Technology

TL;DR: Access free live streams of the 2025 Copa América Femenina from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Women's Euro 2025 isn't the only top-quality international football tournament taking place this summer. The 2025 Copa América Femenina is showcasing the best of the women's game from the other side of the Atlantic, with massive stars like Linda Caicedo and Marta competing for the trophy.

Brazil have won the last four editions of this competition, but many fans think Colombia could win the tournament for this first time this year. It's going to be fascinating to follow the action.

If you want to watch the 2025 Copa América Femenina for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Copa América Femenina?

The Copa América Femenina is the main competition in women's association football for national teams that are affiliated with CONMEBOL. It is the women's version of the Copa América.

The defending champions are Brazil.

When is the 2025 Copa América Femenina?

The 2025 Copa América Femenina is the 10th edition of the tournament. This year's competition takes place from July 11 to Aug. 2 in Ecuador.

How to watch the 2025 Copa América Femenina for free

The 2025 Copa América Femenina is available to live stream for free on the following platforms:

• Chile — TVN Play

• Colombia — Caracol Play and RCN

• Ecuador — Teleamazonas

These free streaming services are geo-restricted, but anyone can access these free live streams with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2025 Copa América Femenina from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2025 Copa América Femenina by following these simple steps:

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

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

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Chile, Colombia, or Ecuador

4. Visit TVN Play, Caracol Play, RCN, or Teleamazonas

5. Watch the 2025 Copa América Femenina for free from anywhere in the world

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 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 without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2025 Copa América Femenina before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for streaming sport?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, 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 connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Watch the 2025 Copa América Femenina for free with ExpressVPN.

What makes an AI browser better than a regular browser? With Perplexity's Comet, that's what I'm trying to find out.

Last week, AI search engine company Perplexity launched its highly anticipated browser, which uses the Perplexity search engine and comes with a built-in AI assistant. As AI models become more advanced with chain-of-thought reasoning for handling complex tasks, they're capable of more agentic, or autonomous, work. This is a natural fit for web browsers, which are essentially the gateway to our online lives. An AI web browser like Comet can theoretically do much more than a chatbot tied to a single page or app, enabling actions across multiple tabs and platforms.

SEE ALSO: Samsung could pre-load Perplexity AI on its future Galaxy smartphones

Perplexity's Comet browser is an early entry, alongside Arc's Dia browser, that seeks to create a new paradigm for browsing and shopping with AI. (OpenAI is also reportedly about to launch its own AI browser). The ability to automate and summarize our experience online has become a major focal point for the AI industry, since it offers the ostensible purpose of speeding up tasks and easing our cognitive load.

And the timing for introducing a new browser to compete with Google Chrome and Apple Safari couldn’t be better. Google might be forced to sell Chrome after a huge antitrust loss. The ruling also impacts Apple, which received $20 billion a year to make Google the default search engine for Safari. Apple already seems to be making changes to its search offerings, including a potential partnership with Perplexity. That’s all to say there’s suddenly a lot more opportunity for newcomers like Perplexity to shake up the market.

Somewhat ironically, Comet runs on Chromium, Google's open-source browser service. So when I got access, switching over my extensions and settings was pretty seamless. With everything transferred and set up, I dug in to see what Comet can do. I should note that I do have some serious privacy concerns, which I'll explore in a follow-up article

Here are the first Comet features I tried out.

Agentic grocery shopping and pizza ordering

Perplexity touts making an Instacart grocery list as one of the main use cases for Comet's AI assistant. The search engine already offers the ability to buy products listed as search results within the chatbot with a Perplexity Pro account. But shopping with Comet is different since it actually finds the products and adds them to your cart.

To challenge Comet, I tried to think of something with a tedious variety of items. I tasked Comet with creating a shopping list for the iconic charcuterie board. That part was easy, since there's no shortage of articles about the artful arrangement of meats and cheeses. Next, I asked Comet to add the items to my Instacart account. Notably, I had to be logged into Instacart, but I didn't have to have the tab open.

Within the chat, I watched as the AI assistant shopped in real-time for the items on my list. It even shows a mini screen of what it's doing on the page, and if you click over to the Steps tab, you can watch as Perplexity reasons its way through the grocery store (ShopRite) site via Instacart. I didn't include any specific instructions on particular brands or specifications such as organic or local items, and I noticed that Perplexity defaulted to choosing the least expensive or bestselling item according to ShopRite.

Comet defaulted to finding low-priced items marked as "best sellers," which isn't a bad approach without more specific instructions. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable / Perplexity

This is probably a safe bet, but the inner cheese snob in me didn't like the AI assistant making these choices on my behalf. I would've preferred to obsessively compare various cheese brands. For a busy parent in a hurry, though, this could work pretty well. The process took about five minutes to add around 20 items to my cart. When it was done, I clicked to open the Instacart window and found all my items waiting for me. For privacy and security reasons, my AI assistant informed me it wouldn't complete the purchase, so you'd have to do that yourself (for now).

How did Comet do with my favorite pastime of ordering pizza? I thought this would be a much simpler task, but it struggled a bit. I have a gluten intolerance, so I asked it to order a gluten-free cheese pizza on Seamless from one of my favorite local spots. Here's where it ran into a roadblock.

Comet couldn't find the gluten-free pizza option so it added the request in the special instructions box (fine) but it also said to add extra cheese, which I didn't ask for (huh?) Credit: Screenshot: Mashable / Perplexity

I know from lots of experience that this particular restaurant lists the gluten-free option within its toppings selection instead of as a separate crust option. Despite spending several minutes scouring the site, Comet couldn't find the gluten-free option. Instead, it added a regular cheese pizza to the cart and included a note asking it to be gluten-free in the special instructions box. It also inexplicably requested extra cheese, even though I didn't ask for that. At this point, it would've been way easier to order the pizza myself.

Summarizing my X feed, YouTube videos, and more

A popular use case for generative AI in browsers is the ability to summarize the contents of a webpage or document. Various forms of this already exist with a Google Chrome extension and in Microsoft's Edge browser, but Perplexity's version feels a little more integrated into the experience. This is due to the AI assistant sidecar that you can open or close from the top right-hand corner of the browser.

I found it particularly useful for tackling the onerous task of summarizing my X feed, but was frustrated that it didn't link to the sources of each post. Same goes for summarizing lengthy pages. I wanted the ability to jump to specific sections of the page, but found myself having to read the page anyway just to find what Comet was summarizing.

Since it was a specific use case Perplexity promoted, I tried using Comet to summarize YouTube videos. As is the case with most AI-generated summaries, it felt like Comet struggled to highlight and prioritize the most salient information, instead giving equal amounts of explanation to information of varying importance, and glazing over some of the more noteworthy moments.

When I asked Comet to summarize a recent live episode of the Hard Fork podcast, the one where OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and COO Brad Lightcap surprised the hosts by making a dramatic early entrance, Comet didn't say anything about that. It also summarized too broadly at times.

Comet's summary of the live 'Hard Fork' podcast was sufficient, but lacked any of the juicy details. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable / Perplexity

Instead of highlighting specific jabs — Lightcap and Altman were asked if Mark Zuckerberg actually believes in superintelligence, and Lightcap said, "I think [Zuckerberg] believes he's super intelligent" — Comet watered down this interaction by describing it as "humorous commentary about Zuckerberg's approach."

Automated tab organizing

One of my favorite features on Chrome is the ability to group the many, many tabs I have open. But this requires manually organizing tabs one-by-one. There are Chrome extensions that can automatically group tabs for you, but Comet has this function built in.

In a new Comet tab, I asked the assistant to group my open tabs by topic and watched in awe as they were thematically organized. It did go a little overboard by adding topic labels to individual tabs that didn't fit into any other topic, like my calendar, which ended up creating more visual clutter, but it's easy to ungroup as needed.

Comet can also access information from tabs of pages you're not actively looking at, which is useful for comparing products or finding a quick reference to something.

Is Perplexity Comet worth it?

Comet is rolling out to users on a waitlist and for Perplexity Pro subscribers who pay $200 a month. So far, it's been a bit of a mixed bag. I could see myself using certain features, while others take more time than they're worth. Either they don't totally work, or I spend so long double-checking Comet's results that I actually end up losing time. And I still have some privacy concerns, but that's an entirely separate article (and coming soon, I promise).

So far, I'm undecided.

Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, appears to have the right ingredients and conditions for a certain kind of tiny bubble to form that has the potential to lead to alien life. 

These microscopic bubbles — called vesicles — could naturally occur in Titan's methane lakes, according to a new NASA study. On Earth, the structures are considered a crucial early step in the development of living cells. On Titan, a moon 880 million miles away in space, they could hint at chemistry capable of mimicking an Earth-like path to simple life-forms.

Titan is no ordinary moon. It’s the only place besides Earth in the solar system known to have a thick atmosphere, active weather, and liquid on its surface. But instead of water, Titan’s lakes and seas are filled with methane and ethane. They cycle through the atmosphere, forming clouds and oily rain that shape the landscape below, similar to Earth’s water cycle, but at temperatures hundreds of degrees below freezing. 

Scientists have long wondered whether Titan’s liquids could also provide an environment for the chemical building blocks of life — or rather, the kind of life people know about.

"The existence of any vesicles on Titan would demonstrate an increase in order and complexity, which are conditions necessary for the origin of life," said NASA scientist Conor Nixon in a statement.

SEE ALSO: Two black holes merged in outer space and created something colossal From upper left to lower right, Titan's methane lakes get coated in a film of amphiphile molecules; methane rain splashes the surface, creating a coated mist; then the droplets fall into the lake again, getting another coating in the process and becoming a vesicle. Credit: Christian Mayer / Conor Nixon / doi:10.1017/S1473550425100037 illustration

Scientists believe one of the most important steps in the origin of life on early Earth was the formation of vesicles. These protocells develop when certain molecules arrange themselves into spherical pockets encased in flexible membranes. Water and other substances can get trapped within them, thus serving as natural containers for complex reactions. Because of this, NASA researchers have wondered whether a similar process could take shape in those freezing lakes on Titan, one of Saturn's 274 known moons. 

According to the new study, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, it could. If a methane raindrop were to hit one of the moon's lakes, it could splash back a mist of droplets. These droplets, along with the lake’s surface, could become coated in certain molecules called amphiphiles. If the droplets were to then land back on the lake, their surfaces could fuse, creating a double-layer membrane droplet. 

The result could be a vesicle floating in liquid methane — similar to how the first cell-like structures may have formed on Earth. Over time, these vesicles might float, interact, and evolve into the groundwork for primitive cells.

While there’s no direct evidence yet that vesicles actually do exist on Titan, the research shows it would be possible in the alien world's current conditions. NASA’s upcoming $3.35 billion Dragonfly mission won’t visit Titan’s lakes directly, but the new findings offer a reason to keep looking.

"We’re excited about these new ideas," Nixon said. "They can open up new directions in Titan research and may change how we search for life on Titan in the future."

As someone who spends a lot of time in front of a TV, I want to make sure the screen I buy is a good one. If you, like me, play a lot of games or watch plenty of movies, I think it's worth investing in a nice model that'll provide you with a high quality display for your favorite activities.

Recently, I made the decision to upgrade to the LG C4 TV, and it's been a fantastic jump in quality. My movie nights, in particular, have never been better.

Sure, the newer LG C5 may already be out, but the LG C4 is a TV that's still worth every cent. I have the 55-inch model, and it's a great size for my apartment. It's also very slim, which makes it look nice and sleek when set up against the wall.

More importantly, the C4 boasts a wide variety of features that make it a worthy pickup. Its 4K OLED display offers up vibrant colors and contrasts alongside an incredible amount of detail, which is a treat for the eyes. And your ears can enjoy stellar sound quality thanks to Dolby Atmos audio as well, making for an enjoyably immersive experience. But for me, one of the best features this TV boasts is Filmmaker Mode.

SEE ALSO: Our 5 favorite expert-tested soundbars to upgrade your TV setup

I'm a big movie fan, and not only do I love to feel completely absorbed in what I'm watching, but it helps when I can watch a movie the way that the director intended for it to be seen. Filmmaker Mode does exactly that, and I think this is one of the standout features of the LG C4, something that certainly makes it worth picking up if you've been on the hunt for something that can elevate your movie nights.

Movie nights, made better

Of course, it's not mandatory to watch movies in Filmmaker Mode. There are many picture settings available so you can tailor the image to your own personal preference. But I do think this special mode makes a difference. I recently used it while watching The Lord of the Rings movies and it certainly felt like a visual treat. When selected, or loaded automatically, it adjusts the aspect ratio, color, and frame rate to the settings that the filmmakers intended. It's as close as you can get to having the director sit with you and calibrate your TV to the correct settings.

SEE ALSO: What's the best time of year to buy a TV? Yes, there's an answer.

Setting up Filmmaker Mode is incredibly easy to do. It only takes a few simple steps:

1. Once your LG C4 TV is on, head to your streaming platform of choice (or insert in a physical Blu-ray disc), then hit 'Settings' once you start up a show or movie.

2. In the Settings menu (press the cog button on your remote), go to 'Picture Mode' in the top left corner.

3. Scroll through the options to select 'Filmmaker Mode'.

If you'd like the TV to turn Filmmaker Mode on automatically when watching movies or shows:

1. Go to 'Picture Settings', then to 'Advanced Settings'.

2. Turn 'Filmmaker Mode Auto Start' on.

Once you've got it set up, you're ready to roll with a TV show or movie. And if you no longer want the mode active, it's very easy to turn off through the same 'Picture Mode' settings menu.

Where to buy the LG C4

The LG C4 can be found at a wide variety of retailers, but we've included a link to the 55-inch model at Amazon. It's currently listed for $1,096.99, but if you're looking for a good discount, it can sometimes pop up during big sale events like Prime Day or Black Friday.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG Class OLED evo C4 Series Smart TV Shop Now

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With a desktop scanner, you have to flatten out your page, connect your computer, and hope the scan comes out well. And you can’t exactly carry a physical scanner around with you.

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Streaming services have perfected the experience of having a million options and nothing to watch. The situation is especially dire if you love documentaries. Netflix and Hulu might put out a few good ones a year, but that’s nothing for a dedicated documentary fan.

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A lifetime of documentaries

Curiosity Stream is a streaming platform built entirely around nonfiction. Instead of mixing in the occasional documentary, it focuses on them completely. Science, nature, history, tech, and space are all covered, and each documentary is packed with stunning visuals and clear storytelling. Titles like Planet of Treasures, Engineering the Future, and Into the Jungle are just the beginning, with new content added regularly.

You’ll also recognize some familiar voices along the way. David Attenborough, Nick Offerman, and other well-known narrators bring a human touch to stories about polar bears, black holes, and ancient civilizations. It’s the kind of content that makes you feel smarter just for watching.

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Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

SEE ALSO: The 10 best TV shows of 2025 (so far), and where to stream them

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand-new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

Mashable's entertainment team has scoured the streaming services to highlight the most buzzed-about releases of this week and ranked them from worst to best — or least worth your time to most watchable. Whether you're in the mood for dragon adventures, YA romance, or true crime documentaries, we've got something just for you.

11. I Love You Forever

Dating can be a nightmare, which I Love You Forever explores through the toxic romance between law student Mackenzie (Sofia Black-D’Elia) and her TV anchor boyfriend Finn (Ray Nicholson). Red flags abound as their relationship goes from love bombing to worryingly possessive to emotionally abusive. 

While the performances are solid, the script by co-directors  Elisa Kalani and Cazzie David (daughter of Larry David) feels achingly derivative, from the clutch of supporting bestie characters (one of whom is played by David) to the shallow insights about modern romance. On Talking Pictures with Neil Rosen, I admitted I hate this movie, saying, "I think there are interesting stories told about [toxic relationships]; I don't think this is one of them." But hey, if you want to gawk about how much of Mackenzie's story about dating a guy who works in live television might mirror David's past with Saturday Night Live's Pete Davidson, that's your business. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Sofia Black-D'Elia, Ray Nicholson, Cazzie David, Raymond Cham Jr., and Jon Rudnitsky

How to watch: I Love You Forever hits HBO Max July 18. 

10. Trainwreck: Balloon Boy

Remember the Balloon Boy hoax? In 2009, Fort Collins–based Richard and Mayumi Heene sent the nation into a frenzy when they said their 6-year-old son Falcon was trapped in a helium balloon hurtling through the Colorado skies. Turns out he was hiding in their attic the whole time. Had the couple engineered the entire incident for attention, or did they truly believe they'd almost lost their son?

SEE ALSO: 'Trainwreck: Balloon Boy': What happened to the Heene family, and where are they now?

Netflix's Trainwreck: Balloon Boy revisits the balloon flight and its aftermath, complete with interviews from Richard, Mayumi, and Falcon themselves. However, the documentary doesn't cover much new ground, making it more of a rehash than a revelation. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Trainwreck: Balloon Boy is now streaming on Netflix.

9. The Amateur

The Amateur is based on a Robert Littell novel from 1981, and it feels like it. Rami Malek stars as a CIA analyst who blackmails his bosses to get into the field to get revenge on the terrorists who murdered his wife. It's a plot you've seen before with nothing new or all that thrilling to offer, besides a star-studded cast who are wildly underused across the board.

As I wrote in my review for Mashable, "Where Black Bag (also streaming) broke the rules of spy movies and married couples being boring, The Amateur flings audiences back into the tedious and maudlin tale of a man who will literally plot a globe-trekking assassination vacation instead of going to therapy."* — K.P.

Starring: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Laurence Fishburne

How to watch: The Amateur is now available for purchase on Prime Video.

8. Amy Bradley is Missing

Netflix loves true crime miniseries. Their latest is about the cold case of Amy Lynn Bradley, who went missing from a cruise ship on March 23, 1998. 27 years after that fateful morning, her parents, brother, and investigators go over the clues, the rumors, and the case, looking for new leads. 

Did she fall (or jump) overboard? Was she carted off the ship in luggage, dead or alive? Was she abducted into sex trafficking? Documentarians Phil Lott and Ari Mark, who previously co-directed This Is the Zodiac Speaking, reteam to plunge the depths of this missing persons case, making it feel like a super-sized episode of Unsolved Mysteries. — K.P.

How to watch: Amy Bradley Is Missing debuts three episodes on Netflix on July 16.

7. M3GAN 2.0

One of the bigger cinematic disappointments of 2025, this sequel to the killer doll hit M3GAN ditches the horror genre almost completely. Instead, M3GAN 2.0 takes the plot of Terminator 2: Judgment Day and mixes it with espionage action, superhero schtick, and random jokes to make a Frankenstein's monster of movie that's anything but exquisite. 

The deadly doll is rebooted to save her human family (Allison Williams and Violet McGraw) from the threat of an assassin AI named Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno). Along the way, there will be throwbacks to the scenes that had fans gagging over the first film, like M3GAN dancing and singing eerily and earnestly. But in my review of the film, I lamented that the genre-mash was a mess: "The result is a sequel that is a horrendous mishmash of ideas and influences. M3GAN 2.0 is occasionally outrageous, but mostly it's derivative, bewildering, and bland." — K.P.

Starring: Allison Williams, Jenna Davis, Violet McGraw, Timm Sharp, Aristotle Athari, Ivanna Sakhno, and Jemaine Clement

How to watch: M3GAN 2.0 is now available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.

6. Untamed

Yosemite National Park becomes a crime scene in Netflix's Untamed. Created by Mark L. Smith (American Primeval) and Elle Smith (The Marsh King's Daughter), the series stars Eric Bana as Kyle Turner, a special agent for the National Parks Service. With the help of new park ranger Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), Kyle must solve the mysterious death of a young woman, all while confronting his own tragic past.

Thanks to its setting, Untamed boasts gorgeous scenery and a stomach-churning opening sequence set on the cliffs of Yosemite's Half Dome. (If you're afraid of heights, beware.) Still, the rest of the show feels like a fairly standard procedural, complete with a blossoming buddy cop dynamic in Kyle and Naya. — B.E.

Starring: Eric Bana, Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lily Santiago, and Wilson Bethel

How to watch: Untamed premieres this summer on Netflix.

5. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3

Prime Video's teen drama The Summer I Turned Pretty comes to a close in its third and final season, and the question remains: Which of the Fisher brothers will be Belly's (Lola Tung) endgame?

For now, the answer appears to be Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), whom Belly chose over his brother, Conrad (Christopher Briney), at the end of Season 2. Season 3 picks up at the end of Belly's junior year of college — that's right, it's a time jump! — and she and Jeremiah are still happily together. But when a surprise turn of events brings Conrad back into her life, Belly will once again have to choose between brothers. We can't guarantee how faithfully The Summer I Turned Pretty will follow the end of Jenny Han's book series, but we can guarantee one thing: There will definitely be Taylor Swift on the soundtrack. It wouldn't be The Summer I Turned Pretty without it.* — B.E.

Starring: Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Rain Spencer, and Jackie Chung

How to watch: The first two episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 are now streaming on Prime Video, with a new episode every Wednesday.

4. RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 10 finale

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars switched it up in its 10th season, delivering a bracket format that brought in more queens, more strategy, and way more drama.

This week, it all comes to a head in a lip-sync smackdown for the crown, one that I hope will see Aja topping her already iconic Ice Spice performance from earlier this season. But you can bet there are several more twists and turns up RuPaul's sparkly sleeves. Which wild card queen will return to the competition? Which bops will the queens battle it out to? And, of course, who will take the crown? You'll have to tune in to find out! — B.E.

Starring: RuPaul, Acid Betty, Aja, Alyssa Hunter, Bosco, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Daya Betty, DeJe Skye, Denali, Ginger Minj, Irene the Alien, Jorgeous, Kerri Colby, Lydia B. Kollins, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Nicole Paige Brooks, Olivia Lux, Phoenix, and Tina Burner

How to watch: The finale of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 10 hits Paramount+ July 18.

3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 3

After a major cliffhanger to cap off Season 2, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back! The series follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and young Spock (Ethan Peck) in the lead-up to Star Trek: The Original Series.

Earlier seasons of Strange New Worlds offered up musical episodes and crossovers with animated series Lower Decks, and Season 3 continues to play with genre. Brace yourself for a murder mystery and more as the Enterprise crew continue exploring the final frontier. — B.E.

Starring: Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, Martin Quinn, Rhys Darby, Patton Oswalt, Cillian O’Sullivan, Melanie Scrofano, Carol Kane, and Paul Wesley

How to watch: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres July 17 on Paramount+. 

2. Billy Joel: And So It Goes

Billy Joel has been been an icon in music since the 1970s, thanks to unforgettable hit songs like "Piano Man," "Only the Good Die Young," and "We Didn't Start the Fire." (Just to name a few!) But what has his life been like behind the fame and acclaim? 

Documentarians Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin reveal the man behind "Piano Man," with Billy Joel: And So It Goes, a two-part documentary that offers in-depth interviews with the eponymous singer/songwriter. Some of the bombshells from the doc became news stories following its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. But from the looks of the trailer, there's much more to delve into than scandals and tragedy. There'll also be praise from his peers and ultimately a tale of survival, fighting for his life and the music that's meant so much to millions. 

Considering how amazing the last two-part artist doc HBO Max put out was (we're talking the phenomenal Pee-wee as Himself), we're seated for this one. — K.P. 

How to watch: Billy Joel: And So It Goes: Part 1 premieres July 18 on HBO Max, with Part 2 debuting on July 25.

1. How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

If you loved the animated adventures How to Train Your Dragon brought to theaters and televisions with its string of films and spinoff TV shows, you won't want to miss the live-action version, where the world of Berk feels more real than ever before. 

The Black Phone's Mason Thames steps into the shivering shoes of Hiccup, a misfit Viking who is not interested in killing the flying creatures that his people battle. Instead, after wounding a charming dragon he names Toothless, Hiccup hopes to create a new understanding between the warring sides. But first, he'll have to get his peers — like warrior-in-training Astrid (The Last of Us' Nico Parker) — and the town's leaders — like his burly father, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his role from the 2010 film), on his side. And that'll mean a lot of dragon shenanigans, and perhaps a sky-high battle or two! 

In her review of the film, UK editor Shannon Connellan wrote, "How to Train Your Dragon sees [Dean] DeBlois sticking like glue to his original film, which exposes the franchise's timelessness in a way. If you've dreamed of seeing a version of Toothless living, breathing, and gobbling fish in a real world (on screen), the live-action adaptation is a treat." — K.P.

Starring: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gerard Butler, and Ruth Codd

How to watch: How to Train Your Dragon is now available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.

(*) means a blurb comes from a previous list.

Since 2022, the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has offered specialized crisis counseling to LGBTQ youth through a simple prompt.

Callers to the federally-funded hotline only needed to push 3; those who texted 988 or chatted could make the same selection by, respectively, texting PRIDE or checking a box to speak with an "LGBTQI trained crisis counselor."

Supporters have hailed the "press 3" option as a success. But it's suddenly slated to disappear, following an announcement in June by the Trump administration that it would "no longer silo" these counseling services, as of today, July 17. Observers noted that the announcement omitted the "T" for transgender when referring to "LGB+ youth services."

When asked directly by Mashable about ending the "press 3" offering, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said that it had run out of congressional funding. Continuing to operate it, the spokesperson said, could have led to massive reductions in service to the entire 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

SEE ALSO: 9 LGBTQ creators discuss not backing down from Pride

A similar option for veterans, also offered by 988, was not shuttered, apparently because it's funded through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Both populations are at higher risk for suicide; LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers, due to factors like stigma and discrimination.

Mark Henson, interim vice president of advocacy and government affairs for LGBTQ nonprofit The Trevor Project, told Mashable that the federal government has the flexibility to provide the funds necessary to keep the line operational until the next fiscal year.

"Because the demand continues to rise, providing increased funding was previously — and remains today — in the best interest of supporting the 988 Lifeline's infrastructure. We need more resources, not fewer, to provide Americans with the life-saving crisis care they need and deserve," Henson said.

Suicide prevention advocates are alarmed by the administration's decision and the scant guidance and information they've received in the weeks since, said Henson. The Trevor Project is one of seven groups that have trained counselors to handle calls, chats, and texts through 988's specialized support for LGBTQ youth.

LGBTQ youth in distress could previously choose to be connected to counselors specifically trained to work with this population. Those counselors learn about the unique risk factors for suicide amongst LGBTQ youth, which include family rejection and estrangement, homelessness, bullying, and discrimination. Counselors could also refer youth to supportive local LGBTQ services including community centers.

"This has all the hallmarks of what we want government programs to do for us," Henson said. "This is what we want government to do to help save lives."

In the years since its introduction, the service made 1.5 million connections for LGBTQ youth who reached out for help. This year, the service was on track to exceed the number of people it served in 2024, when more than 600,000 people used the option.

Henson said there may be "life and death consequences" as a result of the administration's decision.

LGBTQ youth may see the change as a signal that their government "thinks their life might not be worth saving," said Mark Henson of The Trevor Project.

He is particularly worried that the service's shut-down could become a barrier to reaching out for some LGBTQ youth, who may feel newly skeptical of using 988. Henson added that LGBTQ youth may see the change as a signal that their government "thinks their life might not be worth saving," even though specialized crisis support services received bipartisan support and were adopted during the first Trump administration.

Bob Gebbia, CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said that he didn't want to jump to conclusions about suicide risk amongst LGBTQ youth increasing as a result of the service ending.

Yet he noted that it might affect some youth: "We do know that when people sometimes feel discriminated against, or there's a bias against them, that could increase the potential to become despondent, anxious, depressed, and struggling with their mental health and overall well-being."

There are other concerns, too. Gebbia said that crisis line wait times may increase for everyone as counselors field calls, chats, and texts that would've otherwise been directed to press 3 option. Additionally, some local crisis centers have begun laying off staff, reportedly as a result of losing the federal funding meant to aid LGBTQ youth.

Both Henson and Gebbia said Congress could bring the specialized services back by including funding for them in the appropriations bill that will be finalized this fall. The Trevor Project has collected more than 50,000 signatures for a petition imploring President Trump and Congress to restore funding.

Still, a months-long lapse in the service before it's restored could be dangerous for vulnerable youth, Gebbia said. He emphasized that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will still be operational for anyone who needs support, including LGBTQ youth.

For those concerned that its services may no longer meet their needs, Henson recommends they directly contact the Trevor Project's crisis hotline; the Trans Lifeline; Crisis Text Line; or BlackLine, a crisis support service for youth who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color. Henson also advises any youth in crisis to talk to a trusted friend or adult.

Gebbia said that youth should continue to call 988 if they're struggling, and recommended they also consider resources like a guidance counselor or a workplace employee assistance program.

"I think the most important thing if you're [a] LGBTQ young person and you're having a hard time, [is that] there's help, there's hope, there's people who care," Gebbia said.

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat at crisischat.org. Here is a list of international resources.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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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 Mini crossword answers, hints for July 17, 2025 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: Ohio squads

• Green: Sea slang

• Blue: Same team

• Purple: Golf spots

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

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

• Yellow: Cincinnati teams, minus the S

• Green: Sailing terms

• Blue: Members of the Indiana Fever

• Purple: "Royal" Open Championship venues

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 #297 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Cincinnati teams, minus the S - BEARCAT, BENGAL, MUSKETEER, RED

• Sailing terms - HULL, KEEL, MAST, RUDDER

• Members of the Indiana Fever - BOSTON, CLARK, HOWARD, MITCHELL

• "Royal" Open Championship venues - BIRKDALE, LIVERPOOL, PORTRUSH, ST. GEORGE'S

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

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

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

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

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Thursday, July 17, 2025:

AcrossWorkout facilities

• The answer is Gyms.

Pipe dream? Just the opposite!

• The answer is Leak.

In good spirits

• The answer is Jolly.

Up to the task

• The answer is Able.

Headache-inducing situation

• The answer is Mess.

DownBoston newspaper

• The answer is Globe.

TALKS LIKE THIS

• The answer is Yells.

Mallard ducks with green heads, e.g.

• The answer is Males.

Drone's zone

• The answer is Sky.

Rock out

• The answer is Jam.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

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

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

Earlier this week, Grok unveiled two animated AI companions for users to interact with, one of which is a flirty anime girl who puts on lingerie if you compliment her enough. Now the AI chatbot is adding a third character to the mix, only this time it's apparently modelled on what xAI CEO Elon Musk thinks women find attractive.

Musk introduced Grok's new male AI companion in an X post on Tuesday, asking for suggestions in naming the character. Illustrating the request was a picture of the new companion: a stern-looking anime man wearing a black suit.

SEE ALSO: Grok gets AI companion that's down to go NSFW with you

"His personality is inspired by Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from 50 Shades [of Grey]," wrote Musk. Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2011 erotic BDSM novel which originated as a Twilight fanfiction, with the character of Christian Grey based on brooding vampire Edward Cullen. 

Musk also hinted at more upcoming AI companions, responding to an X user's feedback by stating that Grok "will, of course, have another character inspired by [Pride and Prejudice's] Mr. Darcy."

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Though no official name for Grok's new Fifty Shades-inspired AI character has yet been announced, Musk responded positively to proposals such as Nyx, Taki, and Andrej. Andrej appears to be a reference to Andrej Karpathy, an OpenAI cofounder and Tesla's former senior director of AI.

"Grok could do some epic AI tutorials in Andrej’s voice," Musk wrote, responding to requests for such features. "Only if Andrej agrees."

"So what kind of revenue share are we talking about :D jk jk," Karpathy replied.

"$420.69," Musk responded. "Serious money."

It's unclear how serious Musk actually is about this offer. The billionaire has a history of making business offers of questionable authenticity, frequently posting them to X and using joke numbers such as 420 or 69.

Another popular name suggestion for Grok's male AI has been "Chad," a slang term for a man that other men consider attractive and appealing to women. Though the AI character was ostensibly designed to appeal to women, men appear far more excited about it thus far, and are largely receiving it as a bro. Further, while online discourse surrounding Grok's female AI character has been overwhelmingly sexual, its male counterpart seems to have primarily sparked speculation as to the impact his confirmed name will have on various cryptocurrencies. 

Time will tell as to whether Nyx/Andrej/Chad will also have an unlockable lingerie look. Responding to an inquiry as to whether "xAI's chad bot" will be "another NSFW companion like the waifu [Grok's AI anime girl Ani], or will it be more like a contrarian 'sun your balls' health influencer," Musk stated that it would be "[w]hatever winds your clock."

Dropout released the latest episode of its viral game show Game Changer on Monday, in which players tried to rack up the most social media views by choosing which ideas from their colleagues they'd fund. Now the video currently in the lead is getting a further boost, with Google adding an Easter egg specifically referencing the clip.

SEE ALSO: 'Game Changer' smartly weaponizes its social media following in 'Fool's Gold'

If you currently use Google to search for the name of popular cast member Brennan Lee Mulligan, the results page features a farewell message attached to an animated blue heart rising from the bottom of the screen.

"Good luck with your next venture," it reads. "We support you every step of the way."

A blue heart button will also appear at the bottom of the screen. Pressing it will cause shoe emojis to rain from on high, with more footwear appearing with every click.

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Google

This is a nod to a video created as part of Game Changer's "Fool's Gold" episode, in which Mulligan ostensibly revealed that he was leaving Dropout. In the clip posted to Game Changer's social media channels, Mulligan sat down to directly address the camera, replicating the sombre tone often seen in serious video messages from online personalities. 

However, it soon became apparent that this was a prank once Mulligan explained why he and Dropout were supposedly parting ways.

"As of today, I have dedicated myself to the craft and profession of making custom shoes for American Girl dolls," said Mulligan. "This is me!"

Of course, such an apparently serious and unexpected announcement concerning a fan-favourite cast member was inevitably going to get a ton of views. As of writing, Mulligan's announcement has a combined 3.5 million views across TikTok and YouTube. Of the other competing videos, Katie Marovich's brilliant season premiere of Dimension 20: On a Bus has accumulated 1.9 million views, while Izzy Roland's animated butthole pitch has earned 1.1 million.

Dropout has acknowledged Google's Easter egg, posting a screen recording of it to their social media.

"A lovely send off to our former colleague on his new endeavour," wrote the official Game Changer TikTok account. The statement was accompanied by five shoe emojis.

TL;DR: Enjoy dependable, secure, and private data storage with a 1TB lifetime subscription to Koofr Cloud Storage, now just £148.53.

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If you're already established with another service, Koofr offers unmatched accessibility. Easily access your files from Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon, and OneDrive — making Koofr your all-in-one cloud storage hub. 

Aside from making things easier and cheaper, Koofr offers unique features like the Koofr Duplicate Finder. It helps you find and remove duplicate files, saving you time and space on your account.

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Let Koofr Cloud Storage save you money monthly with this 1TB lifetime subscription to Koofr Cloud Storage, now just £148.53.

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TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from North Carolina with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

More than a third of U.S. states have introduced age verification laws for online adult content, including North Carolina. After the introduction of these new laws, millions of users in North Carolina are now unable to access popular sites like Pornhub. There are complicated reasons for the ban, but for those left in the dark, there is a simple workaround.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from North Carolina, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in North Carolina

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access 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

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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 sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content 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:

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Unblock Pornhub for free in North Carolina with ExpressVPN.

Should umpires be updating their LinkedIn? By the looks of Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star game in Atlanta, maybe so.

A robot umpire, powered by automated tech and employed for the first time at an MLB All-Star Game, helped reverse four ball/strike calls, the CBC reports. Only one appeal, by Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers, did not result in a changed call after input from the Automated Ball-Strike System.

"The ABS system powered by T-Mobile's 5G network utilizes the Hawk-Eye system to track a pitch's trajectory and location to relay an immediate verdict on whether it was a ball or a strike," the MLB notes.

According to the league, fans have been receptive to the tech intervention, which was introduced in the Minor Leagues in 2021 and Triple AAA games the following year. ABS rules allow each team two challenges to ball/strike calls by human umpires, with the team allowed to maintain their challenges if successful. Pitchers, catchers, and batters are the only players allowed to challenge an umpire's decision, and appeals must be made immediately after the pitch.

SEE ALSO: It's officially baseball season: Here's how to watch every MLB game in 2025

The ABS abides by the MLB's somewhat convoluted description of what constitutes a ball as opposed to a strike, calculating the player's height and the strike zone width and depth.

Ahead of Tuesday's game, which saw the National League overtake the American League thanks to a swing-off, MLB players voiced support for their robot judges.

“I did a few rehabs starts with it. I’m OK with it. I think it works,” Dodger Clayton Kershaw told the Associated Press of the ABS.

Finding a good deal on a laptop can sometimes be hard. The cheap ones have awful specs, and the usable ones are often on the expensive side. This Dell laptop is very usable, if you ask me, and now, it's a whopping $400 off—and the new discounted price is pretty good as well.

While fans can argue about which superhero is the best, there’s no real argument as to which one is the most iconic. Superman is the ultimate symbol of everything a hero can be, so much so that he inspired countless other characters, ranging from Omni-Man to Goku. Unfortunately, the Man of Steel’s cinematic outings haven’t always managed to live up to this awesome alien’s storytelling potential.

If you've been on finance TikTok lately, you've probably seen Dean Indot answer his wife Alexis's finance questions to the tune of millions of views.

Dean, a commercial banking exec and Pepperdine MBA, and his wife Alexis went viral from one of their first-ever videos. It wasn't long before Dean's reading-chair rant on why you might not want to use your debit card very often got 14.5 million views. Now, their TikTok account, @alexisanddean, has 1.7 million followers.

We sat down with Alexis and Dean to discuss why their content struck such a chord, when they started making big money from it, and why educational content is so important.

Alexis and Dean Idot Credit: Mashable composite: Zooey Liao; Instagram/ Getty Images How did you guys come up with the specific concept for your videos?

Dean: Alexis is pretty active on social media. I'm not at all. I use LinkedIn for work, and my company manages that for me. And I use Twitter or X for my investment news feeds and data. That's about the extent of my usage of social media. 

She always asks me questions, just as a couple, about finance stuff. It's just how we talk. We sit down and we hang out, and it's always questions. Right after the mini financial crisis in '23, I'm immersed in that because I'm a banker. So all the bankers out there were heavily immersed in that for those two to three weeks of chaos. The long story short is: she asked me to explain it. She wanted to know what was going on because the average person didn't understand what it means when banks go out of business. Why? So she asked me a question, and then I explained, and that was the first video.

Were you uncomfortable at all with the idea of answering her questions on camera?

Dean: No. I didn't realize it was being recorded [at first]. I'm not uncomfortable at all. And fun fact: I don't watch any of my videos. I would only watch the videos in case there are editing requirements or some comment that says I said something untoward or wrong. But I never watch my videos.

Do you edit them? 

Dean: Alexis does everything. She comes from digital marketing and is an entrepreneur. She had her own business for many years, all of which was marketed and driven by social media. I have no idea what happens after she takes the video.

Alexis: I film everything in one take. If it's for a brand [and] if a brand requires edits, I will do it in CapCut, but all of our organic content is filmed in one take, and then I post it directly on TikTok. I just add a little title to it through the TikTok app, but I don't edit our content whatsoever.

Dean: If you see the setup here, you'd know there is no production here. I don't even have a mic. It's her iPhone.

Alexis: Everything's done on the iPhone camera.

Dean: Not even a stick or a stand. She just holds it. And that has not changed since day one.

Why do you think viewers gravitate toward that?

Dean: Authenticity. What you see is what you get,

Alexis: [We get] comments [about how people] feel like they're sitting at a table with us.

Where do you both come up with inspiration or ideas for your videos? 

Dean: I'm very active in paying attention to news, to the economy, to markets. I'm an active trader — not by trade, but for personal reasons. I'm literally sitting here every morning before the market opens, listening to news all day until it closes. I'm a news hound. That's just how I am. What I do is interpret the news for the masses on social media who don't want to read or don't have the time to read. So the content ideas just come organically. If it's not a brand deal, it's usually organic. It's something interesting out there that I want to talk about, or she thinks it's really interesting that people don't understand.

Alexis: There'll be a headline in the news, and Dean will be going off about it. And it makes perfect sense to Dean, but I have no idea what's going on. I might ask questions that seem elementary to him, but I kind of represent our audience in a way that not everyone understands what's going on. So sometimes it'll be me asking questions, just trying to get an explanation on current events. 

Can you sort of walk me through how you go from ideation to publishing a post?

Alexis: I ask Dean the question, [and] I'll get the content that I need. And then, as far as posting it, sometimes I will backlog content. We'll film a bunch of stuff in one day. Dean's really busy, so we'll have filming days where we do a bunch of content in one day. If it's a hot topic, we'll film it that morning and post it right away. 

When I'm ready to post that piece of content, I upload it to the TikTok app. It's very important to use hashtags on TikTok. Not so much Instagram, but cataloging your content on TikTok is really important. So I make sure that I use as many relevant hashtags as I can think of. Some of our favorites are #FinancialLiteracy and #FinancialEducation. Dean doesn't know anything about hashtag strategy.

Dean: No idea.

Alexis: I make sure that I always hashtag relevant hashtags. Then I tag the location, and then we upload it. I don't keep anything in the drafts; I just keep it like on my camera roll in my phone. And it's really straightforward and simple. There really isn't much of a process other than we film.

How many videos are you posting on average every day?

Alexis: On average, we post three times a week. One thing that we just started is Financial Literacy Fridays. I can film a bunch of content that's not time sensitive with Dean and then keep it as a backlog. That way, I'm posting every single Friday, no matter what. We just did the first one, and we got almost a million views. So it seems to be well-received. And that's hopefully a new cadence for us moving forward. 

When did you realize you could generate a significant income from this? 

Dean: The first video [we posted] went viral, but I didn't really pay attention to it at all. I would say six months into it.

Alexis: Dean thought it was kind of a joke in the beginning, but we got a million views on the first video, and then that same week, we got something with like three or four million views, and nothing was getting under 300,000 [views]. And I knew that was a really big deal. [It took us] two months to get into the TikTok Creator Fund.

Dean: They started paying out really well on engagement. Once it passed five figures in revenue, that's when I [said], "Wait a minute, this is bonafide. This is not a joke."

You were getting five figures from the Creator Fund?

Alexis: No, not [at first]. Only this year. 

Dean: In the beginning, we had small brand deals here and there, what I call "funny money." It's gas money.

Alexis: But we're really only two-and-a-half years in, and to see how much we've grown has been really kind of crazy.

Which monetization methods do you use? 

Alexis: The Creator Fund. There is something called Specialized Rewards on TikTok, where they reward creators who make what they call educational learning content. And we've been selected to be in that program as well. So that's been really great for brand deals. 

Dean: We have a couple of longer-term contracts, but again, we're very picky about that, too, about the brand deals. I view this business not just as about making as much money as I can as fast as I can; it's more about helping the community… I would never do a brand deal if it's a product that I wouldn't use or that I haven't used already. I'm very, very strict about that.

Alexis: Even if it's a product that I think is a good product. If Dean's like, "It's a good product, but it's not something that fits my lifestyle," we still won't. It has to be something that we personally use and enjoy. 

Is that mostly brands coming to you? 

Dean: No, they all come to us. 

Alexis: I have a manager, but I would say 98 percent of everything is inbound to us. 

How quickly you became successful on TikTok is quite an anomaly, right? It's not that common to have your first video go viral. Was this your first attempt at virality?

Dean: It wasn't even a try.

Alexis: I had other channels.

Dean: She thought it was funny.

Alexis: Well, no, I had a small business that I would advertise on Instagram that I've spent years building, and I never had the success that I had with this channel. 

[For this project],I filmed one video and I introduced myself and [said] what I was gonna be posting. And then that same night, I posted the very first question I asked Dean, and out of the gate, it did really well. It wasn't an idea that I had recycled and had to try multiple times. It just worked the first time. I think it was a combination of the content style and the topic that we picked. It was such a hot topic at that time. I've realized that the content that does the best on our channel sometimes is a hot topic. Being on it with what's relevant works really well with TikTok. The algorithm seems to like it. 

What advice would you give to someone who's starting out in content creation and is looking to build a career or grow their following similar to yours?

Dean: What you see is what you get. I'm not trying. I'm not doing anything that isn't normally me. 

Alexis: What Dean just said. When people ask me, "How can we replicate what you guys have done?" I just tell people to be themselves. When you're creating content, if you're not filming with a partner in the way that we are, I tell people to act like you're on FaceTime with your friends. TikTok feels like a little community, a small family, people that you talk with every day, and engage with your comments. Film as if you're talking to your friend on FaceTime.