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Yes, in A Useful Ghost, there's a make-out scene between a man and a vacuum cleaner. Several actually. And none in the way you'd imagine. (Unless... were you immediately imagining nipple play?)

Admittedly, the image of a man cradling a vacuum in the movie's trailer is what put it toward the top of my must-sees out of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. I value cinema that shows me something I've never seen before. And I assure you, this wild Thai comedy has a lot of things you've never seen before.

On the surface, it's the tale — well, tales — of ghosts who have possessed vacuum cleaners to reconnect to the people they've left behind. But incredibly, writer/director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke builds within this undeniably silly premise interwoven stories of love, yearning, and political rebellion.

Incredibly, he does all that in a way that makes just talking about this movie feel like recounting a fever dream. It's little wonder the film won the Critics' Week Grand Prix out of the Cannes Film Festival and has been chosen by Thailand as its submission to the Academy Awards for the international feature film category. It's a marvel.

A Useful Ghost is a rapturous Russian doll of a story.

Boonbunchachoke births one story from another from another. His film begins with a self-proclaimed "Academic Ladyboy" (Wisarut Homhuan), who buys a new vacuum to bust the dust coming in from a withering stone monument outside a humble apartment. Dust and vacuums will become a recurring element of each subsequent story, representing the persistent affliction of a paved-over past and the societal pressure to sweep it away instead of confronting it.

Buying a vacuum becomes a life-changing affair, because this ladyboy's new device is haunted — or so says the hot repairman named Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjud), who comes to fix it. With a smoldering gaze, he tells a tale of two other haunted vacuums. The first is of a vengeful spirit who afflicted a family-owned vacuum factory. The second is of that factory owner's son March (Wisarut Himmarat), who was so lost in grief over the death of his wife Nat (Davika Hoorne) that she was compelled to return — as a vacuum, painted as red as her dyed hair.

Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon), the factory owner, wasn't fond of Nat while she was alive. She's even less a fan now that Nat's a vacuum, sucking on March's nipples with her bristle attachment. A monk visiting the haunted factory notes that ghosts return because they remember and are remembered. Essentially, as a ghost is forgotten by the living, they fade into nothingness. So, Suman decides to electroshock the memories of Nat right out of March's head.

However, before Nat is fully faded, Suman's family learns that Nat has a unique skill for entering the dreams of the living. There, she can better understand the haunting ghosts of Thailand. And once this "useful ghost" has identified them, these unuseful ghosts can be extinguished by electroshocking their loved ones into forgetting them.

Listening to this story, the Academic Ladyboy is repulsed by Nat's willingness to turn on her own to maintain what she has. From there, Boonbunchachoke digs deeper into political allegory through a plotline involving a politician who wishes Nat to eradicate the ghosts of those killed in a political massacre. And just like that, this silly story has a powerful message that's achingly timely.

Kink and queerness come into play in A Useful Ghost.

In the opening line of Boonbunchachoke's film, he identifies the audience conduit as a LGBTQ+ person, the Academic Ladyboy, defined chiefly by his queerness and his intellectual curiosity. Later, when March's mother is being dressed down by her in-laws over her parenting, they scold her for raising her eldest gay and her second son to make out with a vacuum. This paired with a sprinkling of love scenes between March and vacuum Nat and several gay sex scenes suggests a throughline between these loves, deemed outside the norm of an older, conservative, and ruthless faction.

Queerness itself is celebrated in A Useful Ghost. The Academic Ladyboy is a compassionate listener to Krong's winding tale. Their connection is instant, sizzling, and satisfyingly resolved. Another subplot explores how homophobia in Thailand creates heartache and ghosts with unfinished business. Meanwhile, March's gay brother — though sneered at by his aunts and uncles — is shown only as joyful and loving with his husband and their son, though they discuss moving abroad to Australia.

Nat and March are straight, but once she's embodied in a vacuum, they no longer fall within the acceptable heterocentric norms of his family and a band of monks, who swarm her and call her a "thick cunt" while they attempt to banish her. In this way, Nat becomes subjected to hatred over who she loves because of the body she inhabits. And while this analogy might sound obvious, it plays out subtly because Boonbunchachoke's story is so surprising and strange, you may be focusing more on what the fuck is happening next while you watch, only to reflect on what it all means later. And I can't stop thinking about A Useful Ghost. Its outrageous jokes, earnest romance, and gnarly twists are unforgettable.

This film's collision of queerness, comedy, and politics should draw Boonbunchachoke comparisons to John Waters or Pedro Almodóvar. But the finale, which turns sharper and deliciously menacing, feels more in line with the political satires of Bong Joon Ho. With A Useful Ghost, Boonbunchachoke delivers a a delirious vision, a hilarious and thought-provoking comedy that demands to be seen and adored. It's just phenomenal.

A Useful Ghost was reviewed out of 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

Microsoft Edge feels like a billboard more than a browser, which is why I've never used it as my default. Recently, though, I installed Windows on a laptop that was too old to run even a regular browser, so I ended up spending some time with Edge. Turns out, it can be a solid browser with a few tweaks.

Conservative political leader Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah college on Sept. 9, as reported by President Donald Trump and the New York Times.

Kirk was an outspoken MAGA media figure and the leader of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth activist organization. Kirk rose to social media prominence in 2012 at just 18, and in the years since, he transformed Turning Point USA into an influential conservative political operation. Kirk traveled the country hosting caustic debates where he could express his strong right-wing stances as an opponent of abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, and gun control.

As gruesome videos of the shooting spread online, President Donald Trump, politicians from across the political spectrum, fans, and critics alike shared messages of thoughts and prayers. On his Truth Social social networking site, the President wrote, "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"

Soon after, the President announced that Kirk had been killed. "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us."

Mashable is choosing not to share videos of the shooting, which shows Kirk speaking to a large crowd at a Utah Valley University event. The video shows Kirk responding to a question about mass shootings while sitting underneath a Turning Point USA tent emblazoned with the messages "Prove Me Wrong" and “The American Comeback.” As he speaks, his head suddenly rocks back, and he suffers a grievous neck wound as the crowd panics and runs from the scene.

The New York Times reported that a shooter fired a single shot from a building some 200 yards from Kirk. The Times initially reported that a suspect had been taken into custody at the scene, but later wrote that police have since determined that the individual was not the shooter. NBC News reported that no suspects are in custody at this time, citing a Utah Valley University spokesperson.

Social media users shared videos of an older white man being taken into custody; however, misleading video clips often go viral in the aftermath of a tragedy, and internet sleuths have a history of misidentifying suspects in the aftermath of a shooting.

Major political and public figures shared messages of shock, horror, and sympathy following the shooting.

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Charlie Kirk belonged to a political party whose members routinely send Christmas card pics of their entire families, adults and children, bearing rifles and handguns – and who widely wear AR-15 lapel pins. Facts.

— Dr. Jack Brown (@drjackbrown.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

UPDATE: Sep. 11, 2025, 11:45 a.m. EDT This story has been updated to provide additional context about Kirk's political beliefs.

A Mars rock sample collected last summer shows chemical fingerprints that might be traces of past microbe activity, though non-biological explanations are still possible, according to NASA.

The Perseverance rover found the rock in July 2024. The drilled sample, nicknamed Sapphire Canyon, is now the strongest clue scientists have that life once existed on ancient Mars, according to the U.S. space agency. 

NASA held a news conference Wednesday to announce that the rover's findings have since passed peer review in the journal Nature, a key step in the scientific process to ensure the evidence is solid. Associate administrator Nicky Fox emphasized that the sample does not contain life itself but a fossilized remnant that suggests life had possibly been there. 

"It's kind of the equivalent of seeing … leftovers from a meal, and maybe that meal has been excreted by a microbe," she said. 

But whether this possible sign of life will ever be confirmed remains to be seen. Right now the sample is still on Mars, and it's unclear whether a NASA mission will ever bring it back to Earth for further analysis, crucial for getting to the point of certainty. In January, before President Donald Trump took office, NASA officials said they were working on two potential new approaches for Mars Sample Return that could cut costs. The decision for how to proceed would ultimately fall on the Trump administration, whose budget request calls for cancellation of this mission. 

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who Trump tapped to lead the agency two months ago, seemed disconcerted by the series of questions from reporters focusing on the mission and its funding rather than the research, which was announced last year. 

"We got some of the brightest people at NASA with us," Duffy said during the event. "I was hoping your questions were going to be more on this exciting news that we have today."

SEE ALSO: NASA's Mars rovers had a gangbusters summer of rocks The sample, taken from a site called Cheyava Falls,  is one of 27 rock cores the rover has collected since landing on the Red Planet in February 2021. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

The sample, taken from a rock called Cheyava Falls, is one of 27 rock cores the rover has collected in tubes since landing on the Red Planet in February 2021. The Martian location where it was found was in Neretva Vallis, home to a bygone river that once emptied water into Jezero Crater, the region Perseverance has been exploring. 

The rock is a reddish, clay-rich mudstone, with speckles and leopard spots that hint at chemical reactions similar to those that some microbes use for energy here on Earth. It contains organic carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, and iron-rich minerals that could have supported tiny life forms billions of years ago. Though these minerals can also form without living things, the local conditions make a non-biological explanation seem less likely. 

"When we see features like this in sediment on Earth, minerals are often the byproduct of microbial metabolisms that are consuming organic matter and making these minerals as a result of those reactions," said Joel Hurowitz, lead author of the Nature paper. "But there are non-biological ways to make these features that we cannot completely rule out."

For example, an alternate way to make an iron-sulfide mineral known as greigite, detected in the sample, could be to heat the rock, said Hurowitz, a planetary scientist at Stony Brook University — essentially cooking those ingredients to create a new mineral phase.

Perseverance scientists say they've exhausted what they can learn about the sample with the car-sized rover's instruments. Back home, researchers could better inspect the material. Advanced tools could search for complex organic molecules, DNA, cell structures, and more. 

Without the sample in hand, scientists will continue to pore over the rover's data by testing surrogate ingredients in laboratories, especially to see if they can create similar results in non-biological ways.

Mars Sample Return has been in limbo since a review found it would cost upward of $11 billion and take nearly two decades to achieve. NASA engaged the greater aerospace industry for input on how to wrangle in spending and development last year. Several companies suggested a variety of ideas, which Mashable reported, including repurposing Artemis moon landers and rethinking the last leg of the journey. 

The mission is not off the table, said the acting administrator, who is also the U.S. transportation secretary, and the agency will continue to explore cost-saving options to make it feasible. 

"If we don't have the resources for the right missions, or the right people, I will go to the president, I'll go to the Congress, I'll ask for more money," he said. "I feel pretty confident that with the money that we've been given in the president's budget, we can accomplish our mission."

President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill was passed in July, and part of that bill was the new "no tax on tips" law that would allow workers to earn tips and not have to declare them on taxes. The U.S. Treasury released a list of professions that were eligible for this law last week. Somewhat surprisingly, content creators of various types made the list. 

The list mostly includes the stuff you would expect, including bartenders, wait staff, food servers, gambling employees like dealers, dancers (yep, those types), ushers, lobby attendants, bellhops, and entertainers. 

Tucked into the list is “Digital Content Creators,” which the Treasury defines as people who "produce and publish on digital platforms original entertainment or personality-driven content, such as live streams, short-form videos, or podcasts."

SEE ALSO: How content creators are redefining Hollywood's power structure

Comedians, singers, musicians, and DJs are also included. These types of performers are often seen on streaming platforms like Twitch, so this law covers them both. 

There are some caveats to the law. The tax deduction is capped at $25,000 per year, which popular streamers will likely surpass. In addition, the law says that tips can’t be written off if they are received “in the course of certain specified trades or businesses — including the fields of health, performing arts, and athletics.” 

Regardless, it will likely change how streamers and content creators make money to ensure they get as close to that $25,000 cap as possible. Tipping, often referred to as "donations," has been a main revenue driver for content creators, particularly streamers on Twitch and other platforms. Per a study conducted in 2024, 19 percent of large influencers reported receiving tips from their audience across all platforms. That number is likely much higher on streaming platforms on Twitch. 

Since the law incentivizes receiving tips, it’s not a giant leap to assume that this will change how the content creator industry seeks revenue outside of the standard stuff like advertising. As The Hollywood Reporter deftly put it, don’t be surprised if content creators start asking people to like, subscribe, and tip.

About a year ago, I read a comment on Reddit suggesting that instead of dealing with fan curves and sudden noise jumps, you could just run your CPU cooler at a constant speed. Naturally, I had to try this out. Almost a year later, I still run my CPU cooler at a steady RPM.

Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the states of South Dakota and Wyoming for users to access features like messaging and adult content. This is in response to new laws passed in both states that require platforms hosting "harmful" content to verify the ages of their users.

Ford’s SUVs have built a reputation for combining everyday usability with strong performance, but reliability is often the deciding factor for many buyers. In 2025, Ford’s lineup spans everything from compact crossovers to full-size family haulers, making it one of the most diverse offerings in the segment. With so many choices, knowing which models stand out for long-term dependability is crucial.

Apple’s brand new slim iPhone is official in the form of the iPhone Air. Pretty much every detail was leaked prior to the big event, including the name. One thing that wasn’t really spoken about, however, was 5G performance.

The iPhone 17 Pro is here — and so are a bunch of fake iPhone 17 Pro videos.

Apple announced the new iPhone 17 Pro (and Pro Max) at its event on Tuesday. You can preorder the new phones starting Friday, Sept. 12, and shipping begins on Sept. 19. But, of course, some folks have already gotten their hands on the phones for demos — like MrBeast, apparently, who was at the event for some reason.

But other creators are also sharing fake videos of the iPhone 17 Pro, which show them demoing features that don't actually exist. One viral video on Instagram Reels, with 1.5 million likes and 130 million views, depicts the Cosmic Orange phone with a rotating camera array that reveals a hidden selfie screen. Search for the iPhone 17 on Instagram, and fake videos like this fill the top results for Reels posts.

Based on the comments, most users can tell the videos are fake.

"yeah it’s going to take them 10 more years for this feature," one person commented.

"It would have been more realistic if you held the other phone in your left hand. It looks like you have two right hands," another person wrote under the video.

The video with the swiveling camera array comes from VFX artist Roman Bykov (@bykovfx), who has shared other viral videos of the iPhone 17 Pro. One of the creator's videos shows an iPhone that can change colors with a tap on the case. (Sadly, the iPhone 17 Pro doesn't come in green or red.) Another shows the flagship phone with a second display on the back, which can be used for scrolling through messages.

Sadly, iPhone does not make an iPhone with a heat-sensitive, color-changing body. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Instagram / Roman Bykov

The new iPhone 17 Pro does have an impressive selfie camera. It has up to 18MP, compared to the 12MP on previous models, and can automatically flip orientation depending on what it sees in the photo. That means you don't have to flip your whole phone to get a selfie with a wide group. The back-facing camera also has triple 48MP fusion cameras and an ultrawide lens.

The viral videos of the iPhone 17 Pro are clearly altered, but they could still fool unsuspecting viewers.

There are plenty of ways to tell if a video isn't quite right. If it's a video you suspect is using AI, check out our handy guide for identifying AI-generated videos. If you suspect a video is using a factory fake or dummy iPhone model, look at the camera bumps — that's usually a good giveaway for phony Apple products. Finally, always make sure you're viewing videos from a reputable source, not a visual effects artist.

The iPhone 17 range was announced yesterday, and it's a pretty different lineup to anything we've seen before. And Apple really wants you to buy it. So much so that it has not only discontinued the iPhone 16 Pro range, but it has also nerfed the regular iPhone 16 phones, too.

Apple held its "Awe Dropping" event on Tuesday, announcing the iPhone 17, new Apple watches, and more.

But it seems the internet is...less than awed by how things went. For starters, folks don't seem to be thrilled about the design of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. In fact, the whole event seems to have made people nostalgic for old Apple events, so much so that they're posting clips of Steve Jobs hosting past keynotes.

With his iconic blue jeans, white sneakers, and black turtleneck, Jobs introduced truly world-changing products live on stage.

Here's a clip of Jobs creatively unveiling the MacBook Air, for instance, which has racked up 13,000 likes.

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In contrast, yesterday's Apple event was entirely pre-recorded and mostly focused on iterative improvements to existing products. Compare Jobs' style with the somewhat understated unveiling of the iPhone Air on Tuesday.

Alternate Timeline: Steve Jobs with the MacBook Air at Macworld 2008, but now it's iPhone Air.

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— Computer Clan (@computerclan.com) September 9, 2025 at 3:25 PM This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Or here's a clip posted a few days ago of Jobs showing off the iPod Nano.

20 years ago today, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod nano.

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— Basic Apple Guy (@basicappleguy.com) September 7, 2025 at 11:28 AM

There were also lots of posts about how disappointed Jobs would be with the most recent event.

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Of course, nostalgia makes everything seem better in retrospect. Humans have been lamenting the good ol' days since the invention of language. But it probably does speak to the state of how folks feel about Apple that they're posting nostalgic clips of Steve Jobs instead of geeking out over the iPhone 17.

I have long not been a Google guy, but I still considered Pixel phones to be devices I could easily recommend to others. Google's approach to AI has changed that. I no longer feel comfortable using or recommending these phones.

Apple announced the latest Apple Watches on Tuesday. Leading up to the event, rumors were swirling that the Series 11 and Ultra 3 Apple Watches were going to make their debut alongside the iPhone 17, and we can now officially confirm that to be true. The Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 are available for preorder now, and will ship on Sept. 19.

The Apple Watch Series 11 will now feature the Liquid Glass display. Credit: Apple

The last round of Apple Watches to drop came September 2024, at Apple's "It's Glowtime" event, where the Series 10 made its debut. This year, Apple kicked off its Apple Watch presentation, showcasing the life-saving capabilities of the Apple Watch before revealing the new models.

Where to preorder the new Apple Watches Apple Watch Series 11 $399 at Apple Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Series 11 $399 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Series 11 $399 at Best Buy Pre-Order Here Apple Watch SE 3 $249 at Apple Pre-Order Here Apple Watch SE 3 $249 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Apple Watch SE 3 $249 at Best Buy Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Ultra 3 $799 at Apple Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Ultra 3 $799 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Ultra 3 $799 at Best Buy Pre-Order Here

The Series 11 is the thinnest and most comfortable model with an ionized glass watch face, making it more scratch-resistant. Plus, it's 5G compatible for more coverage. As expected, it comes with watchOS 26, which features the Liquid Glass display.

New features coming to the Series 11 Apple Watch are focused on health, including blood pressure monitoring to alert users to hypertension. They're also improving sleep data, providing a sleep score, a similar data point found in wellness trackers like Oura and Whoop.

Most importantly, Apple is improving the battery life on the Apple Watch to support the new features, bringing it up to 24 hours from 18.

The Apple Watch SE 3, remains the most affordable smart watch from the brand. Credit: Apple

Also debuting this year is the Apple Watch SE 3, with the S10 chip. While it's a more affordable model, it now supports gestures and an always-on display. Its health features are expanding with sleep apnea detection and temperature sensing. Plus, you can now play music from the SE.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is geared toward the outdoor athlete. Credit: Apple

Apple Watch Ultra 3 is also coming with an increased screen size without upgrading the case size — now the largest watch face on an Apple Watch. It's doubling down on its satellite capabilities for athletes going off the grid, supported by its 42-hour battery life.

The Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399, while the SE 3 starts at $249, and the Ultra 3 at $799. All models are available now for preorder and will ship on Sept. 19.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 11 $399 at Amazon
Pre-order Here Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch SE 3 $249 at Amazon
Pre-order Here Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Ultra 3 $799 at Apple
Pre-order Here

For more Live Apple Event coverage, follow Mashable's live blog and get real-time updates on the iPhone 17, Apple Watch Series 11, and AirPods Pro 3 launch.

All the new Apple products you can preorder at Amazon: Now available Apple AirPods Pro 3 $249 Pre-Order Here Now available Apple Watch Series 11 Starting at $399 Pre-Order Here Now available Apple Watch Ultra 3 Starting at $799 Pre-Order Here Now available Apple Watch SE 3 Starting at $249 Pre-Order Here

Apple's big September event went off without a hitch. The company unveiled a handful of expected but welcomed new products, including a new iPhone lineup, next-generation AirPods Pro, and a round of Apple Watch upgrades. While most products won't start shipping until Sept. 19, you can be sure to secure the goods by preordering in advance.

While the base iPhone 17, ultra-thin iPhone Air, and ugly iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max (sorry) aren't up for preorder until Friday, Sept. 12, you can lock in your order for the other new Apple products at Amazon as of Sept. 10. We've rounded up the details for you below.

AirPods Pro 3

A much-needed upgrade, the new Apple AirPods Pro 3 feature better noise cancellation (twice as effective as the second-generation earbuds), better battery life (eight hours with ANC, 10 hours in transparency mode), and new foam-infused tips that are allegedly more comfortable and fit more snugly in your ears. They also brought the heart rate monitoring tech from the Powerbeats Pro 2 (our favorite earbuds for working out) and Fitness app compatibility to the Pro 3s, and introduced a live translation feature. The most surprising aspect, however, is the price tag. In a world where everything is getting more expensive, the AirPods Pro 3 retail for the same price as the previous generation: $249.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple AirPods Pro 3 $249 at Amazon
Pre-order Here Apple Watch Series 11

The Apple Watch Series 11 is more of a minor upgrade, bringing improvements to battery life, hardware, and connectivity. It sports an S11 chip and a tougher design with durable glass that's twice as resistant to scratches. It's now 5G-capable for quicker connectivity and can last a full day per charge (which still could be better). The biggest standout is a hypertension tool designed to flag chronic high blood pressure (though it shouldn't replace a doctor). It starts at $399, just like the Series 10.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 11 From $399 Pre-order Here Apple Watch Ultra 3

The premium, heavy-duty Apple Watch Ultra 3 features a bigger, brighter, and easier-to-read display, 5G and satellite connectivity, and the longest battery life of any Apple Watch at 42 hours. It comes in new black and natural titanium finishes for a stealthier or sleeker look. Of course, as the top-of-the-line model, it'll cost you. The Ultra 3 starts at $799.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Ultra 3 From $799 Pre-order Here Apple Watch SE 3

Apple's most affordable smartwatch also got an upgrade. The Apple Watch SE 3 now features faster charging, gesture support, on-device Siri, temperature sensing, and expanded health tracking. It's certainly more capable than its predecessors, but still pretty basic in terms of features compared to the Series 11 and Ultra 3. Of course, that's because it's designed to be a budget-friendly introductory device that starts at just $249.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch SE 3 From $249 Pre-order Here

Google came for the wired it girls at its Made by Google showcase last month. The tech giant played a sponsored episode of Kareem Rahma's SubwayTakes talk show during the event, in which Rahma and his fellow comedian Amber Singletary ripped on wired earbuds for looking "sloppy," "dumb," and "not cool."

"The only thing they [wired earbuds] do is get tangled," Rahma said, speaking into a corded mic, to which Singletary replied, also into a corded mic, "Yeah, they get tangled and now you look stupid."

Someone in SubwayTakes' Instagram comments section said it best: "Wow this is the easiest disagree ever." I firmly believe that wired earphones are actually good and worth using in 2025, at least when it comes to Apple's iconic EarPods.

I recently replaced my $249 AirPods Pro with a pair of those $19 wired guys, and they're probably the last pair of Apple earbuds I'll ever buy (or rebuy). Even the new AirPods Pro 3 don't tempt me.

Apple EarPods (USB-C) $15.99 at Amazon
$19 Save $3.01 Shop Now I wanted to love the Pros, I really did

Admittedly, I desperately wanted to like the AirPods Pro. I purchased Apple's original in-ear, noise-canceling wireless earbuds back in 2020, wanting a pair to wear during flights and workouts. I'd read the write-ups lauding their clear audio, great ANC, and comfortable in-ear fit. (They're "[probably] the most comfortable in-ear buds I've ever worn," Mashable's reviewer said at the time.) 

As an added bonus, I managed to find them on sale for nearly $100 off. The stars seemed to be aligning.

Anyone in the market for a pair of gently used first-generation AirPods Pro? Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Eager to try Apple's best earbuds and still riding the high of scoring a good deal, I took my AirPods Pro on a long walk as their maiden voyage. I remember them not feeling the most snug, but it was winter, so I was wearing a tight beanie that kept them in my ears. Back home, I took their Ear Tip Fit Test and swapped their silicone ear tips for a different set — they came with three — convincing myself that they fit much better afterward (mistake No. 1). Their instability was surely just user error.

SEE ALSO: Apple AirPods Pro 3 are officially here, bringing improved battery life and heart rate monitoring

Several more walks transpired before I finally accepted the fact that my AirPods Pro actually didn't fit well at all, no matter which ear tip I used. We were incompatible. Naturally, this only registered after their return period ended (mistake No. 2).

I kept using my AirPods Pro while it was still cold enough to wear a beanie outside. But once summer came, they took up permanent residence in a dusty corner of a desk drawer. Apple doesn't accept AirPods for trade-ins, only recycling, leaving me out of luck unless I wanted to resell them — and I figured no one would buy buds that a stranger had dunked in their waxy meatus.

The AirPods Pro's in-ear design just doesn't work for me. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

I've been wearing over-ear headphones in the years since, but still yearned for a more portable option. 

In late August, I unearthed a pair of EarPods in an old backpack — the ones with the 3.5mm audio jack that Apple used to include with every iPhone (up until the iPhone 12). They have round, plastic earphones that sit on the edge of your ear canal, not inside it, a design that worked well for me back when I did most of my listening on an iPod nano. I figured they were worth another shot.

While EarPods aren't free anymore, Apple sells them for just $19 with three connection options: the OG 3.5mm plug, Lightning, and USB-C. I bought a pair of the USB-C version to go with my iPhone 15 Pro and MacBook Pro — on sale for $18.50, no less. They're just as comfy as I remember and sound perfectly fine for my casual music- and podcast-listening purposes, so they come with me almost everywhere.

You simply can't argue with $19

For me, the EarPods' perfect fit trumps a need for other fancy features. I can't enjoy the AirPods Pro's ANC or spatial audio when they're constantly falling out of my ears. But that's not the only reason they've become my earbuds of choice.

I <3 wires. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

While the "inconvenience" of the corded design is often treated like an indisputable truth, I'd argue that it's mostly subjective. You might hate a wire because it can get caught on your arms or knotted in a pocket. Science says the latter is basically inevitable, so I'll concede this point.

Still, the wire has its merits. It prevents my EarPods from getting separated, makes it so that I never get low-battery anxiety, and averts audio latency and Bluetooth pairing issues — all while letting people know that they shouldn't talk to me. The range! I'm cool with the EarPods' occasional Tangela cosplay, all things considered.

SEE ALSO: Don't break the bank: The best budget earbuds, tested by our audio experts

Moreover, there's something so liberating about not having to be precious with my earbuds. (For reference, replacing one lost AirPods Pro earbud costs $89, or more than four times as much.) From a cost per value standpoint, EarPods are easily the best product Apple sells for under $20 — the other contenders being the infamous Polishing Cloth, an extension cable, and a few adapters. It's not even a contest.

This is mostly why I haven't tried the $129 AirPods 4 yet, which have a similar but more oval plastic "open-ear" design that seems like it might work for me. It's also why I'm not chomping at the bit to upgrade to the new AirPods Pro 3 even though their reworked design involves two extra ear tip sizes. I've learned that I can get by with wired earbuds that cost thirteen times less — and I'm not going to have a panic attack if they break or wander off.

The EarPods are one of my on-the-go essentials. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Ask yourself: Have you avoided using EarPods because cords are truly incompatible with your day-to-day life, or just because you feel a compulsion to buy the latest tech? Join me on the wired side. The sound quality is good enough, the cover charge is cheap, and the haters are low-key still using other corded devices.

Apple EarPods (USB-C) $15.99 at Amazon
$19 Save $3.01 Shop Now

SAVE $450: As of Sept. 10, get the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 for $849.99, down from its usual price of $1,299.99 at Amazon. That's a discount of 35% on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 $849.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $450 Get Deal

Whether you're a gamer or you just like the feeling of immersing yourself in your favorite media, a great gaming monitor is something you should definitely consider adding to your desk. You might even be surprised to learn that you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get something special. In fact, you can get a behemoth of a gaming monitor right now for nearly $500 off thanks to this limited-time Amazon deal.

As of Sept. 10, get the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 for $849.99, down from its usual price of $1,299.99 at Amazon. That's a discount of 35% on list price.

SEE ALSO: The 4 best premium gaming monitors instantly level up your desktop — for a price

This 49-inch beast of a monitor boasts Samsung's QD-OLED technology with bright hues, darker shades of black, and realistic contrast to give you the best viewing experience possible. It's an ultrawide display so you get a massive amount of real estate as well as an 1800R curve to keep you right in the action as if you were really there.

It has a 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and HDMI 2.1/DisplayPort connections as well to make sure you can get set up quickly and easily with everything at your desk. It also offers Picture-in-Picture support as well as quick-switching of inputs with Auto Source Switch+ so you can get back to the action, wherever it's happening, immediately.

If it's time to invest in a new gaming monitor, this is an excellent model to choose, especially as it's currently massively discounted.

3D rendering—the process of converting three-dimensional models into two-dimensional images—is a foundational technology in computer graphics, widely used across gaming, film, virtual reality, and architectural visualization. Traditionally, this process has depended on physics-based techniques like ray tracing and rasterization, which simulate light behavior through mathematical formulas and expert-designed models.

Now, thanks to advances in AI, especially neural networks, researchers are beginning to replace these conventional approaches with machine learning (ML). This shift is giving rise to a new field known as neural rendering.

Neural rendering combines deep learning with traditional graphics techniques, allowing models to simulate complex light transport without explicitly modeling physical optics. This approach offers significant advantages: it eliminates the need for handcrafted rules, supports end-to-end training, and can be optimized for specific tasks. Yet, most current neural rendering methods rely on 2D image inputs, lack support for raw 3D geometry and material data, and often require retraining for each new scene—limiting their generalizability.

RenderFormer: Toward a general-purpose neural rendering model

To overcome these limitations, researchers at Microsoft Research have developed RenderFormer, a new neural architecture designed to support full-featured 3D rendering using only ML—no traditional graphics computation required. RenderFormer is the first model to demonstrate that a neural network can learn a complete graphics rendering pipeline, including support for arbitrary 3D scenes and global illumination, without relying on ray tracing or rasterization. This work has been accepted at SIGGRAPH 2025 and is open-sourced on GitHub (opens in new tab).

Architecture overview

As shown in Figure 1, RenderFormer represents the entire 3D scene using triangle tokens—each one encoding spatial position, surface normal, and physical material properties such as diffuse color, specular color, and roughness. Lighting is also modeled as triangle tokens, with emission values indicating intensity.

Figure 1. Architecture of RenderFormer

To describe the viewing direction, the model uses ray bundle tokens derived from a ray map—each pixel in the output image corresponds to one of these rays. To improve computational efficiency, pixels are grouped into rectangular blocks, with all rays in a block processed together.

The model outputs a set of tokens that are decoded into image pixels, completing the rendering process entirely within the neural network.

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Subscribe today Opens in a new tab Dual-branch design for view-independent and view-dependent effects

The RenderFormer architecture is built around two transformers: one for view-independent features and another for view-dependent ones.

• The view-independent transformer captures scene information unrelated to viewpoint, such as shadowing and diffuse light transport, using self-attention between triangle tokens.
• The view-dependent transformer models effects like visibility, reflections, and specular highlights through cross-attention between triangle and ray bundle tokens.

Additional image-space effects, such as anti-aliasing and screen-space reflections, are handled via self-attention among ray bundle tokens.

To validate the architecture, the team conducted ablation studies and visual analyses, confirming the importance of each component in the rendering pipeline.

Table 1. Ablation study analyzing the impact of different components and attention mechanisms on the final performance of the trained network.

To test the capabilities of the view-independent transformer, researchers trained a decoder to produce diffuse-only renderings. The results, shown in Figure 2, demonstrate that the model can accurately simulate shadows and other indirect lighting effects.

Figure 2. View-independent rendering effects decoded directly from the view-independent transformer, including diffuse lighting and coarse shadow effects.

The view-dependent transformer was evaluated through attention visualizations. For example, in Figure 3, the attention map reveals a pixel on a teapot attending to its surface triangle and to a nearby wall—capturing the effect of specular reflection. These visualizations also show how material changes influence the sharpness and intensity of reflections.

Figure 3. Visualization of attention outputs Training methodology and dataset design

RenderFormer was trained using the Objaverse dataset, a collection of more than 800,000 annotated 3D objects that is designed to advance research in 3D modeling, computer vision, and related fields. The researchers designed four scene templates, populating each with 1–3 randomly selected objects and materials. Scenes were rendered in high dynamic range (HDR) using Blender’s Cycles renderer, under varied lighting conditions and camera angles.

The base model, consisting of 205 million parameters, was trained in two phases using the AdamW optimizer:

• 500,000 steps at 256×256 resolution with up to 1,536 triangles
• 100,000 steps at 512×512 resolution with up to 4,096 triangles

The model supports arbitrary triangle-based input and generalizes well to complex real-world scenes. As shown in Figure 4, it accurately reproduces shadows, diffuse shading, and specular highlights.

Figure 4. Rendered results of different 3D scenes generated by RenderFormer

RenderFormer can also generate continuous video by rendering individual frames, thanks to its ability to model viewpoint changes and scene dynamics.

3D animation sequence rendered by RenderFormer Looking ahead: Opportunities and challenges

RenderFormer represents a significant step forward for neural rendering. It demonstrates that deep learning can replicate and potentially replace the traditional rendering pipeline, supporting arbitrary 3D inputs and realistic global illumination—all without any hand-coded graphics computations.

However, key challenges remain. Scaling to larger and more complex scenes with intricate geometry, advanced materials, and diverse lighting conditions will require further research. Still, the transformer-based architecture provides a solid foundation for future integration with broader AI systems, including video generation, image synthesis, robotics, and embodied AI. 

Researchers hope that RenderFormer will serve as a building block for future breakthroughs in both graphics and AI, opening new possibilities for visual computing and intelligent environments.

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The post RenderFormer: How neural networks are reshaping 3D rendering appeared first on Microsoft Research.

TL;DR: Germany vs. Slovenia in EuroBasket 2025 is available to live stream for free on RTVE. Access this free streaming service from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

EuroBasket 2025 is reaching its dramatic conclusion, with only a single spot in the semi finals left to secure. Germany take on Slovenia in the final quarter final, with a number of NBA players going head-to-head. Luka Dončić will be looking to lead his side to victory over the likes of Franz Wagner and Dennis Schröder.

If you want to watch Germany vs. Slovenia in EuroBasket 2025 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Germany vs. Slovenia?

Germany vs. Slovenia in EuroBasket 2025 takes place at 2 p.m. ET on Sept. 10.

How to watch Germany vs. Slovenia for free

Germany vs. Slovenia in EuroBasket 2025 is available to live stream for free on RTVE.

SEE ALSO: How to watch the NFL online for free

RTVE is geo-restricted to Spain, 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 Spain, meaning you can unblock RTVE from anywhere in the world.

Live stream EuroBasket 2025 for free 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 Spain

4. Visit RTVE

5. Live stream EuroBasket 2025 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 taking advantage of these offers, you can watch Germany vs. Slovenia in EuroBasket 2025 without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you plenty of time to watch the tournament for free.

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

What is the best VPN for RTVE?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking free streaming sites, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Spain

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

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Germany vs. Slovenia in EuroBasket 2025 for free with ExpressVPN.

Have you ever put on some legendary porn and masturbated for hours, never allowing yourself to orgasm, until you went into a trancelike state and lost all sense of space and time? 

No? Well, you clearly haven't tried gooning.

What does gooning mean?

Gooning is a kind of extreme form of edging — wherein you continuously stimulate yourself for hours on end, without reaching a climax, in order to experience the "goon state" — a deeply meditative experience akin to meditation. Gooning has become a bit of an internet phenomenon, with countless videos emerging on TikTok and streaming sites like Twitch. According to data from Sensuali, searches for Gooning are up 435 percent, and up 314 percent in the last year alone on Google Trends. 

SEE ALSO: 'Hamstering' is a spicy TikTok trend people may actually be trying

Dr. Ty David Lerman, Ph.D., a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, and certified sex therapist, tells us that gooning gets its name from our favorite spinach-eating sailor of yesteryear. "The term is a nod to the 'Goons' of early Popeye the Sailor cartoons, which depicted henchmen who were not very smart and seemingly single-task oriented." And modern day gooners certainly are single-task oriented…with that task being beating their meat. 

In all likelihood, gooning has made it into the mainstream narrative because of the funny and silly faces that a person makes while gooning. Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto and sex expert for Archer, a new dating app for queer men, describes the "goon face" as possession-like. Your face slackens and you look zoned out in a way that certainly makes for watchable video content.

Yet, while gooning's popularity has seen quite a significant uptick in recent years, it isn't anything new. Far from it, actually. Relevant definitions of "gooning" popped up in 2005 on Urban Dictionary. Zane tells us that gooning forums on Reddit can be traced back at least three years — making it quite the digital phenomenon. Lerman adds that gooning has been around as long as porn has existed — and possibly longer, though no such documentation exists. Today, there are plenty of dedicated websites, communities, subreddits, forums, and media designed for gooning. We are all gooners here.

What is new, relatively speaking, is the gooning community: The ability to find like-minded folx who are just as interested in stroking their peens for hours as you are. It's really about the friends we make along the way, eh?

So, how does gooning work? When you're in ~the goon state~ what is going on in your brain and body? And, possibly most importantly, can gooning become problematic or should we go off and goon on in peace?

Let's investigate.

What is a gooner?

Gooning is masturbating for a prolonged period of time, usually hours, without ever climaxing. Lerman says this is usually in conjunction with porn and sometimes with poppers — a legal liquid substance that is inhaled causing a euphoric high and enhanced sexual pleasure.

The "goon state" is actually pretty similar to subspace in BDSM — in that you experience so much sensation that you wind up on a different mental level. It feels euphoric because of all the endorphins our brain releases during such intense play. These include neuro-chemicals like dopamine, adrenaline, and oxytocin. This cocktail of hormones impact the way a person experiences sensation, pleasure, and even themselves.   

Lerman says that as a hypnotherapist, he'd categorize the goon state as a trance. "I loosely define a trance state as 'the focus of attention on one thing to the exclusion of all else.' This definition is intentionally a bit vague, as we go into and out of trances all the time," he says. "Daydreaming, staring into a fire, 'zoning out,' getting lost in the TV and not hearing our spouse yelling at us are all forms of trances — and we all do it. [Gooning] is just a very specific type of trance, accompanied with physical sensation." 

Research has shown that deep meditative states such as this can be intensely therapeutic and can have a lot of benefits for psychological healing.

Of course, not all gooners are blasting a hardcore gangbang scene on a tube site with their dicks out in order to heal emotionally or whatever, but the psychological positives do paint a picture of its appeal. Namely, that it feels freakin' amazing.

The members of the Goon Collective

Who is doing all this relentless gooning? And furthermore, is gooning a purely solo activity or are groups of buddies getting together to goon out in groups?

While gooning is usually a solo activity paired with porn, gooners (or bators, as they are sometimes called), may goon alone or with others — either in-person or on video. 

From the outside, the idea that a couple of dudes would get together to masturbate might sound inherently queer, but Lerman advises us against labeling. "There are certainly cases of heterosexual 'bate buds' who will get together and do their own thing separately, but together," he says. "This def sounds a bit queer to the outsider, but in these cases, there is no sexual interest in each other. Rather, the attraction is simply being present with someone who 'gets it' and is part of the tribe." Humans just want to belong. 

Of course, gay men can goon, too. Dr. Lee Phillips, Ed.D., a psychotherapist and certified sex and couples therapist, says that gooning is very popular in the gay male community, but it may look a bit different than the gooning of their straight counterparts. "They will have circle-jerk parties but will call them 'goon parties' because they will edge for long periods of time as they hit the hypnotic-trance-like state," Phillips says. All in all, anyone can goon!

Zane adds that gooners may also choose to engage solo and then seek out community support. Many gooners enjoy "sharing what porn they're watching with other gooners and how intense their masturbatory experience was," he says. Sharing is caring, after all.

Some gooners even have dedicated "Goon Caves,'' which are spaces designed specifically for their gooning activities. A Goon Cave may include one or more large flat screen TVs for porn, sexual enhancements like toys, lube, and poppers, and anything else a gooner might need to ensure optimal goon time.

SEE ALSO: The best alternatives to Pornhub and XVideos When to check your gooner habits

To goon or not to goon, that is the question. If you're super into slipping into the darkness of your room, door locked, porn on, and dick out — can these habits ever become problematic? 

Here's the skinny: While some folx would be quick to hop on their soapbox and call someone who engages in masturbation for hours at a time a "porn addict" or "sex addict," this boils down to misunderstanding. (Also: Sex addiction is not recognized by science). 

Gooning is only a problem if it's negatively impacting your life, leading you to shirk responsibilities at work, neglect your social group, or prevent you from developing IRL sexual and/or romantic attachments. "If you have healthy platonic and sexual/romantic relationships, if you're never late to work due to this kink, and if all your responsibilities are being addressed, 'these aren't the droids you're looking for,'" Lerman says.

Phillips says we should accept gooning, as it's just as normal as any other kink. Don't go yucking anyone else's yum. 

As with all fun things, take stock of your habits and be sure gooning isn't taking over your life. It's really that simple, folx. Go forth, be sure you're using lots (like lots) of lube, and goon on.