Technology

From its opening sequence you could be forgiven for thinking Baby Reindeer was a comedy.

Set in a London police station, we watch as Donny Dunn (creator Richard Gadd, playing a version of himself), shuffles into reception to tell a disinterested officer he's being stalked. A woman Donny met in the pub where he works has been following him and sending him hundreds of emails a day.

"Are any threatening towards you?" asks the officer of the emails.

"Yeah," says Donny, holding up his smartphone to show a message that reads, "I jusst had an egg."

"I wouldn't say that's...particularly threatening," comes the confused response.

It sounds light-hearted enough, but there's a current running beneath the scene. A mixture of awkwardness and fear. The comedy in Baby Reindeer, in this way, is like a thin sheet of ice. It masks something darker and more dangerous churning just below the surface.

SEE ALSO: 38 best dramas on Netflix for when you want to feel something What's Baby Reindeer about?

Adapted from his one-man play of the same name, Gadd's limited series is based on his own life. We first meet his protagonist, Donny, when he's in something of a rut, working shifts in a London pub while struggling to make a name for himself as a standup comic.

Donny's private life is more complicated than his professional one. He's living with the mother of his ex-girlfriend and dating a trans woman, Teri (Nava Mau), a relationship he's trying to keep secret due to his own confusion about his sexuality. To make things worse, Donny randomly shows kindness to a stranger called Martha (Jessica Gunning), only for her to latch on to him in a way that goes from endearing to terrifying in the blink of an eye.

Dunn first meets Martha when he gives her a free cup of tea. Credit: Ed Miller / Netflix

"I have a sneaky feeling you might be the death of me," whispers Martha at the end of the first episode, shortly after asking Donny if he ever wishes he could unzip people and climb inside them. Like many of their early interactions, it's a comment that would be amusing if it wasn't so unnerving.

Baby Reindeer is often hard to watch.

Gadd's series is by turns hilarious, harrowing, tense, uplifting, and upsetting. It's difficult to categorise. Perhaps the only thread running throughout the seven episodes is just how uncomfortable things are. The viewing experience is painful, for multiple reasons. For the most part it's the show's honesty. Donny's standup performances are exactly what you'd expect from a struggling comedian: awkward to watch. He's often met with silence, sometimes heckles. More than once the person shouting from the audience is Martha herself, and the resulting exchanges — which, like the script as a whole, feel horribly realistic — make you want to curl up into a ball.

Martha is a character that's so well drawn, and so brilliantly acted by Gunning, that she's difficult to look away from. At times she's like Kathy Bates in Stephen King's Misery, exploding with an anger and violence that makes you recoil; at other times she merely seems like an odd and slightly pitiful figure, making us feel the same sympathy for her that Donny himself struggles with. There's a scene early on where Donny, while trying to get to the bottom of who Martha really is, follows her home to her messy one-bedroom flat and peers in at her through the window. Of course he makes a noise and she spots him before he can fully duck down, and there's another misspelled email waiting for him when he gets home: "babyr ein i saw you looking, ickle wickle peeping tom." Like many instances in the show, whenever Donny tries to take some sort of action to help himself, it ends up backfiring horribly.

Dunn's standup performances make for painful viewing. Credit: Ed Miller/Netflix

But the storyline with Martha, however troubling it is to watch, is only one disturbing facet in the show. Affecting Donny's interactions with his stalker and the way he feels about himself is an incident that happened to him years before, which is told over the course of a longer flashback episode midway through the season. It's very uncomfortable viewing, reminiscent of Michaela Coel's brilliant I May Destroy You, but it serves to reveal more about Dunn's psychology. Gadd, once again basing the story on his own experiences (this time something eluded to in another of his shows, Monkey See Monkey Do), gives a phenomenally raw performance.

Baby Reindeer has some moments that will stay with you.

It's difficult to find fault with Baby Reindeer. The acting is brilliant across the board, Gadd's writing is excellent, and the only thing that might put some people off is the darkness of the subject matter. The show is raw and honest, and the characters don't always make the decisions we want them to make.

The show has moments that will stay with you; little awkward vignettes, some real-life horror, and a few sequences that are powerful enough to hurt. There's one particular scene near the end of the series that takes place on the standup stage, a soul-bearing monologue that's about as heart-wrenching as it's possible for TV to get.

In the end, though, nothing is neat. This isn't the type of show with a clear resolution. It's messy, thought-provoking, and — like a dream that's difficult to shake — you'll find your mind going back to it long after the credits have rolled.

How to watch: Baby Reindeer is now streaming on Netflix.

TL;DR: Stream Barcelona vs. PSG in the Champions League for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming service from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Barcelona secured an impressive win over PSG in the first leg of their quarter-final matchup, but the job is not done yet. Any team with Kylian Mbappé is dangerous, so PSG will still believe they can turn things around in Barcelona.

If you want to watch Barcelona vs. PSG for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Barcelona vs. PSG?

Barcelona vs. PSG kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on April 16. This fixture takes place at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Spain.

How to watch Barcelona vs. PSG for free

Barcelona vs. PSG is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.

RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland. This process makes it look like you're connecting from Ireland, so you can access RTÉ Player from anywhere in the world.

Unblock RTÉ Player 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 the UK

4. Visit RTÉ Player

5. Stream Barcelona vs. PSG for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) £82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs are not free, but leading services do tend to offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can gain access to RTÉ Player without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you time to stream Barcelona vs. PSG before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?

ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on free platforms like RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 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.

Watch Barcelona vs. PSG for free with ExpressVPN.

Guy Ritchie making a World War II movie is pretty much what you'd expect of Guy Ritchie making a World War II movie. Cast aside is the standard stern drama or rugged realism that's standard for "historical" war films. In its place is a giddy celebration of violent action sequences, macho determination, and flourishes of pop-flavored sex appeal. Even the cheeky title feels so in the vein of Ritchie's irreverently raucous yet deeply English early action-comedies, that it plays like a bit of a self-aware gag on its own. Like who else would direct a movie called The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare?

Look no further than the poster that boasts men's men — with superhero proportions and fabulous facial hair — alongside a barrage of flashy weaponry, and a hot dame sporting victory curls, her bold red lip pointed at the barrels of a pair of pistols. Where Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds drew inspiration from exploitation movies, Ritchie seems to be pulling his from the covers of pulp novels, where men were strapping and brave and women were full of curves and fatal instincts. 

SEE ALSO: Henry Cavill assembles 'The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare' in new trailer

The result is a movie that bursts with sensational slaughter scenes, chaotic charisma, and charged suspense. Still, Ritchie's strategizing is far from flawless.

What's The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare about?  Credit: Dan Smith for Lionsgate

Inspired by war journalist Damien Lewis' book Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII, Ritchie's latest film unfurls a stranger-than-fiction tale of sexy spies, tough guys, and enthusiastic Nazi-killers. Whereas his last war movie, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, was a somber tale of soldiers and their unjustly discarded allies, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare looks at its true story of World War II history through a lens that's spirited and sleek. It brandishes snappy dialogue, violence by everything from fists to grenades to arrows, and even a sultry lounge-singing musical number of "Mack The Knife," — notably a song about a blade-wielding London gangster, who sounds like he'd be well-suited to Ritchie's cinematic undergrounds.

Adapted by Ritchie, Paul Tamasy, Arash Amel, and Eric Johnson, the movie plays like the United Kingdom's answer to Suicide Squad. In 1940, England is under siege as Adolf Hitler's German U-boats cut the supply lines in the Atlantic Ocean. Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Men's Rory Kinnear in respectful grumble mode) is under pressure from his cabinet to surrender to the Nazis. Instead, he concocts a covert mission, bringing in a rogues gallery of eccentric rebels to blow up the German U-boats' supply ships, forcing Jerry into retreat.

Credit: Dan Smith for Lionsgate

A broad-shouldered and gloriously mustachioed Henry Cavill leads this motley crew of muscly misfits, playing Gus March-Phillipps, a British soldier currently imprisoned for insubordination — though you wouldn't know it from his swagger. With a crooked grin, Cavill struts into the war room with the bravado he brought to Ritchie's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with a spiciness that's more Cavill in Mission: Impossible: Fallout, when he thrilled audiences by cocking his biceps as if they were actual guns. The result is a WWII soldier who doesn't just shoot down Nazis, but does so with his tongue swinging out and wild as if he were auditioning for KISS. And yeah, that's exactly as fun as it sounds. And while March-Phillipps' real-life exploits are believed to be Ian Fleming's basis for James Bond, this is not a one-man show.

Rounding out his rowdy crew are Alex Pettyfer as steely (read: bit boring) British strategist Geoffrey Appleyard, Hero Fiennes Tiffin as vengeance-seeking Irish sailor, Henry Golding (also sporting fantastically debonair facial hair) as explosion-setting frogman Freddy Alvarez, and Fast X's Alan Ritchson as Anders Lassen, a Swedish soldier with a flare for showmanship when it comes to making Nazis uncomfortable or flat-out slaughtering them with whatever weapon is handy. While this crew sails to West Africa for an explosive rendezvous, on the ground in their target port are undercover spies Heron (Babs Olusanmokun) and Marjorie Stewart (Baby Driver's Eiza González), the latter of whom is an actress working the honeypot angle with top Nazi brass Heinrich Luhr (Inglorious Basterds' Til Schweiger). 

Alan Ritchson slyly steals this movie from Henry Cavill. Credit: Dan Smith for Lionsgate

Make no mistake. Cavill is a blast here. Freed from the demanded stiffness of heroes like the DCEU's Superman and The Witcher's Geralt, he clearly relishes the devil-may-care attitude of the ungentlemanly spy, exuding a mischievous allure. Ritchson, who've played his fair share of steely toughs in Fast X and Reacher, likewise lets loose, boasting an effervescence that's unexpected considering his mountainous frame. Indeed, he's even burlier than the former superhero star. The sheer beefiness of the pair make the well-fit Golding and Tiffin seem like Victorian wastrels by comparison. All together, they have a kinetic energy that's intoxicating, and fuels scenes of strategizing, spying, and onslaught alike. 

While Cavill's is the meatier role — more scenes, a budding romance, and scads of zippy one-liners — Ritchson's mix of silly Swedish meatball and jolly killing machine is so unexpected that it's mesmerizingly madcap. You can't guess what Lasse will do next, so even if he's in the background of a scene, your eyes may drift away from Cavill — and his sublime mustache and mugging — to Ritchson. Though a supporting role, Lasse reveals this brawny actor's terrific comedy chops, which has me hoping for a Ritchie reteam or Ritchson taking a cue from former pro-wrestler John Cena and diving into comedies. With his debonair and guileless yet goofy air, he'd be a secret weapon in a raunchy romp. 

SEE ALSO: John Cena has found his post-WWE niche as a raunchy comedy king Guy Ritchie pulls his punches in bizarre places.  Credit: Dan Smith for Lionsgate

While there is plenty of Nazi killing in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, it can feel bizarrely tame when compared to Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds, which also focused on a quirky crew hell-bent on Nazi annihilation. Hell, with German movie star Sweiger in both films, it's hard not to think of the former while watching the latter. The issue is not one of bodycount, as Ritchie offers numerous sequences where Nazis are mowed down. It's more a confoundingly conservative amount of bloodshed. 

Watching the film, I began to wonder if the flashing red lights over a submarine slaughter scene was meant to imply blood without showing it. Perhaps a trick to get around the MPAA and secure a PG-13 rating that would open up the movie's demographic to teenagers as well? But The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is rated R. So why shy away from blood spray?

Yet even more jarring is how Ritchie folds nudity into the film. When not embedded with March-Phillipps and his sailing crew, the movie follows the unflappable Heron and Marjorie in their undercover mission. Where he is an unflappable source for exposition dumps, she is the chiefly eye candy, sauntering around in slinky, glamorous gowns to distract the movie's main antagonist. Yet it's not this female character whose body will be exposed. Instead, in a scene that is troubling not only for its violence but also its abruptness, Ritchie illustrates just how vicious a bastard Schweiger's Nazi is by displaying the body of his latest victim.

Here, Ritchie makes a spectacle of a nude Black woman, who hangs limp, bloodied, and shackled in a shed. Her face is out of view. She's not even given a name. Where violence against the Nazis is treated with cinematic fanfare, here the focused violence against this woman is more horrific, revealed in only the silent aftermath. And yet, she is dehumanized by only existing in this movie for this shocking shot. (One might argue introducing Luhr with literal blood on his hands could have gotten the same point across without objectifying a Black body.)

Credit: Dan Smith for Lionsgate

Ritchie struggles with tone throughout the film, perhaps unsure how playful to be in a movie where genocide is inherently a backdrop. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare offers slight perspective by noting several of the titular heroes are specifically joining the fight because Nazis have murdered their loved ones. This brings a very American sense of cinematic justice as the heroes gun down these bigoted villains, while sporting big smiles.

Featured Video For You 'The Gentlemen' cast on what makes the TV series.

Historical underpinnings aside, Ritchie's movie wobbles when it leans away from its pulp bravado to more Casablanca moments. Tense conversations over coffee begin stirring but become a slog as Ritchie can't get a handle on the proper pacing. As such, when the focus shifts from the brawny boatsmen, the movie often sinks a bit — despite the earnest efforts of a snarling Schweiger, a poised Olusanmokun, a gusto-fueled González, and Danny Sapani, who is utterly compelling as a devilishly charming pirate king. 

In the end, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has its moments, harkening back to the winsome rogues and madcap mayhem of Ritchie's early gems, like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Overall though, this is a rickety ride, disrupted by dramatic tonal shifts that can make some bits boring, and one scene that is so haunting that it's hard to swing back into the ferocious fun of this mirthfully menacing ministry. 

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare opens in theaters April 19.

STARTING AT $44: Save on airfare during JetBlue's Hit Refresh Sale when you book by April 18 for travel from May 7 through June 12. Plus, get $200 off flight and hotel or flight and cruise packages with promo code REFRESH200.

Opens in a new window Credit: JetBlue JetBlue Hit Refresh Sale Save on airfare starting at $44, and get $200 off packages with promo code REFRESH200 Get Deal

Thinking about getting away this spring? Now's the perfect time to lock in some cheap airfare if you're planning on flying the friendly skies with JetBlue.

As of April 16, you can save big during JetBlue's Hit Refresh Sale with fares starting at just $44 when you book a flight by April 18 for travel from May 7 through June 12. There are a wide variety of flights to choose from, including one-way and round-trip options to destinations across the country or around the world. The lowest price we saw was $44 for a one-way fare, but prices vary depending on your departure airport and destination. Plus, you can save $200 on flight and hotel and flight and cruise packages with promo code REFRESH200. Those will set you back a bit more, but you'll still be charged much less than booking everything separately.

SEE ALSO: 9 overlooked and underrated travel essentials

The fares available at these low prices are nonrefundable and nontransferable and are up for grabs on a limited basis. They're for travel on Tuesday and Wednesday, so if flying during the week is out, this deal might not work for you. But if you have somewhere you need to go (or want to get away to) and want to pay less, this could be a great deal for you. Just expect to pay extra for bells and whistles, including additional checked bags.

SAVE $23.90: An annual membership to Whoop is just $215.10, marked down from the normal price of $239. That's a 10% savings. A Whoop 4.0 wearable tracker comes free with the membership.

Opens in a new window Credit: Whoop Annual membership to Whoop + free Whoop 4.0 wearable $215.10 at Whoop
$239.00 Save $23.90 Get Deal

Keeping on track with fitness goals can feel impossible. If you're looking for an accountability partner, today's deal could be a great solution to not only keep track of fitness, but overall wellbeing.

Until April 28, an annal membership to Whoop is just $215.10, marked down from the normal price of $239. That's a 10% discount or a savings of $23.90. This deal includes a free Whoop 4.0 wearable device. Whoop accessories are also on sale for up to 25% off.

Many fitness trackers aim to count your steps and monitor heartrate. Whoop takes these basics but adds in plenty more that can give people a deeper insight into not only fitness, but overall wellness. The Whoop 4.0 wearable is a simple wrist band with a waterproof and wireless battery. Unlike most fitness trackers, the Whoop 4.0 doesn't have a watch face — which might be preferable for some people. Through the Whoop membership, the device tracks metrics like real-time stress levels, fitness trends, and sleep quality, as well as calculating a daily performance score.

Freelance writer Sam Stone's review of the Whoop 4.0 for Mashable explained that the Whoop device and membership is great for people who are committed to a serious workout and wellness schedule. "The Whoop 4.0 purports to be about a more holistic version of fitness, which is why, in addition to tracking how you put your body under stress or strain, also offers a daily habit journal. If you’re consistent with it, the app will offer insights into how your habits affect your sleep and workouts."

While this deal includes the wearable Whoop 4.0 and an Onyx band, the spring sale has marked some Whoop accessories down by as much as 25% so you can choose a colorful or printed band at a discount.

If you're looking for a way to commit to health and wellness, the Whoop wearable device and membership could help keep you on track. Save 10% on a Whoop annual membership through April 28.

We’re beyond the golden age of television. We’re lucky enough to be living in the platinum era, with a slew of incredible shows to spark your conversations. The hard part is finding the right streaming service in a sea of options. 

If conversation-worthy TV at an affordable price point is what you’re after, Hulu should be on your list for one-stop streaming services. Here are just a few reasons why. 

Binge-worthy shows

Hulu is home to the two biggest Emmy award winners in comedy: The Bear and Abbott Elementary — and it’s the perfect time to catch up. There are new episodes of Abbott Elementary dropping right now, and the third season of The Bear is set for release in less than two months. 

Award winners aside, some of the most-talked-about shows of the moment are available to stream on Hulu, like the much-anticipated American Horror Story: Delicate (Part 2). 

Plus, if you have cable favorites, Hulu helps you avoid spoilers. Unlike other streaming platforms, they release most new episodes at midnight the day after they air live. 

Bundles for every budget

As one of the oldest streaming services around (it launched way back in 2007) Hulu has managed to keep costs low for subscribers without sacrificing quality or quantity in the content library. And since Disney acquired Hulu, the bundle deals are better than what it was.  

The starting plan is just $7.99 for ad-supported viewing. With no ads, it’s $17.99 per month. If you want to add on Disney+ and ESPN+, you’re looking at $14.99 a month with ads or $24.99 a month without ads. If you love watching shows or sports live, you can bundle Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, and Live TV with unlimited DVR for $76.99 per month with ads, or $89.99 per month without. All plans have a 30-day free trial available to new subscribers. 

Diverse streaming for every type of viewer

Outside of TV shows, Hulu has a little bit of everything. 

Cinefiles can get through the catalog of movies like Black Swan and Parasite before exploring the many channel add-ons. As for sports, the live TV bundle has you well and truly covered with CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN 2, local channels in your zip code, and more. 

If anime is your thing, Hulu is the pick of the major streaming services with new and classic titles like My Hero Academia, Himuto! Umaru-chan and Ghost in the Shell. And when you need to wind down with a documentary, you can choose from celebrity biopics, fashion stories, nature documentaries, and more. 

With Emmy-winning and new shows, a huge back catalog of entertainment spanning multiple genres, and great value bundle plans, Hulu is the best way to consolidate your streaming services and get the most of everything in one affordable plan. 

Sign up for your 30-day free trial here.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Something for every budget at Hulu
Add Disney+, ESPN+ and Live TV Shop Now

A newly released report alleges Big Tech's ad transparency tools are failing across the board — with X scoring the worst at providing meaningful data that can help users, journalists, and advocates keep a watchful eye on scams and disinformation.

If "ad transparency" isn't a familiar term, that's probably because it's a somewhat counterintuitive concept. With TV ads, you generally know the sponsor — it's announced front and center. Digital ads are more slippery. Even when the fact that something is an ad is disclosed, exactly who is advertising what, and why still may not be clear. If a platform fails to provide robust digital ad transparency information to those who request it, it's harder to track hoaxes and scrutinize sketchy or scammy ad practices.

SEE ALSO: The return of political campaign ads to X/Twitter raises important questions for users A report 'stress-testing' tech platforms' ad repositories

The digital survey was conducted by Mozilla and CheckFirst, a software solutions company providing tools to counter and monitor disinformation. It analyzed a dozen ad transparency tools created by tech platforms to aid advertising monitors, including those on X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Alphabet’s Google Search, and Meta and Apple sites. Using guidelines from the European Union’s 2023 Digital Services Act (DSA) and Mozilla's in-house ad library guidelines, the organizations scanned the platforms' ad repositories for things like public availability, the contents of advertisements, payer details, and user targeting details.  

"Ad transparency tools are essential for platform accountability — a first line of defense, like smoke detectors," said Mozilla EU advocacy lead Claire Pershan. "But our research shows most of the world’s largest platforms are not offering up functionally useful ad repositories. The current batch of tools exist, yes — but in some cases, that’s about all that can be said about them.”

Not one of the analyzed advertising repositories tested well, and few if any were easy to find to begin with. Before researchers can even begin testing whether ad transparency measures are accurate, they must wade through incompatible, opaque services, the report explains. 

X stood out as the worst scorer on data accessibility and search capabilities, only providing watchdogs with a single CSV file. "X’s transparency tools are an utter disappointment," explained Pershan. "Its repository offers no filtering and sorting capabilities; ads can only be accessed through a cumbersome CSV export file; the content of ads is not disclosed (only a URL to the ads), and there are gaps in targeting parameters and recipient data. And searching for historical content is nearly impossible. All this may be why the European Commission has included X’s ad repository in its formal proceedings against the platform under the DSA."

The report also found common, glaring gaps in ad transparency tools across the board, including:

• Ads missing from repositories that were visible to users. 

• Inconsistent public access to ad information.

• Poor search functions impeding ad oversight.

Another concerning fact: "Only a handful of the platforms analyzed have a repository for branded or influencer content, even though many allow for influencer content on their services," the researchers report.

SEE ALSO: AI might be influencing your vote this election. How to spot and respond to it. The ups and downs of the advertising landscape 

These figures are especially worrisome in a contentious election year, one that is already stoking fear about intentional disinformation campaigns, the role of AI, and the influence of Big Tech leaders on candidate advertising and voter awareness. 

Last year, X CEO Elon Musk announced the site was reversing its previous election policy banning political advertising from campaigns and political parties. Disinformation watch dogs went on alert immediately. Other platforms, like Meta and Google, have added new advertising policies ahead of the election to assuage generative AI threats. 

Advertising across Big Tech platforms has become a hot-button topic in a sporadically regulated industry. On sites like TikTok and X, ads are crowding out user-generated content. 

In June 2023, Google's advertising business came under fire from both the U.S. government and the European Union, accused of violating both unions' antitrust laws. In recent months, Google has amped up its advertising scrutiny, most recently announcing a ban on ads that feature fake endorsements, an apparent response to a Mashable investigation. 

But there's been a positive shift along this bumpy road: In the five years since Mozilla and a panel of independent researchers released its advertising API guidelines in 2019, 11 of the world’s largest tech companies have introduced ad repositories. According to the report, both Google and Facebook have since updated their services with ad targeting criteria, engagement and historical data, and better filtering. 

"Who pays for ads and how they’re targeted is crucial in helping watchdogs look out for the public interest — whether that's fair elections, public health, or social justice," said co-founder and chief technology officer for CheckFirst Amaury Lesplingart. "In short, if you see an ad telling you that climate change is a hoax, you might be interested to know if that ad’s paid for by the fossil fuel industry." 

Arcadian actors Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins sit down for a game of "Slash or Pass" with Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko. Arcadian hits theaters April 12, 2024.

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: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for April 16 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for April 16

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, April 16, 2024:

AcrossThere are 10 in this puzzle

• The answer is clues.

Try to sack, as a quarterback

• The answer is runat.

With 8-Across, post-touchdown attempt

• The answer is extra.

See 7-Across

• The answer is point.

Lock of hair

• The answer is tress.

DownMoved stealthily

The answer is crept.

Las Vegas hotel shaped like a pyramid

• The answer is Luxor.

Remove, as a string

• The answer is untie.

Makes on the job

• The answer is earns.

Fodder for a sports wonk

• The answer is stats.

Not only is the orgasm gap between men and women real — so is the research gap. Women's health lacks research funding, according to science journal Nature, and there are many more studies about "male ejaculation" than "female orgasm" on the PubMed database (1,980 pages of results for the former, and 438 pages for the latter). 

Flo Health, a women's health app with over 60 million global users, is hoping to bridge that gap. Today, Flo launches a worldwide study of female orgasms. In partnership with adjunct professor of clinical psychology and health psychology at the University of Utah, Jordan Rullo, Flo will assess anonymized insights from tens of thousands of women, according to the app's press release. Rullo is also Flo's medical expert and cerified sex therapist.

SEE ALSO: Why you can orgasm from masturbation but struggle to come during sex

Flo's study is open to most app users who are 18 and over and use the app in English, according to Flo Health's director of science, Dr. Liudmila Zhaunova. Users can self-report on their sexual behaviors, experiences, lifestyle factors, and their demographic.

"Flo's science team will meticulously analyze the results over a three-month timeframe to better understand women's sexual practices and how these, and their personal circumstances, relate to sexual pleasure, orgasms, and sexual satisfaction," Zhaunova told Mashable.

The current largest orgasm study survey — about the differences in orgasm frequency among different populations, published in 2017 — had around 25,000 female participants, Zhaunova said. Because Flo has over 60 million users, Zhaunova and the Flo team are aiming to recruit a globally representative audience of over 25,000 respondents. If they succeed, this would be the largest global study of female orgasms to date.

This study, and more education about women's pleasure, is sorely needed. Sex education in the U.S. and elsewhere is lacking: As of 2023, only 18 states require sex ed to be medically accurate, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In the UK, LGBTQ sex education is under threat by conservatives.

Previous surveys from Flo indicate the need for more education on the topic. Nearly one-third, 30 percent, of women aged 18 to 55 falsely believe that the more sex one has, the "looser" their vagina becomes (according to a survey of 2,000 women in the U.S.). Fifteen percent wrongly think masturbation can make their period come faster — while 18 percent overall and 30 percent who identify as conservative consider masturbation itself to be shameful or wrong. 

Twelve percent simply assume new information they learn about sex and reproduction is accurate, and don't take extra steps to confirm it's true; 43 percent go to Google or another search engine to confirm if this info is accurate.

We're uneducated and yet we want our sex lives to improve. In another survey, this one of 2,100 U.S. women aged 18 to 45, 30 percent want to improve their sex life. Among those, 60 percent want to improve how they communicate their desires. But, 66 percent don't think their male partner has a good understanding of their reproductive health.

Flo has surveyed men as well. Just above half, 51 percent, think they have a good understanding of the female body — but they haven't heard of the orgasm gap. Nineteen percent go to porn to learn about the female body, while 18 percent learn from YouTube or Reddit. Over half don't think the sex ed they received as teens was sufficient, in a survey of 1,800 U.S. men aged 18 to 50 conducted in August 2023.

SEE ALSO: Top 5 NSFW sites to learn what porn didn't teach you

Results from this new survey are expected this summer, said Flo Health senior research scientist and medical writer, Dr. Yella Hewings-Martin. 

Flo isn't the first app to study women's orgasms. Lioness, a smart vibrator that gathers opt-in data, released Pleasure Wrapped at the end of 2023. Lioness found that orgasms lasted 24.01 seconds on average, and the typical masturbation session was around five minutes. 

Lioness, however, focused on data obtained by usage of its smart sex toy. Flo will rely on self-reported survey data from thousands of women.

"We hope that the results of our study will enhance women's understanding of navigating their sexual experiences and pleasure, supported by real-life data from peers worldwide," said Zhaunova in Flo's press release. "This year, we look forward to helping close this glaring research gap and aim to contribute toward improving the sexual experiences of millions of women around the world."

ChatGPT vs. Gemini is the AI showdown I've been itching to stage – and now I’m finally pitting the most popular chatbots in a head-to-head, nail-biting match.

ChatGPT, a brainchild of AI startup OpenAI, is far from the first AI chatbot to hit mainstream popularity, but I’d argue it was the first in recent years to kick off a fierce AI race. After it launched in November 2022, its traffic peaked at a whopping 1.8 billion users, according to analytics firm Similarweb (via TheWrap).

Soon after, a proliferation of AI began. From Snapchat AI and Meta AI to Samsung Galaxy AI and X’s Grok, it seemed like there was a chatbot launching every day. 

However, only one seems to be a true ChatGPT rival: Google Gemini (formerly Google Bard). Like Microsoft-backed ChatGPT, Gemini is supported by one of the most prominent tech giants — and has plenty of rich data to tap into, including Google Maps, Google Search, Google Translate, and more.

But the question is, does Gemini beat ChatGPT? We put both to the test in a five-round match.

SEE ALSO: I spent a week using AI tools in my daily life. Here's how it went. ChatGPT vs. Gemini: Methodology

I used ChatGPT and Gemini's free tiers for this showdown. I tested both AI chatbots using the same question across the following five topics: food, finance, travel, creativity, and historical information. Ding, ding, ding! Let’s see who wins.

Round 1: Food

Based on what's in my kitchen, let's see which AI chatbot can offer the best recipe suggestion. Here's my prompt:

I have the following in my kitchen: green plantains, whole-grain linguine and rotini, garlic, onion, granulated chicken bouillon, kidney beans, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, lime, lemon, tomatoes, spring onions, carrots, butter, milk, oil, garlic powder, salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Name one recipe I can make that uses as much as these ingredients as possible.

ChatGPT's response Credit: Mashable / ChatGPT Gemini's response Credit: Mashable / ChatGPT

I may be biased because I have a Caribbean background, but Gemini's recipe suggestion sounds far tastier. ChatGPT's recommendation, however, seems a bit haphazard. The veggies in my kitchen don't seem ideal for stir fry — at least, not for my picky taste.

Winner: Gemini

Round 2: Finances

Using a fictitious person called "Joe," I used the following financial-focused prompt for ChatGPT and Gemini:

Joe makes $3,000 a month (after taxes) in Brooklyn, New York in 2024. Between housing, transportation, groceries, dining out, savings (retirement), and disposable income, create a monthly budget chart.

ChatGPT's response ChatGPT will have Joe eating Ramen every month. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable Gemini's response Gemini's response seems a little more realistic. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

To be fair, this is a head-scratching conundrum. Even humans struggle with creating a monthly budgets for themselves, particularly those with five-figure yearly incomes in high-cost-of-living cities. As such, it's no wonder that ChatGPT and Gemini botched their responses.

I couldn't help but exclaim "Huh?!" after reading ChatGPT's chart. Why is it carving out a budget for rent that is higher than the allotted $3,000? I'd also argue that $177 for transportation too low, but I'm willing to look the other way if Joe is a remote worker (or owns a bicycle or scooter).

Plus, spending less than $90 a week on groceries would be quite the challenge. I'd probably allocate more dining out and retirement money for supermarket shopping.

Although Gemini's $1,050 monthly rent suggestion is laughable, with a roommate (or two), it's feasible. There's too much in the transportation budget, particularly for someone with access to public transportation. I would cut down some of that and add it to groceries pool. Dining out could use a reduction, but the rest is tolerable.

Winner: Gemini

Round 3: Travel

I used ChatGPT for a trip to Costa Rica — and it failed miserably. I don't have any upcoming vacations, but I asked ChatGPT and Gemini to create a weekend itinerary for my local area.

It's Saturday and I live in Valley Stream. I want to have an active, adventurous day with lots of entertainment. Create an itinerary for me from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Start with breakfast at the best spot in Valley Stream and end with dinner at the best spot in Valley Stream.

ChatGPT's response Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable Gemini's response Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Save for Valley Stream State Park, all of ChatGPT's suggestions are out of town. I also specifically stated that I did not want lunch included in the itinerary, but it deliberately disobeyed me. Oh well. On the plus side, Frank's Steaks sounds very delicious.

Gemini, on the other hand, listed locations that are actually in town, including Valbrook Diner and Ben's Crab. However, there's a four-hour gap in the itinerary. Am I supposed to just twiddle my thumbs between rock climbing and dinner? Also, it seems like Gemini completely made up "Rockaway Adventure Zone" — I can't seem to find this establishment via Google.

Winner: Draw

Round 4: Creativity

Let's test ChatGPT and Gemini's creativity.

In the voice of Eminem, tell me how TikTok is affecting society.

ChatGPT's response Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable Gemini's response Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Gemini has the better response. It has a flow that is more reminiscent of the "Lose Yourself" rapper. Plus, the expletives are very on brand.

Winner: Gemini

Round 5: Historical facts

I thought it'd be interesting to test ChatGPT and Gemini's accuracy with fashion history.

Which decade was it fashionable and popular to wear one's name on a chunky statement belt?

ChatGPT's response You finally got it right, ChatGPT. Congratulations. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable Gemini's response Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Finally, ChatGPT prevailed over Gemini in this round. The answer I'm looking for is early 2000s.

Winner: ChatGPT

ChatGPT vs. Gemini: Which is the winner?

The clear winner of this five-round match is Gemini. In three rounds, Google AI chatbot provided better answers. However, if you ever need any help with fashion history, ChatGPT's your best bet, I guess.

Oh, you thought the possibilities of generative AI were already terrifying enough? Well, we've got some bad news for you. Adobe has just released a video showcasing its Adobe Firefly video model, and it comes with a whole host of unnerving generative AI tricks.

"Adobe is using the power of generative AI to deliver the most advanced and precise editing tools ever in Premiere Pro," says the cheerful over-the-top narration, before showcasing how AI will soon be used to generate objects that weren't there before, delete unwanted objects, extend scenes and create generated backdrops.

The video stresses that "content credentials" will "always make transparent whether AI was used", but obviously that only goes so far as the Adobe programme itself. With streamers and movies already coming under fire for sneaking AI into their final products, it seems inevitable that advancing technology like this is only going to make it harder and harder to tell what's real on our screens.

Since returning to host The Daily Show on Monday, Jon Stewart has spent quite a bit of time discussing the ongoing war in Gaza.

On Monday, with the situation having escalated over the weekend when Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel, Stewart returned to the topic — and during a direct address to the Middle East, he took aim at the West's historical and ongoing interference in the region.

"Listen, I hope this doesn't sound patronising, but when we in the West drew your regions' borders and set you up with perfectly functioning dictatorships, we expected a little better," says Stewart in the clip above.

"See the agreement was, we would make up a whole new bunch of countries, some of which made sense, and in return you would give us your delicious oil. That was the deal. You give us your delicious oil, and we...take it. We certainly didn't expect to get drawn in to all the drama that our actions created.

"And now, these wars have got us all turned around! At one point we're helping Iraq fight Iran, and then we're invading Iraq, and now we're helping Iran fight ISIS, and then we're using ISIS to help fight Houthis who are backed by Iran, and I mean fuck! In Gaza we're actually bombing them and feeding them, how do you think that makes us feel?"

You can see more recent segments from The Daily Show here.

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

Hookup culture is all about keeping things casual, and there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone gets stuck in a sexual rut at some point in their lives, and trying to take strangers home from a bar or constantly texting your ex can be exhausting. If you're struggling to find a match in the real world, it might be time to put your faith in dating sites.

When we think about these sites, it's normal to go straight to the likes of Match, eharmony, EliteSingles, and other marriage-minded options, but not everyone is thinking about something so serious. Sometimes all you want is a little fun, and there's an app for that.

How do you find a hookup?

It's still possible to find a connection in the real world, because meeting in bars, clubs, parks, and other real-life locations still happens on a regular basis. You're simply shortening your odds by subscribing to a dating site. Why not give yourself the best chance of success? You know it makes sense.

Dating sites and sex apps allow you to get your information out there to a massive network of like-minded individuals. Plus, you can save a lot of time, energy, and cash by testing out a potential relationship on an app before meeting up. We know that some dating apps can be expensive, but just think about all those wasted coffees you could avoid by chatting through an app first.

SEE ALSO: The best sexting apps for sending naughty messages

Lastly, using dating apps and sites is a whole lot less intimidating than meeting someone face to face. If you find the idea of meeting people slightly terrifying, these apps can help you dip your toe into the world of dating from the comfort of your own home.

Should you use free dating apps?

The good news is that there are a lot of free dating sites and apps out there, and the likes of Tinder and Hinge are popular options with massive networks of users. Plus, most of the biggest and best dating sites have free versions with limitations on certain features. So yes, you can easily enter the online dating game without spending anything. However, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for with dating apps. And sometimes free apps just don't cut it.

For the best experience with the greatest possibility of finding exactly what you're looking for, you are going to have to cough up some cash. We're sorry to break it to you, but the best dating sites don't come cheap. It all comes down to access to advanced and premium features. You can still find a hookup with a free app, but if you're looking for compatibility tests, chat rooms, videos, and a greater level of control, we recommend upgrading.

What makes an app good for hooking up?

When it comes to sex apps, you probably don't mind long questionnaires or in-depth profiles, but when you're just looking for a casual hookup, that all seems unnecessary. Sure, you want to gauge that you're at least a little compatible and not hooking up with a complete psychopath. The best hookup apps have quick and easy bios or prompts that give you an insight into who you'd be getting down and dirty with.

Photos are also a huge factor in good hookup apps. Some sex apps and dating sites gatekeep people's pics unless you have a paid subscription, and we don't really love that. Apps that show the full view of someone's profile are the way to go. You definitely want to make sure you're physically attracted to the person you're going to be having sex with.

What is the best sex and dating app for hooking up?

The good news is that there are absolutely loads of dating sites and sex apps out there for every type of dater and dating situation. The problem with this wealth of options is that deciding on the right site for you can be difficult. This is where we can help.

We have tracked down a strong selection of your best options for hooking up, with sites like AdultFriendFinder and iHookup making the cut. There should be something for everyone in this list, so what do you have to lose?

These are the best hookup sites and apps in 2024.

Andy Samberg pretty much makes any late night interview better, and that goes double when it involves gleefully roasting his old SNL pal Seth Meyers.

In the clip above Samberg crashes Meyers' appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to heckle Meyers' new podcast, The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, which features Samberg himself.

"Here's the thing about podcasts," Samberg relents, eventually pulling up a backpack chair to join Meyers and Kimmel. "Even though they suck, ours is great. You gotta check it out."

Harold Halibut — the debut game of Germany-based indie studio Slow Bros. — feels like a warm batch of cookies that grandma made on a nice, Sunday afternoon. There's a labor of love that radiates within that made my 10+ hour playthrough more enjoyable than it should've been. Adventure games have fallen out of popularity, but the highs of Halibut are so high at times, that it's almost forgiven how dull the game can feel in most moments.

In development since 2012, the narrative-adventure game is a love letter to stop-motion and the dry, snappy humor of a Wes Anderson-esque film. If Isle of Dogs and The Life Aquatic had a child, I'd figure it'd be Harold Halibut.

Credit: Slow Bros. Welcome to the Fedora

The story follows the game's namesake, Harold Halibut, a "young" lab assistant on board the Fedora I, a colony ship that left Earth in the 70s. Some odd 200 years later, it has crashed landed into an ocean planet, remaining submerged in water for 50 years. Harold is a simple and sincere man. He's a daydreamer who longs for a life more meaningful than his menial existence as a handyman aboard the Fedora.

Credit: Slow Bros.

Harold has a bit of empty-minded optimism and sincerity to him that makes him weirdly charming — and also makes him the unwitting therapist to the quirky cast of seafaring characters.

Thus, the bulk of the gameplay in this narrative adventure is walking between conversations as Harold acts as a handyman to the crew in more ways than just technical. I'd imagine, a lot of Harold's grief in life extends to always helping and never being helped. To his credit, the narrative presents Harold as happy to do the work. He loves and respects the crew — even as, at the worst of times, some characters treat Harold with contempt.

The ship's police officer thinks you're always trying to get in trouble, several characters refuse to remember your name at the start, and the scientist you work under, Jeanne Mareaux, is constantly talking down on you any chance she gets.

It's weird how much these characters rely on Harold despite, at times, feeling like they don't even like the guy. Even weirder how sincere the game's plot treats said characters.

Wake up Mr. Halibut, wake up!

Minor spoilers for some of the side stories during the game, but throughout the narrative, you, as Harold, will be asked to handle tasks such as helping the general store owner deal with his marriage; figuring out the riff between a quadruple of elderly twins; and helping your ex-girlfriend convince the hot dog vendor to change locations because it's interrupting her fledgling cupcake business.

These conversations can get boring at times, but there are flashes of strong writing when characters muse about deeper themes like religion, life's meaning, and late-stage capitalism. In these moments, I found myself the most interested in what Harold Halibut had to say — but those instances were brief and weren't ever really challenged by the narrative.

For example, the game starts with Harold being held by the ship's police officer for an unpaid fine for using the wrong pass to travel the tube systems. The tube system, an underwater variation of a subway owned by the capitalistic All Water company, is the main form of transportation around the ship. Despite being stranded in the middle of the ocean and having not had any form of contact with Earth since leaving 200 years ago, the crew still has to pay for food, energy, and transportation. This is an absurdity that is talked about and pointed out on many occasions but only by literal kids.

Harold rightly points out that paying to use the tubes is absurd and that All Water changes the pass requirements so much it seems designed to get people caught so they can pay fines. The story doesn't really challenge this, and because Harold is saying this, most of the characters think he's being dim.

Credit: Slow Bros.

In another moment, and without getting too "spoilery," a character explains to Harold how they live without money and that the community just helps each other out in contrast to the banal existence on board the Fedora. To which Harold replies "I don't get it." And that's that — it's never mentioned again.

Adventure awaits

I haven't talked about gameplay much because there's not much game to play. Harold Halibut is a tried-and-true adventure game that takes full advantage of being operated in an immersive 3D environment. All the characters and environments that you'll interact with are handcrafted and the game revels in the little details. As the narrative progresses, so too will the environments to reflect the various changes Harold and Co. have had to change and adapt to.

It's more of an experience than a video game, which is like most adventure games, but without a lot of puzzles to solve. The game itself fully acknowledges this with characters jokingly poking jabs at the common tropes of adventure games.

During my interaction with Bridgit, the energy scientist of the Fedora, I was tasked with taking a rock sample to her lap. After her experiments were done, she messaged me saying the rock was ready to be analyzed in Mareaux's lab. Normally, adventure game logic dictates that you have to go to Brigit's office to grab the rock and then travel back to Mareaux's lab. However, when I got there, Brigit was surprised and said the rock was sent through the conveyor system and that it'd be evil of her to make me go back and forth like that.

Another time, I was tasked with borrowing some books from a local vendor. However, I needed to find something to carry them. Actually no, though, because the vendor had a grocery bag right next to him. It was moments like this that made me appreciate the humor and writing despite how dull things can get at times.

Is Harold Halibut worth it?

Throughout the six chapters of Harold Halibut, I found a lot of it was spent on my phone. And while that may sound harsh, I think the game itself just has some severe pacing issues that make it hard to get into the story at times. Plus, the repetitiveness of the back-and-forth walking throughout made me long for a better game – just like Harold longs for a better life outside the Fedora.

However, the spectacular visuals kept me hooked and there are moments in the game that suggested a bolder, more radical story beneath the surface. That story isn't fully fleshed to my liking, and if the game was just a tad bit shorter, I would fully recommend this to anyone nostalgic for the golden age of adventure games.

As it stands now though, I think you can get a lot of bang for your buck with Harold Halibut, but if you're prone to fast bouts of boredom, I'd skip this one.

There are volcanoes erupting hundreds of millions of miles beyond Earth. And a NASA spacecraft is watching it happen.

The space agency's Juno probe, which has orbited Jupiter since 2016, swooped by the gas giant's volcanic moon Io last week, its last close planned flyby. The craft captured a world teeming with volcanoes, which you can see in the footage below.

"We're seeing an incredible amount of detail on the surface," Ashley Davies, a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who researches Io, told Mashable in February after a recent Io flyby. "It's just a cornucopia of data. It's just extraordinary."

SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.

These impressive views are processed (removing noise and distortion, etc.) by both professional and amateur image processors, some of whom work for NASA or related space research programs. The darker spots are usually volcanoes or hot spots.

Two volcanic plumes recently spotted on the Jovian moon Io. Credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt / CC BY 3.0 Unported Tweet may have been deleted The Jovian moon Io, in the foreground, with the ice-clad moon Europa in the distance. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Kevin M. Gill / CC BY 3.0 Unported The volcanic moon Io as captured on April 9, 2024. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Ted Stryk / CC BY 3.0 Unported

Io is blanketed in erupting volcanoes because it's relentlessly locked in a tug-of-war between nearby objects, including the colossal Jupiter. "Not only is the biggest planet in the solar system forever pulling at it gravitationally, but so are Io’s Galilean siblings — Europa and the biggest moon in the solar system, Ganymede," NASA explained in a statement. "The result is that Io is continuously stretched and squeezed, actions linked to the creation of the lava seen erupting from its many volcanoes."

This volcanic world, a world a little bigger than Earth's moon, is ceaseless erupting. Just in recent months, Juno observed a hazy plume over the volcano Prometheus. NASA's Galileo mission also captured a plume above these fields of lava in the year 2000. And the first-ever observations of Io, captured by the pioneering Voyager 1 craft, spotted at least eight different active volcanoes.

Indeed, it's a land of lava, plumes, and extreme eruptions.

Featured Video For You NASA spacecraft gets extremely close to volcanic world, snaps footage

Shōgun Tuesday is a sacred day on my X timeline.

Every week, viewers of FX's staggering historical epic flock to the internet to post their thoughts about the show's latest episode, whether it be shocked reactions to Toranaga's (Hiroyuki Sanada) latest political plays, satisfaction at Mariko's (Anna Sawai) poised verbal takedowns of her husband Buntaro (Shinnosuke Abe), or enjoyment of the many, many, many times John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) asks to be reunited with his men and his ship. Often, these reactions take the form of memes — and I can't get enough.

SEE ALSO: 'Shōgun' review: 2024's first great TV epic is here

As it turns out, neither can Shōgun's writers.

"You have these inside jokes in the writers' room. They're our own memes for so many years, so it's just nice to not be alone anymore," Shōgun showrunner, co-creator, and executive producer Justin Marks told Mashable. Marks co-created and executive produced Shōgun with Rachel Kondo, and in a joint interview with Mashable, the pair revealed their favorite internet responses to the series.

The enduring power of "my men and my ship." Cosmo Jarvis in "Shōgun." Credit: Katie Yu / FX

One of the Shōgun plot elements that's only grown more meme-worthy over time is English pilot John Blackthorne's insistence that he be reunited with his men and his ship. Seriously, if Blackthorne ever goes an episode without mentioning his men or his ship, we may be in an Invasion of the Body Snatchers situation, because that would not be the Blackthorne we know.

Tweet may have been deleted

According to Kondo and Marks, the Shōgun writers' room also loved Blackthorne's singular fixation throughout the series — and so did Blackthorne actor Cosmo Jarvis.

"There were some times while shooting where Cosmo was like, 'I just think we've lost the thread of 'my men and my ship' again," Marks said. The writers would then suggest new men-and-ship-centric lines to add, and they would inevitably end up in the show.

"It always hit, every time," Marks continued. "Every time it started to come up, we would laugh in the edit."

SEE ALSO: 'Shōgun' episode 9: Mariko's gate scene revisits a key moment from episode 3. Here's why. Fuji is the reaction queen of Shōgun. Moeka Hoshi in "Shōgun." Credit: Katie Yu / FX

Another Shōgun meme MVP is highborn Lady Fuji (Moeka Hoshi), who endures unspeakable tragedy in the show's first episode, yet who continues on to deliver some of the sharpest, most memorable, and even funniest reaction shots in the entire show. Take her disgusted response to Blackthorne leaving a pigeon outside to rot, or her calmly drawing a gun on Omi (Hiroto Kanai). And of course, every one of her pointed sips of tea is ripe for reaction giffing.

Tweet may have been deleted

"We always felt like someday Fuji's reactions would become something, because we were always loving them in the writers' room," said Marks. "Then when we cast Moeka to play that part, we really felt like we had someone who had this silent film aura that we were always after." The writers' room have even started their own Fuji appreciation thread in honor of one of Shōgun's breakouts.

SEE ALSO: 'Shōgun' is a master class in period costuming Yabushige is an internet icon. Tadanobu Asano in "Shōgun." Credit: Katie Yu / FX

Another Shōgun breakout is Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), the Lord of Izu. And what's not to love? His attempts to play both sides of the conflict between Toranaga and Ishido (Takehiro Hira) hilariously never play out according to plan, he keeps a tier list ranking ways of dying, and he's a reaction king in his own right. (Who can forget "I don't have time for this Christian nonsense?")

Tweet may have been deleted

The Shōgun writers never had anyone but Asano in mind for the role of Yabushige, keeping a photo of him with long hair and a tuxedo on the wall in the writers' room. "It felt like, 'this guy's here to party,'" Marks said of the photo. "So we wrote that as the vibe for Yabushige. Then Carlos Rosario, our costume designer, came up with the black swan feather jinbaori, and we knew that was it. He was going to show up like David Bowie coming on stage, and it's nice that people feel the same way that we do about him."

"All the actors commandeer their characters so fully that's it's really hard to tangle out how we initially thought of them," Kondo added of Asano's fan-favorite performance. "How Tadanobu plays Yabushige now, I can't imagine the character before he was a part of the show."

Shōgun is full of dark comedy — just look at Nagakado's fate. Yuki Kura in "Shōgun." Credit: Katie Yu / FX

The meme-worthiness of Shōgun may seem surprising on the surface, given its gravitas and epic historical scope. But this is a show that consistently finds humor in its heaviest moments. Look no farther than the end of episode 7, "A Stick of Time." In the episode's final scene, Toranaga's son, Nagakado (Yuki Kura), attempts to kill Toranaga's brother, Saeki (Eita Okuno), during a rainy raid on Ajiro's brothel. Just as he's about to deal the killing blow, he slips on Saeki's wet clothing — Marks referred to this as "the banana peel moment" — and cracks his skull open.

"Anybody who doesn't think we're doing a comedy in some way, I hope [episode] 7 has put that one to bed in terms of what we were after when it came to straight-faced comedy," Marks said.

"It's a dark comedy," Kondo continued.

"Yeah, just about the plans we make and then how the plans life makes [can stop us]," Marks said.

"Or the plans slippery rocks make!" Kondo joked of Nagakado's fate.

Shōgun is now streaming on Hulu.

TL;DR: Through April 21, save 18% on a pair of Nintendo Switch controllers with RGB lights and turbo buttons. Now $34.99 compared to $79.99+ for name-brand models.

Nintendo Switch gamers face an epidemic much stronger than being unable to stop playing the latest title releases — it’s the phenomenon called ‘Joy-Con drift’ where the joysticks on controllers become so worn that they start to move on their own and cause gamers to mess up in their games. If you’re experiencing that, it might be time for a new set of Nintendo Switch controllers.

While a name-brand pair could cost you upwards of $79.99, this one is only $34.99 right now (reg. $42.99). They even have RGB lights and turbo burst buttons.

Switch controllers with more features for less cash

Just like the name-brand Joy-Cons, this set has 360º joysticks and dual-shock response for immersive gaming, whether you’re playing the new Princess Peach™: Showtime! or a classic game of Overcooked. They also have a 600mAh battery capacity that provides up to 30 hours of continuous gaming, taking just three to four hours to fully charge.

However, unlike other Joy-Cons, these have vibrant RGB lighting down each side. Choose from monochromatic or colorful modes and enjoy dancing lights as you battle, race, or cook with friends in your favorite games. Of course, if they ever get too distracting, you can also turn them off.

Another unique feature you won’t find on Nintendo’s controllers is the turbo burst buttons. This third-party function is typically used by gamers for automatic, rapid button presses to enhance gameplay in certain scenarios — ever heard of mashing? 

Your new pair of Nintendo Switch controllers also come with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty. Level up your gameplay with the flick of a switch — literally.

In the game of controllers, these reign supreme with RGB lights, added buttons, and being just $34.99 (reg. $42.99). 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: UGR Tech Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch with RGB Lights $30.99 at the Mashable Shop
$42.99 Save $12.00 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through April 21, save on lifelong access to this home workout and meal planner iOS app, on sale for $34.97.

The Verv app is a holistic way to work toward your goals, with a blend of physical activity, nutrition, sleep, and mindfulness guidance, helping you focus on goals like healthy eating or stress relief. Typically, this iOS app is $360 for lifetime access, but it’s currently on sale for $34.97 through April 21.

Enjoy healthy habits

The Verv app has plenty of home workouts to explore. In addition, you’ll also find options for running, walking, interval training, yoga, meditation, and guided dance tutorials. Add categories you like, get personalized recommendations, and browse weekly plans or take single sessions.

You also have the option to sync the Verv app with Apple Health to automatically export your workout data. This is helpful for those who like to track their workouts or calories.

But physical activity isn’t the only factor in achieving your health and fitness goals — and the Verv app’s holistic approach knows that well. That’s why you’ll also discover tons of recipes and meal plan collections to integrate with your training, including those for keto, vegan, and vegetarian diets.

The Verv app also prioritizes sleep and mindfulness in your fitness journey. Browse music and sounds crafted to help you unwind, de-stress, and sleep. Some of the above meditation and yoga courses could also provide some stress relief or improved sleep quality.

Get lifetime access to Verv Premium on sale for $34.97 (reg. $360) until April 21 at 11:59 p.m. PT, no coupon is needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Verv Verv Premium Home Workout Planner: Lifetime Subscription $34.97 at the Mashable Shop
$360.00 Save $325.03 Get Deal