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TL;DR: Live stream Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic in the NBA for free on Ran.de. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The NBA season has started really strongly, with a number of teams making a good impression.

The Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic have both started this campaign well, and will be looking to secure another big win this weekend. The Orlando Magic have a team full of young stars, going up against the experience of Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving. And Luka Dončić is pretty good, as well.

If you want to watch Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic in the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic?

Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic in the NBA starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 3. This game takes place at the American Airlines Center.

How to watch Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic for free

Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic is available to live stream for free on Ran.de in Germany.

If you're traveling outside Germany during this game, you might need to use a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Germany, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic for free on Ran.de 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 Germany

4. Visit Ran.de

5. Watch Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the NBA without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Germany

• 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 $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Dallas Mavericks vs. Orlando Magic in the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Harness the power of AI and get this lifetime subscription to AI MagicX on sale for £30.93 (reg. £250.62) for a limited time.

Ever thought about having your own virtual assistant that would do whatever you wanted it to? While we're not offering an assistant that can fold your laundry and do your dishes (yet!), there is a great deal available on a helpful AI generator and editor by AI MagicX.

Imagine having a powerful AI tool at your fingertips that can generate high-quality text, stunning visuals, and professional designs with just a few clicks. Now you can with lifetime access to AI MagicX, on sale for £30.93. No more staring at a blank screen or struggling with design software.

AI-powered services you can use:

• AI Logo Designer

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What sets MagicX apart is its user-friendly interface and advanced capabilities. With this tool, you can easily and quickly create engaging blog posts, chat bots, social media content, marketing materials, and so much more. The AI-powered editor ensures that your content is not only visually appealing but also grammatically correct. You can use the design features to create stunning graphics and layouts without needing any prior experience.

Save time and let AI figure it out for you. 

Score this great price on a lifetime subscription to AI MagicX on sale for only £30.93 for a limited time.

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Opens in a new window Credit: AI Magicx AI MagicX: Lifetime Subscription £30.93 at the Mashable Shop
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Amazon might be in a pickle with the promised AI upgrades to Alexa.

Bloomberg reported that the company's signature voice assistant, which was supposed to get a big AI overhaul before the end of this year, will instead get that upgrade in 2025. The idea is to make Alexa smarter and more powerful by making it more conversational and capable of new things. Unfortunately, by all accounts, that isn't happening.

SEE ALSO: How to cancel your Amazon Prime membership

The Bloomberg report goes on to detail the problems that the AI-enhanced Alexa is having in testing. For example, beta users reported that the AI can give long, rambling answers that aren't entirely relevant to the original query. Other alleged problems include hallucinations and, stunningly, a failure to work with connected smart devices like light switches consistently.

Amazon hasn't officially confirmed any delay, but beta access has apparently been turned off, so you can't even try the more conversational Alexa in a test environment anymore. Perhaps you'll be able to use it in 2025.

Shameik Moore, Susan Sarandon and D'Arcy Carden are joined by Yassir and Isaiah Lester in breaking down how this wild film came together.

Okta just squashed a particularly unusual bug in its software.

The digital security management company posted a bug fix report to its website (as spotted by The Verge) letting users know that a glitch in the system that theoretically allowed bad actors to gain access to accounts had been ironed out. Sounds normal enough, right? Well, here's the kicker: The bug could've allowed someone to log into an account without entering the password as long as the username was 52 characters or longer.

SEE ALSO: Largest U.S. healthcare data breach exposes medical records of 100 million customers

"During specific conditions, this could allow users to authenticate by only providing the username with the stored cache key of a previous successful authentication," Okta wrote.

It should be re-emphasized that this is no longer a concern for Okta users. The bug has been fixed. Unfortunately, it existed in the system for about three months, as Okta's report said the software had been affected since July until someone noticed on Oct. 30. That's a very long time for such a vulnerability to be present, but it's unclear at this point if anyone was negatively affected by it.

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

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

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

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Saturday, November 2, 2024:

AcrossThermometer reading, for short

• The answer is Temp.

Dessert made with black-and-white cookies

• The answer is Oreo Pie.

Viral pygmy hippo parodized on "Weekend Update"

• The answer is Moo Deng.

"Incidentally ...," in a text

• The answer is BTW.

Heart test inits.

• The answer is ECG.

"Don't worry, it's just a scratch!"

• The answer is I'm okay.

French filmdom

• The answer is Cine.

Canceled, as a TV series

• The answer is Axed.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for November 1 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for November 1 Down"Lara Croft: ___ Raider"

• The answer is Tomb.

Sexy, steamy stuff

• The answer is Erotica.

Pet food product with a jingle sung by a cat

• The answer is Meowmix.

Holder of peas

• The answer is Pod.

Cheated at hide-and-seek

• The answer is Peeked.

Ancient builder of Machu Picchu

• The answer is Inca.

Like quiche and custard

• The answer is Eggy.

Number accidentally typed instead of an exclamation point

• The answer is One.

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

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

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

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

Wondering how to watch college football this season? Here are your best options: Best for affordability Sling TV Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $59.99/month for 1 month (Save $20) Get Deal

The Pittsburgh Panthers and SMU Mustangs football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, and is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. 

SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Pittsburgh vs. SMU football kickoff time and network

The Pittsburgh vs. SMU football game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT start on the ACC Network on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Best streaming services for Pittsburgh vs. SMU football game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Pittsburgh vs. SMU football game on the ACC Network. 

Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get Deal

Sling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.

Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.

Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get Deal

FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network. 

Wondering how to watch college football this season? Here are your best options: Best for affordability Sling TV Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $59.99/month for 1 month (Save $20) Get Deal

The Louisville Cardinals and Clemson Tigers football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Memorial Stadium in Clemson. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, and is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. 

SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Louisville vs. Clemson football kickoff time and network

The Louisville vs. Clemson football game is scheduled for a 8=7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT start on ESPN on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Best streaming services for Louisville vs. Clemson football game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Louisville vs. Clemson football game on ESPN. 

Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get Deal

Sling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.

Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.

Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get Deal

FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

Go to the FuboTV website to check if ESPN is available in your zip code. If it is, you can access ESPN with the FuboTV Pro plan, which offers an introductory rate of $59.99 for the first month and a regular rate of $79.99 per month.

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network. 

Can ChatGPT tell you where to vote or even how to vote?

With the presidential election swiftly approaching, it seems we all need a search engine to tell us what to do. Most voters in 2022 confirmed that they still use search engines to find election information, and one information systems expert, Varol Kayhan, told The Guardian, "We're at the mercy of Google when it comes to what information we're able to find."

Does the same go for ChatGPT?

People use ChatGPT as a search engine similar to how they use Google Search — and OpenAI knows it. The company recently announced that it has put a search engine inside ChatGPT apps and websites for that very reason.

However, there are limitations to what search engines can provide. For instance, The Guardian found that Google has a problem with confirmation bias. If you ask, "Is Kamala Harris a good Democratic candidate," the results will be positive. If you ask, "Is Kamala Harris a bad Democratic candidate," the results will be negative. ChatGPT Search appears to be a bit wider in its evaluation based on Mashable's research — if you ask either question, it lists "strengths and challenges" or "strengths and criticisms." 

This line was at the bottom of both questions — positive or negative:

"Ultimately, the assessment of Harris as a candidate depends on individual perspectives and priorities. Her candidacy brings both historic significance and policy experience, but she faces challenges in approval ratings and electoral competition."

While you might get more information in the response from ChatGPT, you also get fewer links. And there are still some very real issues that ChatGPT and OpenAI face when it comes to election bias. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, which asked ChatGPT about voting eligibility criteria, voting locations, methods of voting, and current congressional candidates in the state of Illinois, it is still "important to exercise discretion regarding its applications, especially when there are significant implications on our democracy."

"It is easy to mislead users when solely relying on unconfirmed sources, such as ChatGPT and other chatbots, for answers," the policy center's report reads. "The bot has limitations of prompt length and information training and often does not answer with complete or consistent information. We would caution users to check ChatGPT answers with reliable resources such as government websites or their local election boards."

While the capabilities of using AI to share election information are "promising," the report states that there is "much room to grow and refine for ChatGPT to be useful to voters."

There are also questions ChatGPT simply can't answer for you. We asked the system all of the questions listed on the FAQ website for the Board of Elections in the City of New York. Out of 23 questions, ChatGPT failed to provide a concrete answer for 12 inquiries, replying, "I'm sorry, but I cannot provide specific details about voting in the United States. I recommend visiting CanIVote.org, where you'll find the latest information from your state or local election authority." 

It's right, but it could be more helpful.

This kind of response didn't happen by accident. In January, ChatGPT maker OpenAI planned to stop the spread of election-related misinformation by banning people from using ChatGPT to impersonate candidates or governments, misrepresent how voting works, or discourage people from voting, the Associated Press reported. It digitally watermarked AI images using its DALL-E image generator to slow or stop the spread of misinformation. It partnered with the National Association of Secretaries of State to ensure answers were accurate and to send people to CanIVote.org, a nonpartisan website that directs constituents to the websites of their state and local election officials. 

"In an effort to reach a broader audience, NASS has collaborated with OpenAI to direct ChatGPT users to CanIVote.org when an election-related question is asked," Maria Benson, the Senior Director of Communications for NASS, told Mashable. Benson added that CanIVote.org could answer voters' questions about how to register to vote, their voter registration status, finding their polling place, the valid forms of ID, information about absentee and early voting, information for overseas voters, provides an election officials directory and gives information how to become a poll worker.

As a reminder, the election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. As ChatGPT will tell you, you should head to CanIVote.org for any information you might need.

Wondering how to watch college football this season? Here are your best options: Best for affordability Sling TV Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $59.99/month for 1 month (Save $20) Get Deal

The Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan State Spartans football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, and is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT. 

SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Indiana vs. Michigan State football kickoff time and network

The Indiana vs. Michigan football game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT start on Peacock on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Best streaming services for Indiana vs. Michigan State football game

The game will be available to stream exclusively on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.  

Exclusive streaming: Peacock Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium Get Deal

There are two tiers to NBC’s Peacock streaming service. The Premium plan is $7.99/month, and the Premium Plus at $13.99/month. 

The advantage of the Premium Plus plan is no ads, but that doesn’t apply to live sporting events. Also, the Premium Plus plan provides 24/7 access to your local NBC channel. 

Peacock also offers a full year for the price of 10 months if the full year is paid upfront. Those rates are $79.99 for the Premium plan and $139.99 for the Premium Plus plan. 

College students can get Peacock’s premium plan for $1.99/month. Students can get more information at PeacockTV.com/students.

Wondering how to watch college football this season? Here are your best options: Best for affordability Sling TV Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $59.99/month for 1 month (Save $20) Get Deal

The Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs football teams go head-to-head this weekend at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, and is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT. 

SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Florida vs. Georgia football kickoff time and network

The Florida vs. Georgia football game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT start on ABC on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Best streaming services for Florida vs. Georgia football game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for Saturday's Duke vs. Miami football game on ABC. 

Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan Get Deal

For fans looking to stream games, Sling TV’s Orange & Blue Plan is a solid option. At $55 per month, it provides 46 channels, including ESPN3, which simulcasts ABC games. New subscribers can take advantage of getting the first month for $35.

Sling TV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.

Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get Deal

FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

After the free trial, college football fans can access channels like ABC for the Florida vs. Georgia football game with FuboTV’s Pro plan at a rate of $59.99 for the first month. The Pro tier’s regular rate is $79.99 per month.

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network. 

Wondering how to watch college football this season? Here are your best options: Most affordable Paramount+ 7-day free trial, then $12.99/month Get Deal Most channels FuboTV 7-day free trial, then $59.99 for the first month (Save $20) Get Deal

The Oregon Ducks and Michigan Wolverines football teams go head-to-head this weekend at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, and is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT. 

SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Oregon vs. Michigan football kickoff time and network

The Oregon vs. Michigan football game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT start on CBS on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Best streaming services for Oregon vs. Michigan football game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for Saturday's Oregon vs. Michigan football game on CBS. 

Most affordable: Paramount+ Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ Paramount+ Get Deal

If you want to watch just CBS or just the Oregon vs. Michigan football game, Paramount+ offers a solution. 

New subscribers to Paramount+ get a seven-day free trial. Then for the Paramount+ plan that includes live streaming CBS, you need the Paramount+ with Showtime tier, which is $12.99/month. If you choose the annual plan, it is $119.99 for a year, saving about $2.99/month. 

For students, Paramount+ will give you a 25% discount.

Most Channels: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro plan Get Deal

With FuboTV, new subscribers can enjoy a seven-day free trial and more than 250 live TV channels, along with the ability to simultaneously stream on 10 devices.

College football fans who want access to CBS for matchups such as the Oregon vs. Michigan football game will want the FuboTV Pro tier, which has a one-month introductory rate of $59.99 and then a regular rate of $79.99 per month. 

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network. 

TL;DR: Live stream Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA for free on Ran.de. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The NBA season is up and running, with a lot of interesting storylines already developing. Something that has caused a lot of conversation in the early stages is Joel Embiid's insistence on resting his body whenever he feels like it. That's a shame for fans, but Philadelphia won't care if they end up making the playoffs with a healthy Embiid.

The Philadelphia 76ers meet the Memphis Grizzlies in the next matchup. Both teams have started inconsistently this season, so if the playoffs are to become a reality, they'll need to build some momentum.

If you want to watch Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies?

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 2. This game takes place at the Wells Fargo Center.

How to watch Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies for free

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies is available to live stream for free on Ran.de in Germany.

If you're traveling outside Germany during this game, you might need to use a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Germany, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies for free on Ran.de 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 Germany

4. Visit Ran.de

5. Watch Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the NBA without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Germany

• 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 $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Philadelphia 76ers vs. Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.

Historically, if you wanted a pair of earbuds with good noise cancellation, impressively balanced sound, decent battery life, and the ability to switch between your devices with ease, you were looking at a price tag of at least $200 or so. Likely more.

That said, the tides are starting to change. This past September, Apple released its first non-Pro model of noise-cancelling earbuds, the AirPods 4, for $179.99. Now Bose has entered the ring with the Bose QuietComfort earbuds, with a price tag of $179 flat, which makes them $120 cheaper than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds.

SEE ALSO: I'm in love with my new Bose noise-canceling earbuds and I want everyone to know it

The Ultra earbuds from Bose are some of the Mashable staff's favorite on the market, and I've tested my fair share of the QuietComfort line: I owned the QuietComfort II headphones as my personal headphones for years, tested the QuietComfort 45 headphones, and the QuietComfort Ultra headphones for Mashable's headphones buying guide.

With all of the above headphones, I found they lived up to their name: I could easily wear them all day, and appreciated that their active noise cancellation worked to make the world around me quiet. With that in mind, I had to see how the latest addition to the QuietComfort line stacked up.

The sound and battery life are hard to beat

Right away, I was impressed by the sound quality of these earbuds. While I wouldn't consider myself the harshest audiophile in the world, I found that the lows, mids, and highs of songs came through balanced and clear, becoming only the tiniest bit muddled at higher volumes. They sounded as great with the The Marías Tiny Desk performance as they did with Chappell Roan's Austin City Limits set, and as someone who loves the sound of live music but not always the experience of going to see it, I appreciated what these earbuds could do.

SEE ALSO: Why is the internet fighting over Chappell Roan?

The companion app does have an equalizer, with five presets and the option to save a custom setting, but it's good news that these earbuds sound solid out of the box — it was genuinely hard for me to tell the difference in balance with the equalizer on, whether I was listening to classic rock or piano concertos. If you have more sensitive ears than mine, you might notice more of a difference — at the very least, the equalizer was easy to adjust.

Choose between five equalizer presets. Credit: Screenshot: Bose Or make your own custom settings. Credit: Screenshot: Bose

The battery life, on the other hand, I truly have no notes about. I use the first-generation AirPods Pro as my usual earbuds, and I have for a couple of years, so I'm used to noise-cancelling earbuds holding on for about four hours (or less) before needing to juice up in their case. In my three weeks of testing these earbuds, that didn't happen to me once, despite my best efforts to wear the battery life down.

It was hard to make a dent in the battery life. Credit: Screenshot: Bose

I kept them connected to two devices every time I had them on, wouldn't bother putting them back in the case if I stopped playing audio for a bit, and had noise cancellation on at all times. At most, I probably got five hours of active use of the headphones in a day, and I ended up with battery life to spare.

The Bose QuietComfort earbuds live up to their name, for the most part

All-day battery life means less if the earbuds that battery is powering can't promise comfortable all-day wear.

SEE ALSO: Review: Bose QuietComfort Ultra are the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn

For me, that was a promise that Bose more than delivered on. Although, it took a few tries to find the right combo of ear tip and stability band sizes for the earbuds to fit snugly but comfortably in my ear. I usually switch to the small ear tips as a rule, and that worked well here, but the medium stability band worked better for me — the small one was too big, and made my ear sore within an hour of wear, while the medium one gave me basically no soreness. Swapping out the bands was easy, with a small notch in the earbud making it clear which way to orient the band. Once they were in, I never had an issue with them moving.

Different ear tips and bands allow you to find a comfortable fit for your ear. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Maybe this doesn't seem like such a big deal to some, but as someone who struggles to find earbuds that actually stay put, even when I'm sitting still, I was kind of wowed these Bose earbuds stayed in place. This might just apply to my weird ear shape, but if you're someone who doesn't like the fit of AirPods, these may work way better for you.

My combo fit my ear amazingly. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

I will caveat my amazement with the fact that earbud fit can vary from person to person. Mashable Shopping Reporter Sam Mangino tried out these earbuds and found that the stability band regularly came loose when she took the earbuds out. For her ears, she found that compared to the QC Ultra earbuds, these standard QC earbuds were nowhere near as secure or comfortable. (Mashable contributor Timothy Beck Werth also found the Ultra earbuds to be incredibly comfortable, giving him no ear fatigue during up to seven hours of wear). All this to say, always try on earbuds when you can and take advantage of return policies wherever possible.

The active noise cancellation didn't impress, but it did the job

Where Mangino and I agreed was on the active noise cancellation — it's serviceable, especially for the price point, but it's certainly not at the same level as Bose's other headphones. Still, considering the next cheapest pair of QuietComfort headphones or earbuds are $120 more expensive, the noise cancellation did seem to meet the price point.

SEE ALSO: We’ve tested tons of noise-cancelling headphones and these are the ones we’d take on a plane

That's not to say it was bad — it was certainly better than other earbuds I've used in slightly cheaper price ranges, and it's definitely helped if you're playing music while using it. With ANC on, I could make out the words of my boyfriend talking in the next room over from me, but just barely. With music, his voice all but disappeared. To compare, when I tested the Bose QuietComfort Ultra over-ear headphones last year, his voice was nearly completely drowned out with just the noise cancellation and no music.

The touch controls worked a little too well

There are some earbud features that should be defined by ease, like connecting via Bluetooth. There are others that I would prefer to have a bit of friction, and at the top of that list is touch control. I want touch controls to be intuitive but not terribly sensitive, and unfortunately, the Bose QuietComfort earbuds fall firmly in the latter category.

These earbuds not only responded to the lightest tap of my fingers, but also — get this — the strands of my hair. It took a good 10 minutes into the first walk I took with these to figure out why my music kept pausing, until I realized the slightest sway of my hair against the earbuds was activating the touch response (it wasn't even breezy out).

The flat outer surface can be used for touch controls, but it does its job too well sometimes. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Though there is a lot of customization available for the touch controls via the app (more on that a little farther down), there isn't a way to fully toggle the touch controls off — as in, you don't hear a soft beep that something has touched the earbud surface. Though that's not unheard of, when earbuds are this sensitive, I not only want but need that option, so I can go for a walk without a) stopping to toggle touch controls off and b) continuing to have my music punctuated by the beeps of my earbuds because my hair happened to brush over them.

Bose's Bluetooth connection struggles

As I mentioned above, the Bose QC II headphones used to be my personal pair — operative phrase being "used to be." While I loved how comfortable they were and thought the ANC more than did the job for me, as someone who switches between my laptop and phone for audio frequently, I started looking at other headphone brands.

Because I luckily test headphones for a living, I was able to see firsthand if this was just an issue with an older model of Bose headphones. But both the Bose QC 45s and QC Ultras had trouble seamlessly switching between devices, often requiring me to turn off the headphones for minutes at a time before attempting to switch devices, or in more egregious cases, forgetting the headphones from my device and reconnecting them all over. Other Mashable shopping reporters have encountered the same issues when testing at least two separate pairs and models of Bose headphones.

SEE ALSO: We tested the best Bose headphones of 2024

All this to say, I wasn't waiting with bated breath the first time I switched the Bose QuietComfort earbuds from my phone to my laptop, and though I had my fingers crossed, the same issues came up. In three weeks of testing, I've forgotten and reconnected these headphones at least as many times. I've paused my phone audio, counted to 10, and hit play on my laptop only for the audio to start, play for a few seconds, and then pause.

I became well acquainted with these two screens over the course of three weeks. Credit: Screenshot: Bose Credit: Screenshot: Bose

At best, this connection issue is annoying, and at my least generous, I'm inclined to say Bose needs to stop claiming their headphones and earbuds have multi-point pairing until they figure this out. More affordable model or not, at $179, I not only expect better, but I have tested better for cheaper.

The earbuds also struggled to reliably connect when I was wearing one earbud, whether that be a product of just putting one in, taking one out momentarily, or putting one down for an indefinite amount of time. In the latter two cases, I figured it was likely due to the auto-pause feature built into the earbuds — this likely won't be an issue for the majority of users, but if like me you often wear one earbud, it's definitely something to be aware of.

The app could use some work

Speaking of struggles, let's talk about the Bose QuietComfort earbuds app. For some reason, this is not the regular Bose headphones app, but its own dedicated app, just for these earbuds. And for some reason, Bose decided to make 12 different panels you have to click into, making it much busier visually than the standard Bose app.

The Bose QCE app landing screen. Credit: Screenshot: Bose Versus the regular Bose app. Credit: Screenshot: Bose

Simply put, there is no need for 12 separate menu panels in any headphone app. While you do get a fair amount of customization with the earbuds app, with touch controls, voice controls, and low latency audio settings, there is overlap that makes it feel like panels could have been easily consolidated, with some feeling like they were missing information.

For instance, the multipoint menu lets you toggle multipoint pairing on and off, but it doesn't let you see or switch between specific devices like the other Bose app. The battery prediction section is a neat idea, but conveys similar information as the battery indicators up top — and you can't find information on the battery life left on the case anywhere, which feels like it would've been more useful than having two separate measures of the earbud battery life.

The multipoint pairing menu in the Bose QCE app. Credit: Screenshot: Bose Versus the regular Bose app. Credit: Screenshot: Bose

On a final design note, I didn't love how the panels opened to a half-screen menu — it just made the experience of adjusting settings feel visually busier than necessary. Also, this app didn't need two separate menu items, "Bose" and "Stories," linking out to the Bose website.

Bose QuietComfort vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds

As I mentioned up top, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are one of the Mashable staff's favorite pair of earbuds — and our top pick for the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market.

When you're shelling out the $299 for the Ultras, here's what the extra $120 gets you:

• Top-of-the-line noise cancellation

• Spatial audio

• A secure and comfortable fit

• Up to six hours of battery life

In comparison, here's what you get with the standard QuietComfort earbuds:

• Decent, but not amazing noise cancellation

• Customizable touch controls with the companion app

• A good fit depending on your ear shape

• Up to 8.5 hours of battery life

Are the Bose QuietComfort earbuds worth it?

At the end of the day, while the Bose QuietComforts do have some issues that I'd rather not see on a pair of $179 earbuds, they also sound much better than I'd expect at this price point and have excellent all-day wear potential, both in comfort and battery life.

If you're looking for the best noise-cancelling Bose has to offer, you likely won't regret investing more. On the other hand, if you're trying to get earbuds that sound as good as they can under $200, with exceptional battery life added in, picking up the QuietComfort earbuds is an easy choice.

Bose QuietComfort earbuds $179.00 at Best Buy
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Sorry to disappoint, but if you're looking for a quick list of easily identifiable and foolproof ways for detecting AI-generated videos, you're not going to find it here. Gone are the days of AI Will Smith grotesquely eating spaghetti. Now we have tools that can create convincing, photorealistic videos with a few clicks.

Right now, AI-generated videos are still a relatively nascent modality compared to AI-generated text, images, and audio, because getting all the details right is a challenge that requires a lot of high quality data. "But there's no fundamental obstacle to getting higher quality data," only labor-intensive work, said Siwei Lyu, a professor of computer science and engineering at University at Buffalo SUNY.

That means you can expect AI-generated videos to get way better, very soon, and do away with the telltale artifacts — flaws or inaccuracies — like morphing faces and shape-shifting objects that mark current AI creations. The key to identifying AI-generated videos (or any AI modality), then, lies in AI literacy. "Understanding that [AI technologies] are growing and having that core idea of 'something I'm seeing could be generated by AI,' is more important than, say, individual cues," said Lyu, who is the director of UB's Media Forensic Lab. 

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Navigating the AI slop-infested web requires using your online savvy and good judgment to recognize when something might be off. It's your best defense against being duped by AI deepfakes, disinformation, or just low-quality junk. It's a hard skill to develop, because every aspect of the online world fights against it in a bid for your attention. But the good news is, it's possible to fine-tune your AI detection instincts.

"By studying [AI-generated images], we think people can improve their AI literacy," said Negar Kamali, an AI research scientist at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, who co-authored a guide to identifying AI-generated images. "Even if I don't see any artifacts [indicating AI-generation], my brain immediately thinks, 'Oh, something is off,'" added Kamali, who has studied thousands of AI-generated images. "Even if I don't find the artifact, I cannot say for sure that it's real, and that's what we want."

What to look out for: Imposter videos vs. text-to-image videos

Before we can get into identifying AI-generated videos, we have to distinguish the different types. AI-generated videos are generally divided into two different categories: Imposter videos and videos generated by a text-to-image diffusion model.

Imposter videos

These are AI-edited videos that consist of face swapping — where a person's entire face is swapped out for someone else's (usually a celebrity or politician) and made to say something fake — and lip syncing — where a person's mouth is subtly manipulated and replaced with different audio.

Imposter videos are generally pretty convincing, because the technology has been around longer and they build off of existing footage instead of generating something from scratch. Remember those Tom Cruise deepfake videos from a few years ago that went viral for being so convincing? They worked because the creator, Chris Ume, looked a lot like Tom Cruise, worked with a professional Tom Cruise impersonator, and did lots of minute editing, according to an interview with Ume from The Verge. These days, there are an abundance of apps out there that accomplish the same thing and can even — terrifyingly — include audio from a short sound bite that the creator finds online.

That said, there are some things to look for if you suspect an AI video deepfake. First of all, look at the format of the video. AI video deepfakes are typically "shot" in a talking-head format, where you can just see the heads and shoulders of the speaker, with their arms out of view (more on that in a minute). 

To identify face swaps, look for flaws or artifacts around the boundaries of the face. "You typically see artifacts when the head moves obliquely to camera," said digital forensics expert and UC Berkeley Professor of Computer Science Hany Farid. As for the arms and hands, "If the hand moves, or something occludes the face, [the image] will glitch a little bit," Farid continued. And watch the arms and body for natural movements. "If all you're seeing is this," — on our Zoom call, Farid keeps his arms stiff and by his sides — "and the person's not moving at all, it's fake." 

If you suspect a lip sync, focus your attention on the subject's mouth — especially the teeth. With fakes, "We have seen people who have irregularly shaped teeth," or the number of teeth change throughout the video, said Lyu. Another strange sign to look out for is "wobbling of the lower half" of the face, said Lyu. "There's a technical procedure where you have to exactly match that person's face," he said. "As I'm talking, I'm moving my face a lot, and that alignment, if you got just a little bit of imprecision there, human eyes are able to tell." This gives the bottom half of the face a more liquid, rubbery effect.

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When it comes to AI deepfakes, Aruna Sankaranarayanan, a Research Assistant at MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, says her biggest concern isn't deepfakes of the most famous politicians in the world like Donald Trump or Joe Biden, but of important figures who may not be as well known. "Fabrication coming from them, distorting certain facts, when you don't know what they look like or sound like most of the time, that's really hard to disprove," said Sankaranarayanan, whose work focuses on political deepfakes. Again, this is when AI literacy comes into play; videos like these require some research to verify or debunk.

Text-to-image videos 

Then there are the sexy newcomers: the text-to-image diffusion models which generate videos from text or image prompts. OpenAI made a big splash when it announced Sora, its AI video generator. Although it's not available yet, the demo videos were enough to astonish people with their meticulous detail, vivid photorealism, and smooth tracking, all allegedly from simple text prompts. 

Since then, a bunch of other apps have popped up that can transform your favorite memes into GIFs and imaginative scenes that look like they took an entire CGI team with a Disney budget. Hollywood creatives are right to be outraged about the advent of text-to-image models, which likely trained on their work and now threaten to replace it. 

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But the tech isn't quite there yet, because even those Sora videos likely required some slick and time-intensive editing. Sora's demo videos consist of a series of quick edits, because the technology isn't good enough yet to create longer videos that are flawless. So you can be alert, especially, to short clips: "If the video is 10 seconds long, be suspicious. There's a reason why it's short," said Farid. "Basically, text-to-video just can't do a single cut that's a minute long," he continued, while adding that this is likely to improve in the next six months.

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Farid also said to look out for "temporal inconsistencies," such as "the building added a story, or the car changed colors, things that are physically not possible," he said. "And often it's away from the center of attention that where that's happening." So, hone in on the background details. You might see unnaturally smooth or warped objects, or a person's size change as they walk around a building, said Lyu.

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Kamali says to look for "sociocultural implausibilities" or context clues where the reality of the situation doesn't seem plausible. "You don't immediately see the telltales, but you feel that something is off — like an image of Biden and Obama wearing pink suits," or the Pope in a Balenciaga puffer jacket. 

Context clues aside, the existence of artifacts is likely to decrease really soon. And Wall Street is willing to bet billions of dollars on it. (That said, venture capitalism isn't really known for reasonably priced valuations of tech startups based on sound evidence of profitability.) 

The artifacts may change, but good judgment remains.

As Farid told Mashable, "Come talk to me in six months, and the story will have changed." So, relying on certain cues to verify whether a video is AI-generated could get you into trouble. 

Lyu's 2018 paper about detecting AI-generated videos because the subjects didn't blink properly was widely publicized in the AI community. As a result, people started looking for eye-blinking defects, but as the technology progressed, so did more natural blinks. "People started to think if there's a good eye blinking, it must not be a deepfake and that's the danger," said Lyu. "We actually want to raise awareness but not latch on particular artifacts, because the artifacts are going to be amended." 

Building the awareness that something might be AI-generated will "trigger a whole sequence of action," said Lyu. "Check, who's sharing this? Is this person reliable? Are there any other sources correlating on the same story, and has this been verified by some other means? I think those are the things the most effective counter measures for deepfakes."

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For Farid, identifying AI-generated videos and misleading deepfakes starts with where you source your information. Take the AI-generated images that circulated on social media in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Most of them were pretty obviously fake, but they still had an emotional affect on people. "Even when these things are not very good, it doesn't mean that they don't penetrate, it doesn't mean that it doesn't sort of impact the way people absorb information," he said.

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Be cautious about getting your news from social media. "If the image feels like clickbait, it is clickbait," said Farid before adding it all comes down to media literacy. Think about who posted the video and why it was created. "You can't just look at something on Twitter and being like, 'Oh, that must be true, let me share it.'" 

If you're suspicious about AI-generated content, check other sources to see if they're also sharing it, and if it all looks the same. As Lyu says, "a deepfake only looks real from one angle." Search for other angles of the instance in question. Farid recommends sites like Snopes and Politifact, which debunk misinformation and disinformation. As we all continue to navigate the rapidly changing AI landscape, it's going to be crucial to do the work — and trust your gut.

A little over a decade ago, astronomers found a large gap between two belts circling Vega, hinting that the nearby star probably hosts several exoplanets. 

Then in 2021, other researchers saw what they believed was perhaps a signal of a Neptune or Jupiter-like gas giant orbiting extremely close to the star. Surely, they thought, when the ultra-sensitive James Webb Space Telescope launches into space, they'll finally get the definitive proof of a planet.

But after pointing Webb at the target, and gathering more data from the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA scientists have not seen what they thought they'd find. The latest observations seem to suggest that the 1997 sci-fi film Contact, based on an older book by Carl Sagan, could have had it right after all — that there's nothing out there around Vega but a swirl of debris.

"The Hubble and Webb observations together provide so much more detail that they are telling us something completely new about the Vega system that nobody knew before," George Rieke, one of the researchers based at the University of Arizona, said in a statement. 

SEE ALSO: Scientists propose a bold new reason for Betelgeuse's volatile behavior In this artist's rendering, a disk of gas and dust sweeps around a young star. Astronomers look for lanes carved into the disk, a possible sign of orbiting planets. Credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / Leah Hustak illustration

Vega, set in the summer constellation Lyra, is about 25 light-years, or 150 trillion miles, away from Earth. It's an A-type star: young, robust, and spinning much faster than the sun. This thing, about 450 million years old, is 40 times brighter than the sun, beaming sizzling blue-white light. Its swift rotation, fully turning every 16 hours, makes it a challenging target for scientists, who want to track its motion and look for tugs from potential planets. 

The new study, to be published as two papers in The Astrophysical Journal, was based on a highly detailed look at Vega's 100-billion-mile-wide debris disk, which faces Earth. In the past, this disk was thought to be a circle of planet-forming material; indeed, in our own solar system, planets emerged from such a disk once centered on the sun, though now that disk is long-gone.

"The Vega disk is smooth, ridiculously smooth."

Astronomers were shocked when Webb and Hubble showed nothing to suggest any large planets were busy at work, plowing away dust, which would be typical in a star system that's Vega's age, only about 10 percent of the sun's. Usually these nubile stars are surrounded by lots of dust, enriched by frequent collisions of asteroids and comets. 

Hubble detects material the size of smoke particles, and Webb can pick up particles as miniscule as a grain of sand, according to NASA. Yet neither showed signs of worlds pushing and clearing dust away, a clue scientists seek when trying to determine if a star has planets. The discovery of a pancake disk without obvious traces of planets is forcing them to rethink why Vega's system isn't what they expected, and it could offer new insights into planet formation, generally. 

Vega, the fifth-brightest star in the sky, as seen by Hubble, left, and Webb. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / S. Wolff / K. Su / A. Gáspár

"It's unlike other circumstellar disks we've looked at," said Andras Gáspár, another member of the research team, in a statement. "The Vega disk is smooth, ridiculously smooth."

Despite its smoothness, the disk does appear to have a slight, subtle gap far out from the star, about double the distance of Neptune from the sun. The researchers say that rules out the possibility of planets down to at least the mass of Neptune. 

Ironically, Vega is renowned for opening the eyes of astronomers to the idea that other stars could host planets, and that the material orbiting a star — seemingly the building blocks for making planets — could host life. 

"Vega continues to be unusual," said Schuyler Wolff, lead author of the study, in a statement. "The architecture of the Vega system is markedly different from our own solar system where giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn are keeping the dust from spreading the way it does with Vega."

OpenAI's ChatGPT long-awaited search engine is now live.

On Thursday, the company announced ChatGPT Search, framing it as a new ChatGPT feature to "get fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources." Although it was rumored to be a standalone search engine, ChatGPT Search is integrated within the existing ChatGPT interface. You can access real-time search by manually clicking the web search icon, or entering your prompt and letting ChatGPT decide whether it needs to search the web for current results.

You can now search the web with ChatGPT. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable / OpenAI

ChatGPT Search fills the competitive gap against Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, which have already been plugged into their respective search engines for a while now. Many users already prefer ChatGPT over Google Search, which has become cluttered with ads and increasingly filled with low-quality, spammy content. Until now, ChatGPT’s knowledge cutoff for newer models was October 2023. Now, with real-time search, ChatGPT returns up-to-date information, thanks to its media partnerships, for weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps.

When you search with ChatGPT search, you'll get the traditional conversational responses, with a button directing you to a list of sources. When you click on the sources, you're presented with a familiar-looking search engine format with headlines and links to each story.

citations show up in the sidebar in traditional search engine format. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable / OpenAI

ChatGPT Search is currently available to ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT Team users as well as SearchGPT pilot testers, and will become available to ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu users in the next few weeks. OpenAI also shared that it plans to bring ChatGPT Search to Advanced Voice Mode and free users in the future.

Actor Saoirse Ronan has seen the reactions to her comment on The Graham Norton Show, where she spoke openly about the unique ways women experience the world.

If you missed it, Mashable has all the details for you. In short, Ronan was seated on a panel alongside actors Paul Mescal, Eddie Redmayne, Denzel Washington, and host Graham Norton.

SEE ALSO: Watch Saoirse Ronan stun male actors into silence on 'The Graham Norton Show'

Mescal joked offhand about a phone being used as a defensive tool, and Ronan, after all the men laughed, pointed out that women are constantly considering how to defend themselves.

"That's what girls have to think about all the time," she said, which hushed the actors and audience alike.

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The moment quickly went viral. It was a good example of how men often don't understand how women experience the world.

"The reaction has been wild. It’s definitely not something that I had expected, and I didn't necessarily set out to sort of make a splash," Ronan said on The Ryan Tubridy Show on Virgin Radio UK on Wednesday, via The Irish Examiner. "But I do think there's something really telling about the society that we're in right now and about how open women want to be with the men in their lives."

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Ronan noted that the popularity of the Norton Show clip opened up folks to have a conversation.

"[It allows] more women to just be like, 'Well, yeah, actually, let's talk about our experience,'" she said, per The Hollywood Reporter.

All Hallow's Eve is upon us, and who would have thought that this year's biggest seasonal debate would be when exactly we should be celebrating Hallo-weekend? 

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While half of the country deals with the Halloween aftermath of last weekend and the other prepares for big plans at the end of this week, the holiday has already stoked a wide variety of clever and outlandish costumes, nods to one's inner child, and viral TikTok trends. And though most of the chronically online costumes abided by today's more careful social norms surrounding online posting, many continue to push the bounds what's considered appropriate on the holiday. 

SEE ALSO: Halloween Google Doodle game has you fight ghosts as a cute, magical cat Obscurity and memes dominate once again

Challengers trios and costumed salutes to brat summer conveyed one truth: Generic costumes remain out, with the most niche costumes commandeering attention away from even the most impressive celebrity ensembles. Modern Halloween is about being in on the joke, whether you like it or not. 

The internet's favorite reaction memes, like "sad ant" and "she's so crazzzzzzy", made iconic party appearances, and the internet's favorite X posts, like "he wants that cookie so effing bad," got transformed into iconic couple outfits. 

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The tongue-in-cheek "I hate gay Halloween" trend revived itself for another year, with an even greater flood of off-the-wall costumes than last season's obscurities. Maybe you spotted one of the choir of French children playing tribute to music legend Serge Gainsbourg in a now viral video from 1988? Or a melancholy Oompa Loompa from the disastrous “Willy’s Chocolate Experience”? Perhaps you spotted a pair of horses, but not just any horses, the horses from Beyoncé's duology album covers? Wait, maybe it was actually the carousel horse from Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield's We Live in Time…

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Whether it was an obscure meme only a select few would know or the year's biggest Hollywood character, users online were going all out on their homemade outfits, esoteric props included. 

Some of the most random entries: Figures on a crosswalk sign made with just blood, sweat, and a hefty amount of black poster board. The carefully crafted car passenger seat mentioned in the Chappell Roan song "Casual." Multiple Dune sandworms made from sleeping bags, playtubes, and pipe cleaners capitalized on the franchise's current popularity. 

Parents went all out for their children, as well, and documented the process, including lifesize Crocs sandas and alien abductions. Even dogs got in on the crafty action. Adults reinvigorated the spirit of their childhoods, too, from Spongebob and Webkinz characters to the Scooby Doo live action crew, iSpy Books, and Princess Diana Beanie Babies. 

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It suggests Spirit Halloween's prepackaged outfits just aren't serving the public's needs anymore — In fact, the company may be pivoting to the Christmas market now. 

The cultural appropriation conversation is more complicated 

Still, Halloween season isn't complete without some questionable costume choices. But where cultural appropriation was once a hotly debated faux-pas, its place in the cultural conversation has quelled. The nation's political environment and celebrity obsession continue to complicate the matter. 

On X, users quickly spread an image of a young couple dressed as Sean "Diddy" Combs and a bottle of Johnson's baby oil — a reference to allegations of sexual abuse by the famous rapper, who is currently in prison, awaiting trial. The individual labelled "PDiddy" had painted his face dark brown, an egregious case of blackface. The baby oil theme was popular among others, as well. 

When another user shared his costume from the previous Halloween season — a pun on the phrase "human trafficking" depicting him as a traffic light wearing a crown — a subset of users called out the post for making light of sex-based crimes. 

Additionally, egregious instances of racism among Halloween posts enraged many online, reiterating to many that the holiday's historic issues aren't a thing of the past. 

The environment is ripe for a renewed conversation about race and abuse as depicted in online media. Earlier this year, TikTok users went viral for resharing their old childhood costumes that were now deemed problematic, including Pocahantas and stereotypical "Indian" outfits. Years prior, users were ironically posting their "cancellable" costumes, most of which were clickbait posts to show off their favorite or funniest outfits. 

While Indigenous "headdresses" are no longer the costume accessory of choice (despite the indie sleaze revival), some of the public's popular Halloween choices still hark back to complicated, problematic eras in humanity's history. 

Earlier this month, TikTok user Chanci Culp, known as @allstyleschanceculp, stirred conversation about the ethics behind celebrity costumes, too.

"Oh God, I'm nervous," she says to the camera in a now viral video, before explaining her hesitations about dressing up as a member of '90s R&B group TLC. Culp asks her followers and Black women at large if dressing up as a famous Black celebrity would still be considered offensive. The video's comment section was resoundingly, but not entirely, positive. In a follow up post generating more than 800,000 views, Culp explained her concerns further, pointing to her upbringing among overtly racist family members. "It's not your burden to teach me what's offensive and not offensive," she tells the camera. "That's my responsibility. I have to unlearn…" Halloween revelers, take note.

SAVE $10: As of Oct. 31, get 'Sonic X Shadow Generations' for Nintendo Switch for $39.99 at Woot. That's a 20% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon 'Sonic X Shadow Generations' (Nintendo Switch) $39.99 at Woot
$49.99 Save $10.00 Get Deal

Sonic fans have had it great over the past few years. Sure, there was a bit of a dry spell for a while, but the Blue Blur is back in a big way these days. His latest outing, Sonic X Shadow Generations isn't a new game, per se, as it's a remaster of a game called Sonic Generations with the addition of Shadow the Hedgehog as a new player character. But it's well worth jumping into whether you're an old or new Sonic fan, and it's even better if you can get it on sale. And you can, right now.

As of Oct. 31, you can get Sonic X Shadow Generations for Nintendo Switch at Woot for $39.99. That's $10 off and a discount of 20%. The game just debuted about a week ago, so you're still getting in on the ground floor here — not too shabby of a deal. This is for the Switch edition only, and you'll be getting a physical copy, not a digital code.

SEE ALSO: Save 42% on the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed gaming keyboard and go ultra portable

In 2011, Sonic Generations introduced a new series of Sonic levels with both classic side-scrolling and modern 3D options that delighted fans. Now remastered and including Shadow the Hedgehog, it's an even larger game than before. Sonic and Shadow will be working together to take on an enemy called Black Doom throughout a varied selection of levels with open world gameplay like that seen in Sonic Frontiers. There are plenty of fun additional features for returning and new players to explore, but for many, Shadow will be the biggest draw.

The game is still quite new, so if you or someone you're buying gifts for over the holidays is a big Sonic fan, this is one to buy and stash away while it's on sale.