Technology

The best Apple deals of the week: Up to $500 off a MacBook Pro? Say less.

Mashable - 1 hour 43 min ago
The best Apple deals of the week: Best iPad deal Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M5, WiFi, 512GB) $1,549.99 (save $149.01) Get Deal Best MacBook deal Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 2TB SSD) $2,499 (save $500) Get Deal Best AirPods deal Apple AirPods 4 $99 (save $30) Get Deal Best Apple Watch deal Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + Cellular, 49mm) $629.99 (save $269.01) Get Deal Best Apple accessory deal Apple AirTag (2nd Generation), 4-Pack $89 (save $10) Get Deal

The Apple Store's Back to School promo is in full swing right now, meaning college students who buy a new MacBook or iPad direct get a free gift card worth up to $150. It's a pretty good deal when you factor in Apple's usual $100 education discount, too. But if you're ineligible, fret not: There are plenty of other great Apple deals to be had around the web this week.

The best ones I've spotted at third-party retailers are going to premium "prosumer" Apple devices like the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Of particular note, Amazon and Best Buy have a 14-inch MacBook Pro with a 15-core M5 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage listed for $2,499, or a whopping $500 off. For reference, it cost $2,599 before Apple's price hikes earlier this summer, and the Apple Store currently sells it in refurbished condition for $2,539.

SEE ALSO: Apple Upgrade program: Common questions about Apple's new leasing program, answered

If you're working with a particularly tight budget, you might also consider leasing a new Apple device through the all-new Apple Upgrade program, which launched in the U.S. this week. Shoppers can rent a new MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch, or iPhone for as little as $11.99 per month for up to 36 months through Klarna. It's a decent short-term solution for cash-strapped folks, but know that you won't automatically own your device at the end of your leasing period. You either have to upgrade it, return it, or pay the difference between your leasing fees and its MSRP to make it officially yours. (In other words, you won't save money in the long run if you plan on buying your rental eventually.)

For actual savings on a new device upfront, check out my exhaustive list of the best Apple deals as of July 30.

Best iPad deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M5, WiFi, 512GB) $1,549 at Amazon
$1,699 Save $150   Get Deal

The M5 iPad Pro is our top pick for professional creatives and other power users. It's a splurge, to be sure, but it's prettier and pepper than any other tablet on the market. (Mashable tech editor Timothy Beck Werth was wowed by its Tandem OLED display when he tested it.) Amazon's current discount on the 13-inch Space Black model with 512GB of storage almost nullifies Apple's $200 price increase. The Silver version was slightly more expensive at the time of writing, FYI.

Read Mashable's full review of the Apple iPad Pro (M5).

More iPad Pro dealsiPad Air dealsiPad dealsiPad mini dealsBest MacBook deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 2TB SSD) $2,499 at Amazon and Best Buy
$2,999 Save $500   Get Deal

The M5 Pro-powered MacBook Pro is wayyy overkill for the average user, but perfectly suited for the demanding workloads of video editors, graphic designers, and programmers. Spec highlights include a super bright 3K mini-LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Apple's latest N1 wireless chip, and three Thunderbolt 5/USB-C ports.

More MacBook Pro dealsMacBook Air dealsBest AirPods deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods 4 $99 at Amazon and Walmart
$129 Save $30   Get Deal

Somehow, the entry-level AirPods are still chilling at their Prime Day price of $99 (or 23% off). Our audio experts were impressed by their excellent sound quality, clear mic, and effortless connectivity with other Apple devices in their testing. They offer up to five hours of listening time on their own; with their charging case, they can last for up to 30 hours away from an outlet.

Read Mashable's full review of the Apple AirPods 4.

More AirPods dealsBest Apple Watch deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + Cellular, 49mm) $629.99 at Best Buy
$899 Save $269.01   Get Deal

Best Buy has the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a premium Black Titanium Milanese Loop on clearance for only $629.99 — that's 30% off its $899 sticker price. Compared to the newer Apple Watch Ultra 3, which costs $244 more with the same wristband, it just has a slightly smaller display, a slightly worse battery life, and one missing feature (Emergency SOS via satellite).

Apple Watch Series 11 dealsApple Watch SE 3 dealsApple accessory deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

AI is playing matchmaker for college students — with yacht parties

Mashable - 2 hours 38 min ago

Hinge's founder recently left the app to start an AI matchmaking service, but he isn't the only one with that startup idea. Ditto is an AI matchmaker specifically for college students — and it does all the work in iMessage.  

"For the past 20 years, we've connected in primitive ways. We manually scroll. We manually search. We manually swipe," Ditto AI's manifesto reads on its website. "Spending hours trying to find the right people — because all we have are static and dead profiles."

"But now, everything changes," Ditto promises.

SEE ALSO: Shared a Claude conversation? Google may have seen it.

Ditto was founded by Eric Liu and Allen Wang, two University of California, Berkeley students who dropped out around four years ago to create a new consumer product, Liu said in an interview with Mashable.

"We are both pretty outgoing people, and we see a lot of gaps in the current dating apps," he said. These gaps are apparent in the manifesto: "No more wasted hours. No more missed connections. No more 'what ifs.'"

Liu reiterated that dating apps are primitive, and he's sure there'll be a new platform in the next five years, and that the whole social landscape will be very different a decade from now. "All the existing platforms are by no means efficient at all," he told Mashable. In ten years, however, people will be able to make a new connection in hours, not weeks. If you're free for dinner tonight, an agent can set it up, he said.

Traditional dating apps have too many layers and too much churn, making an eventual date unlikely, he explained. "Users don't need to you know swipe left and right to find a mutual match, and they don't need to repetitively introduce themselves, make small talk, and arrange dates."

Ditto offers something different, and the founders aren't shy about it. "I dropped out of Berkeley with Eric Liu to kill Tinder with AI," Wang posted on LinkedIn last year. But Ditto still has marketing tricks in the mix, too, like flyers on college campuses and yacht parties.

How Ditto AI works

According to Ditto's website, users submit "preferences" by midnight on Wednesday morning, and then later that evening, Ditto will send a match. From there, you schedule a date. (Users must be verified college students.)

When asked about how Ditto learns a user's preferences, Liu said the answer is complicated. "I believe we reinvented a lot more than just the technology," he said. "We actually also have to spend a lot of time on the user experience, because it's drastically different." Ditto works within one's iMessage, not a separate app. 

Credit: Ditto Credit: Ditto

The site's FAQ states that Ditto pairs one student with another by analyzing their profiles and comparing preferences. Apparently, "this process employs rigorous computation and simulation to provide the best insights for curating a successful date."

Ditto leverages the reasoning abilities of LLMs and an agentic system that includes insights from experts in analysis, matchmaking, scheduling, and more, according to the site. 

Liu said that pre-filled profiles from users (like those used by traditional dating apps) have nothing to do with predicting chemistry. Instead, more important data is people's feedback from the dates, which is why they want to speed up the process. The more dates, the more data. 

Credit: Ditto

If a user signs up on Tuesday, they can get a date the next day. "That's pretty much unimaginable on traditional apps," he said. Though if you've been on Tinder or Feeld, you've likely met someone who's down to meet that night — and that is even more true on an app like Grindr.

There are people on Ditto who have gone on 20 dates, and the AI is trained based on that data. It's also trained on user conversations with the matchmaker, user interactions with each other, and feedback for how the date went.

On Ditto's website, it looks like there's a facial scan component as well. "I'd say definitely facial features, physical appearances are part of our algorithm," Liu said. (There's also a "bodycount detector" on the website, which Liu said one of the interns made, and that it's not part of Ditto's product. It requires a "facial scan," and much like the viral Check Her Body Count site, has an unsavory taste to it.)

Do AI matchmakers work?

The site also claims it has a 65 percent success rate, which is based on how many matches go on dates. "The match-to-date ratio on our platform is much higher than on other platforms," he said. 

In testimonials he sent to Mashable, users praised the quality of matches and the ease of getting them.

"Talking or chatting with Ditto through messages [has] also been easy. It's been good so far," said Adriana, a University of Southern California student. 

"It's a different thing. It's also easier. There's less friction for me," said Noah, a student at Berkeley. He initially thought it was confusing when cofounder Allen [Wang] explained it to me, "But it's easier than that app, because then it's like, okay, download this app to make an account, to do all this. I don't really want to do all of that."

And the company is doing something right, as it raised over $9 million earlier this year, according to Business Insider.

On Reddit, however, Ditto's reviews aren't so positive. Complaints include the company "spamming" campuses with fliers, that it's a "scam," and that it permits advertisers to track user data.

But it seems like, much like LLMs themselves, that AI matchmakers aren't going away. In addition to Ditto, there's Sitch AI (Mashable interviewed its founder last year), Amata, and Keeper. (And, of course, Overtone from Hinge founder Justin McLeod — which is launching later this year.) 

Major dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge have also integrated AI features into the app, such as Tinder's AI matchmaker Chemistry and Hinge's AI Convo Starters feature. Bumble is eliminating its swipe feature and ushering in a more AI-forward experience by the end of 2026.

And just as Tinder and Bumble are leaning into in-person events despite utilizing the latest technology, though, so is Ditto, in the form of yacht parties. 

Credit: Ditto

"The team is just like super excited to be able to create these in real-life events and see people making new friends or like finding finding more loves during during these events," he said. As of this writing, Ditto is hiring a "Chief Yacht Officer." Duties include planning 10 yacht parties across the U.S. and designing the event flow "to facilitate fun and meaningful blind-date connections between Ditto users."

They're also great marketing campaigns. In addition to yacht parties, Ditto also has run clubs, reading clubs, and walking clubs in San Francisco. 

Given technological advancement and changes in social culture, Liu believes Ditto is the next thing. According to him, it's about time the next generation of social media — a lower-effort, higher-efficiency social network — is born. 

"We are almost there," he said.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The FCC bans all robot vacuums made outside the U.S.

Mashable - 3 hours 2 min ago

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has banned all foreign-made mobile robots from the country — including robot vacuums. This means that people in the U.S. won't be able to get new robot vacuums from brands such as Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, and Samsung.

SEE ALSO: The FCC bans all routers made outside the U.S.

On Tuesday, the FCC announced that it has added "advanced robotic devices" made outside the U.S. to its Covered List. This list documents communications equipment and services that the U.S. government believes pose an "unacceptable risk" to national security. Products on the Covered List are prohibited from receiving FCC equipment authorisation, which is mandatory for most electronic devices imported or sold within the country. 

As such, this update means that foreign-manufactured advanced robotic devices cannot be imported or sold in the U.S. The FCC's announcement specifically mentioned limbed robots such as humanoids and quadrupeds, leaving no doubt that tech such as XPENG's humanoid IRON robot and Unitree's Go2 Pro Robot Dog will be barred from the country. 

However, robot vacuums also neatly fit within the ban's scope. As cited by the FCC, the National Security Determination defines "advanced robotic devices" as:

A mechanical mobile device, including autonomous mobile robots, humanoid robots, and quadrupeds, that – 

i. Is capable of locomotion, obstacle avoidance, navigation, or movement on the ground;

ii. Operates at a distance from a human operator or supervisor based on commands or in response to sensor data or any combination thereof; and 

iii. The combined weight of the device and, if applicable, ground station or docking station is over 4.4lbs; and 

iv. Contains a component falling within each of the below subparagraphs: 

i. a sensor capable of perceiving its environment; 

ii. a component that is capable of providing network connectivity (wired or wireless, including Bluetooth/WiFi, cellular, or satellite) with connection speeds of at least 200 kbps in either direction; and 

iii. software running either locally or remotely, including firmware and AI or machine-learning model weights, that controls the robot’s autonomous navigation or movement perception, data collection, or remote command-and-control

Such features are integral to robot vacuums' operations, which require them to independently navigate areas in order to clean them. The FCC has since confirmed that the U.S. ban does include robot vacuums, as reported by The Verge. 

Mashable has reached out to Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, and Samsung. At the time of writing only Roborock has responded, and they declined to comment.

The National Security Determination also specifically referred to an incident involving a robot vacuum when outlining the U.S. government's concerns. Earlier this year, a software engineer accidentally hacked his DJI Romo robot vacuum and gained access to video, audio, and map data from thousands of devices across the world. (DJI devices have already been barred from the U.S. for some time, the government having classified it as a "'Chinese military company.")

Security vulnerabilities such as this aren't exclusive to foreign-made devices, and aren't necessarily an indication of sinister intentions. U.S. companies such as Amazon, Meta, and Uber have all experienced their own safety and security incidents as well. No technology is infallible, regardless of where it was made or who it was made by. Even so, the U.S. government considers such incidents in foreign technology as demonstrative of a national security threat.

"The networked capabilities of advanced robotic systems create extensive vulnerabilities and vectors for attacks that can manipulate the data and physical operation of the advanced robotic system," the National Security Determination reads. "Relying on foreign-produced advanced robotic devices presents unacceptable supply chain and cybersecurity vulnerabilities."

Fortunately, the U.S. robot vacuum ban won't force you to throw out your current device. The FCC states that consumers are still allowed to use devices they already own, so there's no need to rush out to look for a replacement. The ban doesn't revoke FCC authorisation from previously approved devices either, meaning those in the U.S. can continue to buy and sell robot vacuum models that are already in the market. 

However, new robot vacuums that have not yet received FCC authorisation are now barred from entering the country, leaving U.S. consumers with older models and significantly fewer options. The vast majority of robot vacuums are made outside the U.S., with the top five manufacturers based in China. Combined, these five companies held almost 70 percent of the global robot vacuum market share as of 2025. 

In comparison, the U.S. has practically no robot vacuum companies. While Roomba maker iRobot was founded in California, the company filed for bankruptcy last year and was acquired by Chinese robotics company Picea.

The Department of War (DOW) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are authorised to grant exemptions to the U.S. robotics ban upon conducting a national security assessment. However, the FCC does not list any at time of writing.

Earlier this year, the FCC banned all foreign-made consumer-level WiFi routers, also labelling them a danger to national security. The vast majority of routers are manufactured outside the U.S., including those from trusted brands such as TP-Link, ASUS, and Netgear.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Half of Gen Z catch themselves performing during solo sex

Mashable - 3 hours 38 min ago

HUD — named the best new hookup app by Mashable — and sex toy site Girls Get Off partnered to release the Pleasure Census, an anonymous survey of over 2,100 participants from 63 countries.

While not a nationally representative sample (68 percent of respondents are female), the survey says a lot about where daters are at today, especially in terms of desire. Namely, how big a role performance and body image play in young adults' sex lives.

SEE ALSO: What to do when body image is affecting your sex life

Critics like to call Gen Z a "sexless" generation due to various reports of declining sexual activity over the years, but what the Pleasure Census found is that 73 percent say concerns about their appearance make it harder to enjoy sex or pleasure. Forty-four percent of respondents overall said this, too, so while it's not just a Gen Z issue, it is more pervasive among them.

Credit: The Pleasure Census

Over half (54 percent) of Gen Z respondents have caught themselves "performing" — during solo pleasure. That number jumps up to 70 percent overall, and an additional 15 percent say they're not sure if they do. This is a phenomenon known as spectatoring, or focusing on yourself from a third-party perspective rather than on your (or your partner's) sensations.

Credit: The Pleasure Census

It doesn't help that talking openly about sex is also a challenge for many of the respondents: 50 percent are only somewhat comfortable telling a partner what they want. For 38 percent, sex was rarely discussed growing up, and for 35 percent, it was framed negatively or not spoken about at all. For 16 percent, it was discussed openly — but awkwardly — and a mere 10 percent said it was talked about openly and positively.

SEE ALSO: We asked a doctor about that new red light sex toy

Most people learned about sex from personal experience (60 percent), and 17 percent from online content. What about formal sex education? A measly one percent. (In the U.S., only 19 states mandate medically accurate information for any sex ed topic as of last year.)

Credit: The Pleasure Census

All this led the researchers to suggest that pleasure is self-taught, the orgasm gap is a conversation gap, and that honesty is the hardest act. Despite all the fraught feelings towards sex, 80 percent of participants want to have more of it. While this knowledge won't solve all the sexual hangups, self-awareness is the first step.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on July 30

Mashable - 6 hours 38 min ago

The Full Moon may have passed, but the Moon is still shining brightly in the night sky. Here's what you can spot on its surface as it begins to move into its next phase/

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Thursday, July 30, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waning Gibbous phase, with 100% of its surface visible.

Without visual aids, tonight you should still be able to see the Mare Tranquillitatis, Copernicus Crater, and the Tycho Crater. If you have binoculars will help you see the Gassendi Crater, Mare Frigoris, and the Clavius Crater. Finally, a telescope will help you see all this plus the Apollo 15 and 17 landing spots, as well as the Caucasus Mountains.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on August 28.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon goes through a complete cycle of eight phases roughly every 29.5 days. As it travels around Earth, the angle between the Sun, Earth and Moon constantly changes, meaning we see different amounts of the Moon's sunlit side. This is what causes the familiar progression from a thin crescent to a half Moon, then a Full Moon, before the cycle repeats.

The eight phases are:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to unblock Pornhub for free

Mashable - 6 hours 38 min ago

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from anywhere in the world with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

Access to Pornhub is in turmoil. Early in 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws. In response, Pornhub banned visitors from those states from accessing their website. The same situation then took place in France, and although Pornhub is complying with the UK's age verification law, users are now required to provide personal information to access the site.

The situation is constantly changing, but you can stay one step ahead with a quick and easy hack. If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from anywhere in the world, we have the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free

VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure server in another location. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access adult sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

  1. Sign up for a 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 a location that supports access to Pornhub

  4. Visit Pornhub

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to your favorite site, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing online restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries

  • 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 streaming speeds free from throttling

  • Up to eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $78.18 and includes an extra four months for free — 78% 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 money-back guarantee).

Unblock Pornhub for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

NYT Pips hints, answers for July 30, 2026

Mashable - 8 hours 38 min ago

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

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 July 30, 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 July 30, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 30 Pips

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

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

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

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 1-5, placed vertically.

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 30 Pips

Number (15): Everything in this purple space must add up to 15. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically; 6-3, placed vertically.

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

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

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.

Number (15): Everything in this purple space must add up to 15. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 30 Pips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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

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

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-5, 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.

Categories: IT General, Technology

NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 30, 2026

Mashable - 8 hours 38 min ago

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you've ever played hockey.

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.

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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.

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

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

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

  • Yellow: Team graphic

  • Green: Basketball team

  • Blue: Stick makers

  • Purple: G___

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

  • Yellow: A Team's Symbol

  • Green: NBA Teams, Informally

  • Blue: Hockey Stick Manufacturers

  • Purple: What "G" Might Mean

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 #675 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

  • A Team's Symbol: BADGE, CREST, EMBLEM, LOGO

  • NBA Teams, Informally: CLIPS, GRIZZ, MAVS, WOLVES

  • Hockey Stick Manufacturers: BAUER, CCM, SHER-WOOD, WARRIOR

  • What "G" Might Mean: GAMES, GATORADE, GOALTENDER, GUARD

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.

Categories: IT General, Technology

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 30, 2026

Mashable - 8 hours 38 min ago

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you always do what's right.

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.

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for July 30, 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: Righteous

  • Green: Games

  • Blue: "I'm on a boat!"

  • Purple: Exact

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

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

  • Yellow: Virtuous

  • Green: Activities with multiple balls

  • Blue: Cruise lines

  • Purple: On the ___, to mean "precise"

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 #1145 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

  • Virtuous: FAIR, GOOD, JUST, RIGHT

  • Activities with multiple balls: BEER PONG, BINGO, JUGGLING, POOL

  • Cruise lines: CARNIVAL, CELEBRITY, PRINCESS, VIKING

  • On the ___, to mean "precise": DOT, MARK, MONEY, NOSE

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 30, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

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.

Categories: IT General, Technology

NYT Strands hints, answers for July 30, 2026

Mashable - 8 hours 38 min ago

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're crafty.

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 July 30, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Trade names

The words are related to crafts.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe crafty professions.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Artisans.

NYT Strands word list for July 30

  • Copper

  • Artisans

  • Weaver

  • Smith

  • Potter

  • Joiner

  • Mason

  • Tanner

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.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Hurdle hints and answers for July 30, 2026

Mashable - 8 hours 38 min ago

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.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators 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

New Zealand is full of them.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

SHEEP

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Greek letter.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 30, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

ALPHA

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Thirst-quencher.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 30 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 30, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

DRINK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Moron.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

IDIOT

Final Hurdle hint

Winner.

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

CHAMP

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

Categories: IT General, Technology

Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 30, 2026

Mashable - 8 hours 38 min ago

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're outdoorsy.

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 July 30, 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 July 30, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A canyon.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter F.

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...

FLUME

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.

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.

Categories: IT General, Technology

RAMageddon is making it harder to find the best Windows laptops. These 8 are actually worth it.

Mashable - 11 hours 37 min ago
What's new this month

In late July 2026, I updated this guide with one fresh pick. I also replaced or removed three previous picks that were no longer available. The Asus Zenbook A14 remains my top choice for most people.

The Asus ExpertBook Ultra is my new favorite Windows laptop for work: It's incredibly thin and light yet impressively powerful, and its display is dreamy. The Acer Swift Edge 14 AI succeeds the sold-out Lenovo Yoga 7 14 as the best Windows laptop for college students. Its ultraportable design, decent battery life, and competitive value won over our reviewer.

I'm currently looking for replacements for Acer Aspire 16 AI and the Alienware 16X Aurora, our former picks in the budget and gaming categories, respectively. Both of them were out of stock at the time of writing.

As a quick note before we get into the picks, Mashable evaluates laptops on the basis of performance, battery life, design/build quality, and value. We do so using a combination of synthetic benchmarking and real-world usage. You can read more about our testing process below.

What's on deck

I just finished testing the new Dell 14S and was very impressed by its build quality and battery life. For the average everyday user, it's a smarter buy than the snazzy-but-splurgey Dell XPS 14. I plan on naming it a new top pick in the next update to this list. In the meantime, you can read more about it in my guide to the best laptops for college students.

The Mashable team has several other Windows laptops in hand for testing right now, including the Dell 16S, HP OmniBook Ultra 14, LG gram Max 17, Alienware 16 Area-51, Lenovo LOQ Essential 15, and MSI Prestige 16 AI+. We're also waiting on a review unit of the new Dell XPS 13, a very promising budget option. (At $599 for students, it's a direct competitor to Apple's MacBook Neo.) Stay tuned to see if any of them make the cut.

A note about ARM-based Windows laptops Asus' Zenbook A-series laptops are two of the best ARM-based laptops I've tried. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series chips use ARM-based architecture, not traditional x86 architecture like Intel and AMD chips. As such, their compatibility differs. ARM-based laptops don't work natively with certain specialty software (like AutoCAD), nor can they run as many PC games.

ARM compatibility issues are a non-concern for the majority of general-purpose Windows users, but they'll be dealbreakers for some demographics — PC gamers being an obvious one.

College students should also steer clear of ARM laptops. When I examined the 10 top public universities' hardware recommendations for the 2026 fall semester, I found that a couple schools explicitly advised their students against getting ARM-based laptops to make sure they can run all of their necessary coursework without emulation. (This is one big reason why I recommend the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI for rising freshmen: It has an x86-based Intel chip.)

The good news is that ARM compatibility has gotten better over the past couple years, and it will definitely continue to do so now that Nvidia is coming out with its own Windows on ARM chips.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Tom Holland and the Spider-Man: Brand New Day cast reveal what theyd forget with Doctor Stranges memory spell

Mashable - 11 hours 39 min ago

In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, you can still feel the impacts of Spider-Man: No Way Home's tragic ending.

SEE ALSO: Spider-Man: Brand New Day' review: More like 'Déjà Vu'?

At the end of that film, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts a devastating spell that makes the world forget that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) ever existed. Yes, it saves the multiverse, but at the cost of Spider-Man fans' hearts everywhere, as Peter's girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya), and best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), now no longer remember him. Separated from his support network, Peter is more isolated than ever by the time Brand New Day rolls around.

However, could Doctor Strange's forgetfulness spell ever come in handy? What if you wanted to re-experience a beloved film, TV show, or book for the first time?

In an interview Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards, Spider-Man: Brand New Day stars Tom Holland, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, and Sadie Sink, as well as director Destin Daniel Cretton, revealed which pieces of media they'd love to look back on with totally fresh eyes. From Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey to Donna Tartt's The Secret History, which of their picks would you want to forget and revisit?

Check out the full interview above, and stick around for Bernthal's sweet response that sends Holland and Batalon scrambling for new answers.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in theaters.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 new Paramount+ shows and movies streaming in August

How-To Geek - 12 hours 38 min ago

This month on Paramount+, August is bringing the heat with its lineup of new content. It is more sports-heavy than other months, with three Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night matches, a new season of Dana White’s Contender Series, and MTV's The Challenge: Cutthroat, and more basketball, golf, soccer, and bull riding than you can stand. You can find more information about those competitions in Paramount’s complete August lineup. If you aren’t a sports fan, though, don’t worry—you’re covered.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The newest Visual Studio Pro just dropped to $29.97

Mashable - 12 hours 38 min ago

TL;DR: Get a lifetime license for Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 for $29.97 through Aug. 9 and code faster with AI-assisted development, cross-platform tools, and built-in collaboration.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 $29.97
$499.99 Save $470.02   Get Deal

Development tools are one of the few things you use every day, so it’s worth having an IDE that keeps up with the way you work. Through Aug. 9, you can get Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 for $29.97 as a one-time purchase instead of paying for another recurring software subscription.

The latest version is built for modern development, whether you’re creating desktop apps, web projects, cloud services, or cross-platform software. Along with better performance, it adds deeper AI integration and collaboration features designed to speed up everyday coding.

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Some of the biggest reasons developers are upgrading include:

  • AI-assisted coding with IntelliCode for smarter code completions, suggestions, and refactoring

  • 64-bit architecture that handles larger projects and more demanding workloads

  • Cross-platform development for Windows, Linux, containers, .NET MAUI, Blazor, C++, and .NET applications

  • Live Share collaboration so teammates can edit and debug together in real time

  • CodeLens insights that surface references, authors, commit history, and test status directly in your editor

  • Hot Reload to see code changes instantly without restarting your application

  • Azure and GitHub integration for smoother development and deployment workflows

Whether you’re building side projects, enterprise software, or client applications, having these tools in one IDE can simplify your workflow and reduce context switching throughout the day.

Get Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 for $29.97 through Aug. 9 and build your next project with Microsoft’s latest professional development environment.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The V-8 sports sedan that blends Lexus reliability with real pace

How-To Geek - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 23:30

Performance sedans rarely deliver everything in one package. German rivals offer incredible speed and technology but can become expensive to own over time, while many Japanese alternatives prioritize reliability at the expense of outright excitement.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Apple said to delay smart glasses launch after Meta backlash

Mashable - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 23:25

Apple is likely to wait until WWDC 2027 to unveil its own take on smart glasses. That's in part because of additional work on privacy features, and other product safeguards, at a time when Meta's smart glasses are coming under fire.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple views privacy as its top priority, with engineers and marketers trying hard to distinguish the company's approach from Meta's. Apple is expected to avoid using facial recognition in its smart glasses, while sending less data to the cloud and processing more in the device itself. The company also won't use customer recordings to train AI models.

SEE ALSO: Being filmed by Meta smart glasses? The internet says to play Disney music.

Given the phrase "pervert glasses" has been gaining traction online in reference to the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, all of those moves from Apple make sense. Meta's glasses helped establish the consumer market for AI-powered eyewear, but have also become associated with problems of privacy and consent.

We've reported on prank creators and pickup artists using Meta Ray-Ban glasses to discreetly record strangers for viral social media content, even as concerns were raised around the legality of recording in public spaces. Privacy advocates note wearable cameras make covert recording easier, and could encourage businesses to restrict the devices.

Meta's latest smart glasses launch, including new fashion-focused frames, sparked even more debate over the visibility of the glasses' recording indicators. They're drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, and consumers are increasingly uneasy.

No wonder Apple has considered limiting or removing video-recording capabilities altogether, according to Gurman. However, doing so might undermine one of the biggest selling points of smart glasses — legitimately capturing priceless moments with family and friends.

If Apple introduces smart glasses — whether at WWDC 2027 or after — the company will be judged by whether it can convince consumers that its camera-equipped eyewear is more deserving of trust than the devices that came before it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why fans are divided over the Children of Blood and Bone movie

Mashable - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 22:39

When the first trailer for Children of Blood and Bone debuted in Brooklyn this week, the excitement inside the room was palpable.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood described years of research into African history and spirituality. The cast spoke about identity, ancestry, and the responsibility of bringing Orïsha to life. For fans who have spent years imagining Tomi Adeyemi's bestselling fantasy world, it was the first real glimpse of one of BookTok's most anticipated adaptations.

SEE ALSO: How 'Children of Blood and Bone' is bringing one of BookTok's biggest fantasy worlds to the big screen

Outside the theater, however, the conversation surrounding the film has been far more complicated.

Long before audiences saw a single frame of footage, the adaptation had become the subject of debates over colorism, questions about representation, and, more recently, the stunning decision by Adeyemi herself to publicly distance herself from the project she helped develop.

Adeyemi expanded on her decision to distance herself from the film adaptation in an emotional TikTok posted Wednesday, July 29, alleging that she has continued to be "antagonized" behind the scenes by "everyone involved...at the highest level." She said she left the set in South Africa "hyperventilating and sobbing" and returned home experiencing severe panic attacks and physical somatic pain.

"This film, which I worked on to make it a little better for us to be alive, is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through," Adeyemi said. While she did not identify any individuals or elaborate on the specific circumstances behind her allegations, she said she decided to speak publicly because the film's marketing campaign had renewed the behind-the-scenes conflict.

The casting sparked immediate debate.

When Paramount announced the cast in 2025, many readers celebrated seeing a predominantly Black ensemble led by Thuso Mbedu, Regina King, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cynthia Erivo, Damson Idris, Lashana Lynch, and Idris Elba.

But the announcement also reignited conversations that had followed the adaptation for years.

Much of the criticism centered on the casting of Amandla Stenberg as Princess Amari. In the novel, Amari is described as having "dark copper skin" and is notably darker than the rest of her royal family, a physical difference that contributes to her feeling like an outsider long before she begins questioning the kingdom's treatment of the maji. Many readers argued that casting the lighter-skinned, biracial actor weakened a key aspect of the character's identity and reflected a broader pattern of colorism in Hollywood.

Other fans questioned why relatively few Nigerian actors had been cast in a story so deeply inspired by Nigerian history, Yoruba spirituality, and pre-colonial West African cultures. Those conversations unfolded across Reddit, X, and BookTok, where readers debated what authenticity should look like in a film adaptation of a novel so closely tied to Nigerian identity.

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At the time, Stenberg said she understood why readers felt protective of the books and noted that Adeyemi had personally encouraged her to take the role.

Tomi Adeyemi publicly stepped away from the project.

The conversation shifted dramatically earlier this month. In a TikTok (since deleted) addressing fans who had asked why she had stopped promoting the movie, Adeyemi announced she was "officially separating" herself from the adaptation.

"There is a reason I will not post anything about the adaptation of my work," she wrote. She later added that she had not seen the finished film and did not plan to watch it.

Adeyemi, who is credited as an executive producer and co-writer of the screenplay alongside Prince-Bythewood, said she had "tried everything" behind the scenes before deciding to step away, describing the experience as emotionally painful. She encouraged fans to support the film if they wished, but asked those who wanted to support her directly to purchase the books from independent bookstores.

Perhaps the most surprising part of her statement was a series of screenshots showing messages she allegedly sent to Stenberg, telling the actor not to contact her or mention her publicly, before blocking her. The message appears to be from Feb. 28, 2025, and reads: "Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me." Stenberg's previous message in the chain is partially blocked, but the words "my only hope was to reconnect as human beings" can be seen at a point.

The posts immediately reignited online speculation about what had happened behind the scenes, though Adeyemi has not publicly detailed the circumstances that led to the falling out.

Adeyemi's comments have also been viewed through the lens of previous public disputes. In 2018, she accused bestselling romance author Nora Roberts of plagiarizing the title of Roberts' novel Of Blood and Bone. After speaking with Roberts, Adeyemi retracted the allegation, saying she believed the titles had been created independently and apologized. That history has complicated the public response to her latest statements.

While many fans have expressed concern about the adaptation, others say they are hesitant to draw conclusions without more information about what actually happened to lead Adeyemi to sever ties.

What actually happened?

That's the question fans continue to ask, and one that remains largely unanswered.

Neither Paramount nor Prince-Bythewood has publicly addressed Adeyemi's comments, and the author has declined to elaborate beyond describing the experience as painful and saying she was "attacked behind the scenes." In a message dated July 18, posted under a 2025 behind-the-scenes video from set in South Africa, Adeyemi replied to a commenter, saying, "Making an impossible dream come true is a beautiful thing. Even if the dream becomes a nightmare. No one, not this film or you, will ever take away what I achieved."

That uncertainty has left fans in an unusual position. The film continues to generate excitement, buoyed by Prince-Bythewood's reputation following The Woman King, an acclaimed ensemble cast, and a trailer widely praised online. At the same time, some readers say it's difficult to separate that excitement from the knowledge that the creator of Orïsha no longer wants her name associated with the adaptation. Others argue that the work of hundreds of artists, craftspeople, and performers deserves to be judged independently of whatever happened behind closed doors.

Until someone involved chooses to explain further, both realities will likely coexist.

Children of Blood and Bone remains one of the most anticipated fantasy films of 2027. It also arrives carrying questions that no trailer, no matter how spectacular, can answer.

Children of Blood and Bone hits theaters on Jan. 15, 2027.

This article has been updated with new information. It was originally published on July 28, 2025.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Phone bans increasing in popularity as concern about classroom screen time grows

Mashable - Wed, 07/29/2026 - 22:37

There appears to be a brewing consensus about whether or not screens are a threat to learners in our nation's classrooms.

Amid a growing educational debate on tech's presence in schools, two new reports released today highlight widespread concern about the presence of screens and personal devices among school children. A new Pew Research poll found that a majority (77 percent) of Americans support policies that ban cell phone use during instruction periods, and around half support banning cellphones during the entire school day, also known as a “bell-to-bell” phone ban.

The same poll conducted in 2024 found only a third of Americans were in favor of bell-to-bell policies. Since then, support has increased across all age groups.

SEE ALSO: Digging into Gen Z's love/hate relationship with AI

Meanwhile, teachers around the world are increasingly concerned about device use, according to the latest Global Education Insights Report conducted by education solutions giant McGraw Hill. Among 1,300 global educators surveyed by the company, the majority listed excessive screen time as the number one obstacle to student success.

Almost half of those polled said they have witnessed a decline in focus and emotional well-being among students compared to five years ago, and around two-thirds said they were concerned about their students' mental health.

A growing coalition of parents, child safety advocates, and even lawmakers have been calling for a reevaluation of device use in classrooms across the U.S., including pushing for new school policies that ban phones outright, limit screen time during specific school periods, and institute moratoriums on generative AI tools. They cite concerns about cognitive decline and critical thinking, as well as social and emotional regulation.

But there are many who believe shunning classroom technology completely is the wrong move. They see potential in technologies that are developmentally appropriate for their users while acknowledging screen time's effect on young brains. For example, a majority of teachers (81 percent) surveyed for the Global Education Insights Report said they were comfortable with students using AI when it is integrated into existing courseware or curriculum. Far fewer said they were in favor of students using general purpose AI tools like ChatGPT.

"The impact of social media and screen time is clear," Philip Moyer, president and CEO of McGraw Hill, said in a press release. "In the AI era, we have a responsibility to build tools that strengthen — not diminish — the teacher-student relationships, critical thinking, and human connection at the heart of learning."

Categories: IT General, Technology
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