Technology

Whereas SATA SSDs are pretty tame regarding thermals, the latest and greatest SSDs can get scorching hot under strenuous loads, and next-gen SSDs will get even hotter. No worries, though, because your motherboard's built-in SSD heatsink can solve the overheating issue, in most cases.

Open Microsoft Word, move an image 2mm to the left, and the whole document explodes. Open Excel, however, and you're met with a rigid, unbreakable grid. It tells you exactly where the data goes before you even have a plan, so you can start dumping your brains into the boxes right away.

LCD picture frames look more like static computer monitors than photos. Fortunately, there is a new crop of E-Ink-based frames that are closer to the mark. SwitchBot’s AI Art Frame may have a gimmick baked into the name, but slop aside, I’m a fan of what this product has to offer—it’s just not quite good enough for an easy recommendation.

While some politicians on the right have begun to criticise the Trump administration's response to ICE's deadly shooting of nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, other talking heads are refusing to shift their stance.

One of these is Newsmax's Greg Kelly, who recently attempted to argue that the phone Pretti can be seen holding in video footage "could be mistaken for a gun." In a clip played on The Daily Show, Kelly holds his own phone up as if it's a weapon, before saying, "That's crazy stuff."

"I won't disagree with you there, that is crazy stuff," responds host Desi Lydic. "And if you think this couldn't be any stupider, never underestimate Greg Kelly."

Cue another clip of Kelly, this time telling the audience that his phone's background — a black, red and green pattern — can't be changed. "I think it's like, Black Lives Matter or something," says Kelly. "I do not support, but I can't get rid of it."

"That is the most Newsmax sentence of all time," says Lydic. "'I don't know what that is, but I do not support it.' It's amazing what you can get canceled for on the right. 'I don't support civil rights, I swear, it's a tech issue, you gotta believe me!'"

SAVE $151: As of Jan. 28, the Sony 55-inch Bravia 3 TV is on sale for $548 at Amazon. That's a 22% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony 55-inch Bravia 3 TV $548 at Amazon
$699.99 Save $151.99   Get Deal

Searching for a new TV to transform your movie nights and live sport experience? Check out this latest Amazon deal on the Sony Bravia 3, currently reduced by $151. The 55-inch TV is on sale for $548, but the 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch models are all on sale as well. 

Everything is high quality with this TV thanks to its 4K quality. But it’s gaming that really shines. This TV is built to work especially well with the PlayStation 5, with features like Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode that automatically optimize picture settings for both gaming and streaming without any manual setup.

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For streaming, it runs on Google TV, so apps and live channels are easy to access in one place. You’ll also get Google Assistant built-in, giving you hands-free control. 

For sound and picture quality, enjoy 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos for a more natural-looking picture and fuller sound, and the Triluminos Pro display shows a wide range of accurate colors. It also upscales lower-resolution content.

Find this TV deal at Amazon now.

When you're not a diehard cinephile or gamer, it's easy to gaslight yourself into believing that your lackluster LED TV "isn't that bad." That was me up until a few months ago, when I finally made the call to replace my lifeless 2019 Roku TV with the 2025 TCL QM6K Mini LED TV. It falls in the middle between the cheap, most basic QLED TVs possible and the comically expensive, most premium QLED TVs possible, and is one of the internet's favorite budget QLED TVs. Here's how it went.

A decent TV from five years ago isn't a decent TV now

Our old TV only lasted so long as our go-to because neither my roommates nor I cared enough to pay for anything else. But even for people who aren't that picky about specs, it was becoming unwatchable. We were noticing that our weekly staple watches were looking wonky to the point of being distracting. Red, orange, pink, and tan hues were completely muddied on RuPaul's Drag Race, football games looked like they were in sepia, and dark scenes were borderline indecipherable. The screen looked like an Etch A Sketch in direct sunlight.

SEE ALSO: The 4 best streaming devices of 2026 make any TV smarter

Not to mention, the aging Roku interface had become agonizingly glitchy. When you avoid switching streaming apps out of fear that it'll send your TV into a coma, that's when you know it's time.

The QM6K speaks to "happy medium" shoppers

I wrote about the coolest TVs announced at CES 2026 at the beginning of January, but I realize that list won't be appealing to everyone. To a large chunk of prospective TV shoppers, fancy several-thousand-dollar flagship TV releases aren't all that riveting if they wouldn't be a realistic purchase budget-wise. (For reference, TCL's new TV doesn't come any smaller than 75 inches and starts at $6,999.99.) That doesn't mean you're not willing to spend a little extra to avoid settling for the most basic TV.

SEE ALSO: 2026 movie preview: All the films you need to know about right now

While I'm not overly picky about TV specs in real life, I'm well-versed in the technical breakdowns of the different types of TVs — TVs are one of my main coverage areas as a shopping reporter. Since brightness, color saturation, and affordability were our main concerns, QLED seemed like the better route over OLED. But as a horror movie head, I couldn't fully neglect black levels and dark room performance. That ruled out any ultra-cheap QLED. The independently controlled pockets of bulbs behind a mini LED QLED TV, however, could do the trick.

Setting up the TCL QM6K was quick and painless

We had the QM6K up and running within half an hour or so of opening the box. And much of that time was spent taking the old one off the TV mount and sticking an adhesive color-changing LED strip on the back of the new one. The old TV was recycled at Best Buy.

The TCL QM6K remote is lightweight and responsive. I wish you could customize the streaming buttons. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Google TV interface is extremely easy to navigate. Someone will have to log in with a Google account for setup, and they'll then be in charge of downloads or in-app purchases. I didn't mind being the one to log in until my recent ASMR watches on YouTube started popping up on our home screen's "recommended for you" section, considering I'm not even officially logged into YouTube on the TV. Why'd you have to expose me like that, Google TV?

How does the TCL QM6K perform in bright rooms?

When brightness is in question, any TV in my current apartment's living room has its work cut out for it. The natural light in here goes absolutely bonkers for much of the day, thanks to the southwest-facing wall being composed almost entirely of massive windows. The pull-down blinds barely do anything to mitigate the beam barging in.

The TCL QM6K's sports mode has been stellar, especially in broad daylight. During countless afternoon college or NFL games, one roommate or another has made a comment somewhere along the lines of "I can't believe how much better this looks than the old TV." The grass is accurately green but not blown out, team uniforms and fan merch are vibrant, the score bug is stark and legible, and the overall picture quality feels extremely clear. You don't have to squint to spot the ball or to read last names on jerseys to see who was involved in the play — it's just crisp. Not having to wait for the commentator to explain what just went down? Groundbreaking. Go birds.

No, the QM6K didn't tint the grass. It's just January in Denver. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable As immersive as I'll get until I go IRL and win both showcases. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

I think The Price Is Right is another great test of a TV's performance in a bright room. If I'm at home during the 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET time slot, that show WILL be on (just as my grandmother and elementary school Leah on a sick day intended).

The set is extremely colorful but also contains a lot of bright whites, which can get super blown out if the TV's panel can't balance the palette. There's something so joyful about seeing each contestant's facial expressions, so brightness can't be so extreme that faces aren't contrasted. I've seen countless dull TVs butcher the show's visual charm, but the QM6K has really done it justice.

How does the TCL QM6K perform in dark rooms?

Remember when I said I wasn't a cinephile? I still watch a shit ton of movies, I'm just not scrutinizing the technical aspects of the cinematography or anything. For me, the QM6K's crisp contrast and robust black levels produce a solid home theater vibe.

Since mini LED bulbs are organized into individually operating zones, every few inches of each scene benefits from more precise brightness control. The areas that need to stay deep and shadowy don't get blown out trying to brighten the light parts of the scene, and the areas that do need better lighting aren't too dark to see. The QM6K's 500 dimming zones don't hold a candle to TVs in the thousands, but most people seem to agree that the QM6K achieves amazing black levels and contrast for the price.

SEE ALSO: Best 65-inch+ TVs for watching in dark and bright rooms Horror movie head on a budget, at your service

I got my QM6K in October, and together we watched a scary movie almost every single day. (Shudder is still one of my top three most-watched streaming apps year-round.) My favorite horror sub-genre is found footage, which has inherently poor lighting to make the camcorder, webcam, or phone camera fantasy believable. And at least for my standards, dark scenes like that flourished on the QM6K's movie mode in my dimly-lit living room.

The "go into a sketchy house while trick-or-treating" segment in V/H/S Halloween comes to mind. The characters are running through a maze of pitch-black hallways with no lights but their flashlights, and that would have flopped on my old TV. But the QM6K didn't struggle to show me every nasty detail, which is only mildly traumatizing to this day. My yearly rewatch of Host was easily the most intense since my first watch in 2020. Unrelated to found footage or dark scenes, the gore, hoop skirt gowns, and glitzy ballroom scenes in The Ugly Stepsister looked exquisite — vibrant but natural, avoiding over-brightening so hard that the 1800s color palette showed up neon.

SEE ALSO: Put Dr. Kelson from '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'

Horror's not the only way to test how well a TV handles dark scenes. Every Game of Thrones fan who was watching the show as it aired remembers "The Longest Night" — or at least they remember being pissed off about it, because the episode was so dark that most people couldn't tell what was going on.

The cinematographer said that it was actually your TV that couldn't do the episode justice. Back in 2019, it was relatively uncommon to have a "nice" TV like today's capable QLED and OLEDs at home. But with the TCL QM6K now hanging on my wall, I had to head back to Season 8 to see the difference for myself. Fine, I'll rewatch my favorite show again for science. Twist my arm.

A scene with the color-changing light strip on. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable A scene with the color-changing light strip off. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

It turns out, the entire episode was more than an hour-long black blob with subtitles! All of the infamous dark screenshots from the 2019 Twitter spiral were wickedly defined this time around. I preferred movie mode to the slight brown haze of filmmaker mode, but I'm sure filmmaker mode is helpful in another context.

I didn't have to rely on subtitles to decipher intimate interactions between key characters — I could actually see the look in their eye. The dragons didn't blend in with the smoky sky. From the up-close carnage during clashes with the Dead to the heartbreaking deaths of a nauseating number of big characters, I really felt like I could see just about everything that the cinematographers intended. I have goosebumps thinking about being able to see what the hell is going on in House of the Dragon season 3 this summer.

SEE ALSO: The 11 best video games of 2025 Is the TCL QM6K good for gaming?

I don't really play video games besides Mario Kart and Animal Crossing. But someone else in my household is a huge PS5 player, so I had him bring his console out to the living room to compare the experience to his ancient bedroom TV.

Dark Souls III, Red Dead Redemption 2, and the Elden Ring DLC all played deliciously on the QM6K. When I sarcastically asked, "So this is better than your usual TV?" the immediate response was literally a laugh followed by, "Better isn't even a strong enough word." He specifically mentioned how instantaneous the response times felt (for reference, the TCL QM6K offers 4K at 144Hz, VRR, and ALLM). Even as a mere observer of Red Dead being played on each TV, it was hard not to be drawn in by the lush graphics on the QM6K.

Downsides

I wish that the QM6K had better glare reduction. The QM6K gets bright enough to overpower the most egregious glow coming from the windows or indoor lamps, but the screen is far from matte. Dark scenes do mirror your reflection back to you in certain lighting. It's still infinitely easier to see than my last TV, though.

The reflections got distracting sometimes, but the overall vibrancy made up for it. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

I compared my notes with reviews from CNET's Ty Pendlebury and PCMag's Will Greenwald. (CNET and PCMag are both owned by Mashable's parent company, Ziff Davis.) In terms of room for improvement, the general consensus is that the QM6K could be even brighter, especially if you really care about HDR. The color gamut could also be wider.

But for the most part, those criticisms stem from comparisons to higher-end TVs that are expected to be brighter and more colorful, anyway. Both Pendlebury and Greenwald spoke extremely highly about the QM6K's color accuracy, deep black levels, and overall picture quality for a TV in this price range.

Is the TCL QM6K worth it?

If you're not a stickler about TV specs, there's obviously no reason to spend a ton of money on an elite OLED TV. But not being a strict cinephile or gamer doesn't mean that you should settle for a no-frills TV just because it's cheap.

The TCL QM6K offers an incredible value between those two extremes, especially given the fact that every size can consistently be found for nearly 50% off. Once you make the switch from the old TV you've dealt with for years, I think you'll find that you actually notice TV specs more than you thought.

TCL QM6K 55-inch mini LED QLED TV $449.99 at Best Buy
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Since I got to go hands-on (and head-on) with the Samsung Galaxy XR last October, something has been needling at me. It was something I couldn't (ironically) wrap my head around, but all the same, I couldn't shake it. At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, I was finally able to pick up a review unit for the Galaxy XR and start wearing it outside of a closed demo, and it suddenly hit me.

I don't think this thing is meant for me… or you.

It's cool, don't get me wrong. I'm excited about what it may bring, but for now, I don't have a lot of use for it. I think the primary reason for that is I'm not sure Samsung or Google knows who or what this is for, beyond one specific demographic, which I'll discuss later. It has some neat parlor tricks, for sure, but for the most part, as I explored the capabilities of this headset, I realized it's really just a big and bulky set of AR glasses.

I love AR smart glasses. I use them when I fly because I can get a large virtual screen with multiple windows floating in the air in front of me. The Galaxy XR has a few other tricks in its arsenal that I've had a chance to explore, but it's also missing some big things that really should be there in a true XR headset. I've spent two weeks with the Samsung Galaxy XR, and these are my thoughts.

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable Hardware wins

The Samsung Galaxy XR headset is beautifully designed. More importantly, it is well-designed so it doesn't feel too heavy while wearing it. A big part of that is because Samsung did the smart thing and offloaded the battery into a battery pack that you slip into your pocket. Are you paying attention, Meta?

I have worn the Galaxy XR headset for hours at a time, and it hasn't bothered me too much, except that it was a relief when I was able to take it off. In fact, it's been great getting work done with it. The headstrap clamps to the back of your head with a knob to twist to adjust the fit. The only thing I would like would be the ability to adjust where the back of the strap lays on the back of my head. As it is right now, the strap goes straight back and sits too high. My ponytail may have something to do with that.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The battery and its connector are also well-designed. I'd like to see pips on the battery to indicate how much battery is left, but that's about the only thing missing. Speaking of the battery, Samsung advertises around 2-3 hours of runtime on a single charge. I tested this, wearing the headset for two hours, and found this to be reasonably accurate. During that test I had a Google Doc, a browser with a few tabs, a streaming app, and my email open.

The headset plugs — and locks — into the battery using a USB-C connector, but it's proprietary to that battery pack. You cannot plug the headset into a different battery pack, but you can plug in and charge the headset while it's running, as long as you have a sufficiently powerful charger. Low-powered chargers will allow the headset to drain the battery more slowly. I found a 65W charger that I normally use for my laptop was enough to power the headset up while it ran.

The software, however... Credit: Adam Doud

When it comes to the software, Samsung has some of it right, but there's a lot that needs work. I'll start with the good. The overall interface is solid, including the gestures, hand tracking, and eye tracking. Moving windows around, resizing them, and placing them where you want; it's all intuitive. I think the gesture to open the launcher/multitasking — pinching your thumb and finger while your hand faces you — is the hardest to learn, and honestly, it's not that hard.

The app launcher looks a lot like what you get with XReal's Beam Pro, so I was already familiar with it. But the quick settings and toggles are all just icons that don't necessarily tell you what they are or what they do. They need work. I do like the option to "Tidy up" your windows. That button places all your windows side-by-side neatly so you can see them all. That gets handy when you've got too many windows open at once.

The headset has access to the entire Play Store, which is good. But some of those apps are "Not optimized for XR" which is fair enough, but to be perfectly honest, many of those apps that are optimized are really just floating rectangles. Now, if you want to talk about XR-optimized, let's talk about the MLB app.

This is an app that is XR ready and all in on 3D content. From highlights and video clips to the overall immersive interface, it's pretty remarkable, and it's not even baseball season. I'll be very interested to see what this looks like in April when I won't be inundated with video clips of Eveil Blue winning the World Series (#SourGrapes). But even that app is flawed. I ran into two big issues. First, I couldn't enter my username and password credentials; the box did not function. Also, the passthrough slider would not move, so I got stuck in baseball's VR environment. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to be on a slow Sunday afternoon, and if I ever have a slow Sunday afternoon, maybe I'll partake.

Other apps don't display well. In the case of Paramount Plus, the video interface was washed out, and there was no way to darken it. 

Credit: Adam Doud

3D content is really killer. Apps like Google Photos can take any photo and "spatialize it," giving it depth. A couple of really great examples that I found were a photo I snapped of the strip in Las Vegas and a photo we took outside of my son's graduation. It's really remarkable, but the nature of 3D/spatialized content means it's hard to share it with others.

One surprise I found was the ability to pin apps to places — more or less. This is a feature that turned into a big use case when Apple introduced the Vision Pro. You could pin a timer above a stove while cooking, for example or Pin a virtual TV to your wall. When I first tested the Galaxy XR in October, I asked about that and I was told that it wouldn't be available. Well, it is. While sitting at my kitchen table, I opened my browser, a streaming app, and a document. Then, when I got up to walk into another room, the apps stayed where I left them, but there were some oddities that I didn't expect, and I'm not sure if they're good or bad.

The apps stayed in place regardless of where I went in my house, including different rooms. So as I stood in my bedroom, I could watch (and control) the streaming app I left open in my kitchen. For other apps, like my document editor, I could see the "back" of the app, backward letters and all. I think I'm into it.

Meanwhile, some apps nuked the rest of my layout. The Play Store, for example, would hide all other apps whenever I opened it, for no real reason. Other apps, like Google Maps in "immersive view" made sense to hide other apps. But the issue with immersive apps is there's really no real way to exit the immersive experience. The only way I could do it was by going back into the launcher and launching something else.

I found it to be a very inconsistent experience overall. It's mostly good and fun, but we come back to the question of why? I can have three apps open in front of me — great. But I can do that on an ultrawide monitor as well. So, what's the hook?

Immersive 3D is one big one. The ability to convert 2D into 3D on the fly is pretty neat, and I think it's a look at how things will be in the future. I'm not sure how long we'll be stuck with 2D screens at this point.

Some other notes Credit: Adam Doud

The virtual keyboard on the Galaxy XR is not great, and that's putting it very politely. I actually specifically ordered a Clicks Power Keyboard after the first time I tried to use the Virtual keyboard. It's bad. Connecting a Bluetooth keyboard helps, but every now and then, the Bluetooth lagged, which meant I couldn't type or backspace, and things just froze for a moment. It broke the experience.

Eye tracking is very good, as is hand tracking, but using them both at once needs a bit of refinement. There were times I had to extend my arm almost to its full length before the hand tracking took over from the eye tracking.

There are two buttons on the top of the headset I haven't mentioned yet. One summons Gemini, and the other is a volume rocker. Summoning Gemini is nice, and Gemini can help you with actions inside the headset, like "Gemini, how can I turn on the immersive environment?" which it helped me to do, but it could not help me take a screenshot, so I guess AI is just gonna AI.

Finally, the Passthrough video is good, but not amazing. It's very grainy, similar to what the MetaQuest 3S is capable of. I can easily navigate my home and even cook and eat wearing the headset, but the grain is noticeable.

What does it all mean?

Overall, I'm left with the impression that this is a developer-focused device. It's not bad for consumers, but more developers need to get on board to make the experience worth it. But even more than that, I don't think the future is wearing computers on your face. I think the future is wearing glasses on your face that can do all of this. That's going to be the winning formula.

I mentioned XReal a few times during this revie,w and there's a good reason for it. Rumors abound that XReal is working closely with Google on Project Aura and that what we're going to see is largely the Galaxy XR, but in a glasses form factor. That's the dream.

We're not there yet, but the Galaxy XR is a necessary step in that direction. There is some really great tech in this headset, and it's comfortable enough to wear for literal hours. But at the end of the day, it's not the consumer product you should be looking forward to. It's a foot in the door so developers can start making apps that will make Android XR and project Aura incredible. If you can wait that long, you probably should, but if you want a taste of the future in an imperfect form factor, Galaxy XR is waiting for you.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy XR $1,799.99 at Samsung
  Shop Now

SAVE $500: The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is on sale at Amazon for $1,099, down from the normal price of $1,599. That's a 31% discount that matches the record-low price at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo $1,099 at Amazon
$1,599 Save $500   Get Deal

Despite the FCC ban on foreign drones, you can still get yourself a DJI drone. The fine print of the ban explains that any drone already in the country are excluded from the new legislation, which means they're fair game for ownership and operation. However, that means stock is dwindling, so if you're searching for a DJI drone, check out this latest deal.

The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is on sale for $1,099 at Amazon, marked down from the standard price of $1,599. That's a 31% discount that takes a hefty $500 off the price. It also matches the record-low price at Amazon.

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The DJI Mini 5 Pro is a premium drone and the Fly More Combo makes it just that much more appealing. The bundle includes the DJI Mini 5 Pro drone itself, the DJI RC 2 camera-drone remote controller, a set of filters, three DJI Mini 5 Pro Intelligent Flight batteries, three propeller sets, a shoulder bag, and more. Boiled down, this is everything you'd want for an epic drone set-up.

In terms of performance, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is a stellar model. It has a one-inch CMOS camera with 4K HDR filming at 60fps. You can also go with 4K 120fps for slow-motion filming. DJI also made this model especially appealing for night flying thanks to the 360 degree Nightscape Omnidirectional Sensing and Nighttime return-to-home function. DJI's ActiveTrack 360° technology is a must-have feature if you'll be filming moving subjects like a cyclist, skier, or surfer.

While it's still in stock and on sale for a record-low price, snag the DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo. The bundle is packed with advanced accessories while still being a perfect model for beginners.

SAVE $100: The M4 Mac Mini is on sale at Amazon for $499, down from the normal price of $599. That's a 17% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple M4 Mac Mini (2024, 256GB) $499 at Amazon
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Silicon Valley is going wild for the 2024 M4 Mac Mini, but it's not for the reason you might think. No, it's not being used as a traditional desktop computer in the way we assume. People are using it to run the latest AI assistant, Clawdbot. With a cute lobster mascot, the Clawdbot hype is driving up sales and snatching up stock of the Mac Mini with an M4 chip. Before it becomes impossible to find in-stock, check out this sale price.

As of Jan. 28, the M4 Mac Mini is on sale at Amazon for $499, marked down from the standard price of $599. That's a 17% discount that takes a hefty $100 off the normal price.

Why use a Mac Mini for running Clawdbot? The answers are pretty similar to why you'd want a Mac Mini in the first place. Like the name implies, it's a tiny beast that has 16GB of unified memory and 256GB SSD. Plus, you can leave it running at all times with no issue. If you live in the Apple ecosystem and plan to adopt Clawdbot, a dedicated Mac Mini could be an awesome sidekick.

SEE ALSO: Clawdbot is a viral AI assistant: What it is, how to try it

This 2024 version of the Mac Mini comes with Apple's powerful M4 chip, two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, ethernet, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 4 ports. All of that is housed in the compact five inch by five inch Mac Mini housing. This size makes it simple to add to your current desktop setup or take along on the next work trip.

If you're looking for the smallest possible personal assistant, running Clawdbot on a Mac Mini might be your best option. Before demand reaches even higher levels, snag the M4 Mac Mini from Amazon while it's on sale for $499. That's $100 off the normal price.

NASA plans to launch four astronauts on a 10-day flight around the moon and back, testing a new spaceship on the agency’s first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since 1972.

The mission, called Artemis II, will send a crew in the Orion capsule to verify that its life-support, navigation, communications, and flight systems work as designed in deep space. The astronauts are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch of NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. 

The flight follows the success of Artemis I, a 25-day uncrewed test in 2022, and represents a required step before NASA attempts to land astronauts on the lunar surface later this decade.

Artemis II could launch in mere days — as early as Feb. 6 — depending on a crucial rocket fueling test on the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. If all goes to plan, the mission could set a new record in spaceflight history for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled, looping about 4,600 nautical miles beyond the moon. 

"None of us were born during Apollo, and so this is our opportunity to inspire a generation of kids to get involved in future space exploration," said Rick Henfling, NASA's entry flight director for the mission. "Maybe one of those kids who was inspired by what we do on Artemis II becomes that person who sets the first footprints on the surface of Mars."

SEE ALSO: Artemis 2 crew could be the first to ever lay eyes on these lunar areas Day 1: Launch and Earth orbit

Artemis II will launch aboard NASA's Space Launch System rocket, producing more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust. As the rocket climbs through the atmosphere, it will shed its solid rocket boosters and protective hardware.

About eight minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s core engines will shut down and separate, leaving Orion, which the crew has dubbed Integrity, attached to an upper stage. That stage will fire to place the spaceship into orbit around Earth.

As the rocket climbs through the atmosphere, it will shed its solid rocket boosters and protective hardware. Credit: NASA infographic

Orion will move from an initial low orbit into a highly oval-shaped orbit that stretches tens of thousands of miles from the planet. NASA designed the path to keep the crew just close enough to return quickly if problems arise.

After the spaceship separates from the upper stage, the astronauts will take manual control and maneuver toward the departing stage, using it as a target. Flight controllers in Houston will monitor the test, which will help prepare crews for docking operations that will be needed near the moon in future missions.

Later, flight controllers will wake up the crew for a crucial step in the mission. The spaceship will need to fire its engine to raise the low point of its orbit, getting into position for the departure burn the next day. 

"It's actually right in the middle of the night," said Jeff Radigan, NASA's lead flight director for the mission. "Unfortunately, physics cannot be defied."

Day 2: Systems checks and departure burn

While still flying around Earth, the crew will test Orion's life-support system, which must provide breathable air and maintain safe cabin conditions on longer missions.

The Artemis II astronaut crew, clockwise from top: Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch. Credit: NASA

NASA will also test communications and navigation by briefly flying Orion beyond the reach of GPS and near-Earth relay satellites, relying instead on the agency’s Deep Space Network.

Then, Orion's main engine will fire for a maneuver known as translunar injection, or TLI. The burn will send the spaceship on a four-day trajectory toward the moon and place it on a free-return path that loops around the moon and heads back to Earth. That means once Orion heads toward the moon, gravity from Earth and the moon will naturally bend the spaceship's course back home, even if later engine burns fail.

"The burn that gets us going to the moon is also our deorbit burn," astronaut Koch said. "Wrapping our heads around that is very interesting. Before we go into some of our entry sims, we talk about how, 'Hey, there's no canceling the countdown on this, we are re-entering.' But the truth is we are re-entering before and at the moment we do TLI, and recognizing that our team has to be ready for that full mission as soon as we buy in." 

Days 3–5: Journey toward the moon

As Orion travels away from Earth, the crew will continue evaluating spacecraft systems. The astronauts will practice emergency procedures, test radiation-protection measures inside the capsule, and carry out demonstrations planned for future missions.

Along the way, small engine burns will adjust Orion's course. Late on Day 5, the spaceship will enter the moon's sphere of influence, where lunar gravity becomes stronger than Earth's pull.

The Artemis II mission will take four astronauts on a 10-day voyage around the moon. Credit: NASA infographic Day 6: Lunar flyby and far-side observations

Orion will pass between 4,000 and 6,000 miles above the lunar surface, depending on the launch date. From the spaceship windows, the moon will appear roughly the size of a basketball held at arm's length, NASA mission leaders say.

As Orion flies behind the moon, the crew will lose contact with Earth. During that expected communications blackout, the astronauts will photograph and observe the moon's far side. This is when the crew could exceed the distance record set during the Apollo 13 mission for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth. 

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"For the 45 minutes that we're closest to the lunar surface, we are also going to be out of contact," said Glover, the mission's pilot. "I would love it if the entire world … could come together and just be hoping and praying for us to get that acquisition of signal and be back in touch with everybody."

Days 7–9: Heading back home

After rounding the moon, Orion will begin its return to Earth without a major engine burn. The spaceship will rely on the combined gravity of the Earth and moon to guide it home along a fuel-efficient path.

The crew will continue system tests, including additional manual-piloting exercises and radiation-shielding demonstrations. Small correction burns will refine the trajectory for reentry.

Day 10: Reentry and crew recovery

As Orion approaches Earth, its service module will separate and burn up in the atmosphere, exposing the crew capsule's heat shield. The capsule will re-enter at high speed, heating to about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit as superheated plasma briefly blocks radio communications.

After slowing down, Orion will deploy parachutes to reduce its speed for splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California. Inflatable airbags will right the capsule if it lands upside down or on its side.

U.S. Navy teams will recover the capsule and crew, typically within two hours.

"I'm going to say this is my favorite part of the mission," said Daniel Flores, NASA test director and landing recovery team member. "We have our friends flying around the moon. This is when we get to bring our friends back home to their families."

Last season, long-running hit British series Taskmaster welcomed American comedian Jason Mantzoukas to the series' house, allowing him to create comedic chaos in pursuit of the Greg Davies-head-shaped trophy. Last week, Davies and his assistant (and the show's creator) Alex Horne came to New York City, where they ended their Taskmaster Live On Stage USA tour, which was sold out. But Mashable was there. (Also look for the pair on an upcoming episode of Say More!)

What did we learn? Well, the show began with a Q&A moderated by comedian Josh Gondelman, who presented a mix of his own questions with those from the audience. Below are insights into how Taskmaster gets made, the gripes fans still hold with the Taskmaster's "pettiest" decisions, and a bit of premonition about Horne and a pair of hot pants.

SEE ALSO: The 15 best British TV shows of 2025 and where to stream them

After Gondelman, who did a superb job moderating and keeping up with Horne and Davies' ribald banter, the Taskmaster and his assistant returned to the stage in costume. Their casual street clothes swapped for black suits. Davies sat in a throne. (Horne noted he was not provided one.) Then, they gave the audience a chance to join them onstage. Three tasks were offered, involving figuring out Davies' cellphone number, throwing a paper airplane, and memorizing a very long pattern of colors. The three victors, joined by Saturday Night Live's Alex Moffat and Dropout's Lisa Gilroy, all competed in tasks to win a mini version of the Taskmaster trophy.

It was an incredible show that lasted nearly three hours. Here's what we learned: 

What's the smallest, pettiest decision that the Taskmaster is secretly proud of? Josh Gondelman interviews Greg Davies and Alex Horne at "Taskmaster Live" in New York City. Credit: Mashable / Kristy Puchko

"It started, I suppose, with the potato in the hole," Horne said, as the audience cheered in recognition of the Series 2 Taskmaster episode, in which comedian Joe Wilkinson managed to get a "hole in one" by throwing the potato accurately. However, he stepped on the "red green," and so was disqualified.

Horne said, "I mean, that's a small, petty decision, but it had huge ripples that we still are greeted with today."

Davies concurred, "I still get people sending me shitty messages. People are still angry about it, and it was what...a decade ago?"

In terms of controversial calls, Horne also mentioned the Mark Watson bonus point that was denied in Series 5. The comedian was tasked with texting the Taskmaster every day for the next five months. Watson missed one day. He was not awarded points because of this failure, causing a stir among fans. Horne noted at the live event that the one day Watson missed was because he was on an island, where there was no cell phone (or mobile) reception.

"He did not fulfil the brief," Davies said sternly on stage. He added that another Taskmaster contestant, who he wouldn't name, once bellowed at him, "Your judgments are unfair. ASK MARK WATSON!" 

What would Greg and Alex wear if they were competing on the show? 

Horne answered quickly, saying, "Little denim shorts for me. Nothing else."

To this, Davies quipped, "Little denim hot pants? If he was wearing that, I would just wear a smile." (Unexpectedly, this became foreshadowing for the game portion of live event. But I'll get to that.)

More sincerely, Davies later answered, "You know what I would wear? A caftan. I'll say this, if it were up to me, and it was more socially acceptable, I would only wear a caftan. I like the freedom it affords me. And I think it would make me — um, uh — good."

"What happened to that sentence?" Horne teased. 

"Sometimes it's good to go general," Davies shrugged. 

Is the Taskmaster surprised by the contestants' series-long outfit choice?  "Taskmaster Live" in NYC in full swing. Credit: Mashable/Kristy Puchko

The audience member who asked this question was especially curious about the "Phil Wang" look, referring to when said comedian turned up to the Taskmaster house in Series 7 wearing a yellow bodysuit with a black stripe down the side, reminiscent of Bruce Lee's Game of Death costume. (Which, yes, was later referenced in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill with the tracksuit worn by Uma Thurman's heroine.)

Anyhow, to this query, Davies said, "Do you want a serious answer to that? Yes, I have seen the costumes [ahead of the taping in front of a studio audience] because I will have a look at some of the longer videos before we do the studio show. Because if I don't, then we miss loads of funny things that they said due to the audience making noise. So, I won't pretend like I don't see some of them. But I only see them like, the day before, and we [meaning he and Horne] don't discuss them. I don't plan what I'm going to say. So… in a long-winded answer to your question, I did see Phil Wang's [outfit] previous [to taping]."

Do Taskmaster contestants have any control of the edit when having to create filmed tasks, like the "Tree Wizard" video? 

Horne explained that while the contestants have creative freedom over the production of challenges — like Romesh Ranganthan's famous "Tree Wizard" video from Series 1 — they are not involved in the edit.

"Suddenly the contestants become both the director and producer of that segment of the show," Horne explained of shoots at the Taskmaster house, "But they never get to see [the final result] before the show. They have to give us the editing control. So the answer is yes, they have full control, but they have to leave it in our capable hands." 

What's Alex Horne's favorite task?  Greg Davies and Alex Horne ready to get the game going in "Taskmaster Live" in NYC. Credit: Mashable/Kristy Puchko

OK, this wasn't the question. It was actually more about how contestants know what the parameters are for a challenge. ("It's on the card," one audience member yelled in response.) However, Horne took the opportunity to talk about how he enjoys seeing what people come up with, referencing Series 1 twice. 

"We want people to explore all sorts of things. And I think the 'Tree Wizard' task is a good example," Horne said, referring to Taskmaster Series 1, episode 2, "Pie Whisperer," a fan favorite. "Because in that same one: do something backwards, which looks great when you play it backwards. And Roisin Conaty just walked backwards, spitting. It just looked amazing; it looked like a piece of art to me. Put it black and white, and she did it with dignity. They're not always trying to get a laugh. They're trying to create little bits and bobs."

From there, Horne continued, "One of my favorite early tasks was when they had to throw a tea bag into a cup. And I think they're 20 minutes. Actually, this is one where we definitely didn't stop the clock. But Tim Key immediately said, 'I need a dog ball thrower.' And there's a pet shop about eight minutes away, so someone has to go there and back within the 20 minutes [allowed for the task.] We got it, and did it, and that was very exciting for me," adding, "The house is located within a shopping area. And I think that's good." Turning to Davies, he said, "I'm trying to use your technique."

What's the worse things Alex Horne has eaten on Taskmaster. 

Davies joked they do fewer food-related tasks now because "Alex got chocolate cake in his butthole."

Horne rejected that, noting, "That was a tipping point in my life…but it was Liza Tarbuck who had brought in a cake that was not a food task. She made that a food task."

Horne then explained, "We try not to be as irresponsible as we used to. We don't waste as much food as we used to, because people watch the show, and we don't want to send the wrong message. But I do think food tasks are funny. So there are still some, but yeah, just on a slightly smaller scale." 

To that, Horne noted an extra fun fact: "The three worst things I've eaten: bin juice, burnt pornography, quinoa." 

Who do Greg and Alex want to play them in the "eventual biopic of their lives"?

Horne said Shane MacGowan of the Pogues, to which Davies quipped, "That is the journey your teeth are going on."

Then, the Taskmaster answered for himself, saying. "Regardless of when it's made, what age I am at, what age is being played, I will be played by Dwayne Johnson."

Alex Horne looks good in hot pants. 

The first task for the live show contestants was to present the Taskmaster with the worst clothing. Now, the professional comedians had an advantage here as they had three months to prepare, where the fans selected from the crowd had to pester fellow attendees for a spoonbill sweater and a white t-shirt. (The third used her own shoe, which earned her the disdainful nickname "Clean Shoes" from Davies.) 

However, even if they'd had more time, it's hard to imagine a better choice than Gilroy's. She explained how on the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles, there's an array of souvenir shops that sell T-shirts and shorts that you can have custom-made vinyl letters printed upon. Full disclosure: I own several such tees from this boardwalk, including one that has a picture of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger and reads "Come with me if you want to lift." Gilroy's choice was funnier. 

She presented a photo of shorts hanging in the shop entrance, and booty shorts that's bottoms read "Mike's Bitch" and "Chris's Property" was a bright red pair with white piping that read "Greg's Lil' Slut." Naturally, she got the five points. Then, Horne was asked to put them on. He ran offstage and returned in the shorts, which were honestly fetching, even paired with a white dress shirt and black blazer. Then, he turned to the audience and bent over to fully display the phrase on his bum: "Greg's Lil' Slut." 

Alex Horne flashes "Greg's Lil' Slut" hot pants, while Greg Davies and Lisa Gilroy look on at "Taskmaster Live." Credit: Mashable / Kristy Puchko

Horne ran back offstage to repants. But thankfully, photo-taking was allowed. 

How to watch: Taskmaster Series 1-6 can be found on Pluto TV. Taskmaster Series 10-19 can be found on YouTube. All series of Taskmaster can be bought on Prime Video.

TL;DR: Introduce your kids to screen time safely with this lifetime subscription to Pok Pok, on sale for just $44.97 with code PLAY through Feb. 15.

Opens in a new window Credit: Pok Pok Pok Pok: Lifetime Subscription $44.97
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You can’t hide screens from your kids forever. If you’re looking for a smarter way to introduce screen time to your little ones, there’s now a Montessori-based app that’s gentle and non-addictive, Pok Pok. Right now, you can get a lifetime subscription for just $44.97 with code PLAY now through Feb. 15.

There are a lot of tough decisions to make as a parent, and a big one that our parents didn’t even have to consider — what to do about screen time. Since screens are part of our everyday life, we can’t completely prevent our kids from interacting with them. If you’re looking for an alternative that lets you introduce them gently, Pok Pok is here.

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This award-winning app gives kids ages 2 to 8 a taste of low-stimulation screen time. It’s gentle, non-addictive, and uses Montessori-based teaching. That’s a child-centered educational approach that emphasizes hands-on learning, independence, and natural development — so kids can navigate this app on their own.

Hand-drawn animations and in-house-made gentle sound effects keep the screen time calm. It teaches STEM concepts, numbers, and language, all without rules, levels, objectives, or winners and losers.

You can rest easy knowing Pok Pok is COPPA-certified. There are no ads, and kids won’t be tricked into any purchases. Your lifetime subscription includes an exclusive gift mailed to your home, and permanent access to unlimited games and regular updates, including new seasonal and cultural content.

Provide safe screen time with this lifetime subscription to Pok Pok, now $44.97 with code PLAY now through Feb. 15.

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Preorder the new Lego Star Wars Smart Play compatible sets: Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Millennium Falcon $99.99 Pre-Order Here Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Mos Eisley Cantina $79.99 Pre-Order Here Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke's Landspeeder $39.99 Pre-Order Here Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Yoda's Hut and Jedi Training $69.99 Pre-Order Here Lego Star Wars Smart Play: AT-ST Attack on Endor $49.99 Pre-Order Here

Alert all commands: Lego unveiled five new Star Wars Smart Play compatible sets at the Nuremberg Toy Fair today (Jan. 27), including an 885-piece Millennium Falcon set with four Smart Minifigures. The sets range in price from $39.99 to $99.99 and will launch on March 1 alongside three previously announced "All-In-One" Star Wars Smart Play sets, more than doubling the lineup.

Preorders are now live through the Lego Store and third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.

Notably, Best Buy has implemented a reservation system for its preorders due to high demand. Shoppers must create an account, confirm their location, and wait in line for account and inventory verification in order to purchase any of the sets. At the time of writing, I waited 20 minutes trying to add the Millennium Falcon set to my cart before giving up.

What is Lego Smart Play? Get even more interactive with your play. Credit: Lego

Lego first unveiled its interactive Smart Play platform at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January. The system revolves around a 2 x 4 "Smart Brick" filled with sensors that make Smart Minifigures and Smart Tags react to movement and positioning, producing lights and sound effects.

Shoppers should be aware that the five new sets don't include the Smart Brick or its charger, which is necessary to make them interactive. (Without the Smart Brick, these are just regular Lego builds.) Since Lego doesn't sell the Smart Brick on its own, you'll need to purchase one of the three other All-In-One sets that include it:

• Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter — $69.99

• Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing — $89.99

• Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Throne Room Duel & A-Wing — $159.99

Read on for more details about the five just-announced sets that will launch alongside them in a matter of weeks.

Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Millennium Falcon set Credit: Lego

This is Lego's third Millennium Falcon build after its mega-popular, mega-expensive flagship set from 2017 and its $85 midi-scale counterpart from 2024. It contains 885 pieces, including four Smart Minifigures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3PO, plus four Smart Tags for various effects. According to a press release, fans will be able to "jump into light speed, shoot lasers from the stud shooters, play holochess, or practice lightsaber skills" by adding a Smart Brick. It's meant for ages 9 and up.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Millennium Falcon $99.99 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Mos Eisley Cantina set Credit: Lego

Tatooine's infamous tavern has also been represented in a Lego build before. But this new 666-piece set marks the first time it will presumably be able to play Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes' iconic ditty. (It's stuck in your head now, isn't it?) The set comes with Smart Minifigures of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the bounty hunter Greedo, a Sandtrooper, and two band members, plus three Smart Tags for a Dewback, karaoke, and drink mixing. It's geared toward ages 8 and up.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Mos Eisley Cantina $79.99 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke's Landspeeder set Credit: Lego

Luke's grungy X-34 Landspeeder will be able to produce refueling and repairing sound effects in this 215-piece build for ages 6 and up. It includes a Luke Minifigure and teensy Jawa and Gonk Droid models.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke's Landspeeder $39.99 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Yoda's Hut and Jedi Training set Credit: Lego

This 440-piece set builds into Yoda's Jedi training grounds on Dagobah, complete with Smart Minifigures of him and Luke and a little R2-D2. Two included Smart Tags will play force training and cooking sounds when paired with a Smart Brick. It's best for ages 8 and up.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Yoda's Hut and Jedi Training $69.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Lego Star Wars Smart Play: AT-ST Attack on Endor set Credit: Lego

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi's final battle gets brickified in this 347-piece set, also for ages 8 and up. It has a Smart Minifigure of Wicket the Ewok and Smart Tags that will make the AT-ST walker and Speeder Bike builds play sounds.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Smart Play: AT-ST Attack on Endor $49.99 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here

SAVE OVER $300: As of Jan. 28, the Anker Solix C1000 is on sale for $429 at Amazon. That's a 46% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Solix C1000 $429 at Amazon
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Looking for a compact, heavily discounted portable power station? Meet the Anker Solix C1000. Currently on sale at Amazon for $429, this unit is strong enough to power your next camping trip and keep all your essentials running during a power outage. And the best part? It's discounted by $370.

This is a great one to pull out of storage at the last minute thanks to its HyperFlash technology which means it can fully recharge in just 49 minutes at up to 1,600W using AC power. So your last-minute camping trip isn't a problem. And despite its small, compact size, it's still powerful and can deliver 2,000W output with a 3,000W peak and a 1,024Wh capacity across its 10 ports. And these ports include AC, USB-C, USB-A, and a car port.

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And with Anker you know you're getting quality, so the InfiniPower battery won't let you down. In fact, it is rated for up to 4,000 cycles while still keeping at least 80% capacity. And charging, usage, and all kinds of settings can be controlled from the Anker app, so it couldn't be easier to set up and go.

This is a limited-time deal at Amazon, so don't miss out.

SAVE $91: As of Jan. 28, the EcoFlow Delta 2 is on sale for $388 at Amazon. That's a 19% discount and its best-ever price at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: EcoFlow EcoFlow Delta 2 $388 at Amazon
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The EcoFlow Delta 2 has dropped in price again, so if you've been looking for a reliable power source to get you through outages, you can't go wrong with this portable power station. Currently at its lowest-ever price at Amazon, you can pick it up for $388. That's a saving of $91 on list price.

This price is for the machine alone, but there are various upgrade packages on sale too. For example, the unit with two solar panels is down from $1,099. It starts with a 1kWh capacity and can be expanded up to 3kWh by adding any of the extra batteries or accessories.

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It charges fast, too. AC charging can take it from 0-80% in around 50 minutes and a full charge in about 80 minutes, making it a great option for last-minute use on camping trips or preparing for a storm. It is built to last too, thanks to its LFP battery rated for over 3,000 cycles and the built-in battery management system which keeps it running smoothly.

Get this power station deal from Amazon now.

TL;DR: Live stream Shelton vs. Sinner in the 2026 Australian Open for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The final quarter final in the 2026 Australian Open is here and it's a really interesting prospect. Eighth seed Shelton faces off against defending champion Sinner. The Italian has made the final of the last five Grand Slams. That sort of consistency is tough to beat, but the American will believe that he can progress if he delivers his best.

Sinner will have his eyes firmly fixed on the final. It's looking increasingly likely that he could once again meet Alcaraz in that showpiece event. The two young stars are dominating the game right now. Can anyone stand in their way?

If you want to watch Shelton vs. Sinner in the 2026 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Shelton vs. Sinner for free

Shelton vs. Sinner in the 2026 Australian Open is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, 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 Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026 Australian Open 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 Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2026 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer deals such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these deals, you can live stream Shelton vs. Sinner without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to watch the Australian Open before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live tennis on 9Now, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $59.88 and includes an extra three months for free — 69% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Shelton vs. Sinner in the 2026 Australian Open for free with ExpressVPN.

Updated on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 5:11 p.m. ET — Clawdbot has officially changed its name, for very predictable reasons. Creator Peter Steinberger wrote on X that he's changed the AI tool's name under pressure from Anthropic, which makes the Claude family of large-language models. Moving forward, Clawdbot will henceforth be known as Moltbot.

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Interest in Clawdbot, an open-source AI personal assistant, has been building from a simmer to a roar. Over the weekend, online chatter about the tool reached viral status — at least, as viral as an open-source AI tool can be.

Clawdbot has developed a cult following in the early adopter community, and AI nerds in Silicon Valley are obsessively sharing best practices and showing off their DIY Clawdbot setups. The free, open-source AI assistant is commonly run on a dedicated Mac Mini (though other setups are possible), with users giving it access to their ChatGPT or Claude accounts, as well as email, calendars, and messaging apps.

SEE ALSO: Clawdbot users are snapping up the Mac Mini — and it’s under $500 at Amazon

Clawdbot has gone so viral on X that it's reached meme status, with developers and fans sharing tongue-in-cheek memes about their Clawdbot setups.

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

So, what is Clawdbot 🦞, how can you try it, and why is it suddenly the talk of the town in Silicon Valley?

Clawdbot is an AI personal assistant

As previously mentioned, Clawdbot is an open-source AI assistant that runs locally on your device. The tool was built by developer and entrepreneur Peter Steinberger, best known for creating and selling PSPDFKit. The tool is often associated with the lobster emoji, for reasons that should be obvious.

Clawdbot is an impressive example of agentic AI, meaning it's a tool that can act autonomously and complete multi-step actions on behalf of the user. The year 2025 was supposed to be the year of AI agents; instead, many high-profile agentic AI implementations failed to deliver results, and there's a growing sense that AI agents are hitting a wall.

However, Clawdbot users say that the tool delivers where previous assistants have failed. The personal AI assistant remembers everything you've ever told it, and users can also grant it access to their email, calendar, and docs. On top of that, Clawdbot can proactively take personalized action. So, not only does Clawdbot check your email, but it can send you a message the moment a high-priority email arrives.

Based on its viral success, I'd be shocked if Steinberger isn't being courted by AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. Mashable reached out to Steinberger to ask about Clawdbot, and we'll update this post if we receive a response.

How to try Clawdbot

Steinberger has uploaded the source code for Clawdbot to GitHub, and you can download, install, and start experimenting with Clawdbot right away. (Find Clawdbot on Github.)

That said, downloading and setting up Clawdbot isn't as simple as downloading a typical app or piece of software. You'll need some technical know-how to get Clawdbot running on your device. There are also some serious security and privacy concerns to consider. More on that in a moment.

You can run Clawdbot on Mac, Windows, and Linux devices, and the Clawdbot website has installation instructions, system requirements, and tips.

Don't try Clawdbot without understanding the risks

Part of the reason that Clawdbot succeeds where other AI agents have failed is that it has full system access to your device. That means it can read and write files, run commands, execute scripts, and control your browser.

Steinberger is clear about the fact that running Clawdbot carries certain risks.

SEE ALSO: Clawdbot AI security risks you need to know before trying it

"Running an AI agent with shell access on your machine is… spicy," an FAQ reads. "Clawdbot is both a product and an experiment: you’re wiring frontier-model behavior into real messaging surfaces and real tools. There is no 'perfectly secure' setup." (Emphasis in original.)

Users can access a security audit tool for Clawdbot on GitHub, and the Clawdbot FAQ also has a useful security section. A sub-section titled "The Threat Model" notes that bad actors could "Try to trick your AI into doing bad things" and "Social engineer access to your data."

Microsoft is bringing its most advanced AI collaborator to the Excel desktop app. Previously only accessible in Excel for the web, Agent Mode is now generally available on Windows and Mac, allowing Copilot to build complex workbooks, fix formulas, and even let you choose between models.

The Doomsday Clock is now the closest it has ever been to midnight. Scientists have set the symbolic Clock at 85 seconds to midnight, issuing a dire warning about the apocalyptic danger of nuclear weapons, biological threats, climate change, and AI.

SEE ALSO: How to advocate for climate change action

Announcing the Doomsday Clock's new time on Tuesday, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists stated that powerful countries such as the U.S. have not only failed to act since last year's warning, but actively worsened the situation. The Doomsday Clock was set to 89 seconds to midnight in January 2025, the closest it had ever been at the time. This week's announcement now moves it four seconds even closer to disaster.

"Russia, China, the United States, and other major countries have instead become increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic," read the Bulletin's statement, written by editor John Mecklin. "Hard-won global understandings are collapsing, accelerating a winner-takes-all great power competition and undermining the international cooperation critical to reducing the risks of nuclear war, climate change, the misuse of biotechnology, the potential threat of artificial intelligence, and other apocalyptic dangers."

Why has the Doomsday Clock been moved forward? Credit: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

The Doomsday Clock has been moved forward due to a concerning combination of dangers which have been exacerbated over the past year. The Bulletin noted that there were "no reassuring nuclear developments" in 2025, with the nuclear risks instead becoming increasingly normalised. Multiple conflicts involving nuclear powers are in danger of escalating, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine, while there is a dearth of global leadership regarding nuclear issues.

Meanwhile, climate change continues to threaten the planet, with greenhouse gases reaching a new high as the Trump administration abolishes support for emission reduction and environmental science. Biological threats have also increased on multiple fronts, not only because of the ongoing concern of such agents being weaponised, but also due to loss of trust in public health officials and the "rapid dismantling and degradation of U.S. public health infrastructure, expertise, and capacity."

"Disruptive technologies" also pose a significant danger, with the Bulletin warning of threats created by AI. Reliance on AI in critical spheres such as the military is a concern, particularly as such large language models are prone to hallucinate, as well as the potential for such technology to develop new pathogens. However, the most immediate danger is the rapid, prolific spread of mis- and disinformation due to AI chatbots and deepfakes.

"Without facts, there is no truth. Without truth, there is no trust. And without these, the radical collaboration this moment demands is impossible," said Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of Rappler and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

"We are living through an information Armageddon — the crisis beneath all crises — driven by extractive and predatory technology that spreads lies faster than facts and profits from our division. We cannot solve problems we cannot agree exist. We cannot cooperate across borders when we cannot even share the same facts. Nuclear threats, climate collapse, AI risks: none can be addressed without first rebuilding our shared reality."

The Bulletin has attempted to mitigate the doom, making a few recommendations about what could be done to push the Clock back. These primarily involve the U.S. engaging in reasonable dialogue with other countries, establishing international guidelines for nuclear arsenals and technological development. They also call for Congress to "repudiate President Trump’s war on renewable energy," and incentivise a reduction in fossil fuel use. Unfortunately, as the situation currently stands, this seems unlikely to happen.

What is the Doomsday Clock?

Established by the non-profit Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1947, the Doomsday Clock is a symbol indicating how close we are to a global apocalypse caused by humans. Said disaster is represented by midnight on the Doomsday Clock, with the likelihood of such a catastrophe increasing as it draws closer.

The Doomsday Clock is set by the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, determined each year in consultation with its Board of Sponsors. Though nuclear weapons were its primary concern when the Clock was created, the Board now also takes into account other developments such as climate change, disruptive technologies, and biological threats.

Initially set at seven minutes to midnight, the Doomsday Clock has moved forward and back depending upon global events. The furthest from midnight it has ever been is 17 minutes, which was set in 1991 after the U.S. and Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty amidst the end of the Cold War.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in late 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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The Champions League group stage is coming to an end. We've got a final round of fixtures to get through before the knockout rounds.

Napoli face Chelsea in one of the most interesting matchups from this round of games. Napoli need a result to move into the playoff positions. Chelsea will probably need a positive result to hold onto a spot in the top eight. No team wants to play extra games, so avoiding the playoff round is a real prize.

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When is Napoli vs. Chelsea?

Napoli vs. Chelsea in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Jan. 28. This fixture takes place at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

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