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Got a few spare hours this weekend? Instead of relying on paper habit trackers that never survive a full week, forgetting when your car is due for maintenance, or juggling handwritten grocery lists, you can turn Excel into a set of simple tools that actually solve everyday problems. These three beginner-friendly projects show just how powerful spreadsheets can be when you move beyond basic data entry.

There’s no arguing that smartphone battery life has improved by leaps and bounds since the early days. Go back just a decade, and most phones needed to be recharged several times a day. Now phones will generally get you through a day, from your morning commute to your evening return home. But what if that’s not enough?

Just got your hands on an ESP32? Don’t dive into a complex first build; start slow with something simple. These projects will introduce you to basics like flashing your microcontroller, adding components with a breadboard, and simple coding.

Nvidia is keen to tout the RTX Spark as a fast all-round "superchip," but the centerpiece isn't the computational power. Rather, it's the very notion of building a consumer PC and its interface around AI agents that complete tasks across apps.

Check out the first piloted hydrogen-powered helicopter flight, a major milestone toward sustainable aviation.

The Excel ribbon often forces you through multiple menus just to highlight important data. Hidden inside the Format Cells dialog is a syntax system that replaces several common formatting tasks like color-coding, icon sets, number scaling, and zero formatting control.

Cleaning massive, disorganized spreadsheets or parsing through thousands of lines of raw server logs is annoying. You can do it yourself, make a program to do it, or you can just give it to Claude and ask it to fix your problems. Claude has a built-in execution canvas that handles smaller tasks. It's a sandboxed processing environment that lives right inside your chat window, so you can drop in files and use plain language to make the fixes you need. This is one of the ways Claude works better than usual.

TL;DR: Amazon has the Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Perfect Order Booster Bundle available from just $48 through marketplace sellers. The Amazon-shipped listing with slightly faster delivery is also at $49.89, though you can get as low as $39.95 from Walmart and TCGplayer.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle $48 at Amazon
  Shop Now

Still the most affordable recent expansion in the Pokémon TCG, you can now grab the Perfect Order Booster Bundle even below market price — depending on your preferences for retailers. 

As of June 5, the Pokémon TCG’s Perfect Order Booster Bundle is available at Amazon for $48, with the lowest-priced listing coming from The Ardor Group and including free shipping. 

For a slightly speedier turnaround, you can pay $49.89 for the listing shipped from Amazon and sold by Collector’s Treasures — with delivery currently listed for June 10. 

Either one gets you six booster packs from Perfect Order, each with 10 trading cards each, but it is a far more budget-friendly way of jumping into the expansion than investing in a much more expensive Booster Display Box. 

Still, you have the chance to pull some valuable chase cards — including Mega Zygarde ex, with Mega Clefable ex, Mega Starmie ex, and Meowth ex. However, these are also available to buy individually on TCGplayer. 

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However, you can save even more by purchasing from one of the other big sites in the trading card market. 

TCGplayer has listings starting at $40.34 shipped, while Walmart shows a current listing at $39.95, sold by Realgoodeal and fulfilled by Walmart. The latter makes it even lower than TCGplayer’s market value price of $40.13. 

To save more on recent expansions, though, you can grab the Pokémon TCG’s Chaos Rising Booster Bundle for under $50. You can even grab the Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box for under $100.

Although currently not available on Amazon, the Pokémon TCG’s newly announced Pitch Black expansion — Booster Packs, ETBs, Display Boxes, and Booster Bundles — is available to preorder at TCGplayer.

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Samsung's most popular phones are big, almost to the point that they're too big to comfortably operate. If you've been using Android for quite some time now, you're surely familiar with the one-handed mode that comes on phones from the Galaxy to the Pixel. However, I recently discovered a similar yet mostly unknown Samsung Galaxy feature that changed the way I use my phone.

If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, would you rather listen to "Sunny Day" or "Rubber Duckie"?

Would you rather be able to fly or turn invisible?

These are some of the questions Sesame Street's Grover and Elmo answered when they stopped by Mashable's Say More studio to visit with Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko. With their distinct laughs and hilarious banter, Grover and Elmo covered a number of "Would You Rather" topics that taught us a little bit more about the classic Sesame Street icons.

After watching, drop your own answers in the comments. We'd love to hear them!

For more from Grover and Elmo and the whole Sesame Street family, check out new Sesame Street episodes are available on Netflix and PBS Kids June 8.

Building a smart home costs a fraction of what it once did, and there are plenty of opportunities to save some money along the way. I’ve always believed that there are some devices that are worth spending more on, whether that’s for safety, performance, or to save you hassle in the long term.

With Secretary of State Marco Rubio getting a grilling over Donald Trump's apparent mid-day napping habits, Seth Meyers decided to dig into the issue himself on Late Night.

"If there's one thing we know about Trump it's that he's a keen judge of character, he's alway paying close attention to the habits and qualities of the people around him," says Meyers over footage of Trump with his eyes closed in the Oval Office. "We've all seen him in meetings, razor sharp, laser-focussed, locking eyes with everyone around him, carefully scrutinising every word and every gesture, taking the true measure of the men and the soon-to-be-fired women who make up his administration and sure, to you it looks like he's asleep, but everyone looks like they're sleeping when you're so woke."

Cue five minutes of detailed analysis on the president's sleeping habits.

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I'm primarily a Windows user, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. But like a lot of people, I had a few perfectly good Windows machines that couldn't officially upgrade to Windows 11 despite having no obvious performance problems. They weren't broken, slow, or useless. They had just fallen on the wrong side of Microsoft's requirements.

SAVE OVER $100: As of June 5, the Sony ULT Wear headphones in black are discounted to $144.95 at Amazon. This is $105.04 off their list price of $249.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony ULT WEAR Over-Ear Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headphones $144.95 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $105.04   Get Deal

Sony's ULT Wear headphones are a pair we have a lot of love for. Landing on our list of the best noise-canceling headphones, they've actually earned the spot as our favorite pick for bass lovers. If they sound right up your alley, you don't actually have to wait until Prime Day to score a good deal, as they're currently on sale at Amazon.

The black pair of Sony ULT Wear headphones has dropped to $144.95 at Amazon, a discount of just over $100 from their full price of $249.99. They're not the only color on sale, though. For a few dollars extra at $148, you can also save on the off-white pair, if you prefer those.

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If big bass is a high priority for you in headphones, the Sony ULT Wear can deliver. Mashable's Miller Kern noted in her original review that the "booming sound makes other (decidedly good) headphones sound flat, and the option to punch the bass up two levels is something I didn’t even know I needed in a pair of headphones."

She does mention that the "design is not as sleek as other headphones I’ve worn or seen, but that’s a fair tradeoff for amazing sound and a more affordable price." They'll last you quite a while through any long journeys you have planned as well, as they offer up to 30 hours of battery life.

Why not treat yourself to a pair of new headphones this summer? Save big on the Sony ULT Wear headphones at Amazon.

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Netflix really does like to wave something shiny and new in your face, doesn't it? This week, it's J.Lo falling for Roy Kent in Office Romance, plus the new additions of the Rocky, Creed, and Karate Kid franchises, all landing on the same day. These are all great for movie night, but less so when you're looking for something you can sink your teeth into for an entire weekend, or more.

TL;DR: Amazon has dropped the preorder price of Magic: The Gathering’s Marvel Super Heroes Play Booster Box to just $129, a $10 cut from its $139.55 base price. At $10.55 on the 30-pack box, this is its lowest price ever ahead of its June 26 release date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Play Booster Box $129 at Amazon
$139.55 Save $10.55 Pre-order Here

As MTG’s Marvel Super Heroes expansion comes ever closer, you and other trading card collectors can now grab its high-value box of 30 packs at a new all-time low price point. 

As of June 5, the Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Play Booster Box is available to preorder on Amazon for $129, down from $139.55. This listing is shipped and sold by Amazon directly, with free delivery currently set for Monday, June 29 — shortly after the expansion’s launch on June 26. 

This also includes Amazon’s preorder price guarantee. So, if Amazon drops the price again before release, you should pay the lowest price offered between checkout and launch.

As confirmed by the price-tracking site camelcamelcamel, this $10.55 saving brings the Play Booster Box to its lowest price ever — after dropping to $140 only in late May. Now, you’ll only be paying $4.30 per pack instead of $4.65.

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What’s more, this even takes the price of the Marvel Super Heroes Play Booster Box to under market value, also being over $10 lower than TCGplayer’s market price, and undercutting the dedicated trading card platform’s own lowest $140.38 listing.

Inside, you’ll get 30 Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Play Boosters, with 14 cards in each pack. Every pack includes one Traditional Foil card and one to four cards of rare or higher rarity, alongside commons, uncommons, and one land. There’s also a small chance of pulling a Foil Borderless Mythic Rare, while a Traditional Foil Land replaces the regular land in 20% of boosters. 

Speaking of preorders, you can also buy the 30-pack Magic: The Gathering Reality Fracture Play Booster Box on sale as well — for only $154.99. If you’re newer to MTG, you can also grab the 24-pack Jumpstart 2025 Booster Box for only $99.62.

If you’re also a Pokémon TCG fan, although currently not available on Amazon, the newly announced Pitch Black expansion — Booster Packs, ETBs, Display Boxes, and Booster Bundles — is available to preorder at TCGplayer.

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

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 June 5, 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: Children's tale

• Green: Breakfast grains

• Blue: An iconic actress

• Purple: Ways to get around

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

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Associated with Hansel and Gretel

• Green: Bit of cereal

• Blue: Demi Moore movies

• Purple: Ending in methods of transportation

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 #1090 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Associated with Hansel and Gretel: BREADCRUMB, FOREST, OVEN, WITCH

• Bit of cereal: CLUSTER, FLAKE, LOOP, PUFF

• Demi Moore movies: DISCLOSURE, GHOST, STRIPTEASE, THE SUBSTANCE

• Ending in methods of transportation: INCUBUS, OSCAR, QUATRAIN, SITUATIONSHIP

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 June 5, 2026

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

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

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

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

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 June 5, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: You wanna go?

The words are related to battling.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe combative words.

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

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 Fighting Words.

NYT Strands word list for June 5

• Clash

• Scuffle

• Scrap

• Melee

• Fighting Words

• Skirmish

• Brawl

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a good person.

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 June 5, 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.

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

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 June 5, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Honorably.

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 N.

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...

NOBLY

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

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

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

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

SAVE $100: As of June 5, the Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm) is on sale for $299 at Amazon, marking its lowest price yet at the retailer. This is $100 off its full price of $399.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] $299 at Amazon
$399 Save $100   Get Deal

This year's Amazon Prime Day sale is coming up soon, but there are already quite a few exciting deals available, including on some Apple tech. The Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm) is one discounted item that's crossed our radar, as it's returned to its lowest price so far at the retailer for $299.

If you've had your eye on this Apple smartwatch, this is an excellent deal to jump on. Overall, you're saving $100 compared to paying its full price of $399, which is some excellent savings before Prime Day. It applies to every available color as well, so you can save on your preferred style.

SEE ALSO: 3 burning questions we still have before WWDC 2026

The Apple Watch Series 11 is filled to the brim with health and fitness features, from hypertension notifications and a sleep score to safety features and more. Plus, it also has quite a beefy battery life. Mashable's Stan Schroeder wrote in his review: "After nearly a full week of use, I can say that the Apple Watch Series 11 is easily a one-and-a-half-day smartwatch now, and it's possible to extend that to a full weekend if you carefully use Low Power mode."

This is also how it earned the spot as 'Best Apple Upgrade' in our roundup of the best smartwatches. Mashable's Timothy Beck Werth said in this piece: "OK, so you really, really do want all-day battery life? Then you really do need to upgrade to the $399 Apple Watch Series 11."

Don't wait for Prime Day, save big on the Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm) at Amazon today.

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