when fans meet creators in real life. 

For streamers, the risk multiplies because they’re expected to be approachable. Hugging fans, chatting off-camera, walking the floor — these gestures are part of the culture that Twitch has built and monetized. The company has long marketed TwitchCon as an IRL community celebration, but it hasn’t built the infrastructure to make that community safe when it spills into reality.

The parasocial problem doesn't end at the venue doors. Many streamers have stalkers who track their locations online or via live broadcasts. In March, while livestreaming in Santa Monica with streamers Cinna and Valkyrae, a man reportedly threatened to kill Emiru, according to a report from the BBC. Other creators have been doxxed or harassed mid-stream. When those threats follow them into a physical event where everyone knows exactly where they are, community becomes exposure.

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy does seemingly think some of the issues are due to the parasocial relationships online, and it seems that the creators themselves hold some responsibility for their fans.

Of course, Twitch has implemented safety measures on its site, but that often overshadows the safety measures necessary at an event like TwitchCon. One attendee asked Clancy about safety at one of his Q&As on the last day of TwitchCon. The audience applauded the question, but not so much the answer. This is what he said:

It's really two separate problems, so first I'll talk briefly about [safety at TwitchCon]: It is something that we spend a lot of time on. Obviously, there are shortcomings and part of it is about responding in very specific ways and we've done that here in response to what occurred, and so we need to keep doing that.

Online, I think this is an area where we've been investing in for quite some time. It is an area that we need to keep investing in. I think many people that use a lot of our tools understand how the tools can be helpful to protect them. I do think livestreaming offers some advantages in terms of the ability to control your community, but it's still this issue that people of all sizes — it's not just women, of course, who have a challenge, but also underrepresented groups often have this problem of harassment online.

And it's something we care deeply about, and we're always looking at how we continue to invest to help protect creators as they go on their journey.

Clancy also said during an interview with journalist Taylor Lorenz that the challenge they're facing today "is a challenge in today's society; it's not limited to Twitch."

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I do think that when you're livestreaming, in many ways — since you control your community and you can ban people — you can make it so that those people that you don't want engaging with you and participating with you aren't there. It's very different when I use other short-form content and people say all sorts of stuff. Well, I can't stop that. But when I livestream, they basically don't bother me.

Now, what happened [to Emiru] yesterday obviously was something that we care deeply about. We're looking very closely at everything happening there, and I care deeply about [Emiru] — she's a friend of mine — and so I want to see how we can support her to do that. But this is just something that we can keep working on.

I think everyone identifies our tools, in terms of trust and safety, as the leaders in the industry about helping creators, but that means there's always more work to be done, because that's the world we live in now.

The reality is, even as you do a lot in terms of security, in today's world there are challenges that can present themselves, especially when someone is putting themselves out there. We try to work very closely with each creator about what they want to do and what works for them, so I don't want to get into any specifics or details. But part of that is working with creators... Right now, we're definitely ramping it up to make sure creators know that we have the resources there to help them figure out what's right for them.

Why can't TwitchCon get it right?

This year's convention had plenty of security in place. You had to walk through security to get into the convention center, including metal detectors, and backpacks were not permitted. You had to scan your wristband to get into additional entry points. As Twitch wrote before the con, there were "multiple layers of protection, with both visible and behind-the-scenes measures in place."

"While we don't disclose some security details to maintain the integrity of our operations, attendees can expect to see armed and uniformed law enforcement presence and other security personnel throughout the venue, including plainclothes personnel," Twitch wrote.

And yet, no one stopped the intruder from attacking Emiru.

TwitchCon keeps getting safety wrong because the event is designed around access, not protection. Its identity is built on proximity. Tightening security means restricting that access.

And for some, like streamer FanFan, that additional security doesn't necessarily equal safety. Following Emiru's assault, she says she was offered more Twitch-provided security. She declined, saying she preferred to move independently through the convention. "I don't like being hovered over," she told Mashable. "Yesterday, they assigned personal security to me, and I had to beg them to let him leave. I don't like feeling like I'm being followed or that I need to be watched out for — that if I'm going somewhere, I have to check in. I wasn't allowed to walk back to the hotel. I had to take the private car, and I didn't want to take the private car. I just wanted to walk. I was very on edge yesterday."

Instead, she carries what she calls her own essentials during her IRL streams: "I have pepper spray, a taser, and a rape whistle. That's all I need. I don't really do anything [special] to keep myself safe. I kind of just trust my audience not to be weird."

FanFan's choice points to a larger paradox: Twitch can't easily fix safety without redefining what access and autonomy actually mean on its platform. Until then, TwitchCon's security will continue to feel reactive, not preventive — and more high-profile streamers may keep opting out.

Additional reporting from Crystal Bell.

I used to think refresh rate only mattered for gaming. My secondary monitor was just there to show static text, while I went all-in with a 240Hz 1440p primary display. Still, I decided to spend a little extra to get a 100Hz secondary monitor, and now I'm glad I did.

TL;DR: Experience the internet ad-free forever with this lifetime subscription to AdGuard Family Plan, on sale now for just $39.99 (reg. $169.99).

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We’ve all been there — minding our own business, browsing the web, when out of nowhere, a loud video ad blares and you can’t find the mute button fast enough. If you’d like to enjoy a more peaceful internet experience, there’s now an app for that.

AdGuard Family Plan blocks pop-ups, videos, and other annoying ads online on up to nine different devices. Right now, you can get a lifetime subscription for just $39.99 (reg. $169.99) — less than $5 a device.

SEE ALSO: Ditch your VPN subscription for this plug-and-play privacy box

Ads don’t only interrupt your browsing experience — they could potentially be tracking your activity, invading your privacy, and slowing your device or browser down. AdGuard puts an end to this frustrating experience, acting as an ad blocker that blocks pop-ups, banners, and video ads from coming across your desk.

This lifetime subscription to the Family Plan works on both iOS and Android devices and provides lifetime protection for up to nine family members. Aside from letting you and your loved ones live ad-free, AdGuard also gives you a boost when it comes to cybersecurity. This app protects you from cyberattacks, malware, and phishing sites, while keeping your important info hidden from trackers and activity analyzers.

Have little kids at home? AdGuard includes a parental control feature that protects your kids from inappropriate content online, so you can rest easy when they are on their devices.

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TL;DR: Check out this lifetime license to Windows 11 Pro for just $14.97 (reg. $199) — the smartest way to modernize your PC with a clean UI, better multitasking, and improved security.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $14.97
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You know the upgrades you mull over for months? This isn’t one of them. If your system’s showing its age, consider this your green light: Windows 11 Pro is just $14.97 for a limited time. It’s an easy, affordable way to refresh performance, polish your desktop experience, and add modern protections in one move.

This isn’t about chasing trends; it’s more about giving your computer the modern foundation it deserves. Windows 11 Pro brings a sleeker UI, better multitasking, and enhanced security — all in a one-time lifetime license.

SEE ALSO: Windows 10 life support ends Oct. 14. Here’s what will happen.

Think of it as the difference between driving a reliable car and suddenly upgrading to one with a smarter dashboard, smoother handling, and built-in security features.

For professionals, creators, and power users, this upgrade also unlocks features like Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, BitLocker encryption, and seamless Azure AD integration — tools that make a real difference when you’re working across projects or managing sensitive data.

And yes, Windows 11 comes with Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant that can summarize pages, change settings, or even help you generate code on the fly. It’s like having a co-pilot (literally) inside your OS.

But you don’t need convincing — you already know a smart upgrade when you see one. Get Windows 11 Pro for just $14.97 (reg. $199) for a limited time.

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Now that every major AI player is investing everything and their mother into AI data centers, the focus of AI companies is shifting from GPUs to memory and storage. It’s only a matter of time before SSD and RAM prices balloon like GPU prices did.

Back in 2021, VIL was just another fan, running a small YouTube channel where he shared his favorite VTuber moments. That's when he stumbled across Ava Lamp's streams — and something clicked.

Four years later, he was on one knee on a balcony at TwitchCon 2025, asking Ava to marry him.

Like many modern romances, the love story between VTubers VIL and Ava Lamp started online. "I liked her personality, content, and model," VIL told Mashable at TwitchCon 2025, adding that he liked "her way of joking" and her "very slime-girl VTube model."

"So, I followed her and started clipping her [streams], and she noticed the clips," he said.

VIL proposes to Ava Lamp at TwitchCon 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Ava Lamp and VIL

From there, an online friendship began to grow. They talked more, collaborated, and, eventually, VIL became a VTuber himself. Before long, the two were inseparable online — "best friends," as he put it.

He started to fall for her, but Ava was clear: There was no chance of romance. She was a lesbian, and she would never date another content creator. "But then that changed," she joked to Mashable.

Two years later, the friends decided to attend TwitchCon 2023 together with a group of mutuals. It would be their first time meeting in person. They shared a hotel room with another friend and spent all three days side by side — laughing, exploring, and, apparently, confusing everyone around them.

Their friends kept asking if they were dating. They’d laugh and deny it. Of course not! How ridiculous.

"We spent most of the weekend together, and pretty much did everything together," she said. "You know when you just really click with someone? You have that spark? That's what I felt. And I was just like, 'I can't not tell you. Because if we leave here, I'm not going to be brave enough to tell you this later.'"

On the last day of the convention, she typed out a note on her phone in the backseat of an Uber and handed it to him. "Please don't hate me," she said.

The message, as they remember it, went something like this: "I know I've said I wouldn't date a man and I also wouldn't date a content creator, but after getting to know you and seeing you in person, I feel sparks."

"It was so funny because she didn't actually ask me out at any point in the note," VIL said. "It was just her blurting out her feelings on this note. To my knowledge, this was a zero percent chance of happening. And now, suddenly, it was a hundred percent chance. So I was kind of blue-screened."

In the back of that Uber, they dove straight into the big questions — marriage, kids, moving. They already knew each other as friends, but now they needed to know if they were compatible. Turns out? They were.

Sharing a kiss at TwitchCon. Credit: Courtesy of Ava Lamp and VIL

There was just one problem: distance. They lived across the country from each other. So, for the next year, they made it work long-distance. They traveled to see each other every other month, streamed together, and even wore those bracelets that buzz when the other person touches theirs.

After TwitchCon 2024, they decided it was time. Ava packed her life into a U-Haul, and they made the cross-country drive together — between two hurricanes.

"Driving that U-Haul was terrifying," VIL said. "I had only driven that big of a truck one or two other times. So that, plus all of my partner's life belongings, are in a truck. And I'm the one driving."

"Nothing bad happened, though," Ava reassured him.

By the time they sat down with Mashable at the San Diego Convention Center for TwitchCon 2025, the two were fidgeting with each other’s hands, both wearing matching silver bracelets with red jewels — replacements for their long-distance ones. Moving in together, Ava said, was a "huge relief" because "finally we get to spend all of our time together."

Since the major milestones of their relationship had all lined up with TwitchCon — they met in person at TwitchCon 2023, and after TwitchCon 2024, they moved in together — they knew TwitchCon 2025 had to be something special.

VIL started a secret group chat with all their friends, everyone except Ava. The morning of the first day of the convention, Ava was taking her time getting ready while he tried to stay calm.

"I tried to play it super cool," he joked, but the engagement ring — a temporary one until the real ring, made with stones from her grandmother's and great-grandmother's rings, was ready — was burning a hole in his pocket.

"I was obsessively checking it to make sure it didn't fall out," he said.

"I saw you check your pocket a couple times, but I didn't clock what that was. I thought you were just worried about losing your phone or something," she laughed.

They grabbed brunch with friends, but he was eager to get to the convention center. He had a plan: a balcony overlooking the ocean. Ava, however, wanted to stop by the merch table first.

"Last year, she wanted merch and it was sold out, and I knew I didn't want that to happen again," he said. "And so when she's like, 'Can we get this merch real quick? I want to make sure I get it before anything happens.' In my head, I'm like, 'No, we need to go!' But I also didn't want her to miss out on the merch. So I go, 'Yes, yeah, that's fine, but can we try to be a bit quick?'"

Finally, they reached the balcony. Their friends, who were all in on the plan, asked other con-goers to clear the area. Then VIL told Ava to check something on Discord. She opened her phone — and saw a commissioned piece of art of his VTuber persona proposing to hers. When she looked up, he was on one knee.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

He doesn't remember exactly what he said. All she remembers is that she said yes.

"[I love] how sweet you are and how you wear your heart on your sleeve," Ava said when asked what she loved most about him. "And you're not afraid to be emotional. I love how sweet you are and how kind you are."

Then VIL made her cry.

"I love how unabashedly yourself you are," he told her. In the past, people had tried to suppress her joy, he said. "I am so happy that you can be your whole self and you can just embrace yourself. You love fashion. You are very alt-goth. You love to dye your hair. You love building Gundams, you love Legos, you love Disney. I love you. I love you being you. And I'm glad that we can be our best selves together. You always encourage me to be my best self."

They don’t have wedding plans yet — but if Twitch CEO Dan Clancy wants to sponsor it, they’re not opposed.

When I started getting into anime in my early teens, it was basically impossible to find in the mainstream. I belonged to anime clubs that worked for years to get stores to stock anime media, and for broadcasters to take it seriously.

Are you between Intel and AMD for your upcoming Plex server build? The choice is pretty clear these days on which is the best, and the reasons might surprise you.

I've recently come to the realization that my decade-long love affair with the flagship phone has come to a necessary end. Mid-range phones are now better than I need them to be, so there's no reason to pay the asking price for the best phones on the market.

Have you ever wondered if there was an easier way to check if your TV remote batteries were dead besides replacing them? There is, and you have had the tester in your pocket for years at this point.

Apple shocked the smartphone world with its choice of colors in the new iPhone 17 and 17 Pro lineups. Chief among them is the vibrant Cosmic Orange color in the Pro phones. Other manufacturers are to follow suit, so brace yourself for a rise of orange phones in 2026.

Luxury sedans often compete on performance, design, and technology, but when it comes to safety, only a select few truly lead the pack. In 2025, one midsize luxury sedan managed to stand out by earning the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating, the organization’s highest honor for crash protection and advanced driver assistance.

If you’ve looked at other people’s desktop setups online, you’ve probably seen some people set up their secondary monitors vertically. I’d never tried it myself, but when I got my new secondary monitor and arm, I went for it immediately, and it turned out to be quite the experience.

When a fan recently posted on X, "bbno$ is my favorite rapper why does he have to be so mean to AI artists? 🥺🥺," the Canadian musician didn't offer a gentle explanation. Instead, he fired back with a simple, unambiguous response: "FUCK AI."

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It's the kind of blunt sincerity that defines bbno$ (pronounced "baby no money") — the viral rapper known as much for his absurdist humor as his meticulous approach to independent artistry. But behind the all-caps expletive is a clear philosophy: In an era when algorithms can churn out songs, images, and videos faster than any human hand, he’s choosing to bet on people.

That choice is on full display in his recent video for "ADD," a hyper-colorful, kinetic collage built entirely from fan-made animation. Instead of outsourcing to a studio or feeding prompts into generative software, bbno$ tapped over 20 independent artists — many of whom had already created fan art of him online — to bring the visual to life. The result is a whirlwind of distinct animation styles stitched together, each segment a small love letter from one creator to another.

“There's two things to it," he told Mashable at TwitchCon 2025, on the day of the release of his self-titled ninth studio album. "One, when people spend their whole life getting good at something, it kind of sucks when you can click a button and make something that’s more impactful. So I just wanted to give back to the community that's shown me so much love."

The other reason is even simpler: bbno$ feels better supporting people and human-made art. "It kind of makes me feel good when I'm supporting other artists, because I’m an artist too," he explains. "I remember when I wasn't making money — it's such an exhilarating feeling when you finally can. So if I can help other artists get that, I want to."

The "ADD" project took six months to complete, which is a herculean effort for a three-minute song. But the payoff was both a visual spectacle and a creative statement: proof that collaboration across 23 different minds, each bringing their own idiosyncrasies and artistic POVs, could create something no machine could replicate.

"I don't know if I'll ever get another piece of visual content that's that stimulating ever again," he admits. "Because it was 20 different people, twenty different minds.”

SEE ALSO: Meet the indie musicians who are making a living on TikTok

That kind of enthusiasm has long been part of bbno$'s appeal. His catalog, which spans goofy hits like "Lalala" with Y2K and more experimental cuts, thrives on a sense of human chaos that algorithms can't quite fake. Even when he leans into internet virality, there’s a pulse of self-awareness. He's in on the joke, but he’s also dead serious about the craft.

His distrust of AI isn't rooted in fear of change so much as empathy for working artists. In an age when tech companies are pouring billions into AI music and video tools, and when artists' work is being scraped to train those systems, bbno$ is thinking about the people behind the art.

"Massive organizations are starting to utilize AI and software to take people's jobs away," he says. "One of my best friends works at Amazon, and he was like, 'I have a call with India. I’m presenting something that’s unfortunately going to take a lot of people's jobs.' He knows it sucks, but he also needs to make a living. That's just where things are progressing. I’m just trying to do my part as much as I possibly can."

It's not a crusade against technology — bbno$ built his career on the internet, after all — but rather a push to preserve a kind of creative integrity that's becoming increasingly endangered. These days, art is data, and he's trying to keep the human part alive. "To keep people going, to keep the train on the other side," he says, "you have to fund them. That's the only way."

There’s also a philosophical throughline here: bbno$ has always thrived on collaboration. His early success came from meme-driven partnerships with producers like Y2K and Diamond Pistols, and more recently, his output has ramped up to near-weekly releases that rely on a global web of creators, artists, editors, and fans. His entire career is a case study in the creative possibilities of the digital age, where art is built by people, not programs.

"I've never really been one to put a lot of effects in my videos," he says. "If I do, it’s got to be something that took a year to make, not just something you plug in." That ethos extends beyond visuals; it's in the way he approaches songwriting, content creation, and even his signature humor. Everything feels a little rough around the edges, but that's what makes it human.

The irony, of course, is that AI could easily imitate bbno$'s more surface-level quirks and offbeat flow, but it can't replicate the sincerity that drives them. Creativity, for him, is an act of care.

On YouTube, the comments under "ADD" read like a digital roll call of collaboration. Fans and animators tagged their timestamps, celebrating each other's work. "I animated 0:00–0:09! Everyone did such a fantastic job

Over on X, an animator named Kenzie shared a clip of bbno$ commissioning them for a project after they'd been "unemployed in the animation industry for two years because of AI." The post has since racked up more than 350,000 likes — a glimpse at how deeply the gesture resonated.

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For a video that could’ve been made by a single generative model, "ADD" instead became a showcase of community. It's the kind of messy, vibrant collaboration that only humans could pull off.

"I just wanted to give back," he repeats. "That’s really it."

The Rich-Communication Standard, known as RCS, was originally promised as a replacement for SMS that offered all the perks of modern chat platforms without being locked down. But so far, its walls are nearly as steep as in any other walled garden.

What do Pinterest, Microsoft Edge, TikTok, and Instagram have in common? They all try to access your contacts. In fact, many games and apps available on the Google Play Store request the same permission, even when they seemingly have no reason to. Here’s why you should be careful when granting this permission.

I like chatting with my friends on WhatsApp. To make launching chats with them easier, I have created and added their WhatsApp chat shortcuts to my Android phone’s homescreen. Here’s how you can do that, too.

SAVE $50: As of Oct. 19th, Amazon has this yellow 11-inch Apple iPad on sale for $299, down from its list price of $349.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad 11-inch with A16 chip in Yellow $299 at Amazon
$349 Save $50   Get Deal

Being team iPad isn't just a trend — it's a lifestyle. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's no secret that having an iPad waiting for you at home, full of games, books, and movies, is so great. If you've been wanting to join team iPad, this weekend might be your chance to get an excellent model for an even better price. To break it down: Amazon has this 11-inch iPad with an A16 chip, Liquid Retina Display, 128GB on sale right now for $300. It also features a 12MP front and back camera, which is the same quality of camera that comes on some MacBooks.

The A16 chip in this particular model supports brightly colored and highly detailed games. This model is also a great tool for content creators or photographers to edit photo and video content.

Watch your favorite shows and movies from any streaming service app in a crisp, vibrant color thanks to the Liquid Retina Display. This model of iPad is also fully compatible with Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, if you're interested in expanding the capabilities of your device.

This particular model comes in bright yellow, pink, or blue. Amazon also has models with 256GB or 512 GB storage at a higher price.