IT General

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TL;DR: Through March 30, grab a lifetime of cloud storage from Koofr on sale for $119.97 with coupon code KOOFR.

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The James Webb Space Telescope is peering into distant worlds and rewriting our grasp of the cosmos.

And in 2025, its budget is on track to get slashed.

At January's Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Tom Brown, who heads Webb's mission office at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), showcased the observatory's achievements, while also revealing the institute has been asked to consider around 20 percent in cuts to its science and mission operations during the prime years of Webb's operation. (The institute manages major telescopes for NASA, like Webb and the Hubble Space Telescope.)

The budget shortfall would begin in October 2025, the start of the federal fiscal year. The telescope, orbiting about 1 million miles from Earth, has a team of scientists and engineers choosing the the most valuable targets, calibrating its observations, and fixing problems. Budget cuts would hit these jobs, and significantly diminish Webb's productivity, Brown said.

"The operations work at STScI, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and other NASA contractors is funded by the operational budget for Webb, so the funding cuts would incur reductions in staff working in these areas," Brown, who also researches star and galaxy formation, told Mashable.

SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.

"One could see reductions in observing efficiency, anomaly response, calibration cadence and fidelity, support for instrument modes, and even the number of observing modes available for science," he added.

With the Trump administration's agency reductions and mass-layoffs, including firings of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists, significant cuts of some 20 percent to Webb may now be even more realistic. "We expect worse. The announcement of this 20 percent budget cut was made before the arrival of DOGE and other ongoing budget reductions," Franck Marchis, a planetary astronomer at the SETI Institute, said in a statement. Marchis noted that there will also likely be a "significant impact" to the outreach programs that provide the public information about Webb's progress and discoveries.

In 2025, NASA's budget request for Webb was $187 million, which included $60 million in grants that enable scientists at other institutions to plan and pursue investigations with the telescope. Yet Brown noted, in his presentation, that Webb's operations costs were "set idealistically low in 2011," and the operations budget must now contend with higher-than-anticipated inflation and a tight NASA budget. The space agency has a lot of ambitions and investments spread across a budget of some $25.4 billion, such as $7.6 billion in annual costs for the looming exploration of the moon, and eventually Mars. For example, NASA's new megarocket, the Space Launch System, was afforded over $2.4 billion in the 2025 fiscal year.

"If the budget cuts were to happen, the cuts would impact all aspects of operations."

Should Webb's operations budget be cut, meaning a drop of some $37 million compared with 2025 levels, little would be immune.

"If the budget cuts were to happen, the cuts would impact all aspects of operations," Brown said. "This includes solicitation and peer-reviewed selection of observing programs, observation planning and scheduling, flight operations and commanding, systems engineering, anomaly response, data calibration, data analysis tools, science data products, data processing and archiving, management of research grants, and public outreach."

The Webb telescope, which came online in 2022, is currently in its prime five-year mission. But it's performing excellently, and NASA suspects it could run for two decades, if not more. Its productivity over this span, however, could be hampered.

A deep field view of the universe captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, including some of the farthest-away objects ever seen in infrared light. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI Tweet may have been deleted

UPDATE: Mar. 1, 2025, 5:00 a.m. EST This story originally published on Jan. 29, 2025, and has been updated with a quote from Franck Marchis along with other information about the Webb telescope.

The Webb telescope's powerful abilities

The Webb telescope — a scientific collaboration between NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency — is designed to peer into the deepest cosmos and reveal new insights about the early universe. It's also examining intriguing planets in our galaxy, along with the planets and moons in our solar system.

Here's how Webb is achieving unparalleled feats, and may for years to come:

- Giant mirror: Webb's mirror, which captures light, is over 21 feet across. That's over two-and-a-half times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope's mirror, meaning Webb has six times the light collecting area. Capturing more light allows Webb to see more distant, ancient objects. The telescope is peering at stars and galaxies that formed over 13 billion years ago, just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. "We're going to see the very first stars and galaxies that ever formed," Jean Creighton, an astronomer and the director of the Manfred Olson Planetarium at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, told Mashable in 2021.

- Infrared view: Unlike Hubble, which largely views light that's visible to us, Webb is primarily an infrared telescope, meaning it views light in the infrared spectrum. This allows us to see far more of the universe. Infrared has longer wavelengths than visible light, so the light waves more efficiently slip through cosmic clouds; the light doesn't as often collide with and get scattered by these densely packed particles. Ultimately, Webb's infrared eyesight can penetrate places Hubble can't.

"It lifts the veil," said Creighton.

- Peering into distant exoplanets: The Webb telescope carries specialized equipment called spectrographs that will revolutionize our understanding of these far-off worlds. The instruments can decipher what molecules (such as water, carbon dioxide, and methane) exist in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets — be they gas giants or smaller rocky worlds. Webb looks at exoplanets in the Milky Way galaxy. Who knows what we'll find?

"We might learn things we never thought about," Mercedes López-Morales, an exoplanet researcher and astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics-Harvard & Smithsonian, told Mashable in 2021.

TL;DR: Get a lifetime license to PDF Converter Pro for £19.07 (reg. £79.49) through 30 March at the Mashable Shop and alleviate your PDF headaches.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acethinker PDF Converter Pro: Lifetime License £19.07 at the Mashable Shop
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If you’re tired of clunky online converters and endless subscription fees, PDF Converter Pro is your one-stop solution for all things PDF. For just £19.07 (until 30 March), you’ll get a lifetime license to this powerful desktop software that lets you convert, edit, and protect your PDFs without relying on the internet.

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TL;DR: You can get an Internxt 10TB cloud storage lifetime subscription for £222.60 (reg. £2,384.16) when you use the code STORAGE20 at checkout through 30 March. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Internxt Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 10TB Plan £222.60
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Are you doing a ‘low-buy year,’ like half the internet? Even if you're not, you’re probably looking for ways to save as much money as possible. Many people are canceling subscriptions, and the first one to go could be Dropbox or Google Drive. Instead, store your files with this lifetime cloud storage deal.

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Cloud storage without fees

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TL;DR: Live stream Crystal Palace vs. Millwall in the FA Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The FA Cup is all about big games between big rivals, and that's exactly what we're getting from the fifth round. Crystal Palace face off against Millwall in the fifth round. The Premier League side will be expected to win this London derby, but anything can happen in the FA Cup.

If you want to watch Crystal Palace vs. Millwall in the FA Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Crystal Palace vs. Millwall?

Crystal Palace vs. Millwall in the FA Cup starts at 12:15 p.m. GMT on March 1. This fixture takes place at Selhurst Park.

How to watch Crystal Palace vs. Millwall for free

Crystal Palace vs. Millwall in the FA Cup is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

If you're abroad for this fixture, you can use a VPN to unlock BBC iPlayer. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Crystal Palace vs. Millwall by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Live stream Crystal Palace vs. Millwall for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Crystal Palace vs. Millwall without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream this game before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Crystal Palace vs. Millwall in the FA Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The FA Cup fifth round showcases a number of fascinating matchups, including Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle. The Championship side knocked out Liverpool in the last round, and they get another massive Premier League team as their reward. Sometimes life isn't fair.

If you want to watch Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle?

Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup starts at 5:45 p.m. GMT on March 1. This fixture takes place at the Etihad Stadium.

How to watch Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle for free

Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Live stream Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream this game before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Manchester City vs. Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new 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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

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: Mistakes

• Green: Participate in events like floor routine and balance beam

• Blue: Measured from the mound

• Purple: Mascots minus a letter

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

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

• Yellow: Goofs

• Green: American gymnasts in 2024 Olympics

• Blue: Stats for a relief pitcher

• Purple: Team names, minus a "B"

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 #159 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Goofs - BLOOPERS, BLUNDERS, ERRS, FUMBLES

• American gymnasts in 2024 Olympics - BILES, CAREY, CHILES, LEE

• Stats for a relief pitcher - GAMES, HOLDS, SAVES, WINS

• Team names, minus a "B" - EARS, ILLS, RAVES, RUNS

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 1 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 1 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Let us prey

These words hunt to eat.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The words are animals that prey on others.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is ApexPredators.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for March 1

• Tyrannosaurus

• Crocodile

• Lion

• Human

• Orca

• ApexPredators

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.

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for March 1 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: Objects and creatures linked to fortune

• Green: Words starting with a "to" or "bo" sound

• Blue: Nicknames for famous stage plays

• Purple: Preceding words in well-known titles

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

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

• Yellow: Associated with Good Luck

• Green: To-Bo- Compound Words

• Blue: Broadway Musicals, Familiarly

• Purple: Words Before "Cowboy" in Film and Music

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 #629 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Associated with Good Luck: HORSESHOE, LADYBUG, PENNY, SHAMROCK

• To-Bo-Compound Words: TOLLBOOTH, TOMBOY, TOOLBOX, TOWBOAT

• Broadway Musicals, Familiarly: FIDDLER, MERRILY, PHANTOM, SUNSET

• Words Before "Cowboy" in Film and Music: DRUGSTORE, MIDNIGHT, RHINESTONE, SPACE

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 1

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.

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

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for March 1 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for March 1, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

What a helicopter or drone does in place.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter H.

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

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

HOVER.

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 1

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

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

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

The Yellowjackets cast gives us a peek into what's actually going on during Ben's intense trial in Season 3, Episode 4.

The first 4 episodes ofYellowjackets Season 3 are now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, with new episodes weekly.

Another day, another scam, and this time E-ZPass users are the target. Here's everything you need to know about the scam, how to keep yourself safe, and what you can do if you do get scammed.

Have you ever wondered about the magic behind noise-canceling headphones? It's an amazing feature to have for headphones, shutting you out from outside noise that can be distracting. The truth is, I can't ever go back to regular ones anymore.

Nintendo Switch Online customers in Japan and South Korea will lose access to Super Formation Soccer on March 27th. This is a harsh reminder that subscriptions are not a replacement for ownership, and that legacy game publishers are not motivated by preservation.

Accessibility can be challenging, but with the advancement of robotics, there is a lot to look forward to in the world of accessibility. Assistive robots not only help today; they build a future where technology lifts barriers.

Whether to improve your document's aesthetic appeal, allow more space for handwritten annotations, or squeeze all your text onto one page, there are many reasons to adjust a Word document's margins. However, don't fall into the trap of doing this manually.

Robots of all varieties are coming thick and fast, though humanoid robots get the most airtime. Not all of them get it for the right reasons, and in the case of Clone's creepy robots, it's their flair for the dramatic that's been a marketing success.

The revised Start menu was one of the most controversial parts of Windows 11. Here’s how Microsoft is experimenting with fixing it.

You've probably seen Apple Cash advertised every time you open the Wallet app and thought it was the same as other money-sharing apps. While it is relatively similar, it does offer some unique features designed explicitly for Apple Cash transactions.