Mashable

It's hard to believe we're still a few days away from a full moon, especially when it looks almost there tonight. The lunar cycle is a series of eight unique phases of the moon's visibility, and we're still in the phase before a full moon. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth. 

So, what's happening with the moon tonight, Aug. 6?

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Wednesday, Aug. 6, the moon phase is Waxing Gibbous. According to NASA's Daily Moon Observation, the moon will be 91% lit up tonight, the 13th day of the lunar cycle.

If you enjoy spotting marks on the moon's surface, this is the time of the lunar cycle to pull out the binoculars. With your unaided eye, you'll be able to spot many things tonight, but most notably the Mare Cirisum, the Mare Tranquillitatis, and the Tycho Crater.

With binoculars, you'll also be able to see the Mare Humorum, the Alps Mountains, and the Clavius Crater.

If you're lucky enough to have a telescope, there are endless geological features to spot, namely the Caucasus Mountains, Apollo 11, and the Descartes Highlands.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on August 9. The last full moon was on July 10.

What are moon phases?

According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side.

Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Depending on your generation, you may have been introduced to the Star Wars extended universe by several different movies — Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, or even The Clone Wars TV show. Maybe you don't even remember.

And if you're really lucky, you haven't seen any of these movies yet, and you can dive into Star Wars in all its glory for the first time. Fortunately, all the Star Wars movies and TV shows are streaming in the same place.

How to watch Star Wars: Disney+

The Walt Disney Company spent a casual $4.05 billion in 2012 to buy Lucasfilm from Star Wars creator George Lucas. The House of Mouse has since given the entire franchise a permanent home on the Disney+ streaming service. (That includes all of the films in addition to Star Wars shorts, specials, and canon TV shows like The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian.)

If you'd rather rent or buy individual Star Wars movies instead of forking over $9.99 a month for a Disney+ subscription, you can do so via Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube, and Fandango at Home. There's no guarantee they'll always be there, though.

What's the best order to watch Star Wars movies? You have three choices.

From "who shot first?" to "how useful are lightsabers, really?" and "has any character ever sucked more than Jar Jar Binks?" — hot take: yes — there are some debates that hardcore Star Wars fans will never settle. Four decades of intergalactic action will do that to you.

While the Star Wars universe is relatively quiet circa 2025, there's never a bad time to revisit one of the Star Wars fandom's favorite questions: In what order do you watch Star Wars movies?

Fans generally agree that you've got three ways to journey through the series:

• The traditional order based on the movies' release dates

• The chronological order of events within the Star Wars universe

• The lesser-known "Machete Order"

What's the Machete Order? More on that in a sec.

How to watch the Star Wars movies in release order Credit: Lucasfilm

The Star Wars movie series is made up of 11 films: a trilogy of trilogies known as the Skywalker Saga, plus two spin-offs that were released between the three newest films. (Disney considers those to be origin stories, but they're not required viewing to understand the main storyline.)

If this is your maiden voyage into a galaxy far, far away, do yourself an enormous favor and watch the series in order of release date. The original movie, Episode IV: A New Hope, sets up so much of the conflict and characters that'll carry you through the rest of the journey, and you'll spoil some pretty major surprises and twists if you start elsewhere.

Original trilogy (available on Disney+):

• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (May 1977)

• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (May 1980)

• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (May 1983)

Prequel trilogy (available on Disney+):

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (May 1999)

• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (May 2002)

• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (May 2005)

Sequel trilogy, plus spin-offs (available on Disney+):

• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (Dec. 2015)

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Dec. 2016)

• Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Dec. 2017)

• Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 2018)

• Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (Dec. 2019)

How to watch the Star Wars movies in chronological order Credit: Lucasfilm

If you've been around Tatooine a few times, so to speak, try binge-watching the Star Wars movies the way George Lucas intended: in chronological order of the series' events. This approach revolves around the Battle of Yavin, also known as the Battle of the Death Star, which took place in Episode IV and marks "year zero" in the Star Wars timeline.

Here's what a chronological watch list looks like for the series:

1. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (set 32 years before the Battle of Yavin)

2. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (set in 22 BBY)

3. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (set in 19 BBY)

4. Solo: A Star Wars Story (set circa 10 BBY)

5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (leads right into the Battle of Yavin)

6. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (set in 0 BBY)

7. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (set three years after the Battle of Yavin)

8. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (set in 4 ABY)

9. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (set in 34 ABY)

10. Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (set in 34 ABY)

11. Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (set in 35 ABY)

How to watch the Star Wars movies in Machete Order

One could easily make the argument that The Phantom Menace is just a 136-minute-long reminder of what happens when a movie's entire budget is spent on crappy CGI. That, combined with the fact that its plot has no real effect on the rest of the prequel trilogy, has led many a viewer to ask: Does Star Wars really, truly need it?

Software developer and Star Wars guru Rod Hilton tried to answer that very question about a decade ago when he created the "Machete Order," which slashes Episode I out of the series entirely and puts the other two prequel movies between Episodes V and VI — a viewing sequence that refocuses the story on Luke Skywalker, the protagonist of the original trilogy, while preserving the series' biggest reveals. (Also a bonus: way less Jar Jar.) It may not be the "proper" way to watch the Star Wars movies, but it's definitely a fan favorite.

Here's how to go about watching the movies (all available on Disney+) in Machete Order, per Hilton's blog:

1. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

2. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

3. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

4. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

5. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

6. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

7. Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

8. Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

If you really want to keep Episode I as part of your Star Wars rotation, Hilton recommends treating it like an anthology film that you pull in after the "book" of the main story is closed. (Same with Rogue One and Solo.)

Where do the Disney+ Star Wars TV shows fit into the franchise? Credit: Lucasfilm

Star Wars has evolved beyond movies. From animated classics like The Clone Wars to recent Disney+ originals such as The Mandalorian and The Acolyte, the extended universe gets a bit more convoluted. So, it's helpful to know where each Star Wars TV series fits in chronologically.

The Acolyte (2024) is the earliest part of the Star Wars timeline, set at the end of the High Republic era, long before the Skywalker Saga begins. The Clone Wars comes in next, taking place between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a mini series from 2022, follows the Jedi a decade after the events of Episode III. Five years before Episode IV: A New Hope, we have Andor (2022), which follows the formation of the Rebel Alliance.

In the gap between the fall of the Empire and the rise of the First Order, there are several different stories: The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew, and Ahsoka.

Here's our best estimation of the chronological order of the Disney+ Star Wars shows:

• The Acolyte

• The Clone Wars

• The Bad Batch

• Obi-Wan Kenobi

• Andor

• Star Wars Rebels

• The Mandalorian (Seasons 1 & 2)

• The Book of Boba Fett

• The Mandalorian (Season 3)

• Skeleton Crew

• Ahsoka

• Star Wars Resistance

The best Disney+ deals

Not yet a Disney+ subscriber? Subscriptions start at $9.99 after a price hike in summer 2024, but we've rounded up a few of the best ways you can save some money on the streaming service below.

Best Disney+ deal: Save 17% on an ad-free annual plan Opens in a new window Credit: Disney+ Disney+ Premium annual subscription (no ads) $159.99/year (save 17%) Get Deal

Last year, Disney+ hiked its price up from $13.99 to $15.99 for those who wish to watch ad-free. With the yearly plan, you'll pay $159.99 per year, which breaks down to $13.33 per month. That saves you about 17%, though you have to pay all at once.

Best Disney+ bundle deal: Save 44% on Disney+ and Hulu with ads Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu / Disney+ Disney Bundle Duo Basic (Hulu and Disney+ with ads) $10.99 per month (save 44%) Get Deal

If you want the most bang for your buck, Disney's bundle deals are the best in the biz. You can bundle Disney+ and Hulu for just $10.99 per month with ads, which basically gets you Disney+ for $1 per month (44% in savings). You can also add HBO Max (with ads) or ESPN+ into the mix for a grand total of $16.99 per month. Going ad free costs an extra $9 per month for Disney+ and Hulu and an extra $13 per month for the trio bundle.

Best deal for Verizon customers: Save $6.99/month on Disney+ bundle Opens in a new window Credit: Verizon / Disney+ Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ (with ads) $10/month as a myPlan perk (save $6.99/month) Get Deal

Verizon customers can score the Disney+ bundle for even cheaper with myPlan. Just add a Disney Bundle to your account through myPlan, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, all with ads. All three would regularly cost you $31.97 per month separately or $16.99 per month through the Disney Bundle deal, but by signing up through this myPlan deal, you'll only pay $10 per month.

Another way to get Disney+ for free Opens in a new window Credit: Total Disney+ Premium (no ads) Free with the Total Wireless $60 plan (save $15.99 per month) Get Deal

Verizon Total Wireless customers on the $60/month prepaid unlimited plan get Disney+ Premium (no ads) for free. No terms or trial periods. Just keep your account in good standing and you'll get Disney+ access. If you cancel or switch your plan, your subscription will end as well. If you're on the $50/month prepaid unlimited plan, you're also eligible for six free months of Disney+. Want to extend your trial? Just upgrade to the $60/month plan.

Even with the Trump administration slashing NASA’s budget and workforce, the space agency is moving ahead with a bold plan to build a nuclear reactor on the moon, according to Politico.

The report states that Transportation Secretary/Interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy will soon announce the effort, with a goal of opening the 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor by 2030. Much of the urgency appears tied to competition from China and Russia. China plans to send astronauts to the moon in 2030, and both China and Russia have discussed a joint operation to build a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface.

SEE ALSO: NASA's carbon tracking satellites are on Trump's chopping block

NASA believes that another nation winning the nuclear race on the moon could inhibit the U.S.’s own lunar ambitions. With lunar night lasting two weeks at a time, nuclear power would be an alternative to solar, powering permanent or semi-permanent lunar bases and missions. Additionally, some of the moon lies in permanent shadow, making solar-powered missions more complicated in those areas. Nuclear power would open up much more of the moon to humans, according to NASA.

How the reactor would be built remains an open question, though Newsweek suggests the power generator could use uranium fuel and be buried under the lunar surface to shield astronauts from radiation.

NASA also has plans to replace the aging International Space Station by 2030, possibly with the help of corporate entities like Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin. The ISS is likely to be decommissioned and crashed into the ocean by then, and if an ISS replacement is not constructed in time, then China would operate the only permanently crewed space station.

Under Trump and Duffy, NASA is also prioritizing human spaceflight, including to Mars, while deemphasizing scientific efforts.

TL;DR: Scan anything, anywhere, with this lifetime subscription to iScanner, now A$38 (reg. A$309) with code SCAN through 7 September.

Opens in a new window Credit: iScanner iScanner App: Lifetime Subscription AU$38
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Raise your hand if you've ever had to rush to the library to print something. If most of us don't have the space for clunky printers, chances are we also don't keep a scanner at home. That's what iScanner is for.

This iOS app transforms your iPhone or iPad into a handy little scanner that works for basically any document type. It's also only A$38 (reg. A$309) for a lifetime subscription with code SCAN. 

No more wasted desk space

Even if you're one of the few with a physical scanner still in your presence, you can now clear some counter space thanks to iScanner. And while you're at it, you can throw away that dusty old filing cabinet, too. 

iScanner is the number one US-based scanning and document management tool, letting you knock items off your to-do list from anywhere. Need to save a receipt for taxes? Do you have a contract you need to digitize? You can scan any document using just the phone on your iOS device. 

Students, entrepreneurs, educators, and stay-at-home moms alike will all find endless uses for a scanner in your pocket. The AI-powered tools ensure your documents' borders are detected and automatically adjusted while also straightening scan pages and ditching curves and skews. 

Thanks to AI, you can also use iScanner to help you solve complicated math problems.  Or put its OCR technology to the test and let it help you decipher text in up to 20 languages.

Once things are scanned, the app becomes a full PDF editor and file manager. Edit your scans, including signing them, adding text, or autofilling them with custom templates. Then, use the file manager's folder via drag and drop to keep them safe and organized. 

Scanning something confidential? You can also protect files and folders by locking them with a PIN. 

Use code SCAN by 7 September at 11:59 p.m. PT to get an iScanner lifetime subscription on sale for A$38. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

For the first time since GPT-2 dropped over five years ago, OpenAI is releasing not one, but two open-weight AI reasoning models — and they’re available to download for free right now on Hugging Face.

Billed as “state-of-the-art,” the new OpenAI open-weight models were announced Tuesday in a company blog post. OpenAI says they "outperform similarly sized open models on reasoning, excel at tool use, and are optimized for efficient deployment on consumer hardware."

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There are two versions:

• gpt-oss-120b, the larger and more powerful model, which can run on a single Nvidia GPU.

• gpt-oss-20b, a lightweight alternative designed to run on consumer laptops with just 16GB of RAM.

To try out the new OpenAI models for yourself, head to the OpenAI gpt-oss page.

What does open-weight mean?

This release is a nod to OpenAI’s early roots, when the company was more publicly committed to open-sourcing its models (hence the company's name). While these aren’t “fully open source” in the strictest sense — the training data isn’t included — they are open weight, meaning the code and model parameters are available for anyone to use, tweak, and build upon.

And no, models like Meta’s LLaMA aren’t truly open source either — at least not by the standards of the open-source community, which requires access to training data as a baseline.

Since the release of GPT-2, OpenAI has steadily shifted toward a more closed and proprietary approach to its LLM development — until now. The recent release of open-weight models marks a notable change in direction, and it’s not happening in a vacuum.

With China’s DeepSeek AI and other labs in the country gaining traction and achieving impressive scores on benchmark tests, the pressure has been mounting for US tech companies to stay competitive in the global AI race. In fact, just last month, the Trump administration urged American AI developers to open source more of their technology in an effort to promote innovation aligned with “American values” and maintain a strategic edge.

Regardless of the motivations behind it, this move represents a significant step forward, not just for OpenAI but for the broader open AI ecosystem.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Rod Stewart never ceases to amaze fans with his weird choices.

At Stewart's show in Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 29, he dedicated his song "Forever Young" to longtime friend Ozzy Osbourne and played an AI-generated video featuring the late Osbourne using a selfie stick to take pictures with other famous musicians who have died, including Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Prince, Freddie Mercury, Tupac, Kurt Cobain, XXXTentacion, and Amy Winehouse.

One concert-goer called it a "new low" for AI use. A user on X pointed out that Stewart's use of an AI-generated video is a bit odd since he was friends with Osbourne and has performed with him — he could have simply used that footage instead.

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Now, I know what you might be thinking: "At some point, you have to take responsibility for your own actions." That is something my mom might say to me if I came home from a Stewart concert complaining about him having done something weird.

Stewart is a man with odd takes. For instance, he turned down a multi-million dollar gig in Saudi Arabia in 2023 because of the country's treatment of women and LGBTQ+ people, but, in 2025, publicly voiced support for far-right politician Nigel Farage, who famously has some controversial anti-LBGTQ+ and anti-choice views. Stewart is a man of many contradictions. So when he said in 2023 that AI could be the "destruction of mankind as we know it," we should have calculated that he might use AI for a bizarre tribute in 2025.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is suing several porn companies, according to a press release on Tuesday.

Uthmeier states that these porn sites aren't complying with Florida's age-verification law, which went into effect on Jan. 1. The law, HB 3, requires sites that publish a "substantial portion" of material that is "harmful to minors" to use a method to prove that visitors are over 18. HB 3 requires this method to keep personal information anonymous and be conducted by a nongovernmental, independent third party.

SEE ALSO: Supreme Court upholds Texas age-verification law for adult content

Florida's version of age verification is similar to that in other states, but some are more specific in that they require scanning a face or a government ID. These laws started to sprout up in states in 2022, beginning with Louisiana, and since then, free speech advocates and adult industry workers have told Mashable that the laws won't work for their intended purpose. A preliminary study out of NYU also suggests that age-verification laws don't work.

One reason is that they can be circumvented with software like VPNs, so visitors can pretend to be elsewhere. Another is that not every single website will comply.

Now, Uthmeier is suing companies that operate out of the Czech Republic, including the parent companies of XVideos and XNXX:

• Webgroup Czech Republic (which operates XVideos)

• NKL Associates (XNXX)

• Sonesta Technologies, Inc. (BangBros)

• Traffic F (an advertising network)

The AG is also suing GGW Group and GTFlix TV, distributors of GirlsGoneWild. The latter apparently also operates out of the Czech Republic.

The press release states that Uthmeier wrote two letters to two of the companies in April, demanding that they comply or face legal action.

"Multiple porn companies are flagrantly breaking Florida's age verification law by exposing children to harmful, explicit content. As a father of young children, and as Attorney General, this is completely unacceptable," Uthmeier stated in the press release. "We are taking legal action against these online pornographers who are willfully preying on the innocence of children for their financial gain."

When SCOTUS upheld Texas's age-verification law in June, experts told Mashable that it was a blow to free speech, as such laws quell adults' free speech, while also not actually stopping minors from accessing porn. Yet, these laws have also extended outside the U.S., as the UK has enacted age verification just last month. Already, internet users have found a way to bypass the law: using a photo of a video game character.

According to leaked documents, Apple may be gearing up to unveil its iPhone 17 lineup — including the iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro — on Sept. 9.

The rumor originates from iPhone-Ticker, a German blog, and was picked up by 9to5Mac, which reports that a local wireless carrier leaked internal documents pointing to an early September reveal.

SEE ALSO: Apple's iPhone 17 could come with a $50 price hike

While still unconfirmed, the date tracks with Apple’s usual playbook. The tech giant typically holds its iPhone launch events in the second week of September, excluding 2020, which was disrupted by COVID. The company also favors Tuesday announcements, though last year’s reveal was pushed due to the presidential debate.

If the leak holds true, we could be just weeks away from Apple’s next big drop.

This year, the spotlight is on the iPhone 17 Air, Apple’s rumored ultra-thin flagship measuring just 5.65mm thick. As Mashable’s Alex Perry put it, "that’s even thinner than a pencil."

Meanwhile, if you’ve been paying even casual attention to Apple leaks, most of the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro details are already out in the wild. One of the most eye-catching leaks is the new orange finish for the Pro models, which, to some (mostly me), is similar to the color scheme for the Charlotte Bobcats.

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Aside from that, 9to5Mac notes that if the rumored Sept. 9 reveal date holds, Apple will likely stick to its usual rollout pattern—meaning pre-orders could open that Friday, Sept. 12, with the official launch landing a week later on Sept. 19.

Artificial intelligence may soon play a bigger role in your air travel fares.

Airlines are reportedly working with AI companies to deliver "personalized" prices to customers by using AI tools to analyze their personal information and data.

Delta Air Lines is currently using AI technology from the Israeli startup Fetcherr for some domestic flights, said President Glen Hauenstein in an earnings call last month. Hauenstein said the technology is still being tested, but told shareholders that Delta intends to expand its use of AI by the end of this year. As of now, the airline uses AI for only 3 percent of its domestic flight fares, but wants to increase this to 20 percent, according to ABC News.

However, in a recent letter to members of Congress, the company denied using AI tools to price-gouge customers, as Reuters reported last week.

Fetcherr is one of the prominent suppliers of AI-powered dynamic pricing, and it already works with several airlines, including Delta, Azul, Virgin Atlantic, WestJet, and Royal Air Maroc, according to Aviation Week. Delta has said it doesn't share personal customer data with Fetcherr.

But the airline has come under scrutiny for its rhetoric around using AI to optimize some fare prices. US lawmakers, including Democratic Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, have accused Delta of "telling their investors one thing, and then turning around and telling the public another," said Gallego, who also said he believes Delta is engaging in "predatory pricing."

In a letter to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, Senators Gallego, Mark Warner, and Richard Blumenthal cited a comment made during an investor conference last December by Hauenstein, who said the company's AI price-setting technology sets fares by predicting "the amount people are willing to pay for the premium products related to the base fares."

"Consumers have no way of knowing what data and personal information your company and Fetcherr plan to collect or how the AI algorithm will be trained," reads the lawmakers' letter. The senators asked Delta to explain what data it collects and uses for its fares. Delta hasn't specified what data it relies on to set these individualized prices.

In response, the airline assured US Democratic senators that their ticket pricing "never takes into account personal data" but also spoke of the merits of using AI to set prices.

"Given the tens of millions of fares and hundreds of thousands of routes for sale at any given time, the use of new technology like AI promises to streamline the process by which we analyze existing data and the speed and scale at which we can respond to changing market dynamics," read Delta's letter to lawmakers.

While Delta insisted to US lawmakers that it’s not fixing prices with AI, recent revelations about Fetcherr raise serious questions about its technology.

Bloomberg reported this week on an alarming white paper by Fetcherr co-founder and chief AI officer Uri Yerushalmi. In the paper, Yerushalmi describes working with an unnamed airline to use artificial intelligence to create a pricing structure so complicated that it would “go beyond human cognitive limits,” according to Bloomberg.

So, even if AI isn’t used to “fix prices” in the traditional sense, it could still be used to make fare pricing so complex that consumers inadvertently end up paying more.

Rival airlines have also expressed concern. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said using AI to set individualized fares could have an impact on consumer trust. He also said the strategy is not something AA would do.

Dynamic pricing has long been a part of the airline industry's strategy, but the use of AI has the potential to drastically change travel bookings. As airlines look to maximize revenue by harnessing AI, many policy experts fear consumers could face much higher prices, as expressed to The Lever. Another looming concern is that AI-powered pricing schemes can lead to price collusion between companies. Some, like Scott Keyes of Scott’s Cheap Flights, believe prices could actually be lowered, as he wrote in Time.

Last week, Democratic lawmakers Greg Casar and Rashida Tlaib introduced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act, a piece of legislation that would ban companies from using AI to fix prices or wages based on Americans' personal data. The lawmakers cited Delta's plans to increase their use of AI to set prices.

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"Giant corporations should not be allowed to jack up your prices or lower your wages using data they got spying on you," said Congressman Casar in a statement. "Whether you know it or not, you may already be getting ripped off by corporations using your personal data to charge you more. This problem is only going to get worse, and Congress should act before this becomes a full blown crisis."

SAVE $204: Through Aug. 31, new subscribers to NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV can get the full 2025-26 football season for $34.50/month, or $276 total. That's $102 less than the price for returning users.

Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube NFL Sunday Ticket (8 months) $276
$378 Save $102 New users only Get Deal

NFL Sundays are arguably the hardest sports days of the year to keep up with. There are 13 — repeat, 13 — games slated for the first NFL Sunday of the season, but most people can only watch a handful of those broadcasted locally. People who have NFL Sunday Ticket can watch every single one, even after they air.

A full season subscription is usually $378 for returning subscribers, but anyone who has never signed up for Sunday Ticket can secure the 2025-26 season for $276 ($34.50/month for eight months) through YouTube TV. That's $102 off the normal price of $47.25/month.

SEE ALSO: Watch the last 2 months of regular season baseball for $34.99

The promo is running through Aug. 31, so you have time to get set up before the first games on Sept. 7. AS for which NFL games you get with NFL Sunday Ticket, it's in the name: every NFL game on Sundays. This includes your local broadcast games and out-of-network games — so you can keep up with your closest team geographically, plus all the other games across the country that day. YouTube's multiview mode lets you watch up to four live games at once, plus unlimited in-home streams and even two outside of your home. It's all a must for Fantasy players who need to keep an eye on a handful of players.

Unfortunately, the elusive Thursday Night Football games still require a Prime subscription. Monday Night Football is easier to catch if you have cable or a streaming service that gets ABC or ESPN (most do).

Make sure you've got one of the best 65-inch TVs ahead of football season, too.

Google may have partially walked back a plan to deprecate all shortened goo.gl links, but millions of links that rely on the link shortener will still break before the end of August.

Links created with Google's URL shortener that are still actively being used will be "preserved," according to an Aug. 1 update to its original 2024 announcement.

Initially, Google decided turn off its URL shortener tool and kill all goo.gl links, redirecting them to a page notifying the user that the links would become inactive after Aug. 25, 2025 before allowing users to proceed to the originally linked page.

The way links are shared online has changed since the link shortener heyday in the early and mid 2000s. Shorteners like goo.gl offered a cleaner, more user-friendly way to share long URLs — especially when social media sites like Twitter, now X, had shorter character limits. Plus there are lots of other services like Bit.ly and Ow.ly that became more popular than Google's.

"Over time, these existing URLs saw less and less traffic as the years went on - in fact more than 99% of them had no activity in the last month," said Google's announcement last July.

But it turns out, some of these links were still actively being used.

"We understand these links are embedded in countless documents, videos, posts and more, and we appreciate the input received," said the latest update. So those links will still be alive after the Aug. 25 cutoff date.

How to check if your links are still active

There's a simple test to see if your link still works after the cutoff date. To check if the link is still active, plug it into your browser. If the page you expect to see appears right away instead of redirecting to the Google message warning about the change first, it will continue to work, said the update.

SAVE $20: As of August 5, get the Bose SoundLink speaker for $199 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $219. That's a discount of 9% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Bose SoundLink $199 at Amazon
$219 Save $20 Get Deal

If you like taking your favorite songs with you wherever you go, a good portable speaker is an absolute must. Right now, you can snag an excellent portable speaker from Bose on the cheap.

As of August 5, get the Bose SoundLink speaker for $199 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $219. That's $20 off and a discount of 9%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: The 5 best party speakers, tested for sound, portability, and fun

The Bose SoundLink is a small speaker that still kicks. It may be relatively diminutive, but it can serve up some crystal clear tunes wherever you go. It boasts 9 hours of battery life and connectivity with Bluetooth 5.3, and when the battery's depleted, just hook it up with the USB-C cord included and charge it. Super easy.

Though you'll get deep bass and satisfying treble with one SoundLink, you can connect two for even more immersive sound. So if you're headed to a party or throwing one (or just want more volume) get two and link them up, hence the name.

Either way, now's the time to buy since this is the lowest price we've seen this speaker go for. Better scoop it up now before it's all sold out.

TL;DR: Grab this lifetime content aggregator and get access to millions of free shows, movies, etc., for only A$23 with code BITMAR5.

Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar Streaming Content-Finder: Lifetime Subscription AU$23
AU$231 Save AU$208 with code BITMAR5 Get Deal

If you're tired of hopping between streaming platforms to catch your favorite shows, movies, and music, BitMar offers a refreshing alternative. With your one-time payment of A$23 (reg. A$231) with code BITMAR5, you can unlock lifetime access to an all-in-one streaming platform that consolidates content from various sources into a single, easy-to-navigate interface.

What is BitMar?

BitMar isn't just another streaming service — it's a content aggregator powered by AI, similar to Bing's search engine. It scours the web to bring you millions of free, on-demand movies, TV shows, channels, videos, and songs from platforms like YouTube and TV networks. Whether you're in the mood for a classic film, the latest TV episode, or international content, BitMar has you covered.

Check out all the other perks of owning BitMar:

• Massive content library: Access over 200,000 channels and countless movies, TV shows, and music.

• Ad-free viewing: Enjoy your content without pesky interruptions.

• Multi-device support: Stream on up to five devices, including smart TVs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

• DMCA-compliant: You'll have peace of mind knowing that all content is legally sourced and compliant with copyright laws.

• No subscriptions: Pay once and enjoy unlimited access without recurring fees.

Why choose BitMar anyway?

With streaming costs on the rise and content spread across multiple platforms (we're looking at you, Netflix), BitMar simplifies your entertainment experience. Instead of managing multiple subscriptions, BitMar consolidates all of the best free content into one platform, saving you time when choosing what to watch and putting extra money back in your wallet.

You have until 7 September at 11:59 p.m. PT to grab this BitMar lifetime subscription for just A$23 — enter code BITMAR5 at checkout to grab it at this low price.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

George Clooney plays a suave movie star — a character he surely knows all too well — in Noah Baumbach's upcoming dramedy Jay Kelly.

The film, co-written by Baumbach (Marriage Story, White Noise) and Emily Mortimer in her feature film writing debut, introduces "hero of cinema" Jay Kelly (Clooney). He's a celebrated actor, yet he's become disillusioned with the industry. (He's also frequently criticized as only playing himself, a dig Clooney also knows all too well.)

SEE ALSO: The 10 best movies of 2025 (so far), and where to watch them

Jay Kelly follows Jay as he travels across Italy in order to accept an award at a film festival. The plot is fittingly meta, given that Jay Kelly will have its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, positioning it as a possible awards season contender.

Along his journey, Jay is accompanied by his long-time manager Ron (Adam Sandler), with whom he reminisces about his career and relationships. He also crosses paths with his harried publicist Liz (Laura Dern, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her previous collaboration with Baumbach in Marriage Story), as well as a former acting friend who never made it in the business (Billy Crudup).

But Clooney, Sandler, Dern, and Crudup aren't the only big names attached to Jay Kelly. Netflix's first teaser for the film highlights its stacked cast, which also includes Riley Keough, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, and Greta Gerwig.

The teaser also gives us a taste of Jay's ennui, along with several gorgeous shots of the Tuscan countryside. Escape into the world of Jay Kelly yourself above, but be forewarned: The words "Jay Kelly" are repeated so often, they'll stop having any meaning.

Jay Kelly premieres Aug. 28 at the Venice International Film Festival, and goes on to play at the New York Film Festival. It hits select theaters Nov. 14, and arrives on Netflix Dec. 5.

TL;DR: Get hands-on hacking lessons from the All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle on sale for A$54 for a limited time.

Opens in a new window Credit: Aleksa Tamburkovski The All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle AU$54
AU$1,697 Save AU$1,643 Get Deal

Some tech skills you can learn on your own. Others, like ethical hacking, are a little harder to practice without a controlled environment. That's why it's nice when you find something like the All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle.

This set of 18 courses takes you from beginner to expert in everything from basic hacking to penetration testing, Burp Suite, and BitNinja, and it's on sale for A$54 (for now). 

Ethical hacking classes

A big part of what makes this bundle valuable is the range of practical hacking lessons. You won’t just read about ethical hacking concepts. You’ll get to actually practice them. The courses guide you through setting up your own hacking environment with tools like Virtual Box and Kali Linux, learning to identify vulnerabilities, and even building your own tools for penetration testing. This practical, project-based approach helps make sure you’re not just memorizing theories, but actively learning by doing.

You’ll also get a solid understanding of how to approach real-life scenarios, whether it’s using Python to build penetration testing tools, working with Burp Suite for advanced web testing, or diving into Metasploit to exploit vulnerabilities and practice post-exploitation techniques.

The bug bounty training also gives you the chance to learn how ethical hackers make money by legally identifying and reporting flaws to major companies like Facebook and Google. If you're looking for a solid side hustle, that's the way to go. 

For a limited time, you can get the All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle on sale for A$54.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

SAVE $129.01: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + cellular, 49mm) is on sale in select colorways at Amazon for $649.99, down from the normal price of $779. That's a 17% discount and the lowest price we've even seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + cellular, 49mm) $649.99 at Amazon
$779 Save $129.01 Get Deal

Not all Apple Watches are created equal. Sure, you're in good hands with any model, but Apple made one Watch stand out in terms of its durability and features for those who like to get out there and get moving. If that's you, check out this deal at Amazon.

As of Aug. 5, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + cellular, 49mm) is on sale at Amazon in select colorways at for $649.99. That's a 17% discount that takes $129.01 off the usual price of $779. It's also the lowest price we've even seen at Amazon.

Made with a titanium case, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is meant to head out on the trail with no fears of damage or corrosion. The trail loop that's included with this sale price is also great for activity-centric adventures. Plus, it's water-resistant up to 100 meters.

SEE ALSO: Save $100 on the Apple Watch Series 10 and stay on top of your fitness journey

Apple also went with a larger battery in the Apple Watch Ultra 2, so you're looking at about 36 hours of battery life on a single charge with normal use. Switch this to low-power mode, and you can get up to 72 hours of life.

Runners, hikers, and cyclists can benefit from the offline maps feature, and the compass app is a great navigational tool. Plus, it weighs just 61.4 grams, which works out to about two ounces or 0.125 pounds. Of course, it comes with all your favorite fitness tracker capabilities like tracking heart rate, sleep, and fitness goals.

While it's still at the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon of $649.99, score the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and know it's up for any and all adventures.

There's been a lot of Freaky Fridays, all born from the 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers. But just ahead of director Mark Waters and teen idol Lindsay Lohan's era-defining comedy Mean Girls, they teamed up for the Freaky Friday that still stands out from its playful predecessors.

2003's Freaky Friday was a kinetic and joyously chaotic mother-daughter comedy that managed to be cool. Its fashions were enviable. It’s comedy crackled, thanks to the odd couple chemistry between Lohan and her onscreen mom, Jamie Lee Curtis. Plus, the movie's fictional band Pink Slip laid down "Take Me Away," a a cover of a Lash song that rocked even outside the movie. What more could a sequel 22 years after this hit hope to bring? Well, double the bodyswap for starters.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best movies of 2025 (so far), and where to watch them

Directed by Nisha Ganatra, Freakier Friday sees its mother-daughter heroines bodyswap with a pair of bickering teens. Generations (Boomers, millennials, and Gen Z) clash in everything from clothes and eating habits to who should be marrying whom. Two times the bodyswappers means two times the life lessons, making for a plot line so stuffed with schtick and silly sequences that it can lag at just under two hours. Still, Freakier Friday is a good time, coasting on the charms from the previous film that still glow on (and on and on and on).

Freakier Friday is the anti-Parent Trap.  Credit: Glen Wilson / Disney Enterprises, Inc.

In that other Lindsay Lohan vehicle, two long-lost sisters pull twinsie shenanigans to get their divorced parents back together again. In Freakier Friday, surfer girl Harper (Julia Butters) and posh aspiring fashion designer Lily (Sophia Hammons) are high school nemeses, who are horrified when their single parents meet-cute over a disciplinary trip to the principal’s office.

Set roughly 30 years after Freaky Friday, Freakier Friday sees once rebellious teen Lohan's Anna Coleman all grown up, a 36-and-a-half-year-old single-mom working as a manager to insecure pop idol Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). As for Curtis' Dr. Tess Coleman, she is bringing her skills as a therapist to her parenting podcast, self-help books, and to “co-grand parenting” Harper. But Anna’s fast-approaching wedding to Lily’s dad, hunky chef Eric (Manny Jacinto), has all four ladies losing their empathy for each other. Cue the manic multi-hyphenate fortune teller/life coach/barista (a winsomely flighty Vanessa Bayer) who performs a mystical bodyswap spell. 

SEE ALSO: 'Mean Girls' 2024 cast on what they borrowed from the original movie

Harper’s consciousness ends up in the body of her mom, Anna. Lily bodyswaps with her soon-to-be grandma Tess. And vice versa. Meaning Lohan and Curtis are playing teens again. While their younger co-stars mug sternly, make jokes about regaining a metabolism "the speed of light," and frolic on electric scooters, Freaky Friday’s dynamic duo fling themselves into silly sequences involving a frenzied photo shoot, catastrophic attempts at flirting, and the teen comedy cliché of driving a muscle car recklessly. All of this while Harper and Lily try to use their grown-up bodies to call off their parents' wedding, which they think is ruining their lives.

No one came for the plot.  Credit: Glen Wilson / Disney Enterprises, Inc.

And yet, there’s a lot of it. Too much even. Screenwriter Jordan Weiss (Dollface) sets up big stakes for Freakier Friday with the bodyswap occurring just three days before Anna and Eric's wedding. (On October 3rd! A Mean Girls reference!) It's a good ticking clock. But while Harper and Lily are hellbent on nuptial interruption, Anna and Tess get lost in a half-hearted plot about in-school suspension and tracking down the meddling mystic.

For Tess, Weiss wedges in an upcoming book tour and a pickleball tournament, a detail that must have been part of the SAG/AFTRA negotiations, as it seems a requirement to mention this sport in any comedy featuring a lead actor above the age of 50. Unfortunately, sequences about sports, scooters, and a dance class gone awry feel suffocated in the film's whirring drive to get the plot going. There's just so much here, and some sequences are so rushed that their jokes have no room to breathe, becoming just a barrage of comical mayhem without a satisfying punchline.

Still, it’s nice to see terrific comedic performers like Ramakrishnan, Bayer, June Diane Raphael, Sherry Cola, and Stephen Tobolowski pop-up for brief but amusing appearances. 

Freakier Friday is at its best when it leans on Lohan and Curtis. Credit: Glen Wilson / Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Lohan is solid as a frustrated straight man to Curtis' clown. And as she did in the first film, the latter, now an Academy Award winner courtesy of Everything Everywhere All At Once, goes hard for every joke. A sequence in a record store is particularly hilarious, as Curtis balances prop work, pratfalls, and ludicrous dialogue like "I have to find old people music...like Coldplay." (OK, it's not that she's wrong...)

Props to Chad Michael Murray, who reprises his Freaky Friday role of Jake, Anna's high school crush; his surprisingly sweet revival of the character gets a terrific payoff in the finale. But moreover, the chemistry between Murray and a flustered Curtis is hot enough that I wouldn’t be mad if somebody made a May-December rom-com with the two of them.

For her part, Lohan has a trickier role when it comes to romance. As Anna, she is the smitten love interest to Jacinto's swoon-worthy (albeit one-note) Eric. When she's Harper in Anna's body, she's playing a teen girl desperate to duck out of the strong arms of her soon-to-be stepdad (who does not know bodies have been swapped!). So a sequence wherein Jacinto replicates Patrick Swayze moves from Dirty Dancing will have women of several generations absolutely giddy. But for Lohan, it's a setup for a comical escape.

Credit: Glen Wilson / Disney Enterprises, Inc.

As with its predecessor, Freakier Friday is about family at its core. So, naturally the third act is where everyone needs to learn a lesson while keeping things fun. With four bodies swapped, this gets convoluted. But that's practically a requirement of a bodyswap movie. To Ganatra's credit, the climax is engaging and genuinely touching. And that's thanks in no small part to mindful callbacks and role reprisals from the first film. Let's just say, some tracks are still bangers.

In the end, Freakier Friday isn’t better than the original. But it is fun, entertaining, and funny. On top of the winning performances of Curtis and Lohan, there’s a meta joy to seeing a real-life wild child return to her roots for a victory lap. That she gets to rock out while doing it is all the better.

Freakier Friday opens in theaters Aug. 8.

Google may be delaying the expected release of some of its products this year.

According to a report from WinFuture, a German technology publication, the company won't be releasing all of its anticipated products this month due to supply chain issues.

Google's slate of new products will be announced during the next Made by Google event, taking place on August 20, 2025. Usually, the products are released near or around the time of Google's announcement. By that logic, phones within the Pixel 10 series – namely, the Pixel 10, the Pixel 10 Pro, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL – should be available in stores by August.

But the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the Pixel Watch 4, and the Pixel Buds 2a might not be available until October, according to WinFuture's reporting. The publication suggests that the delays are due to supply chain issues with new components that are part of these specific products.

SEE ALSO: All the Pixel 10 rumors and leaks to date: Pricing, colors, and specs reportedly leaked

It's worth noting that Google has not yet confirmed any release dates for its upcoming offerings. But, thanks to a ton of leaks and rumors, there's a lot we think we know about what Google has in store for the Pixel 10 series. In a few weeks, we'll know for sure.

SAVE $20.15: As of Aug. 5, get the Anker MagGo Power Bank for $59.84 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79.99. That's a discount of 25% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker MagGo Power Bank $59.84 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $20.15 Get Deal

Spending a lot of time out and about while the warm weather is still here? You probably need a reliable way to make sure your phone stays charged while you're out. Don't let it languish in low battery land. A great way to keep it powered up while seeing the world is a portable power bank. This one is on sale for its lowest price yet.

As of Aug. 5, get the Anker MagGo Power Bank for $59.84 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79.99. That's $20.15 off and a discount of 25%. It's also the lowest price we've seen. This price applies to all colorways: black, green, pink, and white.

SEE ALSO: Anker just dropped 3 new Nano power banks and chargers

This 10,000mAh magnetic battery pack is ultra slim and portable, perfect for tossing in a bag and going, or even your pocket if it's large enough. It has a 15W max Qi wireless charging pad and 30W max USB-C port, so you can supply power to your phone and other devices on the go with no issue. It can charge an iPhone 15 Pro, for example, up to 1.8 times.

The bank itself is matte with a metal frame, with aerogel thermal insulation to keep it cool. It also comes in multiple colors, so you can choose which one matches your phone (or your personality). Just plug in to charge when it's depleted, then juice it up and take it with you on the regular so you never have to deal with dead electronics. If you're out often enough that you deal with a dead phone, best to scoop this charger up while you can.

SAVE $49.01: The DJI Mic with two transmitters, one receiver, a charging case, and extra accessories is on sale at Woot for $199.99, down from the list price of $249. That's a 20% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mic (two transmitters, one receiver, a charging case, and extra accessories) $199.99 at Woot
$249 Save $49.01 Get Deal

DJI is really having quite the year. Every single content creator seems to be sporting the DJI mic. They're so popular that Amazon and other major retailers are having a hard time keeping them in stock. But have no fear, because we found them not only in stock but on sale.

As of Aug. 5, the DJI Mic with two transmitters, one receiver, a charging case, and extra accessories is on just $199.99 at Woot, marked down from the list price at DJI of $249. That's a 20% discount that takes $49.01 off the standard price.

DJI knows its way around content-creation gear, and the DJI Mic shines in terms of performance and user-friendliness. This bundle at Woot contains two DJI Mic transmitters, one receiver for both, a charging case, windscreens, clip magnets, and more. You'll be set to either start your content creation journey or kick it up a notch.

SEE ALSO: The DJI Mini 4K drone is selling out fast — here’s where to get yours

The DJI Mics get up to 15 hours of battery life thanks to the included charging case, and the transmitter has a range of 250 meters, or 820 feet. With 8GB of internal storage on each mic, they can record up to 14 hours of audio without compression.

DJI is not messing around this year with content-creator devices like the brand-new 8K camera and a portable power station to keep everything charged up. The DJI Mic has earned its spot on almost every creator's collar, and today you can join in the hype while also saving $49.01. Since Woot deals tend to sell out quickly, hop on this one today if you're interested.