Technology

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG: Mega Charizard X Tin and Mega Charizard Y Tins are available to preorder for $44.95 and $44.90 at Amazon — up to $7 off their typical list prices ahead of the Feb. 27 release.

Pokémon TCG: Mega Charizard Tins Best Mega Charizard Y Tin Deal Pokémon TCG Mega Charizard Y Tin $44.90 at Amazon (save $5) Shop Now best Mega Charizard X Tin deal Pokémon TCG Mega Charizard X Tin $44.95 at Amazon (save $5) Shop Now

Pokémon TCG Charizard tins are officially out onFeb. 27, and sellers have been dropping prices to bring them down to market value. As of Feb. 27, both versions of the upcoming Pokémon TCG Mega Charizard tins are up to 13% off at Amazon: the Mega Charizard Y Tin for $44.90 (from $49.90) and the Mega Charizard X Tin for $44.95 (from $51.95).

If stock runs out, Walmart is also selling the Mega Charizard Y Tin at $44.90. If you go for either on Amazon, you’ll be getting the best price so far — as confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel (Charizard Y Tin and Charizard X Tin).

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Honing in further on the Pokémon trading card game’s return to Mega Evolutions in its current titular set, each of the Mega Charizard tins includes the following:

• One foil promo card featuring either Mega Charizard X ex or Mega Charizard Y ex

• Four Pokémon TCG booster packs (two Phantasmal Flames, one Mega Evolution, and one Destined Rivals)

• A code card for Pokémon TCG Live

Although these tins are now closer to their market prices on TCGplayer, actual listings on the trading card selling platform cost so much that Amazon and Walmart listings represent better value for money.

If it’s the newest Pokémon TCG expansion you’re seeking, Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Boxes are still available for under $120 at Amazon. Meanwhile, Walmart is selling Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collections for $37.99.

With the end-of-the-month crunch, the week has been a blur of errands, emails, and work-week-woes—not to mention the weather doing its late-winter thing. Time to clock out with some Netflix shows this weekend.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you're disloyal.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

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

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

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for February 27, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Betrayer

• Green: Vibe

• Blue: One thing led to another

• Purple: Iron

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Backstabber

• Green: Aura

• Blue: Kinds of chain reaction "effects"

• Purple: ___ Press

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 #992 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Backstabber: JUDAS, SNAKE, TRAITOR, TURNCOAT

• Aura: AIR, IMPRESSION, MANNER, QUALITY

• Kinds of chain reaction "effects": BUTTERFLY, DOMINO, RIPPLE, SNOWBALL

• ___ Press: BENCH, DRILL, FRENCH, PRINTING

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 27, 2026

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you tend to overdo it.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

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

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 27, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 27, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: It's a little much

The words are related to extras.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe more than is needed.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Enough Already.

NYT Strands word list for February 27

• Excess

• Enough Already

• Surplus

• Overkill

• Redundancy

• Glut

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you sometimes feel faint.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 27, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for February 27, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Lightheaded.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter Z appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter D.

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

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

DIZZY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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

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

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Journey Together Booster Bundle is down to $34.97 at Amazon. That's the best-ever price at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Journey Together Booster Bundle $34.97 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $25.02 Shop Now

Pokémon Day 2026 is already in full swing. We've got the much-anticipated Lego sets going live, Pokémon Presents giving us a peek at what's to come, and a bunch of limited-time deals. The best deal of the bunch? It might be over at Amazon.

As of Feb. 27, the Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Journey Together Booster Bundle is down to $34.97 at Amazon. This limited-time deal saves you over $25 on list price. It's also the best-ever price at Amazon, so there really isn't any better time to stock up.

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This booster bundle contains six booster packs from Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Journey Together. It's a straightforward offering that gives collectors the chance to pull valuable chase cards like Lillie’s Clefairy ex, Salamance ex, N’s Zoroark ex, and Iono’s Bellibolt ex. The chances are slim, but you could get lucky.

We do not expect this deal price to stick around for long. We saw massive demand for this same deal on Walmart earlier this week, so you'll need to act fast to secure your order. Seriously, stop reading. You know what to do.

Score this record-low price on Journey Together Booster Bundles at Amazon.

The ratings for Donald Trump's State of the Union address are out, and it looks like the public found it just as long and rambly as the late night hosts did.

"The Nielsen ratings for he speech are in, and Trump's talk-a-thon saw an 11 percent decrease from last year. Donald Trump is really dragging down broadcast television. I mean, if I were CBS I'd cancel him," says Stephen Colbert in the Late Show clip above, winking directly at the camera.

"But you know linear television is doomed, and everyone's ratings are going down, right? I'm sorry, what's that? Our ratings were up seven percent? Over the same speech last year?You know what I think is going on? People may not like watching Trump, but they do like watching me not like watching Trump."

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Hillary Clinton spent six hours answering questions about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday after being compelled to testify, and Jimmy Kimmel has thoughts.

In the clip above the host shared Clinton's statement, in which the former Secretary of State suggested the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform "ask [Donald Trump] directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files."

"I do want to say, in defence of the president that is not correct," says Kimmel. "Trump's name did not show up tens of thousands of times, it showed up hundreds of thousands of times. Almost a million of times."

Kimmel goes on to suggest that rather than subpoenaing Clinton to testify "they could bring in someone who actually knew him, someone who Epstein called his 'closest friend', someone who said he was a 'terrific guy' who 'likes beautiful women...on the younger side'."

Wonder who that could be?

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Donald Trump comes up a lot in the Epstein files, but an investigation by NPR reported that the Department of Justice withheld documents mentioning his name in relation to allegations that he sexually abused a minor.

The revelation has not only dominated headlines but late night show monologues, including The Daily Show, on which host Desi Lydic reacted to the allegedly missing files.

"Huh, that's strange. Trump's DOJ did that?" Lydic said. "The same DOJ that promised to release the Epstein files and then gave influencers binders filled with old documents and they wouldn't release more, so Congress had to pass a law saying that they had to, but they still missed the deadline to release the files, and then when they finally did, the files were riddled with sketchy redactions? That DOJ? Nah, I can't see it."

Lydic noted that usually you'd think "a batch of missing files linking the president to international sex crimes would be the main story on any network" but pointed to conservative media sites, which have instead blown up "a story even more disturbing and explosive."

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SAVE $600: As of Feb. 27, the Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni is on sale for $699 at Amazon. That's a 46% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ecovacs Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni $699 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $600.99   Get Deal

Have you been looking for an excuse to buy a robot vacuum? Well, if $600 off a great model sounds like a good excuse to you, check out this Amazon deal on the Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni. As of Feb. 27, this robot vacuum is down to $699, a 46% discount off the list price. Not only that, but according to camelcamelcamel, it's never been cheaper than this before.

And it's not just a robot vacuum, it's a mop too. It uses BLAST technology alongside its 16,600Pa suction to pick up dust and pet hair deep from carpets, meanwhile the Triple Lift System raises the mop, side brush, and main brush independently to keep carpets dry and make transitions between the vacuum and mop seamless.

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The OZMO Roller continuously self-washes during use to avoid spreading dirty water all over your floors, and the ZeroTangle 2.0 system prevents hair from wrapping around the brush; ideal if you have pets at home.

And you won't need to top up manually in the hard to reach corners, this vacuum has edge-to-edge cleaning that makes sure you get a better coverage along walls and corners. It also comes with an OMNI docking Station. Here the vacuum does all its maintenance, including mop washing and drying, water refilling, and dust emptying for up to 150 days. So there's really next to no work for you to do.

Does this sound like a treat? Head to Amazon now and score this limited-time robot vacuum deal.

FREE $30 GIFT CARD: As of Feb. 27, Prime members can get a free $30 Amazon gift card when pre-ordering the new Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. This offer only lasts until March 10.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro (2026) + $30 Gift Card $249.99 at Amazon
$279.99 Save $30   Pre-order Here

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are gearing up to drop on March 11, and Amazon is offering a sweet bonus for Prime members who pre-order these earbuds ahead of that release. Those hoping to grab these earbuds can score a $30 Amazon gift card for free with their $249.99 preorder right now, which is a great way to land a little extra spending cash.

This offer applies to both the black and white Galaxy Buds 4 Pro earbuds, so you can pick your favorite color and still get the gift card attached. Again, this is a Prime Exclusive deal, so you'll have to have a membership. This offer only runs for a limited time, the day before these earbuds release (March 10), so don't wait too long to take advantage of it.

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So what exactly do these shiny new earbuds have to offer? According to Mashable's Bethany Allard in her piece on everything to know about them, published following the latest Galaxy Unpacked event, "The Buds4 Pro come with an audio improvement in the form of a wider woofer. Up from a 10.5mm DD woofer on the Buds3 Pro, the newer gen will feature an 11mm SuperWide woofer. It is worth noting, however, that the Buds3 Pro featured a 6.1mm planar tweeter, while the Buds4 Pro feature a 5.5mm planar tweeter."

Allard also notes that "Both the Buds4 and Buds4 Pro will feature smaller earbud heads, with the intention of providing more comfortable all-day wear." On top of that, the Pro models also feature Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation 2.0 for keeping outside noises quiet and a battery life that lasts up to 26 hours using ANC (with the charging case's help), or up to 30 hours without ANC.

March 10 is the final day of this deal. Don't miss out on the chance to get a $30 gift card when pre-ordering the new Galaxy Buds 4 Pro earbuds at Amazon.

SAVE $70: As of Feb. 27, the Jackery Explorer 300 is on sale for $189 at Amazon. That's a 27% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Jackery Jackery Explorer 300 $189 at Amazon
$259 Save $70   Get Deal

If you long for camping season (and better weather), why not pass the time by upgrading your kit? If you've ever toyed with the idea of adding a portable power station to your lineup of equipment, there couldn't be a better time to invest.

As of Feb. 27, the Jackery Explorer 300 is on sale at Amazon. This is an incredibly lightweight, portable power option from Jackery that is perfect for carrying with you on outdoor trips. And right now it's down to its best-ever price, just $189 (down from $259).

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It has a 293Wh lithium-ion battery and two pure sine wave AC outlets that deliver up to 300W of power. And if you decide to head off on a whim, this model can recharge up to 80% in around two hours when using both a wall outlet and the 60W USB-C PD port simultaneously. It also supports charging via a car outlet, so you can top it up on the go,

It has a range of ports including AC outlets, a USB-C port (input/output), USB-A ports, a Quick Charge 3.0 port, and a DC car port, so you can power or charge up to six devices at once.

Get this great Jackery power station deal at Amazon.

SAVE $600: As of Feb. 27, the Samsung 55-inch QN80F Neo QLED 4K TV is on sale for $697.99 at Amazon. That's a 46% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 55-inch QN80F Neo QLED 4K TV $697.99 at Amazon
$1,297.99 Save $600   Get Deal

It's always a good deal when a TV drops to its best-ever price. For a limited time, the Samsung 55-inch QN80F Neo QLED 4K TV is $600 off. Yes, you read it right. As of Feb. 27, this impressive TV is on sale for its lowest-ever price, and the savings are big. This hefty discount takes the price down from $1,297.99 to $697.99, just shy of half off.

The quality is amazing, combining AI-enhanced processing with Mini LED technology to deliver sharp and detailed picture quality to everything you watch. It also has precision-controlled Mini LEDs that improve the contrast and brightness, so TV shows and movies will look more vivid and defined.

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If you're a gamer, the TV supports smooth motion with VRR gaming up to 4K 144Hz for fast-paced gaming. You'll also have access to all the major streaming platforms (think Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, etc.), plus over 400 Samsung TV Plus premium channels.

Ready to upgrade? Find this great deal at Amazon now. Don't wait long — it's a limited-time deal.

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 February 27, 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 February 27, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 27 Pips

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

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally.

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

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 27 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-1, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed vertically.

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

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally.

Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally.

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 27 Pips

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically.

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

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically; 1-3, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 3-0, placed vertically.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 6-1, placed vertically.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally.

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

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

Jack Dorsey's Block, a fintech company that owns Square and Cash App, is laying off nearly half of its workforce.

Dorsey announced the layoffs on X, citing AI as the main reason behind the move.

"Today we're making one of the hardest decisions in the history of our company: we're reducing our organization by nearly half, from over 10,000 people to just under 6,000," he wrote.

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The layoffs come after a strong quarter for Block, with revenue, profit, and customer base all growing. But Dorsey appears to think that the rise of AI makes this move inevitable, presenting the decision as a choice between doing one sharp cut now, or laying people off slowly over a longer period of time.

"I'd rather take a hard, clear action now and build from a position we believe in than manage a slow reduction of people toward the same outcome," he wrote.

Employees that are being laid off will get their salary for 20 weeks plus one week per year of tenure, six months of health care, and $5,000 in cash, among other benefits. But how hard will it be for them to find another job?

Dorsey's reasoning echoes the sentiment recently shared by several tech leaders, with Anthropic's Boris Cherny claiming that "coding is largely solved" and Elon Musk saying that AI will "replace all jobs." A widely shared "thought exercise" by Citrini recently predicted an economic collapse by 2028 due to AI driving humans out of work.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic changes safety policy amid intense AI competition

"Something has changed," wrote Dorsey. "We're already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company. and that's accelerating rapidly."

The market reacted positively to the news, with Block's shares rising by nearly 30 percent in extended trading following the announcement.

With spring on the way, it's time to throw the windows open and get a fresh start. For the past two years, Amazon has launched its Big Spring Sale, a now annual event that brings major markdowns to warm-weather items ahead of the new season. While Amazon hasn't provided an official announcement for its 2026 spring sale, we suspect that it's coming soon.

Having covered Amazon's Big Spring Sale since it began two years ago, we're here to prep you on everything you need to know, including when it might be, which deals will be available, and whether you need a Prime membership to shop the savings.

When is Amazon's Big Spring Sale?

We don't have the official dates for Amazon's Big Spring Sale yet, but based on previous years, we can speculate. In 2025, the sale ran from March 25 to 31, and in 2024, the sale ran from March 20 to 25. With that information, we suspect the sale will run within the last two weeks of March.

What deals will be available?

Amazon's Big Spring Sale is all about the transition from winter to spring. Last year, we saw deals up to 40% off across 35 different categories. The bulk of the deals focus on last-chance savings on cold-weather items, as well as early savings on warm-weather activities and spring-cleaning must-haves. However, deals span across other home and tech categories as well.

Last year, we saw savings across all of Amazon's device lineups: Echo, Fire TV, eero, and Kindle. In fact, the Kindle Colorsoft saw its first-ever sale last year. But will this sale beat Amazon's Black Friday pricing? That's still to be seen.

Best early Amazon Big Spring Sale deals Levoit top-fill humidifier $27.95 at Amazon (save $12.04) Get Deal Bissell PowerClean FurGuard cordless vacuum $199.99 at Amazon (save $100) Get Deal eufy Robot Vacuum E28 $699.98 at Amazon (save $300.01) Get Deal Bluetti Elite 30 V2 portable power station $218.99 at Amazon (save $80.01) Get Deal Do I need a Prime membership to shop Amazon's Big Spring Sale?

Prime Day, Amazon's flagship July sale, and Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon's holiday season kick-off sale, both require a Prime membership to shop all of the savings. Amazon's Big Spring Sale, on the other hand, doesn't require a membership to shop. That being said, in previous years, we've spotted Prime-exclusive savings, so being a Prime member is still your best bet to taking full advantage of the sale.

Will other retailers have spring sales?

When Amazon launches a sale, it kicks off a game of follow the leader. All the other big retailers — Best Buy, Target, and Walmart — have historically launched spring sales around the same time as Amazon's Big Spring Sale. No official sale announcements have come through yet, but we expect they'll come soon.

What are the best things to buy during Amazon's Big Spring sale?

An Amazon sale means some of the best savings will be on Amazon devices like Echos, Fire TVs, and Kindles, but the reach of its spring sale goes far beyond that. With the focus on the spring season, expect to see lots of savings on outdoor gear like furniture, grills, tents, and power stations. Plus, there will be plenty of classic big sale savings on TVs, laptops, headphones, and tablets.

How to sign up for Amazon Prime

Visit amazon.com/amazonprime to sign up for Amazon Prime. Those who haven't been a member within the past 12 months can take advantage of its free 30-day trial. Just remember to cancel your subscription before it renews at $14.99 per month or $139 per year.

SAVE $190: As of Feb. 27, the Dyson V8 cordless vacuum is on sale for $349.93 at Amazon. That's a 35% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson V8 $349.93 at Amazon
$539.99 Save $190.06   Get Deal

Looking for a new vacuum to make your floors sparkly clean? You truly can't go wrong with a Dyson, one of the best brands out there for vacuuming. And as of Feb. 27, the Dyson V8 cordless vacuum is on sale at Amazon with a hefty $190 discount.

Whether you have carpeted floors, hard floors, pets, or shoes that always seem to bring in dirt, this vacuum is built to handle it all. It comes with three different attachments for cleaning high, low, and all the annoying little places, as well as a wall dock and charger for easy storage.

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You’ll get up to 40 minutes of run time, with two power modes: a standard mode for general cleaning and a Max mode for more intensive spots. It's lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, and it also converts into a handheld vacuum for cars, stairs, and upholstery.

The Hair screw tool is especially useful. This is built specifically to pick up long hair and pet hair without tangling. And if you suffer from allergies, the advanced whole-machine filtration captures 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns and expels cleaner air.

Get this Dyson deal from Amazon now.

As of late February, there's no official word that an Amazon Big Spring Sale is happening in 2026. But that's not unpromising. Amazon didn't announce dates for its 2025 Spring Sale until March 18 — just a week before the start of the sale.

Based on context clues, chances are that Amazon's 2026 Spring Sale will be slated for the last full week of March. In 2024, the sale started on a Wednesday, running March 20 to 25, and in 2025, the sale started on a Tuesday, running March 25 to 31. Both past sales have run through the following Sunday.

SEE ALSO: Get 2 free months of unlimited listening when you sign up for Amazon Music Unlimited

If Amazon is aiming to keep the Big Spring Sale strictly within March as it has in years past, the 2026 Big Spring Sale would likely run through Tuesday, March 23, or Wednesday, March 24, to Sunday, March 29. Amazon extended the sale by a day in 2025, so it's possible that we'll see yet another day tacked on this year.

What are the best deals at Amazon's Spring Sale? Best Amazon deals ahead of the Big Spring Sale Best air purifier deal Shark NeverChange HEPA Air Purifier (650 sq. ft) $179.00 at Amazon (save $70.99) Get Deal Best robot vacuum deal Eufy E28 Robot Vacuum and Roller Mop with portable carpet cleaner $799.99 at Amazon (save $300.01) Get Deal Best TV deal Hisense 55-inch Canvas Matte QLED 4K TV with frame $693.99 at Best Buy (save $306.99) Get Deal Best smartwatch deal Garmin vívoactive 6 $249.95 at Amazon (save $50) Get Deal Best kitchen deal Dash Tasti-Crisp Air Fryer (2.6 quart) $33.33 at Amazon (save $26.66) Get Deal

Amazon's Spring Sale may not be quite as big as Prime Day in July or October, but it's still one of Amazon's biggest sales of the year. Far more than spring-themed items are on sale, though outdoor equipment, fitness gear, mattresses and lightweight bedding, robot vacuums, and anything else that screams "spring reset" is a huge focus. You'll likely also find deals on tech like TVs, noise-cancelling headphones, and of course, Kindles and other Amazon devices.

In the spirit of the spring season, take a quick second to learn how to recycle Amazon packaging. It's easier than you think.

Do you need a Prime membership for Amazon's Spring Sale?

Amazon's Big Spring Sale deals are open to anyone, even if you don't have a Prime membership. Non-Prime members may still need to meet order minimums (often $35) to unlock free shipping, and it probably won't be as quick as Prime shipping. If you're interested, you could sign up for one month of Amazon Prime for $14.99.

Though most of the conversation around pet hair pickup will involve how well that robot vacuum performs on carpet, pets don't stop shedding when they cross over to a hardwood or tiled floor. If your home has a pretty even split of both types of flooring, you should eye one of the best robot vacuum and mop combos for pet hair on hard floors. Strong suction power alone isn't always guaranteed to pull up every tiny strand of fur (especially fur that has blown into the corners of the room), and fine dust like pet dander and kitty litter is stubborn to be sucked up as well. In that case, a wet mopping pad using pressure to wipe is much less likely to leave finer debris behind.

SEE ALSO: The Shark vs. Roomba debate is old news. Here's how both robot vacuum brands got dethroned. Recent changes to this guide

February 2025: The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete takes over as the best robot vacuum for pet hair on carpet, replacing the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller. The Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow takes over as the best robot vacuum for pet hair on hardwood, replacing the Roborock Saros 10R.

September 2025: I added the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller as the best robot vacuum for pet hair on carpet and shifted the Roborock Saros 10R (previously named the best robot vacuum overall) to the best robot vacuum for pet hair on hard floors.

July 2025: I removed the Shark Matrix RV2300S robot vacuum from this guide. While it was a solid budget mopping robot vacuum for its first year or so on the market, it's now a little bit too basic compared to other newer budget robot vacuums.

June 2025: I replaced the Shark Matrix RV2300S with the 3i G10+ as the best budget robot vacuum for pet hair. While the Shark was a solid budget cleaner when it first came out, its suction power isn't nearly as strong as the 18,500 Pa of the 3i G10+. The 3i G10+ also has small obstacle avoidance and a pet camera.

New robot vacuums announced at CES 2026

Several top robot vacuum brands unveiled new flagship models at CES in early January. These include the Roborock Saros 20 Sonic and Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete, and the Narwal Flow 2. I'm in the process of testing these at home and will update this guide accordingly as each are officially released to the public.

When Satoshi Tajiri created Pokémon, he imagined it as a way for kids to connect. The original games, released in Japan in February 1996, required a physical Game Boy link cable to trade creatures, turning strangers into trainers and playgrounds into real-life Pokémon Gyms.

The anime reinforced that idea, following Ash and Pikachu's journey as they met new friends wherever they went. Pokémon, in any form, was never meant to be experienced alone.

Thirty years later, that same instinct lives on somewhere else entirely: the internet. Not only through trades, but also through memes. A surprised Pikachu. A walking Furret. A Regirok with a handbag. These images have become their own kind of link cable, connecting millions of people through a shared language online.

These are the memes that made Pokémon bigger than a game.

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

No Pokémon meme captures the internet's favorite emotion — aka "performative shock at predictable consequences" — better than Surprised Pikachu.

The image comes from a 1997 episode of the Pokémon anime, but it didn't become a viral reaction image until 2018, according to Know Your Meme, when fans began pairing Pikachu’s blank, open-mouthed stare with captions describing obviously avoidable outcomes. It quickly became a universal punchline, transcending Pokémon entirely. Today, Surprised Pikachu isn't just a Pokémon meme. It's internet shorthand.

Furret Walk

In 2019, Furret — a long, mustelid-shaped Johto Pokémon with a very feline aura — achieved meme immortality simply by walking.

The endlessly looping animation, first uploaded by Narpy on YouTube in 2019 and often set to the upbeat Accumula Town theme from Pokémon Black and White, became a symbol of quiet perseverance. Furret just keeps going. No destination. No urgency. Just vibes. It's wholesome, hypnotic, and weirdly existential, which makes it perfect internet art.

So I Herd U Liek Mudkips This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Before there was Twitter, there was Mudkip.

Like many early internet memes, "so I herd u liek mudkips" doesn’t have a single, clean origin story. Some fans trace it back to MudKipClub, a DeviantArt group where the phrase was posted earnestly as an inside joke and invitation for other users to join the community. Others remember it spreading through 4chan, where it evolved into copypasta and became part of the platform's deeply chaotic, anything-goes humor.

Either way, by the mid-2000s, the phrase was everywhere — repeated endlessly in early fandom spaces, often ironically, and almost always spelled incorrectly. It was awkward. It was cringe. And that was the point. For better or worse, it helped establish Pokémon as foundational meme material.

Dragonite and Charizard Dancing to Ariana Grande Dragonite and Charizard hitting that beat. Credit: YouTube / Southern Lights

Sometimes a meme exists purely because it sparks joy.

This viral animation, which began circulating widely in 2016, shows Dragonite and Charizard dancing with surprising elegance, their massive bodies moving with pop-star precision. Most people know it set to Ariana Grande's "Into You," where the contrast between her breathless vocals and their enthusiastic choreography made the clip instantly funny and weirdly perfect.

But "Into You" wasn't the original soundtrack. The animation itself traces back to YouTube, where Thai artist MMDSatoshi used the freeware program MikuMikuDance to create 3D models of the Pokémon and animate them to "Gokuraku Jodo" by Japanese duo GARNiDELiA. As the clip spread across Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube, fans began swapping in their own audio. Soon, everyone from K-pop star CL to Santana had their turn soundtracking the performance.

Regirock With a Handbag

Regirock was always stoic. The internet fixed that.

Fans began editing the ancient rock golem to give it accessories — especially nails, lashes, lip filler, and handbags — transforming it into an unlikely fashion icon. The humor comes from contrast: an emotionless legendary Pokémon suddenly serving c*nt looks.

It's absurd, niche, and deeply online.

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

Slowpoke became the internet's patron saint of being late. The meme began circulating widely in 2009, when users on 4chan started posting images of the famously sluggish Pokémon in response to people bringing up old news or long-settled debates.

Over time, it evolved into a universal reaction image, a shorthand for anyone who had missed the moment entirely. You didn't need to know Slowpoke's Pokédex stats to understand it. You just needed to know what it felt like to realize something after everyone else already had.

Diglett Underground

What's under Diglett? The games never answer that question. The internet did.

Diglett is, on its face, deceptively simple: a small, brown, mole-like Pokémon with a round pink nose and two black eyes, poking out of the ground. That's it. No visible arms. No visible legs. Just a head emerging from a hole, as if the rest of its body exists somewhere out of sight.

Fans quickly became obsessed with what that unseen body might look like. They imagined increasingly unhinged possibilities: massive muscular torsos, tiny dangling feet, or eldritch horrors buried beneath the surface. The joke isn't just Diglett — it's the mystery of what lies underground.

Sometimes the funniest part of Pokémon is what it refuses to explain.

Bidoof

Bidoof started as a joke. Then it became a legend.

Originally mocked as useless, Bidoof gained meme status when fans ironically elevated it to god-tier. Pokémon eventually embraced the joke, releasing official videos celebrating Bidoof's greatness.

It's a rare case of the meme reshaping the character itself.

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

The Squirtle Squad made sunglasses the coolest accessory in Pokémon history.

The group originated in the Pokémon anime's first season, where a gang of delinquent Squirtle wore black shades and caused trouble before eventually joining Ash's team. Their leader — permanently stoic behind his tiny sunglasses — quickly became a fan favorite, embodying a kind of effortless, miniature swagger.

Online, that image took on a life of its own. Squirtle in sunglasses became shorthand for confidence and the feeling of knowing you’re right. Decades later, it still works, whether you grew up watching the anime or just absorbed the image through the internet. Some memes never age, and this is one of them.

Advice Oak

Advice Oak was part of the golden age of image macros.

Using Professor Oak — the lab-coated scientist who introduces players to the world of Pokémon — as a template, fans paired his authoritative presence with terrible advice. The jokes often played on the games’ internal logic and frustrations: warning players not to ride their bike indoors while sending a 10-year-old out alone to battle wild creatures, or urging caution in situations that were already wildly unsafe.

It helped define Pokémon’s early meme language as equal parts silly and self-aware, and rooted in shared experience.