Mashable

I was a lost puppy in my early days on Grindr, especially as I tried to ditch the juvenile online abbreviations I’d been using for years. Gone were the days of “ur”. As a wide-eyed, new college freshman, I was more “literate” than ever. These were the times of spelling the whole word out: “you’re.” 

After my first Grindr download, I realized acronyms like gh, gen, ff, ws, poz, and pnp were being thrown around everywhere, but I didn't think it was necessary to learn them. Let me be clear: it was, and it still is. It took a few weeks until someone asked me if I wanted to “parTy”. A spelling error, I had assumed. My iPhone keyboard sometimes does that, too. But, I was an eighteen-year-old first-year college student living on my own for the first time. What a stupid fucking question. Hell yes, I like to party!

SEE ALSO: All your Grindr questions, answered

It took one Google search to realize that I was right, I do like to party… but I absolutely do not like to parTy (which is a reference to drug use). That’s when it hit me. To stay safe, I actually needed to understand these terms, something I’d been innocently ignoring since I first joined the app. Knowing them is how you avoid ending up in a situation you don’t want to be in.

But, why are people using acronyms and terms on Grindr to begin with? The short answer: speed. Acronyms and terms are quick. They get the point across efficiently, even with the learning curve. It minimizes the need for longer, direct conversations. I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of people using these terms aren’t looking to beat around the bush. They want to meet up right now

Acronyms and terms are also used on Grindr for discretion, which exists for two reasons: safety and plausible deniability. 

Using an acronym for safety might include why a trans person would use a term such as “ftm” (female to male), “mtf” (male to female), or “t4t” (trans for trans). These acronyms enhance safety for trans people meeting strangers online by providing a shorthand for identity and intent.

Plausible deniability, on the other hand, is where things get a little more illicit. Acronyms are often used to bypass moderation for topics that would otherwise result in a ban, including the use of illegal drugs. Codewords allow users to discuss illegal activities with enough ambiguity to claim they were talking about something else entirely. It’s ridiculously problematic, but it is rather foolproof.

Grindr   Learn More at Grindr Grindr’s most-used acronyms and terms in 2026

As language shifts, so does the coded shorthand used on Grindr. Some terminology seen on the app ten years ago might not have much pertinence anymore. Whether you’re new to Grindr in 2026 or just need a little bit of a cheat sheet to hold onto, here are the most common acronyms and terms you'll encounter and what they signify.

SEE ALSO: The best gay dating apps of 2026: Grindr is still king, even if we wish it weren't

• anon: anonymous; interest in anonymous sex

• bb: bareback; raw sex without condom-use

• bear: bear; a subculture of gay men with typically larger, hairier bodies

• bttm: bottom; one who prefers to be on the receiving end of anal sex

• cd: crossdresser; a man who dresses up as a woman during (and occasionally not during) sexual acts

• discreet: discreet; someone not publicly out as gay/trans/etc. looking to partake in sexual acts and conversation on a secretive level

• dl: down low; essentially means the exact same thing as above

• dp: double penetration; exactly what you think it is

• ff: fisting; someone either into fisting/wanting to be fisted (you can ask more about who’s taking which side in the DMs)

• ftm: female to male; a person who was assigned female at birth, who now identifies as male 

• fwb: friends with benefits; a friend you can f*ck

• gen: generous; someone looking a financial arrangement, typically involving payment for a sexual encounter

• gh: gloryhole; a typically anonymous encounter involving oral and/or anal sex through a hole in a wall or sheet

• host: host; A user who has their own place and can accommodate guests for a hookup

• into: into; a quicker way to ask someone, “what are you into sexually?”, meaning the person asking does not care that you like to hike and play ultimate frisbee

• jo: jerking off; someone interest in mutual masturbation with a partner

• jock: jock; a man with a muscular/athletic body who is typically into fitness

• ltr: long-term relationship; someone with interest in pursuing a romantic connection

• mtf: male to female;  assigned male at birth, now identifying as female 

• npnc: no pic, no chat; someone with no interest in chatting with someone who is unable to provide a photo of their face

• nsa: no strings attached; a sexual/physical connection with no romantic connection

• otter: otter; a hairier gay man with a slim, lean, or more athletic build

• parTy: chemsex; refers to sex involving drug use, specifically "tina" (crystal meth), with the capitalized "T" serving as a coded signal for the substance

• pnp: party and play; broader term that can include various substances to enhance sexual experiences

• poz: HIV+; a term to signify an HIV+ person

• rn: right now; interest in meeting up for sex as soon as possible

• side: side; a user with preference to sexual encounters that don't involve penetration

• t4t: trans for trans; a trans person looking for encounters with another trans person

• top: top; one who prefers to be on the giving end of anal sex

• twink: twink; a hairless, leaner, younger gay man

• twunk: twunk; a hairless, more athletically-built gay man

• uc: uncut; someone with an uncircumcised penis

• u=u: undetectable = untransmittable; medically proven status meaning those on sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART) with an undetectable HIV viral load cannot sexually transmit the virus to someone without HIV

• vers: versatile; someone who enjoys being both on the receiving and giving end during anal sex

• ws: watersports; interest in urine-play during sexual experiences

• wya: where you at; used to quickly determine a person’s location before or during a meetup

Should I be using acronyms and terms on Grindr?

Grindr may be built for fast connections, but navigating the app effectively requires understanding the specific acronyms and terms users rely on. So, do you need to use them? Technically, no, you don’t, but you should absolutely be familiar with what most of these mean when using the app. If you ever encounter an unfamiliar term or request, a quick Google search is a perfectly normal way to stay informed. And trust me, knowing the lingo will help you steer clear of some very uncomfortable situations.

Grindr   Learn More at Grindr

The poster for the play Data sports a foreboding warning: "The data is out there. The danger is real."

That tagline is no exaggeration. Data, written by Matthew Libby, directed by Tyne Rafaeli, and now playing Off Broadway at New York's Lucille Lortel Theatre, deals in all-too-real concerns. Data privacy, AI acceleration, immigration... It's all on the table.

SEE ALSO: Your Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses recordings aren't private

Data follows Maneesh (Karan Brar), a brilliant programmer at Silicon Valley company Athena Technologies. When he joins the data analytics team, he learns the truth of their top-secret project. Athena is competing for a government contract to (spoiler alert!) work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a new form of AI-powered immigrant surveillance.

Watching the play unfold, it's impossible to separate its story from current events. Not only are Data's themes of shady tech companies and surveillance especially relevant, but some elements of its premise are coming to life in real time. In 2025, months after Data's 2024 run at Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enlisted tech company Palantir to create an AI- and data mining-powered platform to track immigrants. In 2026, Palantir developed ELITE, an app that uses data from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to pinpoint neighborhoods to raid. Both projects feel ripped straight from Athena's internal memos.

These kinds of real-world events have had a direct impact on audiences' reaction to Data, playwright Libby and star Brar told Mashable during a joint video interview.

"In D.C., we were very much in the heart of it, of the people who would be engaging in this contract, whether that be consultants or government contractors," Brar said. "I think we saw a lot of Patagonia vests and blue shirts in the lobby, and a lot of people being like, 'Yeah, this rings really close to home with what I'm doing.'"

SEE ALSO: Anthropic challenges Department of War designation as AI dispute escalates

The Arena Stage production of Data began Oct. 31, 2024, mere days before Donald Trump's 2024 re-election. Before the election, Libby recalled that there was never an audible audience reaction to Data's first DHS mention.

"After the election, there was a reaction every single time," he said. "One of the things that that made me realize was the extent to which people were going to be bringing the real world into the space."

That realization impacted how Libby approached how he prepared Data for its New York run.

Karan Brar and Sophia Lillis in "Data." Credit: T. Charles Erickson

"The play never mentions Trump, the play never mentions ICE. We never even mention what political party is in power," Libby said. "But a lot of the rewrites we were doing were just writing more consciously towards the fact that people are going to have associations coming into this."

Some of Data's evolution stemmed from the public's growing knowledge of the relationship between the government and big tech companies. Libby began writing Data in 2018, years before AI was the hot-button topic on every tech CEO's lips. Initially, he hoped to give audiences "a peek into the black box of this world [of Silicon Valley]." It was a world he was familiar with, having attended Stanford and even interviewed for an internship with Palantir. Now, though, audiences have more awareness of that world.

"One of the big differences between fall of 2024 and right now is that everyone saw tech titans bend the knee to the current administration," Libby said. "Everyone knows now that there is a connection."

SEE ALSO: Some AI users are starting to consider themselves 'AI-sexual'

Brar added: "Before I worked with Matthew, I didn't know what Palantir really was. I've learned about that side of Silicon Valley and these tech companies whose whole mandate is 'We solve problems,' and now the public is very aware of that. I think that has become a massive paradigm shift for the way that something like [Data] is perceived."

Data's ending was also reworked between its D.C. and New York runs.

"The ending is, in some ways, the thing that has been the most reactive to world events," Libby said. "As I've realized that the play did have a growing resonance with the real world, I was feeling a lot of pressure on myself to work through how I felt about it."

Data's original ending was "plottier," with more of a corporate espionage feel, something borne from Libby's feeling that the characters needed to "hashtag resist and solve the problem."

Yet as he worked on it further, he zeroed in on Maneesh's core dilemma: Does he act on what he knows about Athena? Does he risk upending his entire life and career to do what he knows is right?

"There's power in just watching a person make a decision for the first time in a long time," Libby said of the new ending. "It doesn't matter what's going to happen offstage. What matters is that this guy has broken out of a cycle of dehumanization. The more I realized that, the more I was like, 'That feels to me like the thing that I am trying to live right now, at this moment in history. How do I feel everything? How do I not dehumanize myself?'"

These calls for action persist after Data has ended, when its cast members take their bows. In New York, they return to the stage wearing anti-ICE pins. The show's first preview took place Jan. 9, two days after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renée Good in Minneapolis. Brar recalled that on Jan. 24, the day Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Raymundo Gutierrez fatally shot Alex Pretti, Data's evening audience was especially subdued.

The cast's anti-ICE pins were initially just pen on Scotch tape, improvised by Brar's co-star Brandon Flynn. Later, the cast received a donation of more formal, visible pins, and they've since become a permanent part of the bows.

"I'm so grateful that we have a creative team that's so aligned and together about what we're saying that we can bring ourselves into the bows and make a statement like that," Brar said. "As someone who's first-generation, it is hard for me not to continuously think about what the institution of ICE represents. The most patriotic Americans that I've ever met in my life are actually immigrants. The way my father has spoken about this country — his hope, his fears, his inspiration — is what America is. Something like ICE is the antithesis of that, and [wearing the pins] felt instinctual to do and obvious to do. It feels like a staple that will stay."

Brar concluded: "It's been really powerful doing it every night. I know that sounds cheesy, because we're doing art and people are dealing with real-life consequences, but it is nice to feel a little bit fearless in a world that is so fearful."

Data is playing at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City through March 29.

TL;DR: This MacBook Pro is only $430 (reg. $1,999).

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Macbook Pro 2020 (Refurbished) $429.97
$1,999 Save $1,569.03   Get Deal

The RAM shortage is causing tech prices to rise everywhere, but there’s still one way to get affordable Apple tech. This MacBook Pro is technically refurbished, but you probably wouldn’t know from looking at it. The grade “A” rating means it’s in near-mint condition, but the price is still severely reduced. That’s how you can get a MacBook Pro for $429.97 (reg. $1,999).

This 2020 MacBook Pro runs on a 10th Gen quad-core Intel Core i5 at 2.0GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz, plus 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. That’s to say it’s a solid setup for day-to-day work like heavy research and productivity apps. The 16GB of RAM is what helps it stay steady when you keep multiple apps open and switch between them all day.

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The 1TB SSD pulls double duty. It keeps the system feeling quick, and it gives you plenty of local storage for work folders, photos, and larger files without having to dump everything onto an external drive right away. Boot times and app launches stay snappy, and file access is fast.

The 13.3-inch Retina display has a 2560 x 1600 resolution and up to 500 nits of brightness, so text looks crisp, and the screen holds up better in brighter rooms. True Tone is included, and it adjusts the display’s color temperature based on the light around you.

This model uses Apple’s Magic Keyboard. It also includes the Touch Bar for shortcuts in supported apps, plus Touch ID for sign-ins and password prompts.

For ports, you get four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports that handle charging, external displays through DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 data up to 40Gb/s, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10Gb/s. Wireless includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. For calls, there’s a 720p FaceTime HD camera, stereo speakers, and a three-mic array. Battery life is rated up to 10 hours.

Right now, it’s only $429.97 to get a MacBook Pro, but it won’t stay that way.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to ChatGPT, Gemini, and more with 1min.AI, now only $70.

Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription $69.97
$540 Save $470.03   Get Deal

AI subscriptions aren’t cheap, and the bills really add up if you’re paying for two, three, or four different tools. If you want a cheaper way to keep access to all your favorite AI models, 1min.AI is the way to do it. This AI platform gives you lifetime access to models like GPT and Gemini for a flat fee. Right now, it’s only $69.97 for life (reg. $540).

Your plan includes access to multiple AI model families in one place, including:

• GPT

• Claude

• Gemini

• Llama

• Mistral

• Command

That means you can switch based on what you need without hopping between services. The app also supports chatting with different assistants, which is useful when you want separate threads for different projects.

For writing, you can generate and edit blog content, rewrite drafts, expand or shorten text, summarize, run a grammar check, generate social comments, and do keyword research. There’s even a brand voice tool, plus unlimited brand voice access on this plan, which helps keep tone consistent across multiple pieces of content.

For images, you get AI models that cover both creation and cleanup. You can generate images, upscale them, remove backgrounds, remove objects, remove text, replace backgrounds, and edit with masking. For documents, you can chat with multiple documents, translate documents, and ask questions from PDFs, which helps when you need to pull specifics from a long file quickly. For audio, you get text-to-speech, speech-to-text, voice changing, voice cloning, voice isolation, music generation, and translation. For video, there are tools like text-to-video, caption generation, YouTube transcription and summarizing, and other editing options.

Usage runs on credits. This plan includes 4,000,000 credits per month, and any unused credits roll over. There are also ways to earn extra credits, including a daily login bonus of 15,000 credits.

Right now, it’s only $69.97 to get a 1min.AI lifetime subscription. Offer ends soon.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get a lifetime license for Microsoft Office for Mac or PC for only $90.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime License $89.97
$249.99 Save $160.02   Get Deal

Microsoft 365 costs $99.99 per year, and you’re never done paying for it, but the news isn’t all bad. Microsoft is officially allowing you to get a lifetime license for Microsoft Office, so you get many of the same apps with recent updates, but you don’t have to pay for them every month. Right now, a Microsoft Office lifetime license for PC or Mac is also on sale for $89.97 (reg. $249.99).

This version of Microsoft Office gives you lifetime access to:

• Word

• Excel

• PowerPoint

• Outlook

• OneNote

Microsoft Office installs directly onto your PC or Mac, so you can work offline when you need to. The interface follows Microsoft’s Fluent Design, which keeps the layout consistent across apps, and it improves touch and pen support for people using 2-in-1 laptops or tablets. Outlook adds an updated accessibility checker that flags common clarity and formatting issues, and Excel now has protection against XLL add-ins, which is a practical security improvement for anyone opening shared files.

Office 2024 also includes some of the most exciting upgrades that came with Microsoft 365, with Excel tuned for handling larger datasets and multiple workbooks more smoothly. For presentations, PowerPoint supports recording with voice, video, and closed captions, which helps when you are sending a narrated deck instead of presenting live. Collaboration tools are built into Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, including real-time co-authoring, comments, chat, and version history, plus deeper Microsoft Teams integration for people who already use Teams at work.

Don’t miss your chance to finally ditch your Microsoft 365 subscription.

Right now, it’s only $89.97 to get a Microsoft Office 2024 Lifetime License for Mac or PC.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

In the online dating world, AdultFriendFinder and Plenty of Fish are certified OGs. These veteran dating sites were first established more than two decades ago, before both the social media era and the smartphone era. Yet both sites have continued to stay relevant, attracting millions of visitors from all over the world searching for connection. 

That, however, is just about where the similarities end. In fact, you’d have a hard time finding two online dating sites less alike. Plenty of Fish operates like a conventional dating site, even adopting the smartphone-like “yes-or-no” carousel approach. AdultFriendFinder feels more like an X-rated site with a social media system built in. 

Of course, rather than treating them as alternatives, you can choose to view them as complementary, with one offering a personality-first approach to dating more likely to deliver long-term connection and the other adopting a sexuality-first method that makes finding short-term, salacious fun easier than ever.

Intrigued to learn more? We put these two giants of the online dating world to the test to discover their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder   Learn More Opens in a new window Credit: Plenty of Fish Plenty of Fish   Learn More

As both dating sites have been around forever, AdultFriendFinder and Plenty of Fish clearly deliver the goods for their users, but it’s striking to see just how different their respective approaches can be.

Site design

The contrast between the two sites is immediately evident from the aesthetic choices. Plenty of Fish uses softer, pastel colors and a clean, minimalist aesthetic to focus your attention on a single part of the website: your user profile, for example, or the profile of a prospective match. AdultFriendFinder, on the other hand, has a crowded site layout with ads, live streams, and user-generated content all sharing space and vying for your attention.

The AFF approach gives the impression that there’s a lot going on, like you just stumbled into a massive party, while the PoF approach is simultaneously less intimidating and less exciting. There’s another major difference that’s quickly apparent: AFF is an “adult” dating site, with nudity enabled by default in your profile settings, meaning a lot of what you will see on site is indistinguishable from an X-rated tube site, while Plenty of Fish curates their content much more heavily: no risqué live streams or genital-only photos in sight.

SEE ALSO: All your Hinge questions, answered

And speaking of that X-rated content: because AFF allows nudity on its site, it’s ineligible for inclusion on the most popular app stores, so you’re mostly confined to the on-site experience, while Plenty of Fish has an app in both the Google Play and Apple App stores, so you can swipe on the go as well. 

By the numbers

While both sites are tight-lipped about their user information, independent reporting from Business of Apps suggests that Plenty of Fish has approximately 10 million active users at any one time, compared to AdultFriendFinder’s two million active users, with both sites having a roughly 60-40 male-female skew in their gender ratio, though more recent reporting suggests AFF may be closer to 65-35 today. 

In either case, there’s no shortage of people for you to discover and talk to, though the farther you live from an urban hub, the more generous you’ll have to be in your search parameters. 

The typical dating profile

Another obvious difference between the two sites is their approach to profile creation. With AFF, you can set up a profile in seconds, with no verification steps and minimal required data entry. Plenty of Fish, on the other hand, asks you a bevy of personal questions, from your level of education and whether or not you own a car to if your parents are divorced or still together and if you want kids or not. PoF also requires that you verify the phone number tied to your account using a six-digit verification code, while AFF only requires email verification.

AFF has its share of personal questions as well, but they’re not so much related to your religion or smoking habit as they are to your kinks and sexual preferences. Their popular My Kinks tab allows users to fly their freak flags freely, and then re-incorporates that information into one of their search options, so if, for example, you have a foot fetish, you can search for other people who share your fetish or they can search you out based on that fetish. 

User experience

One thing you’ll quickly realize when using both sites is that PoF is a lot more generous in what they allow non-paying users to do. With AFF, you can basically only engage with other people in public spaces like the chat rooms and discussion forums. In fact, you can’t so much as view someone’s full profile without purchasing a Gold membership.

With PoF, by contrast, you can actually use the site, view user profiles, like user profiles, and even speak to other singles, all without spending a dime. That being said, a Premium or Prestige membership on Plenty of Fish still represents a massive quality-of-life upgrade, giving you unlimited likes, read receipts on messages, an ad-free site experience, and some pretty cool bonus features like the ability to see who has liked your profile or a Rewind button for when you accidentally skip over a profile that caught your eye. 

SEE ALSO: All your Tinder questions, answered

From a purely aesthetic perspective, the PoF site is much cleaner and less distracting, even in the way it serves you ads, while the AFF site makes up for its busy design by offering a much wider variety of potential activities, including live streams, chat forums, blogs and sexy stories.

Success rates

The major difference between the two sites boils down to the users and what they’re looking for online. In general, Plenty of Fish users seem to be more dedicated daters, aspiring to long-term relationships and meaningful connections, while AdultFriendFinder’s users are much more obviously content with short-term connections, whether that’s a sexy chat or live stream or an in-person meetup. 

In practice, that means that you’ll find AFF a much easier place to start a conversation or find a fling, while PoF users are clearly more selective in who they talk to, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that “success” is easier on one site than another. It also helps that AFF offers more venues for interaction: you can try to message a single person, sure, but you can also search out people who share your hobbies, interests or kinks and speak to them in a more public context like a forum or a live chat, which removes a lot of the stakes of one-on-one communication. 

On the other hand, if you’re after something more long-term and high-stakes, Plenty of Fish users appear to be much more aware of what they want and what they don’t want in a partner. They’re at a stage of life when they’re taking dating seriously and PoF caters to this crowd, putting critical life information (are you a smoker? do you have kids?) front and center. 

In other words, you’ll find the most success by being honest with yourself about what you’re looking for and choosing the appropriate dating site. Can you find love on AFF or a fling on PoF? Most definitely. But it will also be an uphill battle, given how the two sites are set up. 

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from anywhere in the world with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

Access to Pornhub is in turmoil. Early in 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws. In response, Pornhub banned visitors from those states from accessing their website. The same situation then took place in France, and although Pornhub is complying with the UK's age verification law, users are now required to provide personal information to access the site.

The situation is constantly changing, but you can stay one step ahead with a quick and easy hack. If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from anywhere in the world, we have the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free

VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure server in another location. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access adult sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to your favorite site, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing online restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $78.18 and includes an extra four months for free — 78% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Unblock Pornhub for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Italy vs. England in the 2026 Six Nations for free on ITVX. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 Six Nations has not been going to plan for England. They started off with a confident win over Wales, but since then they've lost out to Scotland and Ireland. The Ireland defeat was particularly troubling, as Ireland raced through to score 42 points at Twickenham Stadium. Next England face Italy at the Stadio Olimpico. They need a win here or coach Steve Borthwick will come under a lot of pressure.

If you want to watch Italy vs. England in the 2026 Six Nations for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Italy vs. England?

Italy vs. England in the 2026 Six Nations starts at 4:40 p.m. GMT on March 7. This fixture takes place at the Stadio Olimpico.

How to watch Italy vs. England for free

Italy vs. England in the 2026 Six Nations is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Italy vs. England from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Live stream Italy vs. England for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Italy vs. England without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream most of the 2026 Six Nations before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming services to watch the Winter Olympics, the T20 World Cup, and more from anywhere in the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for the 2026 Six Nations?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Italy vs. England in the 2026 Six Nations for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Scotland vs. France in the 2026 Six Nations for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 Six Nations started really poorly for Scotland. A disappointing defeat to Italy could have been the start of a poor campaign, but Scotland have bounced back with wins over England and Wales. Now they face the dominant French, looking to continue on their way towards a grand slam. France look unbeatable right now, but Scotland are formidable opponents at Murrayfield Stadium. They'll relish the prospect of being underdogs.

If you want to watch Scotland vs. France in the 2026 Six Nations for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Scotland vs. France?

Scotland vs. France in the 2026 Six Nations starts at 2:10 p.m. GMT on March 7. This fixture takes place at Murrayfield Stadium.

How to watch Scotland vs. France for free

Scotland vs. France in the 2026 Six Nations is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Scotland vs. France from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Live stream Scotland vs. France for free from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Scotland vs. France without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream most of the 2026 Six Nations before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming services to watch the Winter Olympics, the T20 World Cup, and more from anywhere in the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for the 2026 Six Nations?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Scotland vs. France in the 2026 Six Nations for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream South Korea vs. Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic for free on Tele Rebelde or Venevision. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic has started with a number of really interesting games, but South Korea vs. Japan is probably the biggest matchup from the pool stage. This fierce rivarly showcases some genuine superstars, but all eyes will be on Shohei Ohtani. Can he lead his team to another trophy? This will be the toughest test so far.

If you want to watch the 2026 World Baseball Classic for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is South Korea vs. Japan?

South Korea vs. Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic starts at 5 a.m. ET on March 7. This fixture will take place at the Tokyo Dome.

How to watch South Korea vs. Japan for free

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is available to live stream for free on a number of platforms:

• Cuba — Tele Rebelde

• USA — Tubi (six games from the pool stage)

• Venezuela — Venevision

These streaming platforms are geo-restricted, but anyone can access for free with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites from anywhere in the world.

Live stream South Korea vs. Japan in the World Baseball Classic by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with access

4. Visit Tele Rebelde or Venevision

5. Live stream the 2026 World Baseball Classic for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch every game from the 2026 World Baseball Classic before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for live sport?

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

• Servers in 105 countries

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch South Korea vs. Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic for free with ExpressVPN.

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.

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

Pathway.

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

ROUTE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Grumpy.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 7, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

SURLY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A short performance.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 7, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

REVUE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Decided.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

CHOSE

Final Hurdle hint

To denounce.

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

DECRY

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

Some nights the Moon looks like a perfect circle, other nights just a sliver. These changes in its shape are to do with the lunar cycle. This is a series of eight unique phases of the Moon's visibility. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the Moon whilst it orbits Earth. 

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Saturday, March 7, the Moon phase is Waning Gibbous. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 85% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.

With no visual aids, tonight you can see the Aristarchus Plateau, Kepler Crater, and the Tycho Crater. If you have binoculars, you should also catch a glimpse of the Grimaldi Basin, Gassendi Crater, and Apennine Mountains. A telescope will let you see even more, with particular note to Apollo 11 and Fra Mauro Highlands.

When is the next Full Moon?

In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.

What are Moon phases?

NASA says the Moon takes around 29.5 days to circle Earth, moving through a set of eight distinct phases along the way. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the portion lit by the Sun changes as it travels, which is why it can look full, half-lit, or barely visible at different points in the cycle. These changing views are what we call the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:

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. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last 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.

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

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 March 7, 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: George Washington

• Green: Shakespeare's love story

• Blue: Palace

• Purple: Where you could find the one

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: $1

• Green: "Wherefore art thou Romeo?"

• Blue: Words before "Castle"

• Purple: Where you might make a connection

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 #1000 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• $1: BUCK, DOLLAR, ONE, SINGLE

• "Wherefore art thou Romeo?": ART, ROMEO, THOU, WHEREFORE

• Words before "Castle": BOUNCY, NEW, SAND, WHITE

• Where you might make a connection: AIRPORT, DATING APP, INTERNET CAFE, THIS GAME

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 7, 2026

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love to quench your thirst.

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 March 7, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 7, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Nice glasses!

The words are related to dishes.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe types of cups.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Drinkware.

NYT Strands word list for March 7

• Tumbler

• Chalice

• Stein

• Drinkware

• Goblet

• Tankard

• Snifter

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you keep up with the latest trends.

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 March 7, 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 March 7, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

An iconic fashion publication.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter V.

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...

VOGUE

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

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

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

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

Remember when Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders were delayed last year due to President Trump's tariffs? Nintendo sure does.

As first noticed by gaming news outlet Aftermath, Nintendo filed a lawsuit today against the Trump administration in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Now that the Supreme Court has struck down Trump's tariffs, Nintendo wants a refund, with interest. That's not an expression, either; the suit asks the court to order the prompt refund of the "unlawful" tariff fees with interest and attorney fees.

Nintendo's lawsuit is a direct response to the Supreme Court's decision last month, which struck down Trump's signature tariffs, invoked under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA). Nintendo is one of more than 1,000 companies, including FedEx and Costco, now suing over the tariffs.

Gamers will likely remember that Trump's tariffs hit just as Nintendo was readying the launch of its new Switch 2 video game console last year. Due to the uncertainty around the tariffs at the time, Nintendo delayed pre-orders for Switch 2.

At the time, Nintendo, Microsoft, and other companies forced to raise prices or delay shipments often euphemistically blamed "evolving market conditions" rather than calling out Trump and the tariffs by name. But now that the Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, the companies are done being coy.

"[Nintendo] has been substantially harmed by the unlawful execution and imposition of the unauthorized Executive Orders and corresponding payment of the IEEPA Duties," the suit states. Nintendo is asking the court to order "the prompt refund, with interest, of any IEEPA duties paid by [Nintendo] regardless of liquidation status, and provide any and all remedies that the Court deems appropriate."

Technically, Nintendo is suing not just the Trump administration but the United States of America itself, which is explicitly named as a defendant in the suit, Nintendo of America Inc. v. United States of America. The suit also names a number of Trump administration officials (including the recently fired Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem) as well as the U.S. Customs & Border Protection, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Nintendo eventually launched the Switch 2 on its originally scheduled release date, and with its $449.99 price unchanged. However, many Switch 2 accessories had their prices raised as a result of the tariffs.

Trump's tariffs hit the tech industry hard overall, with companies hiking prices of products like laptops and gaming accessories. As Mashable reported at the time, large companies like Nintendo faced tariff bills that exceeded $1 billion per quarter. Now, many are demanding refunds.

Shortly after last month's Supreme Court ruling, Trump announced a new 10 percent global tariff rate and has threatened to raise it further to 15 percent.

As for the tariff refunds, the court will eventually determine if they will get reimbursed. However, one thing seems certain. Consumers who had the cost of Trump's tariffs passed on to them through price hikes won't be seeing any of that money returned.

TL;DR: Give your computer a major upgrade with The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license and Windows 11 Pro Bundle, currently on sale for $49.97.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle $49.97
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Your older PC may still have some life left to live. Before you shell out hundreds on a new computer, give The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license and Windows 11 Pro Bundle a try. This killer combo from Microsoft can totally revamp it, starting with a brand new set of tools.

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This bundle kicks off with a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021, which gives your PC permanent access to a suite of essentials. There are eight apps included, from old classics to new favorites, all redesigned to help you tackle personal and professional tasks.

Use Word for your document needs, Excel for spreadsheets, PowerPoint for presentations, and Outlook for email management. You’ll have Teams to stay in touch with others, OneNote for digital note-taking, Publisher for creating professional documents, and Access for managing large databases, too.

Once you get the hang of your new tools, you can install Windows 11 Pro. This OS was created with the modern professional in mind. It has a seamless interface, snap layouts, improved voice typing, and a more powerful search experience, so you can get more done. It also prioritizes your cybersecurity, so you can focus on what you need to do.

Get The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license and Windows 11 Pro Bundle on sale now for $49.97.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

The Department of Defense, known under the Trump administration as the Department of War, has just officially designated AI company Anthropic a "supply-chain risk" to national security. But Anthropic isn't buying it.

"We do not believe this action is legally sound, and we see no choice but to challenge it in court," Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote in a statement responding to the ongoing dispute. Amodei also emphasized that the designation does not affect the majority of Anthropic customers.

Anthropic is "proud of the work" it has done alongside the federal government in "supporting frontline warfighters with applications such as intelligence analysis, modeling and simulation, operational planning, cyber operations, and more," Amodei said.

The dispute began over the potential use of Anthropic's AI technology to carry out mass domestic surveillance, and to power autonomous weapons like drones. The relationship between Anthropic and the U.S. military deteriorated last week, after the AI company won a $200 million contact from the federal government — but sought guarantees that its technology would not be used for surveillance, or weapons that can fire without humans in the loop.  

The U.S. government would not agree to Anthropic's terms and threatened to designate the company a supply-chain risk, which it has now done. Trump also issued an executive order that tells every federal agency to stop using Anthropic's AI.

Amodei apologized for the leak of an internal memo, and confirmed recent reports that Anthropic and the Department of Defense have re-entered negotiations. If the two sides can't come to terms, Anthropic will assist the government in a transitional period, Amodei said.

The CEO also referenced the U.S. government's deal with OpenAI, made in the wake of the Anthropic dispute. Even OpenAI "characterized" its deal with the U.S. government as "confusing," he said.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was forced to address the deal after receiving significant blowback from users.

"Our most important priority right now is making sure that our warfighters and national security experts are not deprived of important tools in the middle of major combat operations," Amodei wrote. "Anthropic will provide our models to the Department of War and national security community, at nominal cost and with continuing support from our engineers, for as long as is necessary to make that transition, and for as long as we are permitted to do so."

As the Wall Street Journal previously reported, the U.S. military has already used Anthropic's Claude models to aid in carrying out strikes in Iran.

Some people have apparently fallen for chatbots so hard that there's a new sexuality forming: "AI-sexual."

That's according to AI companion company Joi AI. In a survey the company conducted last month of 2,500 Gen Z and millennial adults who actively use AI tools, 55 percent report considering themselves AI-sexual, or "more than open to experimenting with AI in a sexual or intimate context."

SEE ALSO: My awkward first date with an AI companion

The dominating reason why these folks turn to AI for sexual exploration is that it feels easier and more comfortable to express their desires with AI as opposed to a human being (60 percent of participants said this).

While concerning, this makes sense given the research. Last year, when discussing why some Gen Z-ers would marry AI bots, clinical neuropsychologist Shifali Singh told Mashable that young adults with social anxiety may turn to AI to have a judgment-free interaction.

But as Kinsey scientist Justin Garcia told Mashable earlier this year, an important component of human relationships is the give-and-take. AI relationships are likely more transactional.

Joi AI found that AI-using young adults don't just get freaky with AI because it's less stressful than human interaction, though. Thirty-seven percent use it to practice flirting and dating scenarios, while 31 percent explore new kinks before trying them IRL. A quarter (25 percent) explore kinks they'd never try offline, too.

More than half of respondents (61 percent) said sexually exploring with AI has actively improved their "actual" sex life, while 65 percent said it's made them feel more sexy IRL.

It's also being used as a discovery tool, as 60 percent said AI has helped them discover sexual interests they didn't know they had. Twenty-nine percent said they use it to get ideas for partnered sex. Meanwhile, some people are into the sci-fi element of getting dirty with an AI (28 percent) — which is the Her factor of it all. Nearly half (49 percent) said they'd definitely consider having sex with an AI if the tech allowed for it.

Seeing as some AI users (even with human partners) are hooking up with their bots, it was only a matter of time before it became part of their sexual orientation. Even still, though, take this survey with a grain of salt — it was done by an AI companion company and a survey of those who actively use AI, after all.

2025 was another year of movie magic, but only 10 films made the cut in the Academy's eyes to earn spots on the Best Picture Oscar nominations list. We found narrowing the best movies of the year down to only 10 to be impossible, instead opting for a list of the top 25. So, of course, there were bound to be a ton of snubs (and some welcome surprises) this year. (Zero nominations for Wicked: For Good? Nothing for Chase Infiniti or Paul Mescal? Preposterous!)

Even though we're a bit flabbergasted that a few of our favorites didn't make the list, the ones that managed to nab the nomination are definitely worth watching.

SEE ALSO: 2026 Oscar nominations: Full list of nominees

Want to get familiar with the best films of the year (at least by the Academy's standards) before the Oscars on March 15? We've rounded up how to watch all 10. Queue 'em up for a movie marathon that's sure to be one for the books.

Bugonia

The dynamic duo that brought us Poor Things — director Yorgos Lanthimos and actor Emma Stone — is back with Bugonia, a conspiracy caper that'll make you question everything. It also stars the fantastic Jesse Plemons as Teddy, a bike-riding beekeeper and conspiracy theorist who believes aliens live among us and are to blame for the current state of the world — one being the practical big pharma CEO Michelle Fuller (Stone). He and his cousin enact a plan to kidnap Michelle and uncover the truth.

Bugonia was one of Mashable's top 25 movies of 2025, coming in at No. 11, so we're not surprised the Academy gave it a nod for Best Picture. It also picked up nominations for Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Read Mashable's review of Bugonia.

How to watch it: Stream it on Peacock Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Stream "Bugonia" on Peacock Starting at $10.99 per month Learn More

Bugonia made its streaming debut on Peacock on Dec. 26, 2025. Peacock subscriptions start at $10.99, but you can save about 17% by opting for an annual plan instead. There are also significant discounts available for students, young adults, military personnel, first responders, medical professionals, and teachers. Of course, you can also rent or purchase the film at digital retailers like Prime Video for as low as $5.99.

F1

Perhaps the biggest surprise on this list, F1: The Movie stars Brad Pitt as legendary Formula 1 driver Sonny Hayes. After nearly three decades, he comes out of retirement to mentor a young hotshot rookie (Damson Idris) and lead a struggling team to victory. While it didn't earn a spot on our favorite films of 2025 list, audiences were obsessed with the film, flocking to theaters and giving it glorious reviews (currently a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). Besides Best Picture, it also picked up nominations for Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.

How to watch it: Stream it on Apple TV+ Opens in a new window Credit: Apple TV Stream 'F1' on Apple TV+ Free 7-day trial, then $12.99 per month Learn More

F1 is an Apple Original film, so it's streaming on Apple TV+, of course. If you're not an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can sign up for a seven-day free trial to watch the movie. After your trial period is up, it'll cost you $12.99 per month. You can also purchase it at digital retailers like Prime Video for $19.99.

Frankenstein

Guillermo del Toro has brought everyone's favorite monster back to life with a stirring new adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. It stars Oscar Isaac as the titular doctor who is trying to overcome the childhood trauma of losing his mother (Mia Goth) by resurrecting an exquisite corpse (Jacob Elordi). As Mashable's Kristy Puchko writes in her review, "This misfit monster becomes a radiant analogy for self-love, as he is both horrid and beautiful, misunderstood and full of potential and love." Cracking the top five on our list of the best movies of 2025, we're happy the Academy gave Frankenstein its flowers. Beyond Best Picture, it's also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Production Design.

Read Mashable's review of Frankenstein.

How to watch it: Stream it on Netflix Opens in a new window Credit: Netflix Stream 'Frankenstein' on Netflix starting at $7.99 per month Learn More

Frankenstein opened in select theaters in October 2025 and hit Netflix shortly after on Nov. 7. Netflix subscriptions start at just $7.99 per month if you don't mind watching with ads or $17.99 per month if you prefer to go ad-free.

Hamnet

Cracking the top 10 of Mashable's favorite films of 2025 list, Hamnet finds Academy Award–winning director Chloé Zhao back in the Oscar race. It's a heart-wrenching historical drama, based on the novel by Maggie O'Farrell, that offers a view of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his mystical wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) from a different lens. "When they lose their youngest son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), the pair weather their grief in vastly different ways," writes Mashable entertainment reporter Belen Edwards. Be sure you have a box of tissues nearby. In addition to its Best Picture nomination, Hamnet also earned six other nods, including Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Casting, and Best Directing. Unfortunately, our favorite sad boy, Paul Mescal, was snubbed.

Read Mashable's review of Hamnet.

How to watch: Stream it on Peacock Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Stream 'Hamnet' on Peacock starting at $10.99 per month Get Deal

Hamnet made its streaming debut on Peacock on March 6, 2026. Subscriptions start at $10.99 per month, but there are plenty of ways to score a discount (particularly if you're a student, young adult, military personnel, first responder, medical professional, or teacher). You can also purchase or rent the film at Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and Apple TV for as low as $9.99.

Marty Supreme

Directed by Josh Safdie and distributed by A24, Marty Supreme is a major contender this awards season. Chalamet already won the Golden Globe for his performance and is now hoping to grab his first Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In the sports comedy, he stars as Marty Mauser — a man with a dream to achieve greatness and bring ping pong to the masses. It also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma (aka Tyler, the Creator), Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher. Besides Best Picture and Best Actor, it's nominated for Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Casting, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Screenplay.

Read Mashable's review of Marty Supreme.

How to watch it: Buy or rent it on digital Opens in a new window Credit: Prime Video Buy or rent 'Marty Supreme' on digital $19.99 to rent, $24.99 to buy Shop Now

As an A24 film, we know that Marty Supreme will eventually make its way to HBO Max — likely not until April 2026. Until then, you can purchase or rent the film at digital retailers like Prime Video and Apple TV for $19.99 or $24.99.

One Battle After Another

Part political thriller, part parenthood comedy, Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another is an absolute gem. As someone who has a hard time watching movies over 1.5 hours, this three-hour journey had me glued to the screen from start to finish. It's inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland. One Battle After Another follows Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) as an ex-revolutionary who's living off the grid with his teen daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti). When his former nemesis and military antagonist Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) resurfaces and Willa goes missing, Bob is forced into action to find and protect her. It's our second favorite movie of the year, "not only for what it brings to cinema in terms of spectacle and spirit, but also what it has to say about America today," as Puchko puts it. It also scored the second-most Oscar nominations of any film: Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Supporting Actor (x2), Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Casting, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing.

Read Mashable's review of One Battle After Another.

How to watch it: Stream it on HBO Max Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max Stream "One Battle After Another" on HBO Max Starting at $10.99 per month Learn More

One Battle After Another made its streaming debut on HBO Max back in December 2025. The cheapest HBO Max subscription will cost you $10.99 per month, but you'll have to endure some ads along the way. Don't want ads? The price jumps up to $18.49 per month. You can also rent or purchase the film on digital retailers if you prefer for as low as $6.99.

The Secret Agent

Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, The Secret Agent was described by UK Editor Shannon Connellan as a "time-jumping political crime thriller" that follows Marcelo (Wagner Moura), a tech expert in his early 40s, who's "justifiably paranoid in his mission to escape his country's authoritarian regime." She cheered, "It's a heavy topic explored with humanity, boasting such a compelling script, impeccable acting, and striking 1970s aesthetic that it's impossible to look away." It also picked up nominations for Best Actor, Best Casting, and Best International Feature Film.

Read Mashable's review of The Secret Agent.

How to watch it: Stream it on Hulu Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Stream 'The Secret Agent' on Hulu starting at $11.99 per month Shop Now

The Secret Agent made its streaming debut on March 1, 2026 on Hulu. The good news is Hulu offers new subscribers a 30-day free trial, so you can potentially watch it without spending a cent. Don't feel like signing up for another streaming service? You can also rent or purchase it at digital retailers like Prime Video and Fandango at Home for $9.99 or $19.99.

Sentimental Value

A riveting family drama, Sentimental Value follows the reunion of sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) with their estranged father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), a charismatic, once-renowned director. Gustav offers Nora a role in his hopeful comeback film, but when she turns it down, he gives the part to a young Hollywood actress (Elle Fanning). The story navigates the complicated relationships and dynamics that arise and dives deep into human emotions. Beyond Best Picture, it's also nominated in several other categories: Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress (x2), Best Original Screenplay, Best Lead Actress, Best Directing, Best Film Editing, and Best International Feature Film.

How to watch it: Stream it on Hulu as of March 23 Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Stream 'Sentimental Value' on Hulu starting March 23 starting at $11.99/month Shop Now

Sentimental Value is set to make its streaming debut on Hulu on March 23, 2026. Unfortunately, that's after the Oscars ceremony, but it's still worth a watch. If you want to catch it before the Academy Awards, you can rent or purchase it at digital retailers like Prime Video and Fandango at Home for $5.99 or $19.99.

Sinners

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is back with another smash hit. Puchko called it "easily one of the best movies of the year" back in April, and it ended up earning the top spot on our list in December. It's set in the 1930s Jim Crow-era South and stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers who return to their hometown with the goal of setting up a juke joint. The juke joint's grand opening is disrupted by something ominous (and blood-thirsty). With bits of horror, history, and musical theater all sprinkled in, it's a genre-fluid movie in every sense of the term. Sinners took the Oscars by storm with a record-breaking 16 nominations. Essentially, every award it could be nominated for, it is.

Read Mashable's review of Sinners.

How to watch it: Stream it on HBO Max Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max Stream "Sinners' on HBO Max starting at $10.99 per month Learn More

Sinners made its streaming debut on July 4, 2025, on HBO Max. As noted above, HBO Max subscriptions start at $10.99 per month, but you can save money by opting for an annual subscription instead. Rather not sign up for a streaming service? You can purchase or rent Sinners at digital retailers like Prime Video for only $5.99 or $14.99.

Train Dreams

Based on Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella of the same name, Train Dreams follows a man's search for meaning as the 20th century arrives. Joel Edgerton stars as Robert Grainier, who grows into adulthood among the Pacific Northwest forests, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire. As Mashable's reviewer writes, "it's a steady, meditative, and at times devastating journey with many a conversation around the fire." It's also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song.

Read Mashable's review of Train Dreams.

How to watch it: Stream it on Netflix Opens in a new window Credit: Netflix Stream "Train Dreams" on Netflix starting at $7.99 per month Learn More

You can stream Train Dreams on Netflix as of Nov. 2025. The cheapest Netflix subscription will run you $7.99 if you watch with ads or $17.99 per month if you watch ad-free.

UPDATE: Mar. 6, 2026, 11:28 a.m. We've updated this article with the latest streaming details for 'Hamnet,' 'Marty Supreme,' 'The Secret Agent,' and 'Sentimental Value.'