Technology

Still on the fence about purchasing Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) package? You'll have to decide quickly, as FSD will soon become available only through a subscription.

CEO Elon Musk announced the news via X on Wednesday. "Tesla will stop selling FSD after Feb 14. FSD will only be available as a monthly subscription thereafter," he tweeted.

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This gives Tesla owners a month to make a decision on buying FSD outright and own it forever.

SEE ALSO: Tesla launches Model Y with seven seats in the U.S., but not the one you want

The FSD package is currently an option for some Tesla vehicles; if you're buying a Model 3, a Model Y, or the All-Wheel Drive variant of Cybertruck, it will cost you an additional $8,000. With other models, including all variants of the Model S and the Model Y, as well as the Cyberbeast version of the Cybertruck, it's included in the price.

Currently listed as Full Self-Driving (Supervised), the FSD is a set of driving assistance features that will make your car able to "drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention," according to Tesla. The company notes, however, that the "currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous," and that some features are "dependent on development and regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions."

Featured Video For You I took a ride in a robotaxi: How close are we to a driverless future?

In other words, and despite Musk's promises that FSD will turn your Tesla into a self-driving car, this hasn't happened yet. The situation is even worse in Europe, where most FSD features aren't available due to regulatory hurdles, though the company has recently begun testing FSD in some European countries, including Germany.

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Musk has long claimed that FSD will make your Tesla a money-maker, as it will become fully autonomous and you will be able to have it ferry other passengers when you're not using it. He also blew past his own deadlines for this happening many times in the past, leaving owners of older Tesla vehicles, which don't have the latest HW4 hardware, in limbo – despite promises that their cars will be able to support fully autonomous driving.

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 SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026:

AcrossAbruptly stop texting

• The answer is Ghost.

Shaving kit item

• The answer is Razor.

2024 film role for which Mikey Madison won Best Actress

• The answer is Anora.

The ancient Chinese used compressed blocks of tea leaves as this

• The answer is Money.

Shape of a round chart

• The answer is Pie.

DownDad's dad, informally

• The answer is Gramp.

Capital of Vietnam

• The answer is Hanoi.

___ layer, part of Earth's atmosphere

• The answer is Ozone.

How you might wake up after sleeping funny

• The answer is Sore.

Cafeteria food carrier

• The answer is Tray.

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

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.

Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have mapped where dust collects around a nearby supermassive black hole — and found that almost all of it sits in a compact ring feeding the object.

The study focuses on the Circinus galaxy, about 13 million light-years away in space. Webb’s sharp imaging made out relatively small parts of the center of the galaxy, allowing researchers to distinguish material falling in from the dust getting pushed out.

This ring, called a "torus," acts like both a fuel line and a gatekeeper: It funnels material toward the black hole while shaping how energy escapes into the surrounding galaxy. 

The discovery overturns decades of assumptions. Astronomers previously thought streams of hot matter, or outflows, produced the galaxy’s brightest infrared light. But Webb’s new observations, published in the journal Nature, reveal that roughly 87 percent of the glowing dust is concentrated in the dense disk feeding the black hole, while less than 1 percent comes out, essentially as exhaust. 

"Since the '90s, it has not been possible to explain excess infrared emissions that come from hot dust at the cores of active galaxies, meaning the models only take into account either the torus or the outflows, but cannot explain that excess," said Enrique Lopez-Rodriguez, based at the University of South Carolina and lead author of the study, in a statement.

SEE ALSO: Who is the sick astronaut on the ISS? What we know.

Black holes are some of the strangest objects in the universe. Their gravity is so intense that nothing, not even light, can escape. It wasn't that long ago that astronomers debated whether they even existed. Now black holes are firmly established science — and we can see them, sort of. 

In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope captured the first image of a black hole, located 53 million light-years away in the Messier 87 galaxy. It captured the glowing debris surrounding it, which makes the dark center — the black hole itself — visible by contrast. 

A black hole flares when gas, dust, or even a star ventures too close. Gravity tears the material apart, and as it spirals in, it heats up and emits a bright light before disappearing.

To separate the disk of Circinus' black hole from its exhaust, astronomers used Webb’s Aperture Masking Interferometer on its Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph. That's a long name for a tool that turns Webb into a mini telescope array, combining light through a mask of seven small openings to produce interference patterns. These patterns are then used to reconstruct sharp images of tiny, previously hidden features.

"By using an advanced imaging mode of the camera, we can effectively double its resolution over a smaller area of the sky," said co-author Joel Sanchez-Bermudez, a National University of Mexico astrophysicist, in a statement. "This allows us to see images twice as sharp." 

The team’s findings mark the first time scientists have used a space infrared interferometer for a target outside the Milky Way. Researchers say this technique can now be applied to other black holes, helping to determine whether Circinus has the exception or the rule when it comes to its black hole's behavior. 

"We need a statistical sample of black holes, perhaps a dozen or two dozen, to understand how mass in their accretion disks and their outflows relate to their power," Lopez-Rodriguez said.

TL;DR: A wide range of online courses from MIT are available to take for free on edX.

This feels like a poorly kept secret at this stage, but in case you weren't already aware, there's a massive bank of free online courses sitting on edX. And we're not talking about any old online courses. We're talking about online courses from some of the biggest educational institutions in the world, including MIT.

MIT is hosting free lessons on useful topics like AI, Python programming, investing, and so much more. There's a lot on offer, so we've got you started with a hand-picked selection of the best free online courses from MIT. These are the best free online courses from MIT this month:

• Circuits and Electronics 1: Basic Circuit Analysis

• Circuits and Electronics 2: Amplification, Speed, and Delay

• Circuits and Electronics 3: Applications

• Derivatives Markets: Advanced Modeling and Strategies

• Financial Accounting

• Foundations of Modern Finance

• Foundations of Modern Finance II

• Fundamentals of Statistics

• Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python

• Management in Engineering: Strategy and Leadership

• Mathematical Methods for Quantitative Finance

• Probability: The Science of Uncertainty and Data

• Supply Chain Analytics

• Supply Chain Dynamics

• Supply Chain Fundamentals

• Supply Chain Technology and Systems

These free courses do not come with a shareable certificate of completion or graded assignments/exams, but that's the only catch. You can start learning at a pace that suits you, so there's nothing stopping you from getting started.

Find the best free online courses from MIT on edX.

TL;DR: Scan anything, anywhere with a lifetime subscription to the iScanner App, now only $39.99 (reg. $199.90).

Opens in a new window Credit: iScanner iScanner App: Lifetime Subscription $39.99
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We may not always have access to a bulky scanner, but our smartphone or tablet is likely close at hand. iScanner App transforms your iPhone or iPad into a portable scanner that can digitize documents anywhere, and right now you can lock in a lifetime subscription for just $39.99 (reg. $199.90).

It’s surprising how often we need to scan things in 2026. If you’re looking for a more convenient way to scan things for work, school, or personal reasons, the iScanner App is ready to help. It lets you digitize physical documents from anywhere, transforming your iPhone or iPad into a scanning device.

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Need to submit your signature? Looking to save a handwritten note? Do it in seconds with iScanner. Just point your device’s camera at whatever you would like to scan. The app’s AI-powered features handle the rest — it detects and adjusts the document’s borders to give you a top-quality scan without distortions.

After scanning, edit in the app using color-correction and noise-removal tools. You can then save it as a PDF, JPG, DOC, XLS, PPT, or TXT. PDF files can also be edited with the iScanner App, which offers tools to sign, add text, or auto-fill documents. There are also scanning modes for text translation, object counting, measurements, and more.

If letting you scan and edit PDFs wasn’t enough, iScanner App also works as a document manager that organizes your scans into handy folders. Use the convenient drag-and-drop feature to sort them, and lock folders and files with a PIN for privacy.

Secure your own lifetime subscription to the iScanner App, now $39.99 (reg. $199.90).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Give yourself a whole new set of tools with this lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac or PC, now just $99.97 (reg. $249.99).

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If you need to get motivated in 2026, sometimes all it takes is a new set of tools. That’s what the Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac or PC lifetime license offers, giving your computer five essential apps to help you tackle both personal and professional tasks. Right now, you can get them all for only $99.97 (reg. $249.99).

If you didn’t find a new computer under the tree this Christmas, you can gift yourself the next best thing with this Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business license. It works on both Mac and PC, so anyone can use it. It outfits your device with a suite of five helpful apps geared toward helping you tackle all the tasks that come your way in 2026 and beyond.

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Curious what’s included with this version? It starts with the classics — Word to help you draft a document, Excel to handle all your spreadsheet needs, and PowerPoint to ensure you make a lasting impression with your presentations. You’ll also have access to Outlook, which keeps your communications organized, and OneNote, which digitizes your note-taking process.

This 2024 version includes new features like presentation recording with voice narration and video in PowerPoint, AI-powered writing suggestions in Word, enhanced data analysis and visualization tools in Excel, and an updated accessibility checker in Outlook.

This lifetime license gives you permanent access to these five game-changing apps, with no subscription fees. You can also work offline, as your purchase lets you download the apps directly to your device.

Give yourself a productivity boost with this lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac or PC for only $99.97 (reg. $249.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

With A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO continues to build out its roster of Game of Thrones spin-offs. But as its slate of Westeros-set series grows more crowded, so, too, does the Westerosi timeline.

SEE ALSO: 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' trailer promises epic Westerosi jousting action

So, how does A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fit into the history of Westeros? Let's break it down, from the basic timeline to the exact dates for all you history hounds out there.

When does A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms take place?

In the simplest terms, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place in between the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. As a bridge between the two series, it offers up a new onscreen perspective of Westeros. The other shows see the Seven Kingdoms at war for the Iron Throne. Here, though, the Targaryens rule during a time of relative peace.

It's during this peace that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on the Dunk and Egg novellas by George R.R. Martin, unfolds. Season 1 adapts the novella The Hedge Knight, which tells the tale of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his new squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) as they venture to the tourney at Ashford Meadow to earn coin and glory.

SEE ALSO: 'Knight of the Seven Kingdoms': 5 things we learned at the New York Comic Con panel Good to know, but what are the exact dates for each Westeros show?

To get more granular with it, HBO's current selection of Game of Thrones spin-offs span a little under two centuries.

House of the Dragon is first up in chronological order. It details the war for succession between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and her half-brother Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), which became known as the Dance of the Dragons. That civil war lasted from 129 to 131 AC (after Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of Westeros).

Next up in the timeline is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The novella The Hedge Knight takes place in 209 AC, so 78 years after the end of the Dance of the Dragons. A lot has happened in Westeros since then, but the most crucial thing to know is that there are officially no more dragons. The last Targaryen dragon died in 153 AC, and with its loss, the ruling family's revered, almost god-like status as dragon riders has faded.

Last but not least is the show that started it all: Game of Thrones, which begins in 298 AC. That means A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place a little under a century before Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) begins her quest to take back the Iron Throne.

Despite the many decades between A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Game of Thrones, their stories may share some overlapping characters. Prince Aemon Targaryen (Peter Vaughan), the Wall's Maester in Game of Thrones, is serving at the Citadel in Oldtown during the events of the Dunk and Egg novellas. And Brynden Rivers, also known the Three-Eyed Raven, makes an appearance in the third Dunk and Egg novella, The Mystery Knight.

These overlaps likely won't come up in Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but they are helpful when putting together the puzzle pieces of the wide world of Westeros.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres Jan. 18 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

TL;DR: A wide range of AI courses are available to take for free on Udemy.

The world of AI is constantly developing. If you're feeling the need to keep pace with this ever-changing landscape, there are a number of online courses you can take. You can learn all about chatbots, AI agents, and machine learning with Udemy. And better yet, a number of the best online courses are totally free.

There's a lot to consider on Udemy. We recommend taking some time to properly check out all the options, but to get you started, we've lined up a selection of standout courses on AI:

• A Gentle Introduction to Generative AI

• AI Art Generation Guide: Create AI Images For Free

• AI for Beginners: Learn The Basics of ChatGPT

• AI for Business and Personal Productivity: A Practical Guide

• AI for Students: Boost Learning & Research with Gen AI

• AI Fundamentals: From Basics to Generative AI

• AI in Agriculture: Practical Introductory Course

• AI Literacy Essentials: Working Responsibly with AI

• Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare

• Become an AI-Powered Engineer: Cursor, the AI-First IDE

• ChatGPT Prompt Engineering

• ChatGPT, Midjourney, Firefly, Bard, DALL-E, AI Crash Course

• How Smart People Use AI to Think, Lead, and Grow

• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

• Master Generative AI for Developer Productivity With Pieces

• Prompt Engineering Mastery

• Training AI with Human Data, Explained for Annotators

• Worldbuilding AI Futures

These free online courses don't include certificates of completion or direct instructor messaging, but you still get unrestricted access to all the video content. That means there's nothing stopping you from enrolling righy away.

Find the best free AI courses on Udemy.

SAVE OVER $300: As of Jan. 14, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is on sale for $1,087.86 at Amazon. That's a 23% discount on the list price.

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Looking for a new smartphone? How about one that made our list of the best smartphones in 2025? The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a great option for most people, described by our reviewer as having an "excellent all-around performance." And even better yet, as of Jan. 14, it's on sale for its best-ever price.

With a discount of over $300 ($332.13 to be specific), the price is now down to $1,087.86. This deal is specific to the titanium gray model, but for a little more you can also get the titanium whitesilver, titanium silverblue, and titanium black models.

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And this phone really is stacked with helpful features, including Now Brief that gives you the information you need before you even know you need it. The camera is also impressive, benefiting from AI features like the Audio Eraser which minimizes unwanted background noise in videos. It also has advanced portrait features that preserve natural skin tones and textures for professional-looking photos.

It also comes with Samsung's most powerful processor yet, the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, so you'll be getting a super smooth and fast performing phone. And the Smart Switch feature makes setting up your new phone nice and easy. With minimal effort from you it will transfer all your photos, apps, contacts, messages, and more.

Pick up deal on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra now.

Stranger Things fans are accusing the Duffer Brothers of using generative AI to write the show's fifth and final season. The speculation arose after viewers believed they spotted AI chatbot ChatGPT open on the creators' laptops in behind-the-scenes documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5.

SEE ALSO: 'Stranger Things' fans are furious about the finale. Here's why.

The Stranger Things finale brought the series to an end late last month, wrapping up the popular retro sci-fi show after almost a decade. Unfortunately, the show's conclusion left many viewers dissatisfied, taking to social media to complain that the grand finale felt anticlimactic and unrewarding.

Some fans thought they'd found an explanation for their disappointment when One Last Adventure premiered Monday on Netflix. Covering the production and filming of Stranger Things' final season, the documentary featured footage of the Duffer Brothers working on its scripts. This included shots of their laptop screens as they worked on scripts, which displayed multiple tabs open in their internet browsers (apparently Stranger Things was written in Google Docs).

While most websites displayed seemed relatively innocuous, one particular shot showed several blurry tabs potentially featuring round monochrome icons. Said tabs are too out of focus to be positively identified, and could easily belong to any number of different websites. Even so, Stranger Things fans quickly began speculating that they may have been ChatGPT icons. 

The theory was further fuelled by the documentary's revelation that Stranger Things' fifth season hadn't been completely written when production began. While far from a smoking gun, fans considered this a potential indication that generative AI was used to hasten scriptwriting along.

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Responding to fans' speculation, One Last Adventure's director Martina Radwan cast doubt on whether the blurry tabs were actually ChatGPT, and stated that she hadn't seen Stranger Things' writers use generative AI in ways she'd consider unethical. However, she also expressed the belief that it shouldn't matter if the Duffer Brothers did use ChatGPT, as it's fine for creatives to utilise generative AI as a tool.

"Well, there’s a lot of chatter where [social media users] are like, 'We don’t really know, but we’re assuming.' But to me it’s like, doesn’t everybody have [ChatGPT] open, to just do quick research?" Radwan said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. 

"[N]obody has actually proved that it was open. That's like having your iPhone next to your computer while you’re writing a story. We just use these tools… while multitasking. So there's a lot going on all the time, every time."

Despite Radwan's assertions, not everyone agrees. Fans have acknowledged that there is no clear evidence that ChatGPT was used to write Stranger Things' scripts, and that the Duffer Brothers could easily have been using the AI chatbot for other matters (if they were even using it at all). Even so, many also object to the use of generative AI to research, outline, brainstorm, or plan scripts. As such, potentially having ChatGPT open in the same browser being used to write Stranger Things has left viewers suspicious.

"Wasn't Season 5 filming delayed because of the WGA strike? That would be pretty ironic, considering that regulating AI is just one of the things the WGA is fighting for," wrote reddit user u/Swordman86.

"I cannot for the life of me understand this sudden and enthusiastic desire by people to insert AI into nearly every part of their work and life," u/ Kreol1q1q posted. "Jesus if you are a writer, don’t you take pride in the work you do? Why would you let a moronic glorified chatbot into the thing you are skilled at, and valued for."

"Even if there were no AI tabs open, the writing for S5 was so bad that in my head-canon they almost exclusively used AI off-screen anyways," said u/pat_the_catdad.

Mashable has reached out to Netflix for comment.

Geely Holding Group isn't exactly a household name in the American automotive market. You're forgiven if you've never heard of it before reading this, as you're far from alone. However, Geely is the Chinese automotive giant behind some brands you probably have heard of, such as Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus.

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.

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

A long knife.

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

SWORD

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A coincidence.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 14, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

FLUKE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Took a gulp.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 14 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 14, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

DRANK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Slimy.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

GRIMY

Final Hurdle hint

A klepto.

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

THIEF

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

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

Released in August 2025, the 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 onto 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 for 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 January 14, 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 January 13, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 14 Pips

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 13 Pips

Number (13): Everything in this space must add up to 13. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 1-3, placed vertically; 3-2, placed vertically.

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

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

Greater Than (9): Everything in this space must be greater than 9. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 5-1, placed horizontally.

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

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

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 13 Pips

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally.

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

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

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 12. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically; 1-6, placed vertically.

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

Number (12): Everything in this purple space must add up to 12. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

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

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

Number (15): Everything in this purple space must add up to 15. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed vertically; 5-1, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you know west coast schools.

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. 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: 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: Indiana sports

• Green: Shoot around

• Blue: Canadian football

• Purple: Sounds like an MVP

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Indianapolis Teams

• Green: Basketball Games

• Blue: CFL Teams

• Purple: Homophones of Super Bowl MVPs

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 #478 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Indianapolis Teams - BUTLER, COLTS, FEVER, PACERS

• Basketball Games - 21, AROUND THE WORLD, HORSE, KNOCKOUT

• CFL Teams - ALOUETTES, ELKS, ROUGHRIDERS, STAMPEDERS

• Homophones of Super Bowl MVPs - BREEZE, CUP, FOALS, SWAN

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 today's Connections.

By now, everyone knows Netflix has a hit on its hands with KPop Demon Hunters. The animated Netflix film has broken streaming records and won awards for both the movie itself and its chart-topping soundtrack.

KPop Demon Hunters are everywhere right now. Well, almost everywhere. If one were looking for KPop Demon Hunters on the internet, many might be inclined to check out the URL KPopDemonHunters.com. Huntrix fans going to that web address, though, will not find anything there.

That's because up until now, Netflix didn't even own the domain name KPopDemonHunters.com. In fact, it was originally registered three whole days after the film was released on June 20, 2025 by an individual in Germany. Did Netflix really not have any idea how big this movie was going to be?

SEE ALSO: 'KPop Demon Hunters' wins best song at Golden Globes, Ejae gives moving speech How Netflix got the KPop Demon Hunters domain

Netflix recently won the KPopDemonHunters.com domain name from that individual in Germany named Sanchit Sood after filing a trademark dispute, as first reported by the domain news outlet Domain Name Wire.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, better known as ICANN, is the organization that maintains the global domain name space. Under ICANN's rules, individuals and companies can file disputes over domain names under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). 

When a UDRP case is filed, the complainant must prove the domain name is confusingly similar to their trademark, there is no legitimate interest from the registrant, and the registration was made in bad faith. The registrant can then present their case before an arbitration panel, which makes the final decision.

Trademark owners don't always win these cases. There are legitimate reasons why a registrant can own a domain name, like if the trademark is generic enough. Even in this case where KPop Demon Hunters is extremely specific, a registrant could have bought the domain name for other fair use cases like a fan site or to criticize the film (panels can still decide in favor of the trademark holder even in these cases too).

However, in this specific case, the registrant did not even reply to the UDRP dispute, leaving the sole panelist on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) panel for this case with just Netflix's argument. With all these considerations taken into account, including the fact that the domain name did not even redirect to a website, this appeared like a clear-cut case of cybersquatting a trademark domain name. The panelist ruled in Netflix's favor, and the registrar where KPopDemonHunters.com was registered has or will transfer the domain to Netflix.

And with that, the trademark dispute over KPopDemonHunters.com is done, done, done.

Google announced Monday that the company is reversing its longstanding practice of allowing minors supervised by their parents via Family Link to unilaterally opt-out of those settings upon turning 13.

Soon, if a teen wants to manage their own account, it require parental approval. A spokesperson for Google told Mashable that the policy goes into effect globally this week.

"These changes better ensure protections stay in place until both the parent and teen feel ready for the next step," Kate Charlet, Google's head of global privacy, safety, and security, wrote in a LinkedIn post about the change.

SEE ALSO: Character.AI settles lawsuits related to teen deaths

The Google spokesperson said the new policy had been planned for some time. Still, it was announced soon after an online child safety advocate drew viral attention to the company's previous policy in a viral Linkedin post. As of this story's publication, the post had elicited more than 600 comments and received 375,000 impressions.

Melissa McKay, president of the advocacy organization Digital Childhood Institute, wrote the post after receiving an email notification that her 12-year-old son would soon be able to adjust the parental controls she'd set for him through Google's Family Link product. Mashable reviewed the email, which McKay described as short and vague.

In her opinion, it failed to explain the changes being made to her son's account or include appropriately clarifying links.

McKay, who researched and authored a 2025 complaint to the Federal Trade Commission against Google regarding its youth safety practices, added that she would've skipped over the email had she not already been looking into the company's policies.

The email noted that her son would receive a similar notification. McKay asked her son to read that message and discovered that it linked to information about how he could remove parental supervision once he turned 13, without his parent's consent. McKay said she did not receive the same information; the link in her email explained age requirements for Google accounts.

In the email sent to her son, which Mashable reviewed and Google did not dispute, the company acknowledges that he will turn 13 soon and can update his account to access more Google products and services. As of this story's publication, the resource explains that "[c]hildren decide when to update their Google Account."

This explanation from Google frames the decision to end parental supervision as a child's choice. Credit: Google

"In nearly ten years as an online safety advocate, this is among the most predatory corporate practices I have seen," McKay wrote in her LinkedIn post.

According to Google's own Family Link resource, when a child transitions into managing their own account, parents will no longer be able to set up downtime, allow or block apps, or find their child's transactions in Family Link. Teens with control over their own Google account will also have wide-ranging use of Google Wallet and Pay, including when using a card added to their profile prior to their 13th birthday.

McKay welcomed the company's new policy but believes far more reform is needed to protect children online from what she described as corporate exploitation.

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Long before it was even remotely possible, people have dreamed of a world where your house just takes care of you. Once it became clear that computers would be more than just a fad, the home automation fantasies really started to take hold. So I wondered how close some of the classic depictions came to our present day, or perhaps our very immediate future.

The Mazda Miata is a beloved driver’s car for a reason: lightweight balance, engaging handling, and pure fun behind the wheel. But as great as it is, its small cabin and limited cargo space can eventually feel too tight for drivers who want more comfort, power, or everyday usability. If you’ve reached the point where the Miata feels a bit too compact for daily life, long trips, or just added practicality, it might be time to consider an upgrade.