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I have a confession—I am a Potterhead.

Another day, another pop star doing a Shop TV sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Much like fellow pop girly Sabrina Carpenter before her, this weekend's host Olivia Rodrigo pulled double duty as both host and musical guest. And also like Carpenter, the Guts singer found herself behind the counter of Shop TV — the show's recurring QVC-style segment featuring hosts Rhett and Bev, played by Mikey Day and Ashley Padilla, hawking products that have absolutely no business existing.

SEE ALSO: 'SNL' opens with another Pete Hegseth press conference

This week's offering comes from Daisy, played by Rodrigo, who's selling lava cakes innocently shaped like buttholes.

There are several lines of dialogue in this sketch that, personally, did not need to exist and cannot be unheard. The bit is a great time, genuinely — but as Rhett and Bev themselves might say, the less time spent discussing the specifics, the better. So, consider this your warning and your recommendation simultaneously.

I've never been a big fan of big phones. Sure, they can almost completely replace your PC if you want them to, but they just aren't that convenient to use on the go. At least, that's what I used to think. I've finally started using Android's one-handed mode, and it's so good that I can't remember why I never used it before.

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

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

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

How to play Pips

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 3, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for May 3, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 3 Pips

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

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

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 3 Pips

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 5-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 4-6, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally.

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

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed vertically.

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 3 Pips

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

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

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically; 4-6, placed vertically.

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

Number (6): Everything in this purple space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.

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

Manually typing data from a printout or a screenshot into Excel is time-consuming and error-prone, but you can skip the data entry grind by letting Excel do the heavy lifting. Whether you're on your phone or your computer, the Data from Picture tool turns image rows into digital cells in seconds.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require some knowledge of popular U.S. sports and pop culture.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Yellow: Hitting the gym

• Green: NFL coaches

• Blue: Cursed

• Purple: Finish the Big Ten name

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: In Good Shape

• Green: Current NFL Head Coaches

• Blue: Famous Sports "Curses"

• Purple: Starts of Big Ten Names

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

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

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #586 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• In Good Shape: AGIL, ATHLETIC, FIT, STRONG

• Current NFL Head Coaches: COEN, GLENN, REID, RYANS

• Famous Sports "Curses": BAMBINO, BILLY GOAT, MADDEN, SI COVER

• Starts of Big Ten Names: BOIL, BUCK, CORN, HAWK

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

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

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

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

There are so many smart home devices these days, it's hard to know where to start. A lot of smart home devices can be expensive, but a $7 smart plug is still one of my favorite smart home upgrades.

Saturday Night Live returned from a brief hiatus Saturday with a cold open depicting a joint press conference between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel, with "Master of None" creator Aziz Ansari playing the latter.

SEE ALSO: Aimee Lou Wood's addresses 'SNL' beef in in 'SNL UK' promo

Colin Jost's Hegseth hit the familiar beats at the podium — performative machismo, military bravado, and repeated jabs at the secretary's well-documented drinking habits. This time, Hegseth arrived at the mic hauling an oversized pitcher of scotch, which he assured the room was his one for the day. He then fielded questions from the press about the administration's handling of U.S. strikes on Iran, dismissing each reporter with the particular brand of smug confidence that has become central to Jost's portrayal of the character.

Ansari's Patel proved to be the sketch's standout, arriving to defend his tenure at the FBI and proceeding to do so poorly. The bit's centerpiece involved Patel simultaneously denying and admitting that he had locked himself out of his work email for 36 hours after forgetting he had changed his password to "kashmeoutside69."

Funnily enough, Patel was reportedly locked out of his FBI email in real life and believed, at least momentarily, that he was being fired. As the sketch demonstrated, the distance between SNL's Cold Open and the actual news cycle has rarely felt smaller.

Ethernet is the backbone of any healthy home network and you're probably not using enough of it. It's the gold standard for home networking, but it's also often misunderstood.

It's amazing how many of the futuristic features that I saw in sci-fi shows growing up already exist. Video calling and talking watches seemed like the stuff of fantasy, but now they're so ordinary we barely register them. The same is true of smart home tech; there are plenty of Home Assistant integrations that often make me feel like I'm living in the future.

Your Obsidian vault was supposed to be your second brain—but at some point it became a second junk drawer. Routine maintenance can keep things tidy, but if you’re anything like me, you probably enjoy capturing notes more than organizing them. The good news is you don’t have to untangle it manually. Claude can scan your entire vault and reorganize it into a clean, logical structure in the time it takes to make coffee.

Similar to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, the free and open source GNOME desktop found on Linux PCs can be radically customized using extensions. Which extensions are worth installing is a matter of taste, but there’s one that I can easily recommend to just about everyone.

I bought my Philips OLED television eight years ago, but I have yet to have any real bleed-in, burn-in, or anything close to it. It is thicker than TVs you can get today, and its quality has dropped over time, but there's nothing else wrong with it. My experience shows that while the risks are physical, you can manage them. Getting the best picture quality requires more conscious care than other technologies do, but the organic panel can last a long time if you have the right habits.

The Kindle is the go-to choice for anyone who wants to read eBooks. But if you don't already own one, don't rush out to buy it just yet. You already own a lot of devices that work pretty well as eReaders, and some might even suit your needs better.

I used to think that every captured thought, meeting note, and research snippet helped create a complete personal knowledge management system in Obsidian. It pushes the daily notes so you can make a "second brain." Unfortunately, the more information I captured, the faster my vault turned into a fragmented mess. My notes were stuck in strict folder structures, not connected, making it a frustrating memory test to find something. I got really frustrated when I realized I spent more time keeping my knowledge system working than actually using the information in it, at least, before I learned about the plugins.

If you’re like me and have a drawer full of Raspberry Pis that are sitting unused, pull them out and turn them into something useful. I chose to create a Docker Swarm cluster with mine, and I think it’d be a great benefit to your homelab, too.

TL;DR: Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels to watch select F1 races live. Watch the Miami GP for free with the Prime Video app.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple TV Prime Video Channel Watch the Japanese GP for free with a 7-day trial Shop Now

We know the new F1 regulations are not for everyone. A lot of fans and drivers would like to go back to the way things were, but you can't deny that we've had some exciting racing this season. And after missing the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs due to regional conflicts, we're desperate to see some racing at the Miami GP.

Kimi Antonelli leads the standings coming into this race weekend, but George Russell is only nine points back in second. The Ferraris are third and fourth right now, but McLaren showed some promise in the last round. All eyes will be on Norris and Piastri as they look to challenge Mercedes at the front of the grid.

If you want to watch F1 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is the Miami GP?

The Miami GP is the fourth race of the 2026 F1 season. Here's the full schedule from the Miami International Autodrome:

• Practice 1 — 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET on May 1

• Sprint Qualifying — 4:30-5:14 p.m. ET on May 1

• Sprint — 12-1 p.m. ET on May 2

• Qualifying — 4-5 p.m. ET on May 2

• Race — 1 p.m. ET on May 3

It's possible for fans to follow all the action from this race weekend without spending anything.

How to watch the Miami GP for free

I've been a member of Amazon Prime for some time. I happily pay up for the fast shipping, exclusive Prime Day deals, and access to Prime Video. I can't say that I watch Prime Video all that often. I occasionally watch live soccer, but that's about it. That was until I found this hack for F1.

It is now possible to sign up for a seven-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels. F1 is exclusive to Apple TV in the U.S., so by accessing this free trial, you can watch select races for free this season. The subscription costs £9.99 per month after the trial ends, but you can cancel this automatic renewal at any time.

By cancelling ahead of the renewal, you can watch the Miami GP this weekend without actually spending anything.

I already pay for Amazon Prime, so I understand the argument that I'm not actually watching for free. But I was going to be a member whether I could watch F1 for free or not. Anyway, Amazon Prime offers a 30-day free trial period if you're new to the service. By signing up for this free trial and then gaining access to Apple TV through Prime Video Channels, you can truly watch select races for free this season.

If you've already used this method to watch a race this season, you've got other options to consider. I suggest you go direct to Apple TV. This popular steaming service comes with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. Alternatively, Apple One bundles Apple TV with Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, Apple News Plus, and 50GB of iCloud Storage for $19.95 per month after a one-month free trial.

It's also worth noting that the best Apple TV free-trial offer comes with purchases of new Apple devices. New subscribers can get three months of Apple TV for free after purchasing any eligible Apple product. If you're planning on upgrading to something from the Apple lineup, you could gain access to Apple TV for a good chunk of this season.

How to live stream 2026 F1 for free in 2026 Best Apple TV Deal Apple TV 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Prime Video Deal Apple TV Prime Video Channel 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Apple One Deal Apple One 30-day free trial Shop Now

How to live stream 2026 F1 for free at a glance: Best Apple TV Deal Apple TV 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Prime Video Deal Apple TV Prime Video Channel 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Apple One Deal Apple One 30-day free trial Shop Now

This season of F1 is unlike any other. Every season of F1 has a number of fascinating storylines to follow, but due to a major set of regulation changes, there's so much uncertainty right now. And uncertainty can lead to exciting racing.

Lando Norris secured an incredible title victory on the final day of last season. Now the pressure is on McLaren to defend that title against a long list of talented drivers and motivated teams. Expect the likes of George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton to challenge for race wins this season. Mercedes look like the team to beat this season, but a lot can change.

If you are interested in watching F1 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

What is F1?

Formula One (F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars. A season consists of a series of races (Grands Prix) that take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built circuits or closed public roads.

Lando Norris is the defending champion. McLaren won the Constructors Championship in 2025.

When is F1 in 2026?

The 2026 F1 season is the 77th edition of the championship. This year's championship features 24 Grands Prix events held all over the world between March and December:

1. Australian Grand Prix — March 8

2. Chinese Grand Prix — March 15

3. Japanese Grand Prix — March 29

4. Miami Grand Prix — May 3

5. Canadian Grand Prix — May 24

6. Monaco Grand Prix — June 7

7. Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix — June 14

8. Austrian Grand Prix — June 28

9. British Grand Prix — July 5

10. Belgian Grand Prix — July 19

11. Hungarian Grand Prix — July 26

12. Dutch Grand Prix — Aug. 23

13. Italian Grand Prix — Sept. 6

14. Spanish Grand Prix — Sept. 13

15. Azerbaijan Grand Prix — Sept. 26

16. Singapore Grand Prix — Oct. 11

17. United States Grand Prix — Oct. 25

18. Mexico City Grand Prix — Nov. 1

19. São Paulo Grand Prix — Nov. 8

20. Las Vegas Grand Prix — Nov. 21

21. Qatar Grand Prix — Nov. 29

22. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Dec. 6

It's important to note that these dates are only for race days. The Chinese, Miami, Canadian, British, Dutch, and Singapore GPs will host a sprint race.

How to watch F1 for free

In the U.S., F1 is now exclusive to Apple TV. An Apple TV subscription costs $12.99 per month or $99 per year, but it's possible to gain access to Apple TV without spending anything.

Apple TV Opens in a new window Credit: Apple TV Apple TV (7-day free trial) Apple TV comes with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. This is a sneaky trick, but you could sign up to watch the next F1 race and then cancel your subscription before you need to spend anything. This obviously isn't a long-term fix, but it does give you the opportunity to live stream select F1 race weekends for free. Shop Now Apple TV Prime Video Channel Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple TV Prime Video Channel (7-day free trial) Already an Amazon Prime member? You're in luck. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels. This lets you watch select F1 races live with the Prime Video app. The subscription typically costs £9.99 per month after the trial ends, but you can cancel at any time. That means you can watch select races without actually spending anything. Shop Now Apple One Opens in a new window Credit: Apple One Apple One (30-day free trial) Apple One bundles Apple TV with Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, Apple News Plus, and 50GB of iCloud Storage for $19.95 per month after a one-month free trial. Time it right and this trial could provide access to up to four race weekends for free. You do need to be a new or returning subscriber to each of the included services to get the free trial. Shop Now

It's worth noting that the best Apple TV free-trial offer comes with purchases of new Apple devices. New subscribers can get three months of Apple TV for free after purchasing any eligible Apple product, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, or Apple TVs. This special offer goes live for 90 days after the new device is activated — that's a good chunk of the season.

When NASA makes a new timelapse video, it's not for reminiscence or clout chasing on the Internet.

The U.S. space agency recently pulled together images from Curiosity, one of its two robotic rovers on Mars, for a scientific purpose. The two-minute video provides a quick succession of clips spanning six years of exploration at Gale Crater. Each image shows the rover ambling over crumbling lithic landscapes as it slowly climbs Mount Sharp, which rises three miles above the basin floor. 

The montage isn't just an intriguing look back on the mission, but a tool for the rover's science team. Using views from Curiosity's right navigation camera, mounted on its head, the researchers analyze the sand grains shifting on the rover's deck. 

You can watch the Martian dust churn in the rover's treads in the Instagram post below. (The Lenny Kravitz soundtrack, though not for science, certainly adds to the appeal.) 

"Distinguishing between sand jostled by each drive and wind gusts can provide new information about seasonal changes in the atmosphere," the agency said. 

SEE ALSO: You can now own your own little Artemis II 'Rise' plushie

Curiosity took these images between Jan. 2, 2020, and March 8, but the rover's journey began long before that. After eight months and 352 million miles flying through space, the rover landed on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012. Its mission: Find out if this smaller neighboring world ever had conditions to support living creatures. 

NASA's question was answered rather quickly. Within a year, the rover had drilled a rock sample from a long-gone lakebed and confirmed the region had the right chemistry for habitation in its ancient past, as well as potential nutrients for microorganisms. 

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Since then, the rover has continued to study the alien environment using its internal chemistry lab. A recently published study revealed the rover detected 21 different organic molecules in a small rock sample, the largest set found on the Red Planet so far. Among the findings, Curiosity discovered preserved complex carbon material. Life could have produced them, though NASA can't say for sure, as chemical reactions between water and rock could also create these molecules. 

As scientists monitor the shifting sand for clues about Mars' seasonal changes, engineers keep a close eye on how that dust and debris put wear and tear on the vehicle. Almost since the beginning of the journey, the team has noticed sharp rocks in the terrain ravaging Curiosity's wheels, even causing punctures. 

Before the rover's sibling launched, NASA went back to the drawing board. Engineers built Perseverance with hardier wheels made from thicker aluminum. Each wheel is powered by its own motor and can turn in a full circle, allowing it to dodge and swerve around hazards more easily. 

Engineers inspect damage to Curiosity's wheels on Mars on April 18, 2016. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

But to help the elder rover, NASA has problem-solved alternative techniques, such as driving in reverse. Software engineers also provided upgrades that gave Curiosity's team more control over individual wheel speeds to reduce the force of jagged rocky surfaces. Those efforts have kept the rover trucking, which has traveled 23 miles on Mars. 

Wheel damage isn't the only concern in the harsh conditions on Mars. Many a mission has succumbed to the effects of blustery Martian winds, which kick up dust that then settles on solar panels.

Such was the fate of Curiosity and Perseverance's predecessors, Spirit and Opportunity, who died from dust choking their vital power sources.

TL;DR: The AdGuard Family Plan covers up to nine devices with ad blocking, privacy protection, and parental controls, now on sale for $15.97 (reg. $169.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription $15.97
$169.99 Save $154.02   Get Deal

Most households aren’t running on just one device anymore. You probably have a few of your own, and everyone else under the same roof likely does, too. That means a mix of phones, laptops, and tablets — and all the ads, trackers, and distractions that seem to follow them everywhere. The AdGuard Family Plan is built to handle that, covering up to nine devices with ad blocking, privacy protection, and parental controls, now on sale for $15.97 (reg. $169.99).

If you’re tired of seeing ads every other scroll, chances are the rest of your household is, too. AdGuard helps cut through that noise by filtering out banners, pop-ups, and autoplay videos before they load. The result is a cleaner, less distracting browsing experience across devices.

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It also adds a layer of privacy. AdGuard helps limit trackers and data collection while you browse, shop, or just wander the internet. It can also block access to known phishing and malicious sites, which is especially useful when not everyone using your Wi-Fi has the same browsing habits.

For households with kids, the parental controls help keep things in check. You can restrict access to adult content and set boundaries around what’s accessible online, helping keep things a bit more age-appropriate without constant supervision.

The Family Plan works across iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, making it easy to cover most setups. With support for up to nine devices, it’s a good fit for households where screens tend to multiply.

Originally $169.99, you can score a lifetime subscription to AdGuard Family Plan for just $15.97.

StackSocial prices subject to change.