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You have to have sympathy for millennials, the generation born between 1981 and 1996, because they've basically been speed-running the tech revolution since they were teenagers. They were the first cohort of young people to have cellphones, and most of them were in their twenties when the original iPhone came out, so they're true digital natives, as at home with apps as prior generations were with typewriters and rotary phones. 

But that familiarity has come at a cost: dating app burnout. If millennials were the first generation to swipe their way through their local singles, they were also the first generation to experience cuffing season on the apps, or be ghosted and haunted — heck, millennials practically wrote the modern dating app glossary because they experienced it first.  

SEE ALSO: The best hookup apps for 2026: I swiped until my thumb hurt

And now, unsurprisingly, they're experiencing fatigue with the conventional swipe-based approach to online dating. Millennials are tired of swiping through dozens of profiles each day; they're tired of having a million fleeting conversations that follow the same basic template, only to go nowhere; and they're actively looking for quality rather than quantity in their dating lives. 

That's where "slow dating" comes in. 

What is slow dating?

"Slow dating" is a deliberate, conscious effort to eschew the fast pace of regular dating apps and give each new single and their profile more time and attention than the swipe-based dating economy typically allows. 

Sara Konrath, a social psychologist and OkCupid dating consultant, put it this way in an interview with Business Insider: "Just like the slow food movement is a reaction to cheap and unhealthy fast food, the slow dating movement is a reaction to quick and meaningless hookups that can be made easy by dating apps." In other words, it's a way of prioritizing the depth of connection with another person rather than having more fleeting experiences." 

“It’s based on a desire for people to slow things down, get to know one another without so much pressure and focus on high-quality connection and closeness," Konrath said. "Slow dating also often means that the sexual intimacy stage of the relationship comes later, after getting to know one another.”

If you've often felt swept up by passion, only to have it come crashing down weeks later, leaving you unfulfilled and feeling blindsided, it might be time to give slow dating a try. 

Can you use apps to "slow date"? 

While the typical dating app — think Tinder, above all — definitely promotes a faster approach to dating, it is absolutely possible to use dating apps in a "slow" way. You can force yourself to only swipe so many times a day, or spend longer talking to each match before you come to a conclusion about them, or restrict your dating app usage to one or two days a week. 

Above all, you should try to limit the number of people you're talking to at any given time. An underrated cause of dating stress is having to individually assess multiple potential partners, constantly evaluating their level of interest, whether or not they're being flakey or honest about their intentions, and then multiplying your disappointment by the number of missed connections or dropped conversations.

In a landmark survey of dating apps and mental health conducted by Forbes, where an astonishing 78 percent of all app users reporting experiencing burnout, the two leading causes of dating app fatigue were "Failure to find a good connection with someone" (40 percent of respondents) and "Being disappointed by people (i.e. being ghosted or lied to)" (35 percent of respondents). And here's the crazy thing: dating apps make both of these experiences almost inevitable, because by design they promote quantity of connections over quality of connection. 

"Slow dating" was designed to solve that problem. 

What are the best online services for slow dating?

If you're experiencing major swipe fatigue and want to cure your burnout without giving up on online dating entirely, give these dating services a try, and remember that it isn't just the app or site itself but how you use it (and don't use it!) that will determine your success. 

Coffee Meets Bagel

One of the best ways to beat swipe fatigue is to let the app do the difficult work of filtering people out. Coffee Meets Bagel uses a proprietary algorithm to curate a list of potential matches ("bagels) for you every single day at noon, and if the other person reciprocates your interest, you get a seven-day chat window to make something happen.

It might be counterintuitive, but having the app remove just a little bit of your agency actually frees up your psychic energy to focus on the matches in front of you, effectively promoting a slow dating approach.

Hinge

The fan-favorite option, Hinge works by replacing traditional, short dating app bios with elaborate, self-selected prompts (a minimum of three per profile), and making these profiles public-facing, meaning anyone can respond to your prompts or comment on your photos without you having to match them first.

Even better, the app uses a sophisticated algorithm to generate one "Most Compatible" potential match per day, someone the app thinks is highly likely to vibe with you based on your own swiping habits. 

By placing greater emphasis on personality through the prompts and removing the mutual swipe barrier to communication, Hinge does a great job of lowering the stakes and giving daters the time and space they need to evaluate others properly rather than hastily. 

Match

No surprise here, since Match recently topped our best dating apps for serious relationships ranking.

First, it has a massive user base pre-selected for more substantive dating. Next, it uses a comprehensive questionnaire, including basic lifestyle questions (age, location, sexual preference) paired with "Core Values," the things you consider essential not only in yourself but in a partner, and then curates a list of Daily Matches for you to evaluate based on your answers. 

And unlike Hinge, Tinder, and a great many other dating services, it's not free to use, which actually works in a slow dater's favor, since it ensures that all your potential matches share your same commitment to taking dating seriously.

If you're a single millennial still looking for love but wary of dating apps, it's time to give slow dating a try. 

TL;DR: Pre-order the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for free when you trade in an eligible device on Experience Beyond and Go5G Next plans with T-Mobile.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Free via 24 monthly bill credits with an eligible trade-in on Experience Beyond and Go5G Next plans at T-Mobile. Shop Now

Samsung Unpacked has officially unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and it carries a hefty $1,899.99 list price. Buying it outright is a massive investment, but there is a crafty hack you should know about.

Carrier pre-order windows are traditionally the best time to bypass upfront hardware costs. T-Mobile's opening promotion offers up to $1,900 in bill credits over 24 months. If you have an eligible flagship to trade in, this completely cancels out the phone's list price — making it the most aggressive launch offer we've seen for a book-style foldable to date.

How to get the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for free

Getting the maximum trade-in value on the Fold 8 requires some simple steps:

• To unlock the full $1,900 credit ceiling, you must trade in an eligible high-end device (such as a Galaxy Z Fold 6/7, S25 Ultra, or iPhone Pro Max) in good condition.

• You must be on, or switch to, T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond or Go5G Next plans.

You will still need to pay local state sales tax on the full $1,899.99 retail price upfront at checkout, plus T-Mobile’s standard $35 connection charge.

Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group

If you are already on (or planning to switch to) T-Mobile's top-tier unlimited plans, taking advantage of a $1,900 trade-in credit to get a brand-new $1,899 flagship for free is an absolute no-brainer. Just remember that you are locking into a 24-month service commitment. If you cancel your line early, the remaining unpaid hardware balance becomes due immediately.

On Tuesday, OpenAI published a blog post with a fairly unassuming name: "OpenAI and Hugging Face partner to address security incident during model evaluation."

Once you dig in, it reads like a cyberpunk novel in which OpenAI created an advanced AI hacker agent and put it in an isolated environment for testing. The AI agent then autonomously hacked its way out of OpenAI's isolated environment and then hacked Hugging Face, an open-source repository of AI-related projects, to find a solution to an advanced test designed to evaluate an AI's hacking abilities.

In other words, the AI proved that it is, indeed, really good at hacking things. But this is exactly the stuff of AI nightmares that cybersecurity experts have been warning us about, and it could have serious ramifications for OpenAI.

The story starts with Hugging Face, the AI repository (think of it as GitHub for AI), which disclosed a security incident last week. In a blog post, the company said it recently detected an intrusion into its infrastructure that was "different from anything we had handled" as it was completely driven by an "autonomous AI agent system."

The AI, according to Hugging Face, exploited a chain of vulnerabilities to obtain credentials and access data from its servers. It did so by "executing many thousands of individual actions across a swarm of short-lived sandboxes, with self-migrating command-and-control staged on public services."

Sounds scary, but it gets worse.

SEE ALSO: The 6 biggest cybersecurity breaches of 2026 so far

OpenAI's part of the story exposes just how dangerous this thing is. The incident "was driven by a combination of OpenAI models — including GPT‑5.6 Sol and an even more capable pre-release model, all with reduced cyber refusals for evaluation purposes." It occurred "during an internal evaluation which prompts models to pursue advanced exploitation using complex attack paths, in an effort to quantify their cyber capabilities."

The models were running in a "highly isolated environment" with limited network access, meaning they should never have been able to escape to the open internet. Yet, they did. "To gain access, the models identified and exploited a zero-day vulnerability (...) in the package registry cache proxy. With this access, our models performed a series of privilege escalation and lateral movement actions in our research testing environment until the models reached a node with Internet access."

Note: OpenAI switches between using singular and plural on this one; we'll just call it an "agent" for simplicity's sake.

Once free, the agent did what it was supposed to do: It estimated that the best way to prove it's good at hacking things was to find a solution for ExploitGym, a test designed to measure how good an AI is at turning software vulnerabilities into actual exploits. The best way to do that, it determined, was to hack Hugging Face, which the AI thought likely to host solutions for ExploitGym.

It's unclear whether the AI agent was successful at solving the ExploitGym test. But it sure did prove it was good at hacking, as it autonomously broke out of OpenAI's prison and hacked Hugging Face's servers, all to solve the test.

SEE ALSO: What’s next in Apple’s legal battle with OpenAI

Both Hugging Face and OpenAI say they've fixed the vulnerabilities and deployed additional safety measures to make sure this doesn't happen again. At this point, however, you have to wonder whether OpenAI's experts are sophisticated enough to stop their own AI agents from doing whatever the heck they want to do.

Garmin just debuted its latest fitness tracker, the Cirqa Smart Band, and it looks a lot like a Whoop.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin Cirqa Smart Band $199.99
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When the Oura Ring launched, it unleashed a barrage of competitors coming out with their own smart rings. Now, Whoop is getting that same treatment. First, there was the Fitbit Air, and now, Garmin's Cirqa Smart Band is the latest screen-free health tracker to hit the market.

The band is designed for round-the-clock wear, able to do so with 10 days of battery life. Data collected populates in the Garmin Connect app, where users access all their biometrics, including heart rate, Body Battery energy monitoring, Pulse Ox, stress, and skin temperature. Similar to Whoop and Oura, it provides insights into women's health and cycles, compatible with the Natural Cycles app.

Even without a screen, the Cirqa detects and records activity. The fabric band is designed for all-day comfort, coming in citron gray, mauve, French gray, dark olive, captain blue, French blue, and black. Plus, it's designed to be worn around the wrist or as an arm band. It comes in two sizes, small/medium and large/extra-large.

But unlike the OG screen-free tracker, Whoop, the Cirqa is subscription-free. That means all you have to do is buy the band to gain access to the full suite of features.

The Circa Smart Band will be available to order on July 24 for $199.99.

As a professional headphones tester, I try out a lot of consumer audio, but in the past couple of years, I've received the most questions from people about open earbuds. First and foremost, people want to know what exactly open earbuds are, then if they should buy a pair, and then if they're better than regular noise-cancelling earbuds.

SEE ALSO: How we test headphones and earbuds

The (somewhat) short answer to the first part: They're one of the most popular earbud designs that's gained more popularity in recent years (hence the increased questions I get), but they've actually been around for a minute. Bose makes the most well-known pair of cuff-style open earbuds — chances are you've spotted them on social media — but they actually released their first pair of open earbuds all the way back in 2021. Brand new technology it is not.

The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are part earbud, part fashion accessory, and one of the most popular options available. Credit: Bose

In addition to the cuff-designed Bose earbuds that focus on the listening experience first and foremost, there are open buds that use ear hooks to stay in place, designs made for exercise, and even open headphones.

Major audio brands seem to be going all in on the rising popularity of this design, likely due to the fact that improved tech allows for audio quality that's genuinely worth checking out. In 2026 alone, JBL announced five new styles of open earbuds at CES, Soundcore revealed an open earbud that can also be used as a noise-cancelling earbud, Shokz introduced noise reduction into the open earbud space, and Sony revamped its donut open earbuds in favor of a pastel clip design.

So, to those latter two questions — are any of those options better than in-ear noise-cancelling earbuds, and should you be buying open earbuds? As always, it depends on what you're looking for in a pair of earbuds. So let's start with the basics:

What are open earbuds?

Open earbuds are any earbuds that don't sit directly in your ear canal. Generally, this means they use air conduction to transmit the sound to your ears. Some folks also consider bone conduction headphones, like the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, to be a type of open earbud, as they don't sit in the ear canal and send vibrations to the bones of your head, which then transmit as sound in your inner-ear canal. However, for the purposes of this guide, I'll be speaking primarily about the air conduction open earbuds.

Bone conduction headphones also leave the ear canal open, but use different tech to transmit sound. Credit: Shokz

A significant part of open earbuds' appeal is that they essentially provide a permanent transparency mode, without any annoying hissing or weird amplification of environmental sound. For some folks, that makes them more comfortable, while other folks may appreciate the increased awareness while exercising in public spaces. And for others, they're simply a great alternative to in-ear earbuds, especially if you don't like the feeling of having something in your ear, find in-ear buds fall out easily, or are prone to ear infections (open buds leave your ear canal completely free and clear).

Do open earbuds offer noise cancellation?

Open earbuds sit outside of the ear canal and don't encompass the ear (like a traditional over-ear headphone), so it's essentially impossible for any open earbuds to provide active noise cancellation.

Instead, open earbuds rely on using music to drown out the world around you, to an extent (though they will be noticeably less effective than a pair of ANC buds). Still, this is the point of an open earbud — they're designed for excellent noise transparency, not noise cancellation.

SEE ALSO: I tested sleep earbuds for months: Here are the 3 I'd buy, and the one I'd skip

What exactly does that mean? It means that in the best pairs of open earbuds, you'll find a balance between external sounds and the audio you're streaming. You'll be able to hear a barista calling your name clearly, cars driving along the road next to you, or yourself singing along to your music. Frequently, transparency modes on traditional in-ear earbuds can amplify environmental sounds to an unnatural degree — because the transparency mode is built into the design, open earbuds essentially give you the experience of having your own personal speakers. They're an excellent solution for anyone who frequently finds themselves wearing only one earbud or sliding one ear cup slightly off their ear with over-ear headphones.

If the lack of ANC turns you off from using open earbuds, I wouldn't check out just yet. As I mentioned briefly up top, Soundcore introduced a pair of open earbuds earlier this year that can also be used as ANC buds. They perform decently, mastering neither form, but offering a level of versatility no other brand has matched (yet). They are on the slightly more expensive end of open earbuds, but they are essentially a two-in-one. Just be aware that the ANC mode does require that they be worn as semi-in-ear buds, but the open earbud wear is the true experience.

The Shokz OpenFit Pro are another notable release on this front. Unlike the Soundcores, they're worn solely as open earbuds, and provide noise reduction — you'll still hear the world around you well, but it will be dampened in an effort to make the audio you stream easier to listen to.

Can other people hear open earbuds?

Ideally, the sound leakage from open ear headphones is minimal to nonexistent, but that's not always the reality. While it won't be like you're actually using small Bluetooth speakers, certain models, especially at higher volumes, might play music clearly enough that someone standing within a couple feet of you might be able to make out the lyrics of what you're listening to.

Though I didn't have a pair on hand to confirm this theory, the sound leakage felt somewhat reminiscent of what you'd experience with the early 2000s on-ear headphones that often came with portable CD players.

The benefits of open earbuds, summarized

Open earbuds won't appeal to everyone's taste, but anyone looking for their earbuds to give them the following is much more likely to be pleased:

• Comfortable wear: Open earbuds don't obstruct your ear canal, and can generally be much lighter on the ear than traditional earbuds and headphones.

• General awareness: You can still hear the world around you the entire time you're wearing open earbuds, making them great for taking out in public, whether on a run or for a stroll in the park.

• Exercise-friendly: Many open earbuds have IP scores that deem them water resistant or even waterproof, meaning they're okay to sweat in. Awareness of the world around you can come in handy when you're running down the street or want to stay alert at the gym. Finally, the ear hook design can help hold earbuds in place, making them ideal for use during more movement.

Beyond the lack of ANC, open earbuds have two major cons. For one, the audio itself won't sound as robust, because they're sitting outside your ears — hearing finer details or well-rounded bass is less likely across the board, even with the best-sounding earbuds. Some brands may also be prone to more audio leakage, meaning using them in already quiet settings (like studying at the library) could pose some risk of disturbing others.

How to wear open earbuds

How exactly you'll wear an open earbud depends somewhat on the design and the brand. Ear hook designs tend to take a little more finessing to situate comfortably, while ear cuff buds can be more straightforward to put on.

The EarFun Clip earbuds cuff around the ears (and can be worn with an earring stack). Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

However, with both styles, you'll likely spend some time during your first few wears adjusting where exactly the earbud sits on your ear. Though this is something you'll do to some extent with all earbuds, it's especially important with open earbuds, as the sound quality can legitimately be affected by where the earbud is situated. Finding the right spot is simple: While playing music, slightly adjust the earbuds until they sit where they sound best.

Are open earbuds worth it?

Open earbuds can absolutely be worth it to anyone who wants more situational awareness or the most comfortable personal audio experience possible. I've yet to find a pair of in-ear or on-ear headphones that I can wear for longer periods of time than most open earbuds. They're great for taking on solo walks, for afternoons spent reading in the park, or on any gym trip.

If you're on a budget, there are plenty of options you can find for $50 or lower. If you want to invest in the best of the form, there are also plenty of options in that $200+ range. Picky audiophiles should probably abstain, though. Open earbuds can sound pretty great, but they're still not going to replicate the sound of more traditional earbud and headphone designs.

Our favorite open earbuds

Like regular earbuds, open earbuds sit at a range of prices — below, I included tried and tested open earbuds models from price points high to low.

Best open earbuds Best budget option EarFun Clip $69.99 Shop Now Best ear hook design soundcore AeroFit 2 $129.99 Shop Now Best for most people Shokz OpenDots One $199.95 Shop Now Best for comfort and sound Bose Ultra Open earbuds $299 Shop Now Best for ANC Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro 179.99 Shop Now Best newcomer (and Bose competitor) Sony LinkBuds Clip $229.99 Shop Now

Check out Mashable's full guide to the best open earbuds.

Where to preorder the new Samsung Galaxy phones Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 $1,199.99 at Samsung Pre-Order Here Amazon Galaxy Z Flip 8 $1,199.99 at Amazon (get a $200 Amazon gift card) Pre-Order Here T-Mobile Galaxy Z Flip 8 $1,199.99 at T-Mobile (save up to $1,100 when you add a new line) Pre-Order Here Amazon Galaxy Z Fold 8 $1,899.99 at Amazon (get a $350 Amazon gift card) Pre-Order Here Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 $1,899.99 at Samsung Pre-Order Here T-Mobile Galaxy Z Fold 8 $1,899.99 at T-Mobile (get it for $0 with eligible trade-in) Pre-Order Here AT&T Galaxy Z Fold 8 $1,899.99 at AT&T (get it for $0 with eligible trade-in) Pre-Order Here Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra $2,099.99 at Samsung Pre-Order Here Amazon Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra $2,099.99 at Amazon (get a $350 Amazon gift card) Pre-Order Here T-Mobile Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra $2,099.99 at T-Mobile (save up to $1,100 when you add a new line) Pre-Order Here

New Samsung phones are here. At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026, three new phones were announced: the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The new phones are successors to the Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7, so if you're ready for a new phone, get ready to preorder these devices.

We've been anticipating the new models for weeks, vetting rumors of what's to come with the latest foldables. Now that we're here, we can finally confirm exactly which models are available and just how much each will cost.

Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra pricing breakdown

Here's the pricing breakdown:

• Galaxy Z Flip 8 (pink, graphite, cream, mint) — starting at $1,199

• Galaxy Z Fold 8 (lavender, graphite, cream, pistachio) — starting at $1,899.99

• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (violet shadow, graphite, cream, green shadow) — starting at $2,099.99

Both the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are $100 more than last year's models; no surprise in the face of the global memory crisis. All of the new models are up for preorder as of July 22 and will be available Aug. 7.

If you've previously owned the Z Flip and Fold series, the successive models are slightly different. So here's what you need to know about the new Samsung smartphones.

About the Galaxy Z Flip 8 The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is the successor to the Z Flip 7. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is the successor to the Z Flip 7. It folds down into a pocket-sized square, flipping open to a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display. The display is phenomenal and extremely impressive, the crease of the phone indistinguishable when flipped open. It comes with a dual lens camera with up to 10x zoom and 4K video, filming at 60 fps. It has 12GB of RAM (more than some computers) and either 256GB or 512GB of storage space.

The Z Flip 8 comes in four different colors: pink, graphite, cream, and mint (online only). It starts at $1,199.99.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 $1,199.99 at Samsung
  Pre-order Here at Samsung Pre-order Here at Amazon Pre-order Here at T-Mobile About the Galaxy Z Fold 8 The dimensions of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 are suspiciously close to the leaked foldable iPhone. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group

Apple has yet to release a foldable iPhone, but Samsung has already come out with a phone destined to compete. Rumors were floating about this model, with some thinking it would be called the Galaxy Z Fold Wide. Now we know it's actually the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a new model with a fullscreen ratio of 4:3.

It's a midrange option between the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, with a 5.5-inch folded screen and a 7.6-inch full-size screen. Like the Flip, it has a dual lens camera, but is able to film in up to 8K at 30 fps. You can go for models with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, or a model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899.99. It comes in lavender, graphite, cream, and pistachio (online only).

Galaxy Z Fold 8 $1,899.99 at Samsung
  Pre-order Here at Samsung Pre-order Here at Amazon Pre-order Here at T-Mobile About the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra The successor to the Z Fold 7 is the Z Fold 8 Ultra. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group

If you've previously seen or used the Z Fold 7, its successor is the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. It's the largest phone among all of Samsung's foldables with a 6.5-inch cover screen and an 8-inch full screen. It's the only foldable with a three-lens camera, letting you film in up to 8K with 3x optical and 30x space zoom.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra comes in violet shadow, graphite, cream, and green shadow (online only). It starts at $2,099.99.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra $2,099.99 at Samsung
  Pre-order Here at Samsung Pre-order Here at Amazon Pre-order Here at T-Mobile

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you watch college football.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: East side basketball

• Green: North Star sports

• Blue: Same names

• Purple: Boxes

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Eastern Conference NBA Teams

• Green: Minnesota Teams

• Blue: Scotts

• Purple: Box___

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #668 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Eastern Conference NBA Teams: HAWKS, MAGIC, NETS, PISTONS

• Minnesota Teams: FROST, TIMBERWOLVES, TWINS, WILD

• Scotts: MCTOMINAY, NIEDERMAYER, ROLEN, VAN PELT

• Box___: AND ONE, JUMP, LACROSSE, SCORE

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

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

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

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

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

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 23, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for July 23, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 23 Pips

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

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.

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

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 23 Pips

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed horizontally.

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

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

Greater Than (11): Everything in this space must be greater than 11. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-2, placed horizontally.

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 23 Pips

Number (13): Everything in this space must add up to 13. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed vertically.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 5-3, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 0-2, placed vertically.

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

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

Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically.

Number (22): Everything in this space must add up to 22. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically; 6-4, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 6-4, placed vertically; 5-0, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 3-3, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 4-1, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally.

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

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

In case you missed it, Elon Musk wants to make his own version of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey using Grok — and Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest host Colman Domingo has some thoughts.

"Now Elon Musk is planning to create what he calls a 'historically accurate' version of The Odyssey, using his Grok AI," Domingo says in the clip above. "And by 'historically accurate', he means whiter than Christmas at Cracker Barrel. Of course this is all because Elon and his Musketeers are upset over the diversity casting of The Odyssey. And I don't wanna get technical here, but you can't make a historically accurate version of something that is totally made the f*** up.

"I mean, The Odyssey is fiction. You know, like The Hunger Games, or the president's cognitive exams. I mean come on, doesn't Elon Musk have better things to do? Wasn't this bitch supposed to be on Mars by now?"

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Rhythm game Maestro is coming to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Originally released for VR platforms in 2024, the game has players wave their arms about to conduct a virtual orchestra.

Maestro's new Switch port is the first time French developer Double Jack's game will be available on non-VR platforms, with players to use the Switch's handheld Joy-Cons to direct on-screen musicians. A new song is also being added: "Ashes on the Fire" from anime Attack on Titan.

The game's original release included 15 songs, such as Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5." More modern songs such as "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter and the main theme from Game of Thrones were later added in DLC. Judging from the trailer, they'll also be made available in the Switch version.

Maestro will arrive on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on Sept. 17.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Lawn decoration.

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

GNOME

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Alert.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 23, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

AWARE

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Severe.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 23 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 23, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

STARK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

To vomit.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

RETCH

Final Hurdle hint

Stockpile.

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

HOARD

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

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're a frequent flyer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for July 23, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Rounded

• Green: Nervous Nancy

• Blue: Catch a flight

• Purple: Math words

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Spherical things

• Green: In an anxious state

• Blue: Parts of an airport

• Purple: Ending in geometry terms

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1138 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Spherical things: BASEBALL, GLOBE,

• In an anxious state: EXCITED, FEBRILE, FRENETIC, INTENSE

• Parts of an airport: PINS, SNAPS, TWEETS, VINES

• Ending in geometry terms: APPOINT, DEPLANE, FELINE, JANGLE

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 23, 2026

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're a veteran.

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 23, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Hail to the chief petty officer

The words are related to the military.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe military titles.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Navy Ranks.

NYT Strands word list for July 23

• Recruit

• Admiral

• Ensign

• Navy Ranks

• Lieutenant

• Commander

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love astronomy.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 23, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for July 23, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A curved path.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter O.

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

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

ORBIT

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

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

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

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

Meta has skirted another jury over claims its platforms are facilitating a youth mental health crisis.

The company was set to go to trial in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles next week, but the 15-year-old plaintiff, referred to as R.K.C, has now dropped the lawsuit.

"In ⁠light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weeks-long trial, he has elected to withdraw his claims against Meta. He’s ⁠ready to close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as ​he aspires to have a normal life," attorneys for ​R.K.C. said in ​a statement.

SEE ALSO: Lawsuit says AI tool disproportionately places Black prisoners in maximum security in Ontario

According to the lawsuit, R.K.C. said he became addicted to social media over the last seven years, and linked his anxiety and depression to extensive time online. Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube were also named in the initial lawsuit, but the companies reached settlement deals with R.K.C prior to going in front of the jury.

"Days after settling with other social media companies, the plaintiff dropped his case against Meta, the only remaining defendant, without receiving any payment," a Meta spokesperson said following the news. "The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits."

Meta's spokesperson said the facts of the case could not prove that the company's platforms caused R.K.C.'s mental health struggles. Meta previously called attention to the fact that R.K.C. had not spent significant amounts of time on Meta platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, in a Motion for Summary Judgment. The company also said they could not verify that R.K.C. had a long-standing account history on Meta platforms.

In March, Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay $6 million to another teen plaintiff who accused multiple social media companies of knowingly investing in design features that would hook users, despite knowing of their potential harm. The jury found the two companies liable for mental health-related harms caused by negligent design features and "social media addiction." It was the first time a jury found social media companies responsible for the psychological effects of their platforms on teens.

At the time, Meta said it was appealing the decision. The company has faced multiple lawsuits brought forth by teens, parents, school districts, and state leaders. "Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app," a Meta spokesperson said following the March verdict. "We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online."

Netflix has been on a streak lately, releasing outrageous true crime documentaries that are stranger than fiction. There's been The Perfect Neighbor, a grim recounting of a manipulative murder told through police bodycam footage; Maternal Instinct, in which a con woman faked a pregnancy, before going to fatal lengths to make her lie seem true; and The Crash, wherein a reckless teen girl's vehicular menace led to the death of two friends. Now comes A Toxic Love Story.

By the title alone, you might think you know what you're in for. But documentarian Alexandra Lacey shrewdly takes audiences through the waves of understanding that investigators had to wade through before finding a truly shocking truth. Along the way though, there's plenty of WTF before the final reveal. Unlike the other true crime docs mentioned above, no one dies in this one. And yet, this is surely the most bizarre of the bunch.

Diving into increasing spoilers, we're discussing three big reveals, and the clues Lacey dropped along the way to warn keen viewers all is not what it seems.

A Toxic Love Story begins with the tale of an allegedly crazy ex-girlfriend. Michelle Hadley shares her side in "A Toxic Love Story." Credit: Netflix

This sexist trope has been a horror element that's most recently resurfaced in Focus Features' indie hit Obsession. What if there was a woman so obsessed with you that she'd rather burn your whole life down than lose you? For the first chapter of A Toxic Love Story, this seems to be the narrative unfurling.

In 2016, newlyweds Ian Diaz and Angela Connell Diaz seemed to have a postcard-worthy life. Living in Anaheim, California, minutes from Disneyland, they could visit the park anytime they wanted, which was important to Ian, as a confirmed Disney adult. Plus, Angela was expecting twins. According to Ian's friend of 20 years, Leslie, this was all he wanted. Then came the emails.

From an account called "Lilithistruth," Angela began getting messages that threatened her life, her home, and the lives of her unborn twins. Ian, a U.S. deputy marshal, reached out to the local police department, who only intervened when the threats escalated to an attempted sexual assault. See, the mysterious Lilith replied to a Craigslist ad, which suggested Angela was up for a "rape fantasy" in the Diaz condo. When a stranger showed up, the couple called 911, and the police arrested Ian's ex-girlfriend, Michelle Hadley.

In an interview with police, which is heard in the documentary, Hadley seems to admit to writing the Lilith emails. She's arrested and held for 88 days on a million-dollar bond. That is, until the police uncover another suspect. There are some red flags along the way, but we'll get to those at the end.

A Toxic Love Story reveals a con woman who went to extreme lengths for love. Angela Connell smiles with husband Ian Diaz. Credit: Netflix

Twenty-eight minutes into A Toxic Love Story, the focus shifts from the narrative that Michelle was a vengeful ex to pull back and ask, "Who is Lilith?"

Lacey transports her viewers back to 2013, Huntington Beach, where a pre-Ian "Angie" is desperate to impress her new beau and his circle of friends. However, part of her appeal to be liked includes faking a cancer diagnosis by employing photos of chemo treatments snatched from Google and a knit cap to cover her long hair.

Former friend Mary Bukovskis recounts this fraud with venom and vigor, even sharing cellphone video of a bizarre intervention in which the friends confront Angie, saying, "You don't have cancer!" until she literally runs away.

This audacious scene hits before even the halfway mark of A Toxic Love Story. So, in 2016, amid the "bizarre Orange County love triangle" events that were all over the news, it's somehow less shocking to learn that Angela faked her pregnancy.

Like in Maternal Instinct, this fraud used a sonogram she pulled from online as proof she was pregnant. From there, Leslie recounts how Ian was floored by the revelation, and even more disturbed when he realized Angela was Lilith, sending the emails and unwitting rapist upon herself to frame Michelle.

"It seems like I've been sleeping with the enemy the entire time," Ian says in an audio interview with the authorities.

At the 46-minute mark, A Toxic Love Story puts up a title card, detailing how Angela pled guilty to fraud, false imprisonment, and falsely reporting a crime. But while this seems like case closed, this is only the halfway point of the doc!

A Toxic Love Story is about an abusive boyfriend with a twisted scheme. Ian Diaz and his wife Angela captured on bodycam footage in "A Toxic Love Story." Credit: Netflix

While the case was closed for Anaheim PD, Ian's work with the U.S. marshals meant the Department of Justice was going to take their own look at the findings. Enter DOJ special agent Jason Higley, who looked at the bodycam footage of Ian and Angela, and suspected there was more than one fake at play.

Michelle, the only one in this supposed love triangle who did participate in the doc, reveals the full side of her story in this final chapter. She was young and naive when Ian caught her eye. They dated for two years, and bought that Anaheim condo together. Well, she paid the down payment and he "helped with the mortgage payments." But once they moved in together, Michelle says Ian became frightfully controlling.

He dictated how she dressed. He installed security cameras in their home, seemingly to track her every move. And even when they were apart, he seemed to know where she was. But the "biggest red flag," according to Higley, was that Ian manipulated Michelle into having sex with another man so he could watch. Though this doc touches on cuckolding and rape fantasy, the participants take efforts to not kink-shame. The issue here is not desire, but consent.

In interviews both with the DOJ and with Lacey's crew, Michelle recounts how "the condo felt like a cage," so she fled. As she recovered from complex PTSD from Ian's abusive control, she admits she wrote the first two Lilith letters. "I don't really understand where it can from or why I wrote it," she tells Lacey. "I listened to a lot of sermons growing up."

Higley uncovered that the later Lilith letters and the emails to the Craigslist hook-up tied back to Ian and his laptop. It seems Ian used Michelle's initial letters, which evoked the first wife of Adam who was thrown out for not being submissive, as a damning tool to ruin his ex and secure the condo for good.

What are the red flags and clues A Toxic Love Story dropped to telegraph its big reveals? Ian Diaz smiles. Credit: Netflix

The first clue is subtle and early on. When the doc cuts to Ian's recounting of the story, it's through previously recorded interviews with the authorities. He's not a talking head, sharing his side of what happened from a current perspective.

On the same note, Angela is only shown through bodycam footage, and later the cellphone video from her cancer intervention. In a love triangle story where no one died, why would neither be sharing their side?

Next comes a red flag from Leslie, who definitely doesn't see it that way, as she still believes Ian is innocent, even after all his convictions. She says, "Within a few months of meeting, Ian and Angela are living together, married, and expecting twins."

Ian moved very fast, not just with Angela, but also in moving on from his two-year relationship with Michelle. According to A Toxic Love Story, Michelle left him in August of 2015. He met Angela on Jan. 2, 2016. And by June 13, 2016, they were living together, married, "pregnant," and trying to frame Michelle for the attempted rape of Angela.

The next clue, as Higley will point out in the final chapter, is that when the cops came after the alleged rape attempt, Ian shows them the Craiglist ad that Lilith must have responded to. How did he know which one it was right away? "The odds of that are just impossible," Higley said.

The final clue in this first chapter that all is not what it seems is Michelle's interview. The doc plays part of her initial police interrogation. The officer says, "Did you write this?" And she says, "Yeah, that was me." Then, in a modern-day interview with the documentary crew, Michelle muses on where the Lilith imagery came from.

Typically, when true crime docs have footage of a confession, they show a lot of that footage. But A Toxic Love Story used just moments. The omission might strike some as odd. And of course, once Michelle shares her whole story, we realize why the doc moved right along.

In the end, A Toxic Love Story manages to tell not one true crime tale, but three in one. The initial narrative recounts how Michelle was maligned as "the craziest woman in Orange County." The second reveals the villainy of con woman Angela Connell, who went from lying about having cancer, to lying about a pregnancy, to helping her husband frame a woman she'd never even met. The third is about a corrupt U.S. marshal who saw himself as a criminal mastermind, but was exposed by his own hubris.

It's not as gnarly as Don't F*** with Cats, or as heartbreaking as Abducted in Plain Sight. But when it comes to most WTFs per runtime, you'd be hard-pressed to beat A Toxic Love Story.

A Toxic Love Story is now streaming on Netflix.

TL;DR: Get Babbel Language Learning for life for just $159 through July 31 and unlock all 14 languages with one purchase.

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Language learning usually starts with good intentions. The trick is sticking with it long enough to order dinner confidently, ask for directions without panicking, or actually hold a conversation.

That’s where Babbel truly shines. Through July 31, you can get lifetime access for a one-time $159, giving you unlimited access to 14 languages without worrying about another recurring subscription.

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Babbel keeps lessons short — just 10 to 15 minutes — making it much easier to fit learning into a lunch break, commute, or quiet evening at home. The lessons focus on real-life conversations, covering everything from travel and dining to shopping and business situations, so you’re learning phrases you’re actually likely to use.

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More than 15 million people worldwide have used Babbel, and the app holds an impressive 4.6-star rating on the App Store.

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Filmmaker Neill Blomkamp built his reputation on sci-fi films like the critically heralded District 9, and the divisive Chappie and Elysium. His latest, "Nightborne," a 13-minute short film generated almost entirely by artificial intelligence, is getting a largely negative reception.

Loosely adapted from the 2006 hard sci-fi novel Echopraxia, "Nightborne" was built using ByteDance's Seed 2.0 video model, which animated the faces and voices of 32 real people who signed likeness agreements. Per the video's own description, human artists produced the concept art, presumably so it could then be fed into the machine.

SEE ALSO: YouTube reveals which AI slop videos can't make money

The plot of "Nightborne" follows a US Army pilot, who, after being shot down in the Middle East, is pronounced brain-dead and reanimated by the military as a mind-controlled super-soldier. There are also scenes of a journalist speaking with a film crew about his discoveries, as well as scenes of the scientist running the program.

That the short turns real human beings into digital puppets to tell a story about the military turning a human being into a soulless killing machine is an irony apparently lost on Blomkamp and his collaborators.

Blomkamp's fans have not been kind in response. Comment sections on Instagram and YouTube skew heavily negative, with many mourning what they see as Blomkamp's fall from grace.

"Guys, be nice to Neill, he spent the entire afternoon prompting this," read one top comment on YouTube.

"It's actually impressive how you can throw this much talent at a project, and it still ends up looking like soulless slop," read another.

Whatever one thinks of AI-generated films on their own merits, Blomkamp now joins Darren Aronofsky as another high-profile director betting on generative AI as cinema's next act. That bet is facing real headwinds, considering Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey just posted a $100+ million opening weekend. A reminder that audiences are still very much willing to show up for something people actually made. Or you can watch the AI-generated version that Elon Musk wants to make.

There's been a lot of talk about the upcoming iPhone 18 and foldable iPhone that are likely to launch in September. However, Apple is also planning for its next generation of Macs and MacBooks, and it seems pretty much every line of computers is getting a refresh. That's according to a new report from Mark Gurman, managing editor of the consumer technology team at Bloomberg News.

So, what's in store for the new Mac devices?

Let's start with Apple's breakout hit and the latest addition to the MacBook family, the entry-level MacBook Neo.

MacBook Neo

A new MacBook Neo in the near future makes sense. Apple's budget laptop was a big success for Apple and initially sold out at launch. Even after a recent price increase, it stands far apart from budget Windows laptops in its price range.

According to the new Bloomberg report from Gurman, Apple is already developing its next-generation MacBook Neo. The new MacBook Neo will offer more memory and will be powered by an updated A19 Pro chip. In addition, Apple will be rolling out additional color options, Gurman reports. Apple has a long history of offering fun color options, and this was a key part of the Neo's splashy marketing campaign.

Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

However, the MacBook Neo was arguably the hardest hit by Apple's recent price increases, as its low price is part of the draw. The MacBook Neo launched at $599, and through Apple's education discount, it was priced as low as $499, but it now has a starting price of $699. A new MacBook Neo with upgraded specs could make that $100 price increase more palatable for buyers. If we're lucky, shoppers might even see the original MacBook Neo get discounted back to its original price, at least during sales events.

Touchscreen MacBook Pro

Aside from the MacBook Neo refresh, Apple is reportedly preparing to launch its long-rumored high-end touchscreen MacBook Pro. Gurman says these touchscreen MacBook Pro models will also be the first with OLED displays. These rumors have been circulating for a long time, but the wait may soon be over.

Apple is reportedly testing the new MacBooks, but is eyeing an October 2026 launch for touchscreen models powered by the M5 Pro. Even more advanced versions of the MacBooks could arrive in 2027 or early 2028, Bloomberg reports.

Given the ongoing global memory crisis, new MacBooks with OLED screens, next-gen chips, and touchscreens could arrive with some very intimidating prices. Supply chain experts who've spoken to Mashable say that the memory crisis will likely get worse before it gets better, and so even laptops that arrive in 2027 or beyond could be impacted.

MacBook Pro and MacBook Air The M5 MacBook Pro released in 2025. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

Gurman also reports that Apple is planning even more new options for MacBook customers. Bloomberg reports that the company has developed a "low-end" entry-level MacBook Pro powered by a new M6 chipset. Likewise, Gurman's report claims that the MacBook Air will get a refresh soon, too.

In fact, Gurman reports that the popular MacBook Air could get its first big redesign in over four years.

Mac Mini and Mac Studio

Apple's powerful desktop computers, the Mac Mini and Mac Studio, have been popular choices for users looking to take advantage of agentic AI technology. But the AI boom that has benefitted these two Apple desktop lines has also created major shortages.

So, it's no surprise that Apple is refreshing its Mac Mini and Mac Studio line with these AI users in mind. The company is reportedly testing a Mac Mini model powered by the M5 Pro and a model powered by the M6, according to Bloomberg.

Finally, Bloomberg reports that there are even more changes in store, with more MacBook Air and Pro models in the works, plus refreshes coming to the iMac line. To read about all of the new MacBook and iMac models reportedly being developed and tested at Apple, check out the full Bloomberg report.

Samsung's latest foldable phones both pack the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, and both cost $100 more than last year's models. We went hands-on to see what else has changed.