Technology

TL;DR: Live stream select La Liga fixtures for free on CazéTV. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Premier League has fast-paced football that's all about physicality. The Bundesliga has the best attendances in incredible stadia. Ligue 1 is all about young talent coming up against the strength of PSG. But what about La Liga? The top of the Spanish football league system leads the way in technical ability and superstar names.

Of course, a lot of fans watch La Liga to follow Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, but there's so much more on offer from this incredible league. Want to see for yourself? It has never been easier to watch online.

If you want to watch 2026-27 La Liga for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is La Liga?

La Liga is a professional football league in Spain and the highest level of the Spanish football league system. It is controlled by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is contested by 20 teams over a 38-matchday season.

The defending champions are Barcelona.

When is La Liga?

The 2026/27 La Liga season will start on Aug. 15. The campaign will likely end on May 23 or May 30.

How to watch La Liga for free

CazéTV will be showing select La Liga fixtures for free on their YouTube channel.

These free live streams are geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the La Liga from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026-27 La Liga by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend 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 Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch La Liga fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of La Liga without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures (plus coverage of the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams all season, you will need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for CazeTV?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream for free on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 80% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream La Liga for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

It's 2026, and times are good for getting what you want, when you want it, at the tap of a phone screen. That's right, there's a whole world of consumer brilliance behind an endless selection of apps. You can get almost anything you desire via your smartphone: Your weekly shopping, your favorite pizza, your high-end tech, even — our personal favorite — a red-hot hookup.

In fact, it's become the standard way to meet a date or potential partner. Online dating replaced the process of chatting someone up in a bar years ago, with the phenomenon of dating websites now going back decades. Some of these sites started up in the 1990s, in fact, though most of the modern-day dating action happens via apps. And as with all technology, the world of online and app-based dating continues to evolve.

According to the top sex-perts at Lovehoney — the popular sex toy brand and retailer that sells everything from lingerie and lubricants to dildos and tech-based toys — we're living in horny-but-wholesome times. Lovehoney has named 2026 "The Year of Pleasure."

But it's not about frivolous flings and one-night stands. It may be a surprise to some dating app users, but the humble one-night stand is on the decline. Wannabe daters are apparently searching for "purposeful pleasure" and "meaningful connections" instead of quick-and-easy sex.

People are still hooking up. Sex itself is still very much a No. 1 activity. But daters are on the hunt for hookups of substance — flings that actually mean something. We're becoming increasingly selective about who we hookup with and why. That's why it's important to use the right dating app. Each one offers something a little different, so the type of connections will vary from app to app.

To help you get started, we’ve looked at the top apps and taken advice from sex and relationship experts.

What to know before you swipe

Before you start downloading apps and sending a "hey" to anyone who catches your eye, it’s best to know just how to approach online dating. Our advice is to be 100 percent up front about who you are and what you’re looking for. And if you're interested purely in hooking up, maybe pass on more mainstream dating apps — apps such as eharmony that focus on romance and long-term relationships. The best hookup apps make chatting quick and easy (messaging, video calls, all that good stuff), and even the best free apps have ironclad safety features like profile verification.

Our main advice, though, is to stick to apps that are specifically designed for hookups and casual fun. Or even apps that are made to satisfy your kink (trust us, whatever that kink is, the likes of AdultFriendFinder have you covered). It can be freeing, not to mention productive, to be open about your desires. The ways in which we understand sex and relationships are changing all the time — just look at fast-growing "heteroflexible" sexuality, for instance. Hookup apps will allow you to explore any and all curiosities — but without any judgment or social anxiety.

SEE ALSO: The best sexting apps for discreet NSFW chats

It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for. It could be the chance to explore a new sexual frontier or a friends-with-benefits situation. And just because the one-night stand is in decline, it's still fun — just ensure it's safe and on your terms.

Whatever it is, we can help make it happen with this guide to the best hookup apps. Our selections are based on Mashable’s own real-world testing, expert input, and general dating app experience. We’ve broken down each of these hookup apps by features and function, and we've offered an option for every type of dater and every dating desire.

These are the best hookup apps for 2026.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you're a fan of UT-Austin.

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: Injury-prone

• Green: Cycling

• Blue: Go Longhorns

• Purple: Could be spelled like a sports team

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Vulnerable Spot

• Green: Famous Cycling Races

• Blue: Associated with the University of Texas

• Purple: Starts with an NFL Team, in Singular Form

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 #702 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Vulnerable Spot: ACHILLES' HEEL, DEFECT, FLAW, WEAKNESS

• Famous Cycling Races: GIRO D'ITALIA, IL LOMBARDIA, TOUR DE FRANCE, VUELTA A ESPANA

• Associated with the University of Texas: AUSTIN, BEVO, BURNT ORANGE, HOOK 'EM

• Starts with an NFL Team, in Singular Form: COLT MCCOY, LIONEL MESSI, RAMBLERS, SAINT JOSEPH'S

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 August 26, 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 August 26, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for August 26 Pips

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

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.

Number (28): Everything in this space must add up to 28. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 0-6, placed horizontally; 5-1, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for August 26 Pips

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

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

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

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

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally; 1-6, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for August 26 Pips

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

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

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

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're gifted.

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 August 26, 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: Abracadabra

• Green: Aptitude

• Blue: Signified by a letter

• Purple: Opens the door

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

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: "There you have it!"

• Green: Knack

• Blue: What "P" might stand for

• Purple: Key ___

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 #1172 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• "There you have it!": BEHOLD, PRESTO, SHAZAM, VOILÀ

• Knack: FORTE, GIFT, STRENGTH, TALENT

• What "P" might stand for: PAGE, PARK, PHOSPHORUS, PIANO

• Key ___: CHAIN, LARGO, LIME, SIGNATURE

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 are easy for a workaholic.

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 August 26, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: All in a day's work

The words are adjectives related to an occupation.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe responsibilities.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

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.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Part of the Job.

NYT Strands word list for August 26

• Errand

• Assignment

• Part of the Job

• Duty

• Task

• Chore

• Project

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.

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 August 26, 2026 Park meaning

To stop driving a vehicle, or a green space for people to enjoy.

Lime meaning

A type of fruit.

Forte meaning

Area of expertise.

Largo meaning

A musical term.

Presto meaning

A musical term, or a word a magician might say.

Signature meaning

A music-related term, or when someone signs their name.

Page meaning

A single sheet of paper within a book.

Gift meaning

Something given to another, usually for a special occasion.

Phosphorous meaning

A chemical element.

Behold meaning

To look upon, sometimes used as an exclamation.

Chain meaning

An object, often metal, connected by a series of links.

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.

Voilà meaning

A French expression that essentially means "here it is."

Talent meaning

Referring to skill and ability.

Shazam meaning

Something a magician might say.

Strength meaning

Related to characteristics that allow someone or something to lift or withstand.

Piano meaning

An instrument that is played by pressing keys.

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.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you have a farm.

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 August 26, 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 August 26, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A castrated rooster.

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 C.

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

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

CAPON

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.

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

Hurled.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

THREW

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Doomed

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 26, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GONER

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Belief.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 26, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Aug. 26, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

FAITH

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Member of the Catholic Church.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

FRIAR

Final Hurdle hint

A tooth.

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

MOLAR

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

TL;DR: Babbel helps you learn a new language naturally, and lifetime access is just $159 with code LEARN.

Opens in a new window Credit: Babbel Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) $159
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Lessons sync across devices, so you can start on your computer and finish on your phone. There’s also an offline mode if you want to download lessons in advance. You can move at your own pace, revisit review sessions, and switch between beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels based on your comfort level.

Use code LEARN by Sept. 10 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get a Babbel lifetime subscription on sale for $159.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

With rare exception, I start my day by skimming a handful of RSS feeds specific to my interests and my work. Then, if any of them are relevant to a work project, I paste them into a document so I can reference them later.

BMW's latest electric SUV shows just how far the automotive industry has pushed its touchscreen obsession. Its enormous infotainment display doesn't just handle navigation and entertainment. It replaces many of the physical controls drivers once used without taking their eyes off the road. BMW says the shift reflects changing preferences among younger buyers, but the result feels less intuitive rather than more advanced.

Dolly Parton, the country music legend who somehow felt less like a distant superstar and more like someone America collectively knew, has died, her family announced. She was 80.

Parton's nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death in a video posted to her official social media accounts on Aug. 25. He said Parton died peacefully in Nashville and that "Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus." A cause of death was not announced. A small, private service will be held for her immediate family.

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Almost immediately, social media filled with the usual markers of collective grief: favorite songs, old interviews, movie scenes, personal stories, and declarations that this particular loss felt different. But people were not only mourning the woman who gave the world "Jolene," "9 to 5," and "I Will Always Love You." They were mourning Dolly herself — the rhinestones, the one-liners, the enormous hair, the even bigger heart, and the uncanny ability to make millions of strangers feel as if she were rooting for them personally.

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Parton was one of the rare celebrities whose fame never appeared to place much distance between her and everyone else. She spoke openly about growing up poor in a one-room cabin in Tennessee. She joked about her wigs, her body, and the money it took to achieve her famously over-the-top look. She could deliver a perfectly constructed punchline, then turn around and say something so sincere that it caught people off guard.

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Best of all, her humor made it clear that the "dumb blonde" persona was always a performance, and that she was the person most in on the joke: "I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb," she famously said. "And I also know that I’m not blonde."

The combination of glamour, intelligence, warmth, and self-awareness made her beloved far beyond the country music world. People who had never bought one of her albums still knew Dolly, somehow, someway.

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Parton was musician Miley Cyrus' godmother, and according to Cyrus, "Dolly's been like a mother to me." She guided Cyrus through every stage of her career, and the two performed together many times, including on "Jolene" and a soaring New Year's Eve medley of "Wrecking Ball” and “I Will Always Love You.”

Cyrus once recalled Parton sending her a fax that read, "How much do I love you? As much as my heart can hold and as far as my arms can reach."

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Parton has spent much of her career championing younger female artists, like Cyrus. She joined Kesha on a recording of "Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle to You)," and Kesha later called Parton a "guiding light" and said that working with her changed the way she judged her own music. Parton also sang with Bebe Rexha on the 2023 ballad "Seasons" and Sabrina Carpenter for a country-inflected version of "Please, Please, Please." Back in January, she brought Miley Cyrus, Lainey Wilson, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire together for a new recording of "Light of a Clear Blue Morning", with proceeds benefiting pediatric cancer research.

She also never prohibited other women from reinterpreting her music. Beyoncé put her own spin on "Jolene." The White Stripes turned it into garage rock. Whitney Houston transformed "I Will Always Love You" into a global phenomenon. Parton seemed genuinely delighted whenever someone found a new way into one of her songs; after all, she always saw herself as a songwriter first and foremost.

"At the end of the day, I hope that I will be remembered as a good songwriter," Parton once wrote. "The songs are my legacy

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Parton reportedly wrote thousands of songs during her life, often drawing from the people, poverty, faith, and complicated emotions of her childhood in the Smoky Mountains: "My Tennessee Mountain Home" captured the place that continued to ground her after she became famous. "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" turned her own hard-won independence into an anthem about believing better days were coming. And in "The Bargain Store," she transformed a secondhand shop into a tender metaphor for a heart that had been hurt but still had something to give.

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The numbers behind that legacy are staggering. Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide, landed 25 songs at No. 1 on Billboard's country chart, and placed 47 albums in the country Top 10. She earned 10 competitive Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, and two Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

And music was only one part of what she built. Parton starred in movies including 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Steel Magnolias; wrote the score for the Broadway adaptation of 9 to 5; and co-founded the production company behind projects including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Father of the Bride. She also turned Dollywood into one of Tennessee’s best-known attractions and, in 2025, received the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for using her success to help others.

Her care for people took forms more tangible than a song to play over and over again. Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 because her father could not read or write. What began as a program for children in her Tennessee home county grew into an international effort, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, that has sent hundreds of millions of free books to children.

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She also donated $1 million to research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund the development of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. She also supported communities affected by wildfires, funded scholarships, and invested in her home state through Dollywood. For Parton, generosity was not a carefully managed addition to her image, but part of what she did with the power that image gave her.

"Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." - Iconic quote from the late Dolly Parton

Parton's husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died in March 2025. She later postponed and ultimately canceled a planned Las Vegas residency while dealing with health problems. Yet just four days before her death, she was still talking about what she wanted to create next.

"I’ve dreamed myself into a corner, and I still have so many things I want to achieve," she told People on Aug. 21.

Dolly was never simply preserving a legacy. She was always writing another song, planning another project, making another joke, or finding another way to help.

Those wishing to honor Parton are urged by her family to share a message by tagging @DollyParton on social media or leaving one on her official website. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

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Food photos are supposed to make you hungry, but the ones currently haunting social media look more likely to crawl off the menu than end up on a plate.

Over the weekend, tech reporter Sam Biddle shared a deli sign featuring what appears to be a dozen glossy, shrimp-shaped bagels sitting on a pile of noodles. Other dishes on the menu included perfectly round piles of pasta, strangely smooth sandwiches, and ingredients that seemed to melt into one another.

"The death of folk graphic design in favor of AI slop across our country's delis is leading to some incredibly Lovecraftian food horrors," Biddle wrote on X.

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The post struck a nerve. Soon, users were flooding the replies and quote posts with their own equally cursed sightings of apparent AI-generated food ads in delis, restaurants, food trucks, fairs, and even their mailboxes.

Some shared menus filled with suspiciously perfect cheesesteaks and sandwiches whose ingredients seemed to fuse together. Others posted burgers with porous, honeycomb-like buns and fillings resembling mushrooms or tentacles. "More AI flyer slop menus. They’re popping up everywhere and it seems to be getting worse and worse," one user said.

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The conversation was not limited to restaurants. "Quirky, low-budget signage is being replaced by this grotesque, uncanny monoslop," X user Adam Johnson wrote. "Not the biggest injustice in the world, but a small piece of culture is dying."

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That idea — that something small but distinctly human is being lost — appeared repeatedly throughout the conversation.

Communications executive Jules Mossler acknowledged online why a small business with "razor thin" margins might turn to tools promising cheaper, more professional advertising. But she argued that doing so can erase the handmade details people actually like about local businesses. "We want the sign you and your sister made; the misspellings, the chipped paint," Mossler wrote on X.

"I don’t think people know how to articulate why [these AI images] leave you deeply sad," she added.

The internet is already fed up with AI slop

The restaurant backlash is part of a much larger revolt against the synthetic material flooding the internet. "AI slop" generally refers to low-quality, mass-produced generative AI content created to fill feeds, attract clicks, or make a quick buck. It can take the form of generic LinkedIn posts, fake celebrity photos, impossible animal-rescue videos, nonsensical recipes, or advertisements filled with people and products that never existed.

SEE ALSO: The internet is drowning in AI slop. Here's how we got here.

The term has become so inescapable that Merriam-Webster selected "slop" as its 2025 Word of the Year, defining it as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence."

People are not simply complaining about it anymore. Platforms are beginning to respond to users who want less AI-generated material in their feeds.

Pinterest introduced controls that let people request fewer generative AI images, eventually expanding the setting to its food and drink category. Snapchat announced that fully AI-generated videos would no longer qualify for recommendations on Spotlight. LinkedIn is introducing a "Seems like AI slop" option that allows users to flag posts they consider generic or machine-made. More than 1 million people reportedly used the button within its first few weeks.

That broader exhaustion helps explain why the restaurant menus struck such a nerve. People are already tired of examining every image and video in their feeds for signs that it is fake. They especially do not want to play detective while deciding what to eat for lunch.

AI food looks like food...until it doesn't

Food photography has always involved a certain amount of fakery. Professional stylists carefully arrange ingredients, manipulate lighting, and edit photos to make dishes look more appealing. But an AI-generated food image introduces a different disconnect — and an uncanny effect.

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The effect is apparently strong enough to provoke a physical response. Reddit threads featuring these images are filled with mentions of trypophobia, an aversion to clusters of small holes or bumps. "Gah it gives me trypophobia — kinda ruins my appetite," one commenter wrote beneath photos of an AI-generated restaurant display in San Francisco.

In a separate r/antiai thread, commenters compared the pictured food to mold, bugs, intestines, brain matter, and diseases. "Everything looks like it was grown into position; nothing prepared or assembled," one user wrote, describing it as "more creature or sentient fungus than food."

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Generated text can make matters even worse. According to a Food & Wine column, an apparent AI-created restaurant menu advertised dishes including "Crslay Fried Mussels Pot Ksascte Barno" and "Homemade ice Croams."

AI is also creating problems before food ever reaches a menu. Social media platforms are filling up with generated recipe videos depicting impossible cheese pulls, contradictory instructions, and finished dishes that cannot be recreated.

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Earlier this year, a writer at The Cut spent a week cooking recipes that appeared to use AI. The results included garlic "breadsticks" that became an eggy sheet and zucchini "crackers" that remained soft in the middle while burning around the edges. One of the few recipes that tasted good appeared to have been copied almost word-for-word from a human food blogger.

Looking gross is only part of the problem. Many people participating in the online conversation said that seeing AI-generated food made them less likely to trust the restaurant.

"Please know that if you’re a restaurant that uses AI slop to sell your food, I automatically do not trust you and will not eat at your establishment," one X user wrote.

Others argued that having no pictures would be preferable to showing a synthetic version of what a dish might look like. Another post contrasted a plain, old-fashioned letterboard menu with a glossy AI-generated sign, asking how to explain to small-business owners that the simple menu was "one billion times more appealing."

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Some restaurants are getting doxxed. Grind & Unwind, a new café and bar in San Francisco's Haight neighborhood, got exposed in the subreddit r/sanfrancisco back in July when commenters compared its AI-generated focaccia to a loofah, said a croissant looked like an alien larva, and described the pulled pork and coleslaw as something straight out of The Last of Us.

The restaurant's owners confirmed to SFGATE that the display used AI-generated images and was intended to be temporary.

"It was kind of a stir on Haight Street, which is good and bad, I guess," co-owner Lyndsey Lozano said. "But the response was not what we were expecting."

The online criticism eventually spilled into the real world when the restaurant's awning was vandalized. The owners have since removed the AI display and replaced it with a window showcasing the restaurant's actual pastries.

The debate moved up North: Posters advertising food at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition recently prompted another online conversation over apparent AI use. Images promoting items, including a "KD Smoothie" and a "Cotton Chick Buldak Ramen Taco," drew as much attention for their strange textures and inconsistent ingredients as for the food concepts themselves. Reddit users were already placing bets on how many AI posters they would find around the fair.

Credit: Screenshot: Reddit, r/toronto

Other restaurants appear to be reading the room. As Rachel Karten, writer of Substack Link In Bio, pointed out, small businesses are now going viral by publicly promising not to use AI-generated advertising.

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The Chugwater Soda Fountain in Chugwater, Wyoming, shared a photo of an employee holding a handwritten cardboard sign reading, "We will not be using AI flyers or photos to promote ourselves."

"From-scratch food and from-scratch marketing," the restaurant wrote in the caption. As of Aug. 25, the post had received more than 71,000 likes. GOAT Nantwich, a bar in the UK, joined the trend with its own handwritten note promising: "We will not be using any AI posters to promote ourselves."

The anti-AI declarations are still marketing, of course. But their popularity shows how quickly the use of AI has gone from a convenient shortcut to something businesses may feel the need to disavow.

Restaurants once tried to make every image look as polished as possible. But now, it seems a piece of cardboard and imperfect handwriting can become their biggest selling point.

Ultimately, the internet's request is not particularly complicated: make the food, put it on a plate, and take a picture. Restaurants, it's OK if it doesn't look perfect. At least it won’t look back at us.

Perplexity originally made its name as an AI search engine, but it also has a product called Computer.

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