IT General

A chunk of asteroid or comet whizzing through space slammed into the moon and left a 728-foot-wide pit, the largest known fresh crater in the solar system.

Nobody saw it happen. No alarm sounded. No telescope caught the flash. The rock hit the moon's eastern edge at roughly 33,000 mph, punching a hole 2 1/2 football fields wide into the lunar surface. Then, the moon went on about its business for more than a year.

The discovery came from housekeeping. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed the entire moon month after month since 2010, and researchers periodically line up two images of the same terrain, shot under matching light, to see whether anything has changed. Robert Wagner, an image-processing specialist, ran that comparison and found something wholly unexpected in the spring 2024 images.

"I just stopped, dropped everything, and started looking into what that spot was," Wagner said in a statement.

But the crater is the least of it. The impact reached out roughly 30 times its own radius,  fluffing dust over an area you could see from orbit by looking at how the material cools at night. Beyond that, it scuffed the surface faintly for 75 miles. A strike that would barely register as a dot on a globe had the power to rearrange a region the size of a city.

SEE ALSO: This widdle biddy baby world is breaking planet formation theories

Astronomers have named this new crater McGetchin, in honor of lunar scientist Tom McGetchin, whose mathematical model in 1973 predicted how debris scatters after a major space collision. 

That ties into what scientists have learned from this crash. A thermal analysis shows the original impact left a sort of bruise that spans four miles across — a patch of ground that cools some 15 degrees Fahrenheit below its surroundings every lunar night. The cold spot occurs because the strike aerated the top powdery soil until it could no longer retain heat, according to research. Findings from the crater appear in two Science Advances papers.

The spray of rubble from a collision on the moon is visible as a bright dot, left. An archival Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image, right, shows the impact is new. Credit: NASA Goddard / Intuitive Machines / Robert Wagner

When researchers checked the catalog of other recent craters, nearly every impact bigger than about 100 feet appeared to have done the same thing. If those events happen often, then the reach of these impacts loosens the moon's topsoil about as much as the impacts themselves. That means the things scientists have been counting — the holes in the ground — only cover a fraction of the damage that impacts actually inflict.

Within a few hundred feet around McGetchin, a blanket of pulverized rocks buried nearly every smaller existing crater, wiping out traces of older impacts in one fell swoop. Boulders the size of delivery trucks now ring the rim. At the first moment of contact, before the crater had even finished forming, material sprayed out sideways fast enough to clear a mountain ridge and mark the plain on the other side. 

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In retrospect, Apollo 16 provided evidence for what happened beyond the debris field. When the crew landed near South Ray crater in 1972, the astronauts' bootprints pressed deeper into the moondust than at other landing sites. The ground was softer there, for reasons unclear. Decades later, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter began mapping nighttime temperatures and found that the site sits inside a faded patch that cools faster than the land around it. 

Cold spots fade somewhere between 100,000 and 2 million years, so nearly every one available for study is already half-erased, buried under whatever has happened since. But McGetchin hands scientists a control case, with before and after pictures.

The boots of NASA astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr. sank deeper on the moon at the Apollo 16 landing site compared to the footprints made at previous mission locations. Credit: NASA

The research may have implications for other worlds in the solar system. Mars has patches like these around its young craters. Mercury is expected to have them, too, and a heat-sensing instrument aboard BepiColombo, the European and Japanese spacecraft now closing in on the planet, may be the first to spot one there. 

Meanwhile, McGetchin Crater, which sinks about 141 feet deep, is already beginning to age. Sunlight and the steady rain of micrometeorites will dull its brightness, and the cold spot will warm toward the temperature of the ground around it. 

As NASA maps out its future Artemis missions to the moon, some scientists might advocate for a future visit to McGetchin. The team would like to send a lunar rover to the site while there is still something left. A rover could evaluate how loose the soil is and how deep that fluffy layer goes. An orbiting spacecraft can only make inferences. 

The previous record-holder for largest fresh crater in the solar system measured about 230 feet, according to NASA, carrying roughly one-tenth the energy of the collision creating McGetchin. A lunar impact of McGetchin's scale is expected only about once every 132 years.

Since bursting onto the international stage in 1996 with Trainspotting, English filmmaker Danny Boyle has delivered exciting cinema that's thrilled audiences and critics alike, shifted the zombie horror subgenre (28 Days Later), and earned Academy Awards (Slumdog Millionaire). Last year, he had this critic positively gaga over his re-imagining of his fast-zombie franchise, 28 Years Later, which challenged expectations and delivered a compelling coming-of-age story studded with nightmare fuel.

This year, he's shifted away from genre and back into biopics. Following 2010's 127 Hours and 2015's Steve Jobs, here comes Ink, a drama about how Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Yorkshire-born Larry Lamb transformed a failing UK rag into the powerful — and arguably dangerous — tabloid The Sun.

With a cast that boasts celebrated stars like Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy, Ink had early buzz to be an Oscar contender. However, shortly after its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, Boyle unintentionally derailed award season discourse by revealing he employed generative AI for "about 30 seconds."

Those who oppose generative AI have been quick to denounce Ink sight unseen. Having now seen the film out of its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, I can confirm the AI scene that animates an old photograph is an eyesore and hurts the film as a whole.

Let's get into it.

Ink reveals the dirt behind The Sun.

Kicking off in 1969 London, Ink introduces Lamb (O'Connell) as a viciously ambitious newsman yearning to make his mark as an editor, and Murdoch (Pearce), who's years away from making Fox News a defining force in American democracy.

The two are posed like boxers ready for a fight, shoulders hunched in a dark, wood-paneled restaurant, which Lamb notes is the oldest in London. In Boyle's signature style, the film cuts swiftly to a dissonant image to underscore the scene. In this instance, it's a black-and-white photo of a line of men outside the restaurant, presumably celebrating its opening long, long ago. The implication is this old-hat establishment is storied but unpopular. Thus, it's the perfect place for these two to have a curious conversation away from the ears of Fleet Street's journalistic elite. Here, Murdoch reveals he wants to buy the failing paper The Sun and have Lamb turn it into a rival of the wildly popular Daily Mirror.

While the business of building a newspaper might seem dry, James Graham's screenplay treats Ink like a heist movie. A sequence of building the team is Boyle's spin on Ocean's Eleven, with punk rock playing over a montage of Lamb chasing down provocative reporters in a porn theater, a morgue, or a hotel bed, post-coital, in the case of saucy Jules (Foy).

The message is clear: Lamb sees himself as a punk shaking up the establishment, bringing sex, violence, and sport onto the front page.

Undeniably, Boyle's chosen a terrific leading man in O'Connell. The Irish actor who awed in Sinners, 28 Year Later, and Bone Temple, has a chaotic charisma that edges into wickedness. Here, that beguiling devil's charm is used to explore how Lamb chased scandal, flaunted female nudity, and exploited the fears of mankind to push his paper. When Murdoch pushes back, Lamb will argue he's only giving the people what they want — the truth, as ugly as it is.

However, in the film's final moments, this argument devolves into a montage that flashes images of Mark Zuckerberg, Elizabeth Holmes, and Elon Musk, with the graphics reading: "Move Fast and Break Things." This notorious Silicon Valley motto, coined by Zuckerberg, has arguably led to Facebook, Theranos, DOGE, and Grok, and, by extension, all the controversies that have arisen from them. But it feels too big an argument to make in the last 30 seconds of a 116-minute movie. So even if your politics might be aligned with Boyle's message, this conclusion feels like an afterthought — especially considering his use of AI.

What is AI in Ink? Credit: Photo by Anthony Dickenson / STUDlOCANAL

Out of Ink's debut at the Telluride Film Festival (after Venice, but before TIFF), Boyle said the mice that are shown running around The Sun's crusty newsroom in the first act are AI. He also admitted, "We animate[d] a couple of old photographs."

At a Q&A post-premiere at TIFF, he added, "We try to be very responsible and make sure no actors were out of work because of it, so we would always employ actors if we were going to use a bit of it. There was about 30 seconds of it."

Among those 30 seconds is a callback to the photograph from the opening scene. The black-and-white snapshot of men in suits posing proudly before the newly opened restaurant is later animated. In a montage sequence showing The Sun's growing success through outrageous headlines, and a dreamy shot in which Lamb imagines Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher yelling at him, the photo appears again, this time with the men in motion, dancing and celebrating.

The image is immediately jarring, not so much because of Boyle's frenetic montage style but because, to be frank, it looks off. It looks like generative AI. And to Boyle's defense that no actors were harmed in the inclusion, well, presumably, actors could have been hired to shoot this scene to better effect. But really, this shot isn't needed at all.

The callback to the first scene is clear. Perhaps this letting loose of these stodgy black-and-white gentlemen is meant to reflect The Sun's rebranding as an outlet that's abandoned the rules of formality for a more free-for-all, fun approach, consequences be damned. But considering the series of headlines that come before, boasting murders, royal scandals, and flashy sweepstakes prizes, this AI shot is at best a hat on a hat. At worst, it undercuts Ink's message.

Why the AI in Ink actually hurts the movie. Credit: Photo by Anthony Dickenson / STUDlOCANAL

In the climax, Boyle proposes that the Silicon Valley motto of "Move Fast and Break Things" might as well have been born from Lamb and Murdoch's rebrand of The Sun. Just because something is popular, Ink seems to argue, doesn't mean it's good, in quality or for mankind. Couldn't that also apply to generative AI?

Data centers used to fuel AI bots are harming the environment and the communities around them. Experts are saying AI Overviews on Google are failing kids in crisis. Hallucinations and inaccuracies are an intractable problem. And several Anthropic employees have come forward to warn that AI could lead to the end of humanity within 10 years. But none of this will be mentioned in Ink. Instead, Boyle uses the controversial tech for flourishes without commentary.

Ink is meant to play as a parable about blind ambition. Lamb is introduced as a small-town boy who desperately wants to prove himself to the posh London establishment that has long kept him on the fringe of real influence. Murdoch exploits this desire by handing him a tabloid and offering no rules. Within the film itself, Murdoch is paper-thin, his goals beyond wealth being vague at best. The man who would go on to inspire Succession is more an enabler here than a villain. So, Lamb's story is more about giving in to the temptation to exploit fears and our most primal desires for money.

Ink would have you believe such a path is deadly and possibly impossible to turn back from. The final barrage of controversial (and even criminal) tech giants was meant to urge the audience to think of this not as a story of the past, but as a reflection on our present. But how can that critique land when Boyle himself is falling to the temptation of generative AI? Spoilers: It won't.

Ink was reviewed out of the Toronto International Film Festival. Ink will play in select theaters Dec. 7 before hitting Netflix Dec. 11.

With Widow's Bay, British actress Kate O'Flynn has become an overnight star in the United States (after years of television and movies out of the UK). As the fiercely frustrated Patricia Moyer, O'Flynn made TV audiences howl with laughter and fright, whether she was fleeing a resurrected serial killer or enjoying the rhythm of the night at her sunset cocktail party.

It's little wonder then that genre fans began cosplaying Patricia, leading to an excellent meet-up of Widow's Bay fans at DragonCon. But O'Flynn's performance has made an impression on the industry as well, as she took home the Primetime Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, one of the 14 trophies Katie Dippold's brilliant horror-comedy series won earlier this week.

Now, fans will have to wait for the much-anticipated second season of Widow's Bay. But in the meantime, they can enjoy O'Flynn's performance in Tender Loving Care, which has an echo of Patricia's moxie.

SEE ALSO: The 'Widow's Bay' cast breaks down their favorite scares from Season 1 Tender Loving Care is a warm and bittersweet drama about family.

Written and directed by British filmmaker Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies, Hard Truths), Tender Loving Care centers on two social workers who have been best friends since childhood. Those unfamiliar with Leigh's profoundly humane filmmaking might assume this setup could veer into grim tragedy porn, exploiting the real-life neglect and abuse witness by social workers to jolt an audience into reaction. Instead, Leigh's story is about the resilience of two women who give their all to help others, even when it comes at great cost to themselves. Theirs is not a story of tragedy, but of love.

Amy (O'Flynn) has just been dumped by her crappy boyfriend, who's gone back to his wife. Thankfully, Amy's childhood bestie Rosie (Alice Bailey Johnson) is more than happy to take her in, restoring the roommate rhythm they created at university. At first, their shared activities seem cliched, as they pour out their gripes alongside glass after glass of wine. But Leigh's nuanced script, paired with O'Flynn and Johnson's eloquent chemistry, makes for scenes so intimate that it almost feels rude to eavesdrop on them.

In the day, these women stride into grubby environments, like a hoarder's home stacked high with debris, or the cluttered apartment of a single mom desperate to get her boy back. In these spaces, Amy and Rosie aim to be helpful and firm, without giving feigned smiles or false hope. At night, they pop a cork and set down the weight of their responsibilities to feel like girls again, together. They'll toss about a teddy bear, hype each other up, and vent about men and work with a joie de vivre that feels fragile in their shimmering eyes. Leaning on each other, they'll muster through each disappointment or heartache, be it a flaky firefighter or a dementia diagnosis.

Tender Loving Care offers a bracing and beautiful portrait of a family coping with dementia.

While the first act of Tender Loving Care sets up these friends' romantic troubles, the second introduces another throbbing concern of aging. Amy's father Geoff (a plucky Paul Jesson) is becoming confused. In early scenes with his wife Birdie (Marion Bailey), the two share a playful patter that reflects decades of depending on each other. But before long, this witty, loving man can't keep up. He mutters about swans and wanders away from the conversation when Amy and Rosie come to visit.

Leigh offers as soft a touch in depicting dementia as he does in presenting poverty. So, rather than tear-jerking, Tender Loving Care is quietly affecting. As someone who's seen loved ones transformed by dementia, Jesson's performance felt like a mirror, the alertness of his gaze dulling to a questioning stare. The once-jaunty step diminishing into a stilted shuffle.

Bailey is his staunch scene partner. The dynamic shift demanded when a partner becomes a caretaker is shown with, well, tender loving care. At the first signs of peculiar behavior, she's sharp with him, scolding Geoff for sitting out in the cold. But as she realizes what might be going on, her tone shifts to sweetness, the kind that might cajole a child.

A doctor is called, and some jolliness is made of the old-fashioned charm of a home visit. But the reality hits home as Amy touches her father's hand, a silent call for him to return to himself, an aching awareness that will happen less and less.

Kate O'Flynn is terrific in Tender Loving Care.

This film marks O'Flynn's fourth collaboration with Leigh, following Happy-Go-Lucky, Mr. Turner, and Peterloo. This starring role is her best collaboration with Leigh yet, as Amy gives her space to express unfettered joy, seething frustration, and earnest tenderness.

In Rosie's apartment, the friends, who might be the real love of each others' lives, express themselves with ribald jokes, a bouncy tone, and a fearless embrace of goofiness. In one scene, O'Flynn dances about to pop music with a comical jig. And while it's easy to recall her now Emmy–winning dance in Widow's Bay, these dances also offer a distinction. At sunset cocktails, Patricia is dancing like a goofball, but fully confident she is crushing it as a hostess that everyone adores. Amy's jig is meant to make her friend laugh, to allow both of them to let go of the unending ache of being human.

In scenes with her clients or co-workers, she's more stern but still loving. A hard tone is tough love, meant to stabilize a faltering person. Then, in moments with Amy's ailing father, that sternness brightens, creating the support her elderly parents need as they enter a new and terrifying chapter for all three of them.

In a scene Leigh could have plucked from my own life, Amy gently coaches her father to sing a song he once loved. His gaze remains indistinct, but his voice, sturdy and singing, knows the way. Together, they share a song, creating a simple scene that says so much about what it means to love someone through the thick of it, until the end.

Which is all to say, if Widow's Bay has you wanting to see more of the onscreen marvel that is Kate O'Flynn, see Tender Loving Care. It's certainly less silly, and the horrors more of the aching everyday. But within it, she gives another sensational performance, bringing dignity to a lonely woman who bravely finds joy even in the darkest moments.

Tender Loving Care was reviewed at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will open in theaters on Dec. 4.

TL;DR: Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus is down to $54.99 (reg. $249.99) for a lifetime license on one Windows PC. That’s Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and Publisher, yours to keep, for less than seven months of a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus for Windows: Lifetime License $54.99
$249.99 Save $195   Get Deal

Subscriptions have become the way we pay for our digital lives, but they don’t have to be. Services like Microsoft 365 Personal run $99.99 a year, every year, for as long as you keep paying. But the days of owning your computer software aren’t gone — Office 2024 Professional Plus is just $54.99, and it will live on your computer.

Office for Windows 10 or 11 includes:

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, the core four for writing, spreadsheets, presentations, and email

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None of the apps are cloud-dependent, so you have access both online and off, unlike the apps in Office 365. Activate it once, and it works for as long as your computer battery does.

Do the math, and it’s not close: a year of Microsoft 365 Personal costs $99.99. This entire suite costs $54.99 one time. Buy it in September, and you’re already ahead of where a 365 subscriber will be by spring.

Students, teachers, and freelancers get real Office tools on a budget without having to subscribe to use them.

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If you’ve been paying monthly for your accounting software, it’s time to meet Argo Books. It’s powerful software that makes handling your own accounting a whole lot easier — with convenient features like photographing receipts and having your books update instantly.

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TL;DR: Add Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more to your Mac with this lifetime license on sale for $90.

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Paying monthly for software you’re going to be using forever doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

For a while, that was the only way to get apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on your Mac, but that’s finally changing. Instead of paying $99.99 every year for Microsoft 365, you can switch to a Microsoft Office lifetime license for $89.97 (reg. $219).

There’s no need to explain why an Office license still matters. Most people have been using Microsoft Office long before cloud apps and browser-based alternatives became the norm. With this deal, you can install the full Office suite on a single device for lifetime use at home or at work without worrying about monthly renewals, annual price hikes, or surprise charges down the line.

This license includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote. That means drafting documents, crunching numbers, building presentations, managing email, and organizing notes using the full desktop versions of each app. Unlike free alternatives or web-based tools, you get access to the complete feature sets, which makes a difference when you’re working on longer documents, detailed spreadsheets, or presentation-heavy projects.

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Even the most devoted comedy nerd may not realize how many truly iconic comedies of past and present might never have existed if it weren't for a single theatrical production. Everything from Only Murders in the Building and Schitt's Creek to SCTV and Saturday Night Live can be linked back to a 1972 Toronto production of Godspell, which boasted such not-yet-famous performers as Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, Jayne Eastwood, and Paul Shaffer. 

Incredibly, over its much raved about (and protested) 14-month run, not a soul thought to video record this production for posterity. So, 53 years later, documentarian Nick Davis aims to bring us back to this pivotal time and place with the preposterously and perfectly titled You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (in a Canadian Kind of Way). 

For the sake of brevity (and sanity), we'll refer to the film simply as You Had to Be There going forward. As in, You Had to Be There is so stuffed with interviews with comedy icons, remarkable anecdotes, and cheeky revelations that it's manna from heaven for comedy nerds. 

You Had to Be There has an incredible obstacle and even more incredible interviews. 

With a dismaying dearth of footage of the show itself, Davis instead relies on a two-pronged approach to usher audiences down memory lane for a bevy of comedy legends. First off, he offers interviews with much of the cast from the show's run, including Short, Levy, Thomas, Garber, Martin, Eastwood, Shaffer, Avril Chown, Don Scardino, Valda Aviks, and Rudy Webb. 

Many of them are now in their 70s, and they have the refreshing give-no-fucks air that is perfect for documentaries, looking back with fondness and candor to a time when everything felt possible — and vaguely terrifying because of that. Davis' thoughtful collection of interviews takes us back to 1972 Toronto, where the stuffy culture of the Canadian city was set alight with the arguably sacrilegious clown show that was Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak's Godspell, a musical that depicted the story of Jesus Christ through parables and willfully silly theatrics.  

Short, who laid out a lot of this history in his addictive memoir, I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend, proves an especially great interview, in part because of his lifelong dedication to keeping records of his work. However, You Had to Be There is most fun when the cut leaps from one individual interview to another, creating the sense that we're at a dinner party with some of the coolest people on the planet — recounting a party we weren't invited to. It's enchanting and bittersweet, especially as they talk about those who can't join the fun anymore, like Gilda Radner. 

You Had to Be There is a movie for comedy lovers by comedy lovers, which means Davis won't spend extra screen time reminding audiences who his subjects are, or what they suffered. The expectation is that you know the broad strokes.

Radner's friends remember her, warts and all, but warmly, putting forth chiefly that even when she struggled with disordered eating and terminal cancer, she was a light for all around her. (For more — and and more complicated — stories of Radner, do read Martin's book, as they dated for years and remained close for decades after.) 

For a greater sense of history beyond the personal, Davis invites some famous faces inspired by these groundbreakers for interviews. These talking heads include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janeane Garofalo, Heidi Garner, and Mike Myers. This works to swiftly pave a path of legacy and brings some added star power without derailing the narrative.

You Had to Be There employs animation to fill the gaps. 

With little footage from the troupe's time in Toronto to pull from, Davis opts for animation in reenactments. This way, the audience won't be distracted by how well other actors are playing or impersonating modern comedy icons. By favoring a style of animation that's reminiscent of '70s cartoons like Schoolhouse Rock! and Scooby-Doo, Davis gifts us visuals that emotionally and artistically tie back to this era and its sense of free-love, optimism, and creative moxie.

Animators thoughtfully recreate the costumes from '72's Godspell, documented in promotional photos, and create caricatures of the twentysomething theater kids. This animation enhances the mischievous tone of many of the interviews. For instance, there's one story about how Levy's chest hair became a problem for producers, who feared a hirsute Jesus would be inappropriate for kids in the audience. (Remember how we noted 1972 Toronto was stuffy?) Well, as Short and Levy set up the story — one giddy, the other wry — the reveal of the compromise is illustrated through the cartoon as a sensationally silly punchline. 

You Had to Be There gets serious, too.

Of course, looking back not only on this production but on 50-some years in show business, not all the stories are funny. Props to Davis, who gives voice to one player in particular, actress/singer Avril Chown. She uses this platform to finally share her story, which includes a harrowing tale of abuse that came after Godspell's cast had taken their final bow. Before she recounts her heartbreaking experience, she asks simply, "How much blood do you want to give for something you love?"

Rather than feeling exploitative or like a tangent, this sequence provides a counterbalance to the more convivial stories of showbiz. Because of course, clowns make us laugh, but sometimes they cry. To show only one side of this would be to sanitize comedians, actors, and performers who built their careers and legacies on taking risks. 

Simply put, You Had to Be There gifts audiences plenty of laughs, and so much more. This is not some fluffy celebration of comedians or even Godspell. Davis and company have come together to craft a documentary that is both informative, historical, entertaining, and deeply humane.

These stars let us into this time of their lives in such a sublimely personal way that by the film's final revelation — a long lost clip of one song's performance —  the audience gasps with excitement — just as its subjects do. The most incredible thing about You Had to Be There is that this film makes you feel like you were there, and these friends are your friends too. 

How to watch: You Had to Be There opens in NY theaters on Sept. 18 and nationwide on Sept. 25.

UPDATE: Sep. 17, 2026, 9:52 a.m. You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (in a Canadian Kind of Way) was reviewed out its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. This review has been republished to toast its theatrical debut.

SAVE $100: As of Sept. 18, the 13-inch MacBook Air M5 is on sale for $1,449 at Amazon. That's a 9% discount on the list price.

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Apple's newest MacBook Air is on sale at Amazon for a limited time, with $100 off the list price. That's welcome news in the wake of Apple price bumps.

As of Sept. 18, the 13-inch model is down to $1,449 across all four colorways. This is for the 16GB option without AppleCare+, but you can pay extra to include three years of coverage.

This model is one of Apple's best. In fact, the 15-inch model made our list of the best laptops for 2026.

There are many reasons we love this MacBook. The M5-powered Air is designed to handle everything from everyday browsing and office work to more demanding creative tasks. The M5 chip is what makes it so impressive, giving you a faster CPU, unified memory, a Neural Engine, and a GPU with Neural Accelerators for AI workloads. Apple Intelligence is also supported.

The battery life is rated for up to 18 hours, so you're set for working all day away from a power outlet. More than one day, even. And if you take lots of video calls, you'll appreciate the 12MP Center Stage camera, three-microphone setup, and four speakers with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos.

If you've been waiting for a discount on the MacBook Air M5, don't miss out on this deal.

SAVE $10: Through Sept. 27, you can get your first month of the Fox One streaming service for just $9.99 instead of $19.99 by signing up through Prime Video. That's 50% off the typical monthly rate.

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Navigating the complex world of live sports streaming is both an art and a science. Not only does it require an extensive lineup of streaming services, but it also requires a whole lot of money. For those who don't have an unlimited budget, saving a few bucks where you can is essential. Enter the latest Fox One streaming deal.

Live now through Sept. 27, Prime Video subscribers (Prime members) can add Fox One to their streaming lineup for the month for only $9.99 instead of the typical $19.99. That's 50% or $10 in savings. A Prime Video add-on works the same way as a classic streaming subscription, except that you'll be billed through your Prime account, and you can access Fox One directly through the Prime Video app.

SEE ALSO: How to watch the NFL online for free

While it's only been around a year, Fox One has quickly become a main pillar in the sports streaming world — particularly for football. It gives cord-cutters live access to Sunday afternoon NFL games on the network, as well as Big Ten college football matchups and plenty of national Fox broadcasts.

After your discounted month of streaming, the price will jump back up, and you'll have to figure out another way to save (I believe in you), but one month will get you access to a surprising number of games. This weekend alone would grant you access to the Texas Tech vs. Houston matchup on Friday night, then Big Noon Kickoff Saturday, followed by Ohio State vs. Kent State, Utah vs. Utah State, and Northwestern vs. Colorado. Sunday, you'll be able to watch the in-network NFL games on Fox (depending on your region).

When you're not watching live sports, Fox One also gives you access to your local Fox station and Fox Entertainment on demand, including movies, TV shows (like MasterChef and The Simpsons), and more. For less than $10, your next month of streaming just got a whole lot more exciting.

There are food celebrations taking place every week. Not so long ago, we had National French Fry Day and National Hot Dog Day. Earlier this week, we had National Guacamole Day. They're not all bangers, but National Cheeseburger Day? This is big.

All the big players are jumping on National Cheeseburger Day. We're seeing limited-time offers and freebies from the likes of Five Guys, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Smashburger. We don't know if you had big plans for this weekend, but you do now. It's time to indulge your passion.

National Cheeseburger Day takes place on Sept. 18. We've lined up our favorite offers to help you make the most of this special occasion.

Applebee’s

Grab a Classic Burger or Classic Cheeseburger with fries for $8.99 (dine-in or to-go).

Bad Daddy's Burger Bar

Get a Jalapeño Business burger with a classic side for $10 (dine-in only).

Big Buns

Get 50% off the Classic Burger with Cheese. This offer is exclusive to members of its Thompson Table Rewards loyalty program.

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse

On National Cheeseburger Day, get an All American Smash Burger with a choice of personal-size signature Pizookie for only $13.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buy one burger, get a second burger of equal or lesser value free on National Cheeseburger Day.

Burger King

Royal Perks members can claim a free Bacon Cheeseburger with a $3 minimum purchase in the BK app on Sept. 18.

Dairy Queen

Get a free single Original Cheeseburger Stackburger with any $1+ app order running through Sept. 18.

Dog Haus

Get a Cheeseburger with your Dog Haus Rewards account to score a free cheeseburger for a future visit.

Five Guys

Buy any burger and get a second burger for free with the promo code BOGOBURGER in the Five Guys app or on the website.

Early October Prime Day deals

Prime Big Deal Days returns on Oct. 6, but early deals are already live for Prime members:

• Try Audible — 30-day free trial

• Save up to 60% on children's books

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select — $19.99 $39.99 (save $20)

• Anker Soundcore P30i Noise-Cancelling Earbuds — $26.99 $49.99 (save $23)

• Amazon Ember 40-inch 2-Series Fire TV — $209.99 $249.99 (save $40)

Grubhub

Grubhub has canceled delivery and service fees on restaurant orders of $50+ on Sept. 18. You can also score these deals from favorite brands:

• Burger King: Buy one Whopper Jr., get one free on Sept. 18

• Outback: Get 20% off your order of $55+ through Sept. 20

• Wendy’s: Get a free Baconator on orders of $20+ on Sept. 18.

Hardee's

On Sept. 18, members of the My Rewards loyalty program can buy one Famous Star cheeseburger and get one for free.

McDonald’s

Score a free Double Cheeseburger with any $1 minimum in-app purchase for MyMcDonald’s Rewards members on Sept. 18.

Shake Shack

Score a $5 single ShackBurger or single Cheeseburger with any purchase. To qualify, use the code BURGERDAY in the Shack App, on the website, and at in-store kiosks.

Smashburger

Get any single Smash burger for $1 (Classic, Bacon Stack, Truffle Mushroom) when ordering in-app or online as a SmashRewards member.

Sonic

Get a Jr Double Cheeseburger for $1.99 when you order in-store or via the Sonic app on National Cheeseburger Day.

Wendy's

On Sept. 18, Wendy’s Rewards members can add a Dave’s Single Cheeseburger for $1.99 to any order.

Curious about AdultFriendFinder but nervous about what kind of personal information you'll have to provide to a well-known hookup site with a history of data breaches? You're right to be cautious about your data, but we're here to reassure you that you can sign up to AFF with a minimal contribution of personal information. 

Here's the info you'll need to provide to AdultFriendFinder to sign up for both a free and a paid account.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder   Learn More Free accounts

Because free accounts are extremely limited in what they can do on the site, there are very few actual requirements for signing up. At a minimum, you will need to provide AFF with your email address, date of birth, and location, as well as your marital status and sexual orientation. Unlike many other dating sites, which also require a public-facing profile photo, AFF allows you to browse the site anonymously, without having a single photo uploaded to your profile. 

If even this paltry amount of information puts you off, consider that you can use a burner email address and not give away sensitive info, though if you want to earn verified status on AFF in the future, you will need to correct the record to match your government-issued identification. 

Paid accounts

If you decide you enjoy the AdultFriendFinder experience and want to give yourself more freedom on the site to explore and message people, you'll need a premium membership, which means providing even more (and more accurate!) personal information about yourself.

Aside from the credit card number, you'll also need to provide an accurate address, including your country, city, state, and ZIP code. 

If even that data commitment makes you nervous, but you still want to explore the site as a premium member, you can actually bypass having to provide a credit card (and the physical address needed to verify it) if you use one of their alternative payment methods, like a mail-in check, digital gift card, or prepaid debit card. 

Not all of these payment options are available in every country, but if you really prize anonymity and data security, the prepaid account option is the most secure.

If you've spent some time on AdultFriendFinder, you might be interested to know that there's a larger network of sites that share its architecture and design philosophy. These sites are part of the FriendFinder Network, which encompasses a wide variety of sites, from mainstream dating sites to religiously focused dating services and even live cam sites. 

Here are three of the most popular AFF alternatives run by the FriendFinder Network:

ALT

ALT is one of the largest kinksters-only dating sites on the web, with a much greater BDSM influence than even AdultFriendFinder. The user interface and site aesthetics are clearly inspired by AFF, but there's a much greater emphasis on connecting individuals to couples or couples to individuals, and the user base is largely well-schooled in the basics of BDSM. 

If you're looking for a dedicated dom or want to explore the intricacies of Shibari with someone in your area, ALT offers a large number of like-minded daters. Sign up with an open mind, and you're guaranteed to have a good time. 

BigChurch

If you've spent any time on AFF, it may surprise you to learn that one of the other sites under the FriendFinder network umbrella is a Christian dating site, but apart from the aesthetics and user interface, BigChurch has almost nothing in common with its naughty sibling.

As with many other FriendFinder sites, signing up is totally free, and BigChurch has a strong community aspect, with a biblical bent nearly everywhere you look. The homepage serves up not only a Bible verse (Genesis 2:24: "A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" — what else!) but also a search bar, so instead of finding partners by shared kinks, you can find someone who shares your passion for Ephesians. 

Cams.com

If you're more of a visual learner and want your dating experience to match, Cams.com is a great alternative to the more common, text-based approach to online dating. As with AFF, free members are somewhat restricted in what they can do on the site, though you can browse webcam feeds. If you upgrade to a paid account, the fun really begins, with HD webcam feeds and the option to tip, private message, or live video chat with other users. 

There's also a very robust search filter, so you can find models of all ages, genders (trans-inclusive!), and ethnicities. One big caveat, though: as with AFF, there are scammers on Cams.com, often using pre-recorded video feeds, so take a second to verify the person you're watching is real before you spend a token on them or send them a message. 

TL;DR: The new Apple iPhone 18 Pro is available for free with T-Mobile. To claim, switch and bring your number or trade in an eligible phone in any condition on an Experience Beyond plan.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple T-Mobile: Free Apple iPhone 18 Pro   Get Deal

We've been blessed by a number of major smartphone drops in recent months. We got a new Motorola Razr lineup, new Google Pixels, and foldable phones from Samsung. But all of that feels sort of insignificant now, because Apple has taken over the news cycle.

After months of speculation, rumors, and leaks, Apple finally announced new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and more. If you're interested in investing in the latest iPhones, T-Mobile is the place to be.

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro is available for free right now with T-Mobile. There are two ways to take advantage of this limited-time deal:

• Switch and bring your existing phone number on an Experience Beyond plan

• Trade in a qualifying phone (in any condition) on an Experience Beyond plan

The full savings are distributed as monthly credits over a 36-month payment plan. As long as you intend to stay locked into T-Mobile’s top data tier for three years, it's easily one of the best ways to score Apple's premier hardware without a major hit to your budget.

T-Mobile does require you to pay local sales tax on the phone's full retail value upfront, plus a standard $35 device connection fee per line at checkout. That's a minor inconvenience to score the latest iPhone without a huge upfront cost.

Score the iPhone 18 Pro for free from T-Mobile.

While there's still been plenty of world-hopping, Dark Matter Season 2 has added an element of psychological family drama to its sci-fi mix.

In short, the Dessens are struggling. And while the family of three have tried their best to settle into something resembling a normal life, episode 4 suggests that dream is still a long way off.

So, what happens, and why does Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) leave at the very end? We've unpacked it below.

SEE ALSO: The 41 best Apple TV shows, ranked What happens at the end of Dark Matter Season 2, episode 4?

After sending Charlie (Oakes Fegley) off to college in a version of Chicago where technology is a long way behind that of "our" world, Jason (Joel Edgerton) and Daniela sit in their suddenly too-quiet apartment drinking tea. But it's not long before Daniela starts to share something that's troubling her.

"We're not the people we used to be," she says. "I guess it was crazy to think that we could be. I think you feel it too. It's... something's wrong with me."

Jason asks her what's going on, and Daniela alludes to the hallucinations she's been having ever since they came to this version of Chicago.

"It's like I'm being followed," she says. "And I keep thinking I see these versions of you. But... it's something else. I'm scared of things that I see in you. But I don't know what to do with what I've done."

When Jason asks what he can do, Daniela says there's nothing.

"I think I need to go away," she finishes.

The episode ends with her leaving — going where, exactly, we don't know — while reassuring Jason that they'll always be each other's person.

Why does Daniela leave?

It seems pretty clear at this point that most of the characters who've used the Box to travel to other versions of reality are suffering varying degrees of psychological damage as a result. Amanda (Alice Braga) has already confessed to Ryan (Jimmi Simpson) that she's experiencing a form of PTSD from her time travelling between realities with Jason in Season 1. And given that she herself is a psychiatrist, it seems likely that her diagnosis is correct.

Daniela, meanwhile, has not just travelled between realities; back in Season 2, episode 1, she even had to kill another version of her husband, who'd tracked the family to the world they were living in and who may have posed a threat. If travelling between worlds can give you PTSD, what does killing someone who looks exactly like your husband — who essentially is your husband — do to your mental health?

Probably not great things, as is evidenced by Daniela's increasing paranoia in Season 2. It's also complicated by the fact that she lives with a constant reminder of the person she shot dead. All of which is to say, Daniela's decision to leave the Dessen household in order to try to get better actually makes quite a lot of sense.

Will she be gone for ever? Almost certainly not. What she says to Jason before she leaves makes that clear enough. But perhaps she'll go on her own journey for a few episodes in an attempt to seek help, and to heal from the many traumas she's suffered.

Dark Matter Season 2 is streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes dropping every Friday.

We're now at the First Quarter Moon, when roughly half of the lunar surface visible from Earth is illuminated. The Moon will continue to get more illuminated each night until we reach the Full Moon.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Friday, Sept. 18, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the First Quarter phase, with 45% of its surface visible.

You should be able to spot Mare Crisium, Mare Serenitatis, and Mare Fecunditatis with the naked eye. If you have binoculars, they'll also help you see the Endymion Crater, Posidonius Crater, and the Mare Nectaris. Finally, if you have access to a telescope, you'll see the Apollo 11 and 17 landing spots, and the Rupes Altai.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on September 26.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon doesn't look the same from night to night. As it travels around Earth, which takes about 29.5 days, we see different portions of its illuminated side. This is what creates the lunar phases, with the Moon gradually progressing from a thin crescent to a half Moon and then a Full Moon before the cycle starts over. According to NASA, the phase we see is determined by the Moon's position relative to both Earth and the Sun.

The eight 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.

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 18, 2026 Pillow meaning

A cushion designed for aesthetics or resting.

Cruise meaning

A leisurely trip taken via watercraft.

Upper meaning

The higher part of something.

Step meaning

A part of a journey.

Flight meaning

When a plane or jet travels from one place to another.

Stair meaning

Steps used to ascend or descend.

Platter meaning

A tray used for serving food.

Landing meaning

An area at the top or bottom of a flight of steps.

Round meaning

A circular shape.

Stage meaning

A place where performances are held.

Takeoff meaning

When an aircraft leaves the ground.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Medley meaning

A combination of things, often related to music.

Brief meaning

A short amount of time.

Boarding meaning

To enter a plane, train, or boat.

Sampler meaning

Small amounts of items for testing or variety.

Phase meaning

A part of a process.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you like to travel.

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.

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

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.

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

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 Pips hints, answers for September 18, 2026 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: Parts

• Green: Refreshments

• Blue: Travel-related

• Purple: Same second word

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Segment of a process

• Green: Assortments of food/drink

• Blue: Parts of a flight

• Purple: Same second word

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 #1195 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Segment of a process: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP

• Assortments of food/drink: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER

• Parts of a flight: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF

• __ case: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER

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

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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.

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you're good at finding common ground.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, 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 preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 18, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Shake on it

The words are related to decisions.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe arrangements.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Let's Make a Deal.

NYT Strands word list for September 18

• Pact

• Contract

• Agreement

• Let's Make a Deal

• Covenant

• Treaty

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're ready for cooler weather.

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 hints today: Clues, answers for September 18, 2026 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 Pips hints, answers for September 18, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Describing a weather condition.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

No letters appear twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

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...

SNOWY

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.

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

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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.

Are you ready for this weekend's roundup of Raspberry Pi projects? Today, I have some fun things for you to try out, from building your own knowledge base to creating your own custom feed reader, all before Monday rolls around.