Technology

Trump held a midterm convention in Texas on Wednesday, and attendance levels were already looking a bit shaky based on the number of Republicans making excuses about why they wouldn't be able to go.

In the clip above, Jimmy Kimmel gleefully analyses the number of empty seats in the room, first playing a clip of Trump maintaining that the room was packed despite video footage to the contrary

"Could there be a better metaphor for this presidency than him bragging about the size of his crowd to a bunch of empty seats? I don't think so. When does the kid come out and inform the emperor that he has no clothes? That arena was as empty as a Waymo," Kimmel says. "This is what happens in North Korea. It is really terrifying that this is the news that some people are getting exclusively."

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SAVE $78: As of Sept. 11, the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is on sale for $76.99 at Amazon. That's a 50% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet $76.99 at Amazon
$154.99 Save $78.00   Get Deal

If you're in the market for an affordable tablet, Amazon currently has a great deal on the Amazon Fire HD 10. As of Sept. 11, it has dropped in price to just $76.99, saving you $78 off the list price. That's half off, and according to camelcamelcamel, the lowest-ever price for this device.

This tablet comes with a 10.1-inch 1080p Full HD display, so it's a great buy if you want a tablet for watching shows, playing games, or settling down with an e-book. It also promises up to 13 hours of battery life, meaning you shouldn't need to keep reaching for the charger during the day. It also comes with 32GB of storage, so there's plenty of room for streaming apps, games, and whatever else you need.

It's designed to be lightweight yet durable, with strengthened aluminosilicate glass, and it has a 5MP front-facing camera for video calls. You also get handy tools for drafting emails, summarizing webpages, and creating wallpapers, plus Alexa support and parental controls through Amazon Kids.

This tablet deal is available at Amazon now, but only for a limited time, so don't miss out.

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Planning to upgrade your iPhone this year? If you're someone looking to get the most feature-packed device, typically the choice would be easy: You'd buy the latest iPhone Pro Max model, and this time around, that's the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

However, Apple decided to throw a curveball at iOS users this year with the release of its first-ever Apple foldable, the iPhone Duo.

Now, iPhone users looking for a new smartphone have to make a difficult choice. I know. I'm one of those users who assumed I'd just go with the new Pro Max, but the unveiling of the Duo has me second-guessing that choice.

Do I go with the iPhone 18 Pro Max or the iPhone Duo? Each is powerful in its own right, as they both have Apple's new Apple Silicon chip A20 Pro. But, both are missing features that the other has.

So, instead of just comparing specs, let's look at the use cases for each device.

If you want the biggest screen... Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

At 6.9 inches, the iPhone 18 Pro Max has the largest traditional smartphone display. When the iPhone Duo is closed and in its smartphone "form," it's smaller. The Duo's outer display is only 5.4 inches.

However, when the Duo is opened up, the inner display has 50 percent more screen space than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, measuring 7.6 inches. Ultimately, the Duo has more screen for you to work with.

The winner: The iPhone Duo

If cameras are of the utmost importance Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a 48MP Pro Fusion camera system, a 48MP Fusion Main lens, a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide lens, and a 48MP Fusion Telephoto lens. It also introduces a physical variable aperture feature for the first time. The Duo has the same main lens but without the variable aperture, and the same ultra-wide lens. The iPhone Duo does not have a telephoto lens, but it does have a 12MP Center Stage selfie camera and an under-display FaceTime camera.

Hardware-wise, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the superior smartphone camera when compared with the Duo. It has more rear camera lenses, and that physical variable aperture will provide users with plenty of control of lighting and depth of field.

For serious photographers or filmmakers looking for a smartphone to match your workflow, the iPhone 18 Pro Max's new software capabilities with Pro Controls is going to be a big plus too. With Pro Controls, users can adjust shutter speed, lens aperture, white balance, and more.

If you care about photography or videography above all, then the choice is clearly the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The winner: iPhone 18 Pro max

If you're a content creator Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

I just made the case that when it comes to smartphone cameras, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is superior to the iPhone Duo. And that's true…for the most part.

While filmmakers will want to go with the iPhone 18 Pro Max, online content creators may actually want to consider the iPhone Duo.

Yes, the iPhone 18 Pro Max has the extra lens and pro control features. Yes, the iPhone 18 Pro Max even has a better front-facing camera with its 18MP selfie camera compared to the iPhone Duo's 12MP selfie camera.

However, the foldable aspect of iPhone Duo opens up a whole world of creative use cases, especially for those who typically make social media-friendly content. 

The iPhone Duo can be folded in numerous ways to act as its own stand or tripod in order to take full-body photos and videos when working solo. The iPhone Duo even has unique features like Smart Take that take advantage of those capabilities and automatically snap photos of users without having to utilize a countdown.

When opened, the iPhone Duo's outer display can be used as a monitor so users can take selfies with the better 48MP without just guessing if they're even in the frame.

If you're a content creator who never manually changes the settings on your camera and barely, if ever, utilizes the telephoto lens, the iPhone Duo may actually be better for you.

The winner: The iPhone Duo

Price matters

Finally, an easy one. 

If you're looking for the most powerful but also simultaneously the most affordable device, don't even look at the iPhone Duo. It's the most expensive iPhone ever.

The Duo starts at $2,000. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is $700 cheaper at $1,299. Get the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The winner: The iPhone 18 Pro Max, duh

You're a mobile gamer

If mobile gaming is your thing, it seems like Apple may have finally created the perfect iPhone for you.

People who've already had a hands-on with the iPhone Duo are saying that the foldable is seemingly made for gamers. The full-sized inner screen provides a perfect balance of display real estate with mobility. In addition, when turned to its side, one screen can be used as a traditional landscape-mode display, while the other can be used as a full-sized game controller.

Now, there is one addendum to add here. It may be a while for most game developers to update their games to use these features or even create games specifically tailored to the iPhone Duo. But, when all is said and done, the iPhone Duo will clearly have the upper hand over the iPhone 18 Pro Max when it comes to gaming.

The winner: iPhone Duo

You're a multitasker

This is a no-brainer choice if you're a multitasker. Go with the iPhone Duo.

The Duo appears to work much like an iPad, with the ability to run multiple apps side by side. The inner screen will also provide an optimal experience when using features like picture-in-picture video.

The winner: iPhone Duo

You have too many iPhone accessories already Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

Unless you're upgrading your iPhone 17 Pro Max to the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which is the same size as its predecessor, you're going to have to buy a new iPhone case.

However, most other accessories should still work! Rigs to utilize your iPhone as a professional camera, swappable camera lenses, attachable battery packs, selfie sticks, tripod mounts – all of those should be compatible with your iPhone 18 Pro Max. After all, the traditional iPhone design has been this way for some time.

That may not be so with a completely different-looking iPhone product like the iPhone Duo. While some accessories may still work with your Duo, they certainly weren't designed to fit or align perfectly with its design. Many accessories may just not be compatible at all.

So, if you rely on many essential third-party iPhone accessories, you may want to stick with the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The winner: iPhone 18 Pro Max

You just really want a foldable device

Yeah, just buy the iPhone Duo.

You think foldables are dumb

Why are you even here? Get the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Top iPhone pre-order deals

The iPhone 18 Pro Max opens for pre-orders on Sept. 12, and the big carriers are rolling out their best offers:

• AT&T: Get the iPhone 18 Pro for free with qualifying trade-ins of iPhone 14 or later

• T-Mobile: Get the iPhone 18 Pro for free when you switch or trade-in an eligible phone on an Experience Beyond plan

• Total Wireless: Save $600 on iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max on the All Access plan

• Verizon: Get up to $1,200 off when you add a new line (with qualified trade-in) on eligible myPlan

• Visible: Buy the iPhone with Visible+ Pro and receive $480 through monthly credits

Astronomers have taken a patch of distant sky and turned it into a 3D map, revealing a colossal system with about 5,000 times more mass than the Milky Way in the early universe.

In previous space pictures, this area looked like a flat painted ceiling. Galaxies appeared close together simply because they lined up from our point of view, even if some were separated by billions of light‑years in depth.

Because of that optical illusion, astronomers couldn't say for sure whether they were looking at one gigantic galaxy cluster under construction or a corridor where many clusters were in development. 

The 3D map answered that. By measuring how far away the galaxies are, scientists watched that view transform into a chain of clumps. That new way of looking at the data showed this was not a construction zone for a regular galaxy cluster but a supercluster — a cluster of clusters. Rather than one heap of galaxies, they were looking at cities of clusters.

"I think the distance and sheer scale of the structures we are studying is really extraordinary. These are structures containing hundreds to thousands of galaxies," said Vandana Ramakrishnan, a graduate student at Purdue University in Indiana and lead author of the study, in a statement. "It brings home the vastness of the cosmos."

SEE ALSO: Small, icy worlds in the outer solar system barely changed since birth

The main system mapped is called COSMOS‑Z3.1‑A, and it's the earliest supercluster ever found. A second, smaller one, COSMOS‑Z3.1‑C, sits nearby in the same field. Both are so distant that we see them as they were when the universe was only about 2 or 3 billion years old, less than a quarter of its current age. 

Early surveys could only conclude that these were crowded locations for young galaxies. The clues came from a project called ODIN, which used the Dark Energy Camera on the U.S. National Science Foundation's Blanco 4‑meter telescope in Chile. In those images, the combined region stood out as a place where far‑off galaxies seemed tightly packed together.

The team turned to large telescopes in Chile, Hawaii, and Arizona, using instruments that spread each galaxy's light into a detailed rainbow. Because the universe is expanding, light from distant galaxies is stretched toward redder colors. Measuring that stretch reveals how long the light has traveled and how far away a galaxy lies.

In three dimensions, COSMOS‑Z3.1‑A broke down into 10 dense clumps of galaxies. COSMOS‑Z3.1‑C showed a similar pattern on a smaller scale, with about four. Each clump is massive and crowded enough to grow into its own galaxy cluster. 

Scientists say the new 3D view makes it easier to test the basic story of how the universe built its largest architecture. In computer models, groups of galaxies form first. They slide along highways, or filaments, under gravity, piling into chains of clumps. Over time, they merge into rounder, more settled clusters and superclusters. The results of the study were published in The Astrophysical Journal. 

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The 3D map also shows where these growing giants fit into the universe's larger cosmic web. Matter gathers into long highways that meet at intersections. Those hubs are where the clusters and superclusters tend to collect.

The Dark Energy Camera on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope in Chile helped astronomers find two unusually dense superclusters in the early universe. Credit: Nicole Firestone

"When we look at galaxy clusters in the nearby universe, we are seeing the finished product," said Eric Gawiser, a Rutgers University physics and astronomy professor, in a statement. But "This distant structure takes us back to a much earlier stage when the individual pieces were still coming together. It allows us to study how the universe built structures on its largest scales."

Once the galaxies were arranged in 3D, the researchers could estimate how much mass they have. They found both systems should eventually become more massive than the Coma Cluster, one of the largest known clusters in our area. In particular, COSMOS‑Z3.1‑A is head and shoulders above other heavyweights.

"We think there should be fewer than one such object for every 10,000 galaxy clusters," Ramakrishnan said.

The new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile should make it possible to study more superclusters like this. Eventually, researchers hope to have enough data to compare how these systems look at different ages and track how galaxies evolve into dense cluster cores.

At the Google I/O event in May, CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the company's newest frontier model, Gemini 3.5 Pro, would launch in June.

"We are also excited for 3.5 Pro," Pichai said at a pre-Google I/O media briefing. "We are using it internally. It's showing great improvements. We are still testing and refining it, and it will roll out to everyone next month."

That never happened.

June eventually turned into July, and then August, and as of Sept. 10, there's still no sign of the model. The Google DeepMind website states, "3.5 Pro coming soon," as it has for months. Meanwhile, the long-time leader of Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, has been shuffled into a new position.

As Google stalls on Gemini 3.5 Pro, its chief AI rivals are releasing boundary-breaking new models. OpenAI recently released GPT-6 Astra, kicking off a new generation of GPT models, and Anthropic recently released Fable 5.1. Both models have made critical advances in cyber coding capabilities. They've also been used to resolve famous open questions in research-level mathematics, such as the Jacobian Conjecture and the Navier-Stokes problem (the latter was resolved with quite a bit of controversy, however). Chinese AI lab Moonshot also released Kimi K3, a massive open-source model with 2.8 trillion parameters.

Meanwhile, Google has rolled out a Gemini app for Windows and lighter-weight models such as Gemini 3.6 Flash.

It's been quite the turnaround for Google, which had raced forward in the AI arms race thanks to its massive user base and unprecedented access to training data.

So, where is Gemini 3.5 Pro?

At the Alphabet Q2 earnings call in July, Pichai said that "Gemini 3.5 Pro is currently in testing, and our team is already building the next generation of models."

Earlier that month, Bloomberg published a report on the delayed Gemini 3.5 Pro launch, with reporters Julia Love and Davey Alba writing that "The delay has caused frustration among Google engineers, AI researchers, and managers, who are concerned the company risks losing its edge in the market to rivals Anthropic and OpenAI."

At the time, Mashable reached out to Google with questions about the Gemini 3.5 Pro launch timeline, and the company provided the same statement it shared with Bloomberg: "We’re shipping quickly across a wide range of models while keeping them highly cost-effective for customers. We’re currently testing 3.5 Pro, an upgraded Flash model, and other models with partners, and we’re productively engaged with the U.S. government on model testing and broader frameworks."

The company did not respond to Mashable's most recent questions about the delay, and we will update this story if we receive more information.

Since the Bloomberg report, Google DeepMind has undergone a seismic leadership shakeup. In August, Pichai announced that Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind's co-founder, will henceforth serve as the chairman of Google DeepMind and chief scientist of Alphabet, with AI researcher and longtime Googler Koray Kavukcuoglu leading the lab as the new senior vice president. The announcement also revealed that legendary AI researcher Jeff Dean would be leaving Google to start a new venture, along with several other researchers.

Crucially, Kavukcuoglu is based in Google's HQ in Mountain View, California, whereas Hassabis was based in London. An in-depth Fortune report said Google employees were "shocked" by the news, which raised concerns that Pichai was consolidating power in Mountain View.

So, is Hassabis's new role a promotion or a demotion? That's the billion-dollar question analysts have been asking ever since, though Google characterized the move as a promotion.

Fortune’s report on the “difficult year” at Google DeepMind also cited “delayed models, high-profile exits of talent, and a very public fight" among employees over military defense contracts. 

Bloomberg's July report suggested there were two other reasons driving the delay of Gemini 3.5 Pro. The first is bureaucratic. Given Google's organizational size and the number of products integrated with Gemini, delays are inevitable compared with leaner AI startups. Second, Bloomberg found that Google leaders were worried that Gemini 3.5 Pro may not be competitive with their rivals' recent releases.

Google continues to fall on AI leaderboards

Without a new frontier model, Google has tumbled down AI leaderboards. On the Arena leaderboard, Google is in 14th place as of this writing, behind models from Chinese labs such as DeepSeek and Moonshot. In Arena's coding leaderboard, the area where Anthropic and OpenAI have reported such rapid advancements, Google is currently ranked 25th.

Of course, the AI industry can and does change rapidly, and a new, highly advanced model could reverse Google's momentum overnight. The company still has some key advantages over other AI companies. Google not only has unprecedented access to the world's data, but it can also put its AI tools directly into the hands of billions of Android and Google Search users worldwide.

And even though Gemini 3.5 Pro is delayed, the company is already talking about Gemini 4.

"We are now training Gemini 4, and we're being very ambitious with it," Pichai said at the Q2 earnings call. "I am very excited by the progress I'm seeing internally on Gemini 4, and I'm confident that people will be pleased when we are putting it outside."

In response to a question about whether Google could still compete at the frontier level, Pichai sounded very optimistic.

"We are really focused, putting a lot of effort into Gemini 4. It's a very ambitious effort. We want to compete at the frontier level of where the frontier will be when Gemini 4 comes out, and so we are applying a lot of our compute and effort in that direction...And so, picking up pace and releasing models almost at a monthly cadence is part of our roadmap as we are building Gemini 4 as well."

But the longer Google waits to release Gemini 3.5 Pro, the higher the performance bar it will have to clear to maintain equal footing with its rivals.

There are a few things you expect to see when a crowd of college students takes over a fraternity lawn in broad daylight. People stretching on yoga mats before a group run probably aren't among them. Neither is a lineup of cold plunges.

But that’s the setup at a "wellness darty," a gathering that combines the social side of a college day party with activities you might otherwise associate with a fitness studio. A traditional "darty" — literally, a daytime party — usually revolves around drinking, music, and hanging out. At the wellness version, the agenda might include Pilates, a run, an ice bath, and a coffee or matcha afterward.

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

These events have drawn students at the University of Miami, University of Florida, Florida State University, Syracuse University, and the University of Alabama, with local wellness groups organizing the gatherings. There’s still music and a crowd of people meeting up, but alcohol isn't the main event.

When I was in a sorority in 2017, our darties definitely didn't involve yoga mats...and I’m not the only one doing a double take. The trend has prompted TikTok users to share their own college party memories, with former students posting footage of nights out that looked very different from a group run.

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For the students attending, though, the idea may feel less surprising. As more young people look for ways to socialize that don’t revolve around drinking, a workout followed by coffee with friends fits into a broader idea of what a fun college weekend can look like.

The events gained widespread attention after Aydan Child, founder of Florida wellness community Peak Pulse, shared a TikTok of students gathering outside a University of Florida fraternity house to stretch and work out. "Imagine explaining a wellness darty to someone who went to college in 2012," the text over the video read. As White Claw commented on the post, "I just broke out in hives."

That gathering (with reportedly "hundreds" of attendees) was one of 20 wellness darties the club has hosted across Gainesville and Tallahassee, and they aren't alone: The charity and wellness group Sweat & Soak has organized events for University of Alabama students featuring workouts, cold plunges, and saunas, while The Wellness Society hosted an outdoor mat Pilates class at Syracuse University's fraternity DKE (yes, on their front lawn). The "global wellness community" now has chapters in high schools and on college campuses around the world, hosting similar events this month.

According to data from Eventbrite, seeing this type of event on campus may not surprise Gen Z much: morning raves have grown 20 percent. Coffee clubbing — along with sauna and ice bath events, which are also part of the "soft clubbing" movement — are up 478 percent and 256 percent, respectively.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Why are students showing up?

Pilates, run clubs, elaborate morning routines, and post-workout matcha are familiar parts of the wellness content young people encounter online. It only makes sense to put these digital trends together into a social event that would attract Gen Z-ers.

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Research hints at why. McKinsey's 2024 wellness report found that 56 percent of surveyed U.S. Gen Z consumers considered fitness a "very high priority," compared with 40 percent of U.S. consumers overall. And, its 2025 research also found that Gen Z and millennials accounted for more than 41 percent of annual U.S. wellness spending, despite making up 36 percent of the adult population.

That interest in wellness also overlaps with beauty and fashion trends among young women, with labels like "Pilates princess" turning a workout routine into an aspirational lifestyle online. I mean, ever heard of the "clean girl" aesthetic? Popularized by figures like Hailey Bieber, the look is associated with slicked-back hair, dewy skin, and minimal-looking makeup.

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In the broader lifestyle content surrounding it, you’ll also find matching workout sets, under-eye patches, Pilates classes, and matcha runs — all presented as parts of the same daily routine for looking and feeling good.

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Alongside the interest in wellness, younger people’s relationship with alcohol has been changing for years. A 2023 Gallup survey showed that the share of adults under 35 who reported drinking fell from 72 percent in 2001–2003 to 62 percent in 2021–2023. Plus, 52 percent of Gen Z-ers considered moderate drinking unhealthy in 2023, up from 34 percent five years earlier. Researchers have also documented declining youth drinking in countries including England, Sweden, Australia, and Iceland, suggesting the shift extends well beyond the U.S.

A growing number of young adults in the US are choosing to abstain from alcohol Credit: Statista

There isn’t one explanation for that change. Cost is one possible factor: In a 2023 study of young people in England, participants pointed to alcohol’s affordability as a reason their generation might be drinking less. A University of Michigan study found that young adults sometimes skipped drinking because of a recent hangover, alongside concerns about money and school or work commitments. The possibility of an embarrassing moment ending up online may also play a role.

As Northeastern University historian Malcolm Purinton told the Times Union, "People don’t want to go viral for intoxication, whether in high school or college." Another reason? According to a survey in 2021, 51.7 percent of young adults abstained from alcohol because they disliked the taste/smell.

Apparently, "you’ll acquire a taste for it" wasn’t a convincing sales pitch. Credit: Statista

Drinking less may also be connected to young people spending less time socializing in person. Wellness darties offer a reason to get together, with the turnout suggesting there’s still an appetite for shared plans — even when drinking isn’t the focus.

And for students who find socializing difficult, these events offer a way to ease into it through a shared love of fitness. University of Alabama sophomore Riley Meyer, who helped facilitate a Sweat & Soak event, told USA Today, "I think my generation… does have a problem with socialization, especially without the context of alcohol at a party, and I think that when you have an activity built in, it gives you something to do."

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

Online, the combination of college partying and wellness has prompted everything from amusement to disbelief.

One widely viewed X post described the footage as "truly bone chilling." Another asked why college students were "cosplaying as 30-something matcha/pilates/corporate warriors."

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The responses also reveal different expectations of what college is supposed to look like. In the r/GenZ discussion, one commenter identifying as a millennial explained that memories of partying were "strongly tied to the feelings of youth, self-discovery, and newfound freedom." One parent expressed nostalgia for her college experience: "There was a LOT of heavy laughter and dancing and hooking up, and it was fun."

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Others online questioned why a different kind of social event was attracting criticism at all. As the original poster asked, "Isn’t trying to be more health-conscious a generally GOOD thing?"

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For some, though, the concern centered on the pressure to make every experience an opportunity for self-improvement. "I think it’s generally because our generation is too fixated on optimizing everything," one commenter wrote. "There is beauty in imperfection."

There’s still a Saturday night

Students attending these events made the point to reporters that they are still partying.

Meyer, for example, said that she and her friends went home after their wellness darty, took a break, and went out later. "It’s not like it prohibited us from going out, it just gave us something else to do," she told USA Today.

Child, who is sober, told the publication that Peak Pulse’s events are open to everyone. Some end at a bar, where coffee and matcha are encouraged, but alcohol is also available. He told People that students can go out on Friday night and still make room for a run on Saturday. There is data that suggests Gen Z is in an alcohol resurgence — 74 percent of Gen Zers report having had a drink over the past six months, up from 66 percent three years ago, according to a July 2026 report.

Whether "wellness darties" become a campus tradition or eventually take on a new name, their appeal offers a glimpse of what students may want from their social lives beyond college: more ways to spend time together that fit their interests and routines, with drinking optional. For the clubs, bars, and event organizers hoping to attract them, a fraternity lawn full of yoga mats is a useful place to start paying attention.

TL;DR: Pay $49.99 (reg. $499) once for MusicMagic’s Starter Plan and get 100 lifetime AI music generations, unlimited distribution, commercial rights, and 100% royalty retention.

Opens in a new window Credit: MusicMagic MusicMagic Starter Plan: Lifetime Subscription $49.99
$499 Save $449.01   Get Deal

Your shower-song career can finally leave the bathroom. MusicMagic turns a mood, topic, story, or your own lyrics into a fully produced track, with eight genres to choose from and tools for distributing your hard work to major streaming platforms. For a limited time, you can grab a lifetime subscription to its Starter Plan for only $49.99 (reg. $499).

You don’t necessarily need a recording studio, a band, or production experience to turn the song rattling around in your head into something you can actually release. MusicMagic Starter uses AI to handle much of the process, from writing lyrics and generating the track to creating cover art and distributing the finished song.

Give MusicMagic a mood, topic, or story, then choose from eight genres and let the AI turn that prompt into lyrics and a fully produced track. If you’ve already written lyrics of your own, you can bring those instead and have the AI build the music around them.

The available genres include pop, rock, electronic, lo-fi, classical, jazz, hip-hop, and R&B, giving you ample room to experiment with different sounds and styles. Finished songs can run up to 120 seconds and be downloaded as WAV or MP3 files, with previous creations saved to your MusicMagic library.

The platform also handles music distribution, letting you release tracks to major streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music without paying a per-release distribution fee. AI-generated cover art is included, too, knocking another item off the release checklist.

And if your experiment with AI music somehow turns into actual listeners, you keep 100% of your streaming royalties. The plan includes full commercial rights to the tracks you create, so they can also be monetized or used commercially without an additional MusicMagic licensing fee.

There is a limit to how prolific your imaginary record label can become. The Starter Plan includes 100 AI music generations for the lifetime of the account, rather than 100 new credits every month. But distribution itself is unlimited, so you aren’t restricted to a set number of releases from the music you’ve created.

Normally $499, you can grab the MusicMagic Starter Plan on sale for only $49.99.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get a MagellanTV lifetime subscription for $149.97 (reg. $999), with access to more than 4,000 documentaries.

Opens in a new window Credit: MagellanTV MagellanTV Documentary Streaming Service: Lifetime Subscription $149.97
$999 Save $849.03   Get Deal

If your streaming queue could use fewer scripted dramas and more engaging and educational content, MagellanTV is built around documentaries. The service offers over 4,000 movies and series across categories including history, science and technology, nature, space, true crime, travel and art and culture. You can get the MagellanTV lifetime subscription while it’s on sale for $149.97 (reg. $999).

MagellanTV is designed for viewers who want to learn about their favorite subject rather than watch whatever happens to be trending. Its library includes curated collections and playlists focused on people, places and events, with new documentaries added each week. Available titles can stream in 4K when that quality is offered, and there are no ads interrupting the programming.

The catalog covers a broad range of interests, from ancient history and biographies to space, science, Earth, nature and technology. There are also collections covering travel and adventure, historical drama, current history and social issues. This way, you can move from a documentary about the cosmos to one about an archaeological discovery without switching to a different streaming app.

MagellanTV works across TVs, laptops and mobile devices, and you can cast programs from a phone or tablet to compatible devices including Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and smart TVs. Multiple-device streaming also makes it possible to watch from wherever you happen to be.

MagellanTV is ideal for anyone who regularly turns to documentaries for entertainment or wants a deeper library than the documentary selection offered by general-purpose streaming platforms. It’s also a straightforward option for households with people who have interests, given the range of categories available. Some titles have geographic restrictions, so the available library can vary depending on where you live.

For documentary programming and not just another general entertainment service, MagellanTV offers plenty to explore. Get your MagellanTV lifetime subscription for $149.97 (reg. $999).

StackSocial prices subject to change

Watching the showcase of impulsive and absolutely illegal decisions made in the film Bad Apples, I couldn't get the words of a doomed galactic senator out of my head: "If you lead your thoughts through to conclusion, it will lead you to a place we cannot go."

It's exactly this place of no return that the Saiorse Ronan-led dark comedy thriller relentlessly cannonballs into, with director Jonatan Etzler putting his protagonist down a dubious, desperate path. With Ronan's always-impeccable talents supported by a sublime young cast, Bad Apples leans into unethical impulses, all the while exposing home truths about the under-resourced education system and social disdain toward children with behavioural, emotional, and social difficulties. Plus, it's really funny.

SEE ALSO: How social media in the classroom is burning teachers out

Teachers, parents, you're going to want to watch this film (and I want to know what you think of it).

Bad Apples sees Saiorse Ronan as a teacher who meets her edge

Written by Jess O'Kane as an adaptation of Rasmus Andersson's novel De Oönskade, Bad Apples enrols you with Somerset-based primary school teacher Maria (Ronan), who has thought of nothing but a teaching career since childhood. Alas, the reality of an underfunded education system wears down her Miss Honey-drenched dreams and raises the stakes with a "difficult" student.

Beyond overwhelmed, Maria's all-too-real lack of institutional support comes to a head accommodating the needs of disruptive student Danny (excellent newcomer Eddie Waller). A boy with the shortest of fuses, he swears at his classmates, destroys their belongings, ruins excursions, and generally gives Maria hell. Here, young Waller delivers in spades, with O'Kane's script heaped with unapologetic expletives and violent threats. Despite her frazzled attempts to control the situation and the attempted assistance of teacher's pet Pauline (an outstanding Nia Brown), Maria is held accountable by concerned parents, denied professional support by the equally stressed principal (Rakie Ayola), and facing the school's dreaded regular Ofsted inspection. Suddenly, a moment of violence occurs.

With her job genuinely on the line, Maria takes action. How do you solve a problem like Danny? Reader, she locks this kid in her own basement. 

Featured Video For You NYCC Recap, Good Boy's Oscar Plea, and Best Book Adaptations from BFI LFF Saiorse Ronan gives a masterclass in unreliable protagonist

With full knowledge of the kidnapped child playing video games in her home, Maria keeps the ruse up — and Ronan plays the audience entirely with her inner insistence on her actions being justified. Practicing such deadpan statements aloud as "I've got your son in my basement" and lazily searching "how to control a large pet" online land with comedic finesse, as Maria digs herself deeper and deeper into a proverbial hole.

Notably, a large part of Bad Apples gives us an insight into Maria's real sense of loneliness. She retreats into her nightly sense of control in her cosy farming simulator game and never socialises outside of school. Adding stress to an already tempestuous working environment, Maria works with her ex, the man she moved to Somerset for, who then left her for another woman — an especially brutal move in a small town. So, with Danny kept in the basement, Maria not only controls a newfound peace in her classroom, but enjoys a warped sense of company in her primary-aged prisoner.

This sense of messed up perspective extends to Danny, who screams to go home to his absent father (Robert Emms) as much as he enjoys a Stockholm Syndrome-like existence learning his ABCs from Maria and being actually cared for (albeit while being incarcerated in a basement and shitting in a bucket). Over the course of the film, Maria and Danny develop a deeply strange, playful, and volatile bond. But is this genuine camaraderie, or is Danny merely trying to get the hell out of here? It's a dark dance of ethics, and one that draws wonderful moments of pure comedy from both Ronan and Waller. 

Bad Apples plays out a micro decision with macro implications

Maria's actions in Bad Apples aren't just unhinged, they're criminal. However, the film plays out the scenario anyway, just to see what might happen if you, say, shut a disruptive student in a basement the day of your school's Ofsted inspection, the day after he attacked a fellow student.

Beginning as a trope of a Difficult Student, Waller's Danny finds superb moments of vulnerability and humanity, especially through moving scenes with Ronan's Maria. In contrast, Brown's Pauline, the straight-A student, the ultimate teacher's sycophant, becomes the film's real power player.

Through the film's diabolical set-up, Etzler and O'Kane are able to pose ethical questions about overworked teachers and the lack of resources educators have to work with children with behavioural difficulties, as well as assumptions we make of "difficult" kids. Here, communities would rather sweep troubled kids like Danny under the rug (or into a basement) than begin to try to understand him. I honestly want to know what teachers and parents think of this film, as I'm neither myself.

Ultimately, who in this situation is actually the bad apple?

Bad Apples was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival 2025. The film is showing in UK cinemas from Sept. 11, with international dates TBC.

SAVE $50: As of Sept. 11, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are on sale for $249 at Amazon. That's a 17% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds $249 at Amazon
$299 Save $50   Get Deal

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are back on sale at Amazon, so if you're looking for a premium pair of earbuds at a great price, look no further. As of Sept. 11, they have dropped to $249, knocking $50 off their usual price. The deal is available on all five colors: white smoke, deep plum, desert gold, midnight violet, and black.

Noise cancellation is a major selling point with these earbuds. Bose says these earbuds offer its most effective noise cancellation, as well as an ActiveSense feature that helps soften sudden changes in background noise when you switch to Aware Mode. There's also CustomTune, which uses the shape of your ears to personalize both the sound and noise cancellation.

They also come with nine combinations of eartips and stability bands, so getting a comfortable, secure fit should be easier. And for calls and voice notes, SpeechClarity uses noise-rejecting microphones to help reduce background noise and wind. Plus, you'll get up to six hours of battery life in Quiet or Aware Mode, or up to four hours with Immersive Audio.

Get this earbuds deal from Amazon now.

A new national study has revealed that women face a troubling double when it comes to carrying a key component of sexual health: condoms. 

When Australian women were asked about other women carrying condoms, the two most common answers were both about her sexual conduct: that she is planning to have sex (45.4%), and that she sleeps around (38.6%). Yet, the most common answer about men carrying condoms? “Is prepared” – at 43.9%. 

Credit: Moments Sexual Health Study 2026 Key findings from the 2026 Moments Sexual Wellness Study:

• Buying condoms has gotten easier for women, but being judged for carrying them has gotten worse

• Three in four Australian women have hidden, disguised or abandoned a condom purchase

• Two-thirds of Australian women have gone without a condom because neither person had one

More here.

Additionally, the study found that Australian women aged 18-45 are still uncomfortable buying or carrying condoms. And, while more women felt comfortable buying condoms than 10 years ago, feelings of judgement for carrying condoms has actually gotten worse. 

“The stigma [around condoms] didn’t dissolve. It relocated,” said sex educator Eleanor Hadley about the findings. “We’ve spent a decade making the public part of this easier – better shelf placement, self-checkouts, more open conversation – and by our own tracking, buying condoms has genuinely got easier. But nobody was working on the private part. That’s where it has settled, and that’s where women are now paying for it.”

With an overwhelming feeling of judgement running rampant across women even throwing a pack of condoms in their regular groceries, three in four Australian women are usually either hiding them via self-checkout or disguising them within other items. 

The study also found that “Other respondents had waited until a shop was quiet, bought online to avoid buying in person, asked somebody else to buy, or gone somewhere they were less likely to be known.” Some Australian women have simply abandoned their condom purchases altogether. This has prompted condom brands like Moments Wellness to offer services like discreet condom deliveries (and even subscriptions).

With public perception working against them, women are struggling to get to a place where, as Moments puts it, “A condom should be able to sit beside coffee, deodorant or lip balm without recruiting the rest of the basket as cover.” Though we’re yet to break the stigma completely, here’s hoping conversations created by projects like Moments Sexual Health Study can help normalise being assertive with one’s own sexual health, for women, as much as men. 

About the study: Moments Sexual Health Study 2026. 1,111 Australian women aged 18–45, weighted by age, state and region. Carrying behaviour, partner response and responsibility were measured for the first time in 2026 and have no prior comparison. The 2026 wave was fielded by a different provider to the 2017 and 2021 waves. More here.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

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.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Spiteful.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

CATTY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To dawdle.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 11, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

DILLY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To change.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for September 11, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Sept. 11, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

AMEND

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A composition.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

ETUDE

Final Hurdle hint

A Christmas plant.

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

HOLLY

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 easier for people who watch the WNBA.

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. The sports 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 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 before 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: 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: IR

• Green: How to get on base

• Blue: Aces

• Purple: Types of dunks

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: NFL Injury Report Designations

• Green: Ways to Reach First Base

• Blue: Las Vegas Aces

• Purple: ____Dunk

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 #718 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• NFL Injury Report Designations: DOUBTFUL, OUT, PROBABLE, QUESTIONABLE

• Ways to Reach First Base: ERROR, HIT BY PITCH, SINGLE, WALK

• Las Vegas Aces: GRAY, LOYD, WILSON, YOUNG

• ____Dunk: NIKE, REVERSE, SLAM, WINDMILL

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 yesterday's Connections.

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

Released in August 2025, 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 on to 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 with 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 September 11, 2026

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 September 11, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for September 11 Pips

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

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

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

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for September 11 Pips

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 1-6, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 3-6, placed vertically; 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically; 2-4, placed vertically.

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

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for September 11 Pips

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

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

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

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 1-0, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically.

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

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed vertically; 4-0, placed vertically; 0-2, placed vertically; 0-5, placed vertically.

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

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically; 5-1, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.

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

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 11, 2026 Absorb meaning

To take in or soak up a substance or information.

Digest meaning

To break down food or process information.

Process meaning

A series of steps taken to get a specific result.

Take in meaning

To understand or absorb information.

Band meaning

A group of musicians.

Florist meaning

A person or business that sells or arranges flowers.

Photographer meaning

A person who takes professional photos.

Planner meaning

A person who creates strategies or organizes details.

Exercise meaning

A planned physical activity to improve mental and physical health.

Journal meaning

A written record of daily events or thoughts.

Meditate meaning

To focus the mind on silence or concentration.

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.

Unplug meaning

To disconnect an electronic device from a power source.

Agenda meaning

A plan of action for a meeting or event.

Envelope meaning

A flat paper container used to contain mail or a letter.

Limits meaning

A boundary that's the highest amount allowed.

Luck meaning

Success or failure that happens by chance.

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 yesterday's Connections.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love your me time.

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 11, 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: Wedding helpers

• Green: To soak up

• Blue: Relax and unwind

• Purple: Shove it

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: People hired for an event

• Green: Internalize

• Blue: Ways to practice self-care

• Purple: Things that are pushed metaphorically

Play our Big Guessing Game: Make your predictions now for a chance to win a new Apple Watch. Time's running out!

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 #1186 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• People hired for an event: BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER

• Internalize: ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN

• Ways to practice self-care: EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG

• Things that are pushed metaphorically: AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK

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 yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints describe waterways.

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 11, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Harbor view

The words are related to natural.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe being near the coast.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is On the Waterfront.

NYT Strands word list for September 11

• Bridge

• Ship

• Barge

• On the Waterfront

• Dock

• Pier

• Lighthouse

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 yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a history buff.

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 11, 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 11, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Star.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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.

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...

ASTER

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 yesterday's Wordle.

California governor Gavin Newsom's signature is now on a slew of new tech laws, including a dozen new state bills that target social media and AI giants.

In addition to strengthening existing child safety laws, the state's latest efforts to regulate products from players like Meta and OpenAI include provisions that could effectively ban social media for children under 16.

SEE ALSO: Avian flu, drone swarms, and mass surveillance included in Anthropic's safety report

The policy move would place California on par with national governments like Australia, which was the first to bar young users from accessing social media. In practice, the law has proven to be difficult to enforce.

The highly anticipated child online safety legislation comes as the industry faces mounting pressure to curb Big Tech's influence on young minds, including social media algorithms, AI chatbots, and educational technologies found in the classrooms.

"Our children’s safety deserves to be at the center of every conversation about technology. As innovation moves faster our protections must keep pace," Newsom said in a press release.

California cracks down on "addictive" social media

The headlining bills, AB 1709 and AB 2, place stronger restrictions on the ways teens can interact with social media. Under AB 1709, social media platforms cannot permit children under the age of 16 from accessing social media with harmful features. The bill specifically singles out "addictive" elements like personalized feeds and video autoplay.

Platforms must confirm users' ages before offering such features, a move that could galvanize calls for stronger age-assurance tools.

With AB 2 on the books, platforms can also be held financially liable for child harm, ranging from $5,000 to $1 million per child.

Child safety nonprofit and bill sponsors Common Sense Media applauded Newsom's decision in a statement to the press. "Today is a huge victory for kids and parents across California," the organization wrote. "The momentum in this fight has shifted, and it shifted here, in the tech companies' home state."

Parents of children who died by suicide following extensive social media and chatbot use have rallied behind the legislation, including Julianna Arnold, executive director of Parents RISE. "We are grateful to Assemblymember Lowenthal not only for listening, but for taking our lived experience seriously and letting it shape the legislation," said Arnold in a statement to the press.

Platforms may lean more heavily on age-gated teen accounts in light of the new regulation. Studies have shown, however, that teens often find ways to defy age restrictions.

"For years, the tech industry has told parents that the answer is to monitor more closely, set more parental controls, and somehow keep up with products that are constantly changing," said Shelby Knox, Director of Online Safety Campaigns at ParentsTogether Action. "But parents cannot parental-control their way out of platform designs engineered to keep kids engaged."

Newsom takes aim at AI companies, backed by AI companies?

AI developers have lobbied California leadership over the last several years in an effort to tamp down its proposed regulation efforts. They have had some success, including Newsom's veto of a similar child online safety bill last year.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appealed directly to Newsom about the new legislation package last week, according to insiders, after industry leaders pushed for an increasingly narrower scope.

But in recent months, more companies have signaled they're less adamantly opposed to child safety laws than they once were, especially as most now face increasingly arduous court battles and steep financial penalties. A Meta official recently alluded to passing the Kids Online Safety Act to avert ongoing litigation. And OpenAI later came out in favor of California's proposed AI legislation.

Amid this debate, Newsom signed into law SB 1179, also known as Adam's Law, which attempts to enforce stronger safety requirements for AI companies. The legislation was named for Adam Raine, a young teen who died by suicide after consulting with ChatGPT. Raine's parents filed the first wrongful death lawsuit against an AI company for alleged harmful chatbot behavior.

Adam's Law requires developers of companion chatbots to conduct and publish annual child safety risk assessments and to submit their products to independent audits. Developers must create crisis response processes for chatbots, as well. Many companies already have safety measures in place, but guardrails have consistently failed to fully prevent chatbot behavior harmful to teens.

"We still have not adjusted to life without Adam, but we are pleased that an element of his legacy is to help make AI chatbots safer for minors," said Raine's parents, Matt and Maria Raine, in a press statement. "We believe the risks of unregulated AI companionship rank right up there with other more discussed AI risks, and we are confident Adam’s Law will save lives and prevent other harms."

Another bill expands the state's definition of "child sexual exploitation" to include "any digitally altered or AI-generated matter that depicts a person under 18 engaged in an act of sexual conduct."

Children's toys with built-in companion chatbots, which have prompted concern from safety advocates, are now prohibited in California under SB 867.

New privacy regulations will add greater restrictions on the use of student data in AI systems deployed in K-12 schools. Some cities are moving to ban AI in K-12 classrooms outright.

SEE ALSO: Is Meta finally backing a federal kids safety bill, or is it all PR? Privacy groups are still concerned about downstream effects

While child safety organizations celebrate a victory in a years-long effort to enact bills like AB 1709, civil society groups remain concerned about their implication on free speech.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation called AB 1709 a "well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation," and a "massive privacy and free speech nightmare." Last month, the organization urged Newsom to veto the measure until concerns about censorship were properly addressed.

Instead of focusing on bans, the organization wrote in a Sept. 10 press release, "we should redouble our efforts to get technology laws right — and support the passage of new robust privacy laws that target surveillance business models. That’s how we protect everyone in the AI age."

California's new laws are set to go into effect next year.

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