IT General

It's day 19 of the lunar cycle and we're close to a new lunar phase, the Third Quarter. From here, the moon will quickly get smaller each night until there's nothing left at all. That phase is known as the New Moon. But what's happening tonight, on day 19? Read on to find out.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Tuesday, Dec. 9, the moon phase is Waning Gibbous. This means 73% of the moon is lit up tonight, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

We've still got more than half of the moon on display, so for the time being there's lots to see on its surface. If you're looking up without any visual aids, keep an eye out for the Mare Tranquillitatis, Tycho Crater, and Oceanus Procellarum. If have binoculars to hand, pull these out to see the Gassendi Crater, Clavius Crater, and the Alps Mountains. If you're serious about moon gazing and have a telescope to hand, take it out to see all this plus the Apollo 15 and 16 landing spots and the Reiner Gamma.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Jan. 3.

What are moon phases?

NASA explains that the lunar cycle (which is about 29.5 days long) is made up of the Moon’s phases, which describe how the Moon looks from Earth as it travels around us. We view the same side of the Moon at all times, but the sunlight hitting its surface shifts as it moves through its orbit. That changing illumination is what makes the Moon appear full, half-lit, or not visible at all. The cycle includes eight distinct phases:

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.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 6, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 9, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 9 Pips

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 6-0, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 9 Pips

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 4-0, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 1-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 9 Pips

Number (14): Everything in this space must add up to 14. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically; 0-5, placed vertically; 4-0, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically; 3-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.

Number (17): Everything in this space must add up to 17. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically; 6-4, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 4. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (8): Everything in this space must be greater than 8. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically; 5-6, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed horizontally.

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easy if you've had to buy equipment from Academy.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest 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: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Baseball catcher

• Green: Football flags

• Blue: Premiered after 2000

• Purple: Types of bags

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Catcher's Equipment

• Green: Football Penalties

• Blue: Sports Movies of 2001

• Purple: ____Bag

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

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

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #441 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Catcher's Equipment - CHEST PROTECTOR, MASK, MITT, SHIN GUARDS

• Football Penalties - CHOP BLOCK, CLIPPING, FALSE START, HOLDING

• Sports Movies of 2001 - 61*, ALI, HARDBALL, SUMMER CATCH

• ____Bag - DUFFEL, HEAVY, ROSIN, SPEED

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections 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.

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.

Alex Karp, the CEO of controversial tech company Palantir, raised eyebrows during a recent live interview with the New York Times. In a viral video of the discussion, Karp defended his company to the Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin, gesturing dramatically with his arms, bouncing up and down on his chair, and struggling to make his point. 

Palantir’s X account shared the video on Sunday morning and announced Karp is launching The Neurodivergent Fellowship: "If you find yourself relating to [Karp] in this video — unable to sit still, or thinking faster than you can speak — we encourage you to apply."

Palantir announced Karp himself would conduct final interviews for the fellowship. In a reply to the first message on X, the company included an application link to the fellowship, which is available in Palantir’s New York City and Washington, D.C. offices.

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"The current LLM tech landscape positions [neurodivergent people] to dominate," according to the application. "Pattern recognition. Non-linear thinking. Hyperfocus. The cognitive traits that make the neurodivergent different are precisely what make them exceptional in an AI-driven world."

Palantir, a data and analytics company co-founded by conservative "kingmaker" Peter Thiel, was quick to argue that the fellowship is not a DEI initiative.

SEE ALSO: What is Palantir? The secretive tech company behind Trump's data collection efforts

"Palantir is launching the Neurodivergent Fellowship as a recruitment pathway for exceptional neurodivergent talent," according to the application, "This is not a diversity initiative. We believe neurodivergent individuals will have a competitive advantage as elite builders of the next technological era, and we're hiring accordingly for all roles."

Applicants do not need a formal diagnosis to be eligible and the position pays between $110,000-200,000 annually, with potential for stock units and even a sign-on bonus.

Karp’s interview and his company's new fellowship cap off a newsworthy year for Palantir, which was tapped by the Trump White House to track immigrants in the U.S., aid in deportations, and potentially create a master database on every American.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he plans to sign an executive order permitting only "one rule" for regulating artificial intelligence in the U.S.

"There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in AI. We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that won’t last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors, involved in RULES and the APPROVAL PROCESS," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Several states, including California and New York, have passed statewide legislation this year regulating various aspects of AI, including transparency, whistleblower protections, and user and teen safety. Trump did not elaborate on which states he considered bad actors in the regulatory process, or what qualified them as bad actors.

SEE ALSO: AI safety report: Only 3 models make the grade

A version of an executive order that leaked online last week reportedly directed federal agency and cabinet leaders to determine how to punish states with existing AI laws, according to The Verge.

Earlier this year, Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act attempted to ban state regulation of AI for 10 years, a provision that Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green notably rejected. The moratorium was very unpopular amongst registered voters, according to a poll conducted in mid-May. The measure was eventually voted down 99-1 by the Senate. Some MAGA supporters, including Trump ally Steve Bannon, continue to oppose industry-led regulation of AI.

Still, proponents of a regulatory ban still want to provide AI companies carte blanche to innovate without having to address state-by-state regulations. David Sacks, a tech venture capitalist and the Trump administration's special advisor for AI and crypto, is reportedly behind the executive order, according to The Verge.

It's not clear how Trump's executive order would affect Congressional legislation, like the bipartisan bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley and Democrat Sen. Mark Hawley that would require federal agencies and major U.S. companies to account for AI-related workforce reductions.

A report released last week by the tech research nonprofit Future of Life Institute found that only three of eight major AI models got a passing grade on safety.

Network attached storage devices have become increasingly popular as people search for alternatives—or supplements—to their cloud storage subscriptions. That is where a new mini PC released by Youyeetoo, which is designed primarily for use as a miniature NAS, can shine.

TL;DR: Give your kids non-addictive, educational, and fun screen time with a lifetime subscription to the app Pok Pok, now just $39.97 (reg. $250) with code PLAY20 through Dec. 14.

Opens in a new window Credit: Pok Pok Pok Pok: Lifetime Subscription $39.97
$250 Save $210.03   Get Deal

Calm screen time for kids? Though it sounds like an oxymoron, Pok Pok makes it a real possibility. This app offers low-stimulation content that simultaneously entertains and educates, and right now a lifetime subscription is on sale for just $39.97 (reg. $250) with code PLAY20 through Dec. 14.

Pok Pok is not like the usual apps geared toward little ones. This award-winning app lets kids ages 2 to 8 enjoy Montessori-based games. This child-centered educational approach emphasizes hands-on learning, independence, and natural development. It’s an ideal way to give kids a non-addictive and healthy introduction to technology.

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You’ll instantly see the difference between Pok Pok and your average kids’ app — Pok Pok uses hand-drawn animations and calm, low-stimulation sound effects that are actually made in-house. Games teach topics like STEM, numbers, and language, and they’re all self-paced and emphasize problem-solving and exploration through open-ended play.

There are no ads, ever. And Pok Pok is COPPA-certified, which means your children won’t be tricked into making any purchases. You also have the option to let your children play in an offline mode if you want to avoid the internet completely.

This lifetime subscription to Pok Pok means your little ones will have access to unlimited games. There are regular updates with new seasonal and cultural content added often, so the app will never feel stale. You’ll also receive an exclusive gift mailed to your home after your purchase.

Give the kiddos a lifetime subscription to Pok Pok for just $39.97 (reg. $250) with code PLAY20 through Dec. 14.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

PhpStorm has stuck around as one of the best PHP development environments, and now JetBrains has released a new major version. PhpStorm 2025.3 is now available with PHP 8.5 support, a new theme, Claude agent integration, and much more.

OpenAI and Instacart are bringing grocery shopping to ChatGPT.

The two companies announced Monday that the Instacart app is being directly integrated into ChatGPT, meaning you can browse for groceries and check out, all within the popular chatbot.

The aim is that users can ask ChatGPT for meal ideas or help with a recipe, then boom: buy everything they need from Instacart.

"With the Instacart app directly in ChatGPT, users can go from meal planning to checkout in a single, seamless conversation," said Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, in a statement.

"It's another step toward bringing our vision to life—where AI delivers helpful suggestions and connects directly to real-world services, saving people time and effort in their everyday lives."

Curious culinary customers should, however, keep in mind that AI tools do have a habit of being confidently wrong — meaning the recipes might not always be perfect.

Reviews of ChatGPT-generated recipes online, for instance, are a mixed bag — but mostly middling.

Also worth noting: the AI model can hallucinate when it comes to recipes, and we're not just talking about the infamous "glue on pizza" bit made up by Google's AI overviews in 2024.

As recently as August 2025, one person was hospitalized after reportedly following ChatGPT dietary advice that suggested replacing table salt with sodium bromide, which is toxic for human consumption.

So if any user wants to take advantage of recipe ingredients via the OpenAI-Instacart partnership this holiday season, they would be well-advised to make like Santa Claus — and check their list at least twice.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Are you shopping for an SBC right now? There are tons to choose from, but the conventional choice is a Raspberry Pi device. It isn't your only option, though, and looking into alternatives is worth your while.

A bizarre video of one of Tesla's Optimus robots appearing to malfunction and fall over while serving drinks at an event is going viral online.

The incident happened at an "Autonomy Visualized" event at its Miami store. As Electrek writes, the Tesla event was promoted as a way to showcase the company's “Autopilot technology and Optimus.” 

The fall is a potential embarrassment for Tesla chief Elon Musk, who has highlighted recent demos of Optimus — including one in which the robot appears to be performing Kung Fu.

"AI, not tele-operated," Musk claimed in a reply to a video showcasing the robots skills.

Musk was referring to the fact that previous showcases of Optimus actually involved the robot being operated remotely by a human. Still, Optimus did not seem to be in control of itself at the "Autonomy Visualized" event.

Reddit

The video was first posted on Reddit and is now going viral across social media, including on Musk's own X platform. It shows an Optimus robot serving water bottles at the event.

The robot's hands knock into the table, causing water bottles to fall. Then, suddenly, the robot seems to completely malfunction and falls back.

The weirdest part of the video, though, may be the motion the robots arms and hands make while it begins to tip backwards.

The Optimus robot lifts its arms upwards as its hands make a motion as if removing something — rather like someone removing a VR headset from their head. 

As Electrek points out, VR headsets are exactly what Tesla teleoperators use to control the robots.

A headset fail wouldn't be the first setback for Tesla's Optimus robots, which Musk has referred to as his "robot army." But when it comes to assessing just how effective this army would be in practice, this video is an eye-opener.

So, while Musk touts autonomous robots, it appears Optimus may still be remotely operated — at least, at public events that aim to promote their autonomy. 

Petco has confirmed that its data security breach exposed sensitive customer information. 

The company initially acknowledged a breach without detailing what was compromised, legal notices that were required in several states are starting to show the scope of the hack.

SEE ALSO: Data breach revealed, potentially impacting several banks

In filings submitted to the Texas attorney general — echoed in notifications to officials in California, Massachusetts, and Montana — Petco disclosed that exposed data included customers’ names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, and financial information such as account and card numbers.

In two states, Petco reported only a handful of affected residents, but California’s disclosure threshold (which only kicks in when 500 customers or more are affected) suggests the actual number of victims there is significantly higher.

As first spotted by TechCrunch, Petco declined to answer detailed questions about how many customers were impacted, whether any unauthorized parties accessed or stole the exposed files, or which application was responsible for the issue.

The company has previously reported serving more than 24 million customers in 2022, giving a sense of the potential scale of the hack.

A sample notification, published by California’s attorney general, indicates the breach stemmed from a misconfigured setting in one of Petco’s software applications, which inadvertently made a number of files accessible online.

Petco says it has corrected the setting, removed the exposed files, and implemented additional security measures.

The company is offering free credit and identity monitoring services to affected individuals in states where such support is required by law when highly sensitive data — like SSNs or driver’s license numbers — is compromised.

Still to be determined: whether Texas residents will receive the same level of protection.

Apple and Google are working together to make it easier for customers to switch ecosystems.

The newest Android Canary build (basically a beta) started planting the seeds for easier device switching, according to 9to5google. Apple and Google told 9to5google that a quicker transfer process will be available during the new device setup phase after you buy a phone. At some point, this will be baked into both Android and iOS after future software updates to both platforms.

SEE ALSO: New Android malware threat can wipe your bank account

Unfortunately, it's not super clear what, specifically, this means just yet. 9to5google said these updates will support transfer of additional data types between phones, but we'll probably need to be much closer to launch before we know what all of that will entail. Both platforms have officially supported data transfer apps you can download right now, but it sounds like the end goal might be to make all of that magic happen right when you turn on a new phone for the first time.

That would certainly be convenient, and would probably lessen the drama of going between Android and iOS.

Local pro-environment groups in all 50 states delivered a blunt message to the U.S. Congress: Put a moratorium on new power-hungry AI data centers, or face the wrath of voters everywhere.

"The harms of data center growth are increasingly well-established, and they are massive," read the letter, signed by more than 350 nonprofit groups, from Alabama Climate Reality to West Virginia Citizen Action Group. That includes the swing state of Michigan, where the OpenAI-led Stargate project is already running into local opposition on a $7 billion data center built on farmland.

Focusing on kitchen-table issues as much as the use of fossil fuels (which power an estimated 56 percent of U.S. data center electricity), the letter noted that electricity bills have shot up by more than 21 percent since 2021 — "driven largely by the rapid build-out of data centers."

If nothing is done to stop a proposed tripling of data centers in the next five years, these vast server farms will end up requiring as much electricity as 30 million households, and as much water as 18.5 million households, the group estimates. (For context, the entire U.S. has just over 130 million households.)

SEE ALSO: How much is AI hurting the planet? Big tech won't tell us.

The letter, convened by Food & Water Watch, calls for "a national moratorium on new data centers until adequate regulations can be enacted to fully protect our communities, our families, our environment and our health from the runaway damage this industry is already inflicting."

The estimates are speculative, of course — in part because tech companies still aren't providing the data needed to understand just how much energy and water data centers use. Or more importantly, how hungry the AI model training process has become.

U.S. representatives should be aware how little is known about AI's environmental harms, given that the legislature's own nonpartisan General Accounting Office released a report this summer on this very topic.

"Training and using generative AI can result in substantial energy consumption, carbon emissions, and water usage," the GAO report stated.

Have an old mini PC lying around you're mulling over chucking into your "hardware graveyard" drawer or selling on eBay or Facebook Marketplace? Why get rid of it when you can repurpose and breathe new life into it? Here are some roles most mini PCs should excel at.

Visual Studio Code and other lightweight editors might be the most popular choices for Python programming, but JetBrains PyCharm is still great for complex projects and debugging. The latest update is merging the Community Edition and Pro versions, and it brings along a few new features and improvements.

The holiday season is upon us, and many will be tuning in to Disney+ to watch popular movies like Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and more to celebrate. But the streaming platform has a wide variety of festive flicks. A handful of these films are severely underrated and often get overlooked by those searching for some holiday cheer.

The European Commission just recently slapped Elon Musk's X with a historic $140 million fine. 

But, it turns out that Europe hit X with a double whammy here. According to X, the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU that enforces its laws, took advantage of a flaw in its advertising platform which helped further spread the reach of the EU's announcement that it was fining X.

As a result, X's head of product Nikita Bier is escalating the company's feud with the EU, saying that X has terminated the European Commissions' advertising account with X.

What happened?

On Friday, the European Commission's official account shared a post on X announcing the fine, which is the very first penalty issued as a result of the EU's Digital Services Act.

The fine was issued against X, formerly Twitter, due to a number of changes the platform implemented after Musk acquired the company. The European Commission announcement says it doled out the penalty as a result of X's "deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers."

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"Bullshit," Musk replied on X to the announcement.

However, days later Bier posted on X to share that Musk's company was closing the European Commission's ad account on the platform. Bier says that the European Commission exploited the platform's Ad Composer by using a feature that's only meant for ads.

The Ad Composer allows advertisers to upload a video to a post while also linking the video itself to a third-party website. When using this feature, a user is sent to a linked webpage when clicking on the video.

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"You logged into your dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer — to post a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach," Bier wrote. "Your ad account has been terminated."

Under Musk, X's algorithm has been updated to give posts that include video uploads an advantage by extending their reach on the platform.

Bier went on to claim that the post format is only meant for ads and that the flaw had never been abused before. Bier says the exploit has since been patched.

It's unclear exactly how this affects the European Commission, as Bier claimed the now-banned ad account had not run a paid advertisement since 2021, and the exploit no longer exists.

Uber is making a massive play for advertising dollars by launching a new insights platform, Uber Intelligence. This is designed to sell aggregated data about where you travel and what you order for takeout directly to marketers.

JetBrains might be best known for its IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm integrated development environments, but it also has one for Go language development: GoLand. The latest version can help you hunt down resource leaks, code with multiple AI agents, use Terraform files, and much more.